As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 30, 2026.
Registration No. 333-294120
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
___________________________________
TO
FORM
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
___________________________________
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
___________________________________
| | 6770 | 98-1923384 | ||
| (State or other jurisdiction of | (Primary Standard Industrial | (I.R.S. Employer |
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
3131 Eastside Street
Houston, Texas 77098
(832) 810-6648
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
___________________________________
Andrew Mallozzi
3131 Eastside Street
Houston, Texas 77098
(832) 810-6648
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
___________________________________
Copies to:
|
Stephen P. Alicanti |
Mitchell S. Nussbaum |
___________________________________
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 check the following box. ☐
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | |||
| | ☒ | 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.
The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
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 MARCH 30, 2026 |
$200,000,000
ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.
20,000,000 Units
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp. is a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, amalgamation, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. We may pursue an initial business combination in any business or industry.
This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein. Only whole warrants are exercisable. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. The warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or our liquidation, as described herein. The underwriters have a 45-day option from the date of this prospectus to purchase up to an additional 3,000,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.
We are an “emerging growth company” under applicable federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. No offer or invitation to subscribe for securities may be made to the public in the Cayman Islands.
Notwithstanding the foregoing redemption rights, if we seek shareholder 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 memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder 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% of the shares sold in this offering without our prior consent. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including all shares held by those shareholders that hold more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering) for or against our initial business combination. See “Summary — The Offering — Limitation on redemption rights of shareholders holding 15% or more of the shares sold in this offering if we hold shareholder vote” for further discussion on certain limitations on redemption rights.
Our sponsor, Union Street Sponsor, LLC, and Roth Capital Partners, LLC, the representative of the underwriters, have committed to purchase an aggregate of
in the private placement units as the “private placement warrants.” The private placement units are identical to the units sold in this offering, subject to certain limited exceptions as described in this prospectus. The private placement warrants will be identical to the warrants comprising part of the units being offered by this prospectus.
On January 29, 2026, our sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain of our offering costs in exchange for 7,666,667 Class B ordinary shares, up to 1,000,000 of which will be surrendered to us for no consideration after the closing of this offering depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised, which will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares immediately prior to, concurrently with, or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holders thereof on a one-for-one basis, subject to the adjustments described herein.
The number of founder shares outstanding was determined based on the expectation that the total size of this offering would be a maximum of 23,000,000 public units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent 25% of the outstanding shares after this offering (not including the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private placement units and the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants). 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 Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of founder shares by our sponsor, on an as-converted basis, at 25% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (not including the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private placement units and the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants). Further, the Class A ordinary shares issuable in connection with the conversion of the founder shares or an increase in the size of the offering may result in material dilution to our public shareholders due to the anti-dilution rights of our founder shares that may result in an issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion. Prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares (i) will have the right to vote to appoint and remove directors prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) will be entitled to vote on continuing our company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend our constitutional documents or to adopt new constitutional documents, in each case, as a result of our approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). On any other matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, holders of the Class B ordinary shares and holders of the Class A ordinary shares will vote together as a single class, except as required by law. See “Summary — The Offering — Sponsor Information” for further discussion on our sponsor’s and our affiliates’ securities and compensation.
As more fully discussed in “Management — 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, pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. The low price that our sponsor, officers and directors (directly or indirectly) paid for the founder shares creates an incentive whereby our officers and directors could potentially make a substantial profit even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public shareholders. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, or by such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, the founder shares and private placement units (and the securities comprising such units) may be worthless, except to the extent they receive liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account, which could create an incentive for our sponsor, officers and directors to complete a transaction even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public shareholders. 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. Additionally, we will reimburse our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor in an amount equal to $25,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative services provided to members of our management team prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, as described elsewhere in this prospectus, which we may elect to accrue monthly, in full or in part, and pay upon the consummation of our initial business combination. Upon consummation of this offering, we will repay up to $400,000 in loans made to us by Union Street Management Sponsor, LLC, an affiliate of our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses. In the event that following this offering we obtain working capital loans from our sponsor, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, to finance transaction costs related to our initial business combination, up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into private placement units of the post-business combination entity at a price of $10.00 per
unit at the option of the lender. Prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, we may pay our sponsor, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, a finder’s fee, advisory fee, consulting fee or success fee for any services they render to us in order to effectuate the completion of our initial business, which, if made prior to the completion of our initial business combination, will be paid from funds held outside the trust account. Upon consummation of our initial business combination, we will also reimburse our sponsor, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination. The founder shares and other securities to be received by our sponsor, officers and directors (including private placement shares comprising part of private placement units issued upon conversion of working capital loans) may result in a material dilution of the public investors’ equity interests. See “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to our Management Team — 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, and our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to materially decline,” “Proposed Business — Effecting our initial business combination — Selection of a target business and structuring of our initial business combination,” “Management — Officers, Directors and Director Nominees” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”
We have until the date that is 18 months from the closing of this offering or until such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, to consummate our initial business combination. If we anticipate that we may be unable to consummate our initial business combination within such 18-month period, we may seek shareholder approval to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the date by which we must consummate our initial business combination. Subject to shareholder approval, there are no limitations as to the duration of an extension or the number of times the completion window may be extended by shareholders via an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. If we seek shareholder approval for an extension, holders of public shares will be offered an opportunity to redeem their shares at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned thereon (less taxes payable (excluding any U.S. federal excise tax on stock repurchases under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, or similar tax, that is imposed on us, if any)), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering and do not hold a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the amount of time we will have to consummate an initial business combination, or by such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, we will redeem 100% of the public shares at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned thereon (less taxes payable (excluding any U.S. federal excise tax on stock repurchases under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, or similar tax, that is imposed on us, if any) and up to $100,000 of interest income to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law as further described herein.
Currently, there is no public market for our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants. We intend to apply to have our units listed on The Nasdaq Global Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “ACGCU,” 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 Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units to begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless Roth Capital Partners, LLC the representative of the underwriters, informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our satisfaction of certain conditions as described further herein. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “ACGC” and “ACGCW”, respectively.
___________________________________
We are an “emerging growth company” and a “smaller reporting company” under applicable federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 46 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 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
No offer or invitation, whether directly or indirectly, is being or may be made to the public in the Cayman Islands to subscribe for any of our securities.
|
Per Unit |
Total |
||||
|
Public offering price |
$ |
10.00 |
200,000,000 |
||
|
Underwriting discounts and commissions(1) |
$ |
0.30 |
6,000,000 |
||
|
Proceeds, before expenses, to us |
$ |
9.70 |
194,000,000 |
||
____________
(1) Includes $0.10 per unit sold in this offering (excluding any units sold pursuant to the underwriters’ over-allotment option), or $2,000,000 in the aggregate, payable to the underwriters upon the closing and $0.10 per unit sold pursuant to the underwriters’ over-allotment option, or up to $300,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, to be deposited in the trust account and released to the underwriters only upon the completion of an initial business combination. Also includes up to $0.20 per unit sold in this offering, or up to $4,000,000 in the aggregate (or up to $4,600,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions to be deposited in a trust account and released to the underwriters only upon the completion of an initial business combination. Such deferred underwriting commissions will be payable as follows: (i) $0.05 per unit sold in this offering, or $1,000,000 in the aggregate (or up to $1,150,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full); (ii) $0.05 per unit sold in this offering, or $1,000,000 in the aggregate (or up to $1,150,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), payable only if, immediately prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, the funds remaining in the trust account equal or exceed 20% of the total gross proceeds of this offering, calculated based on the number of public shares outstanding immediately prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, net of public shares submitted for redemption and net of any public shares held by public shareholders that have entered into forward purchase agreements or other arrangements whereby we have a contractual obligation to repurchase such shares after the closing of the initial business combination and any required repurchases pursuant to forward purchase agreements or similar arrangements; and (iii) 1.0% of the funds remaining in the trust account, calculated based on the number of public shares outstanding immediately prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, net of public shares submitted for redemption and net of any public shares held by public shareholders that have entered into forward purchase agreements or other arrangements whereby we have a contractual obligation to repurchase such shares after the closing of the initial business combination. See also “Underwriting” for a description of compensation and other items of value payable to the underwriters.
Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement units described in this prospectus, $201.00 million, or $231.15 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.05 per unit in either case), will be placed into a U.S.-based trust account with Odyssey Transfer and Trust Company acting as trustee.
The following table illustrates the difference between the public offering price per unit and our net tangible book value per share (NTBV), as adjusted to give effect to this offering and assuming the redemption of our public shares at varying levels and the exercise in full and no exercise of the over-allotment option. See section entitled “Dilution” for more information.
|
As of January 30, 2026 |
||||||||||||||||||
|
Offering |
25% of Maximum |
50% of Maximum |
75% of Maximum |
Maximum |
||||||||||||||
|
NTBV |
NTBV |
Difference |
NTBV |
Difference |
NTBV |
Difference |
NTBV |
Difference |
||||||||||
|
|
Assuming Full Exercise of Over-Allotment Option |
|||||||||||||||||
|
$ |
7.30 |
6.67 |
3.33 |
5.69 |
4.31 |
3.88 |
6.12 |
(0.47 |
) |
10.47 |
||||||||
|
|
Assuming No Exercise of Over-Allotment Option |
|||||||||||||||||
|
$ |
7.29 |
6.67 |
3.33 |
5.69 |
4.31 |
3.89 |
6.11 |
(0.42 |
) |
10.42 |
||||||||
Our sponsor, officers and directors will directly or indirectly own our securities following this offering, and accordingly, they may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Additionally, 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, pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. As a result, there may be actual or potential material conflicts of interest between our sponsor and its affiliates on one hand, and purchasers in this offering on the other. See the sections titled “Proposed Business — Sourcing of Potential Business Combination Targets” and “Management — Conflicts of Interest” for more information.
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 , 2026
___________________________________
Sole Book-Running Manager
Roth Capital Partners
, 2026
TABLE OF CONTENTS
|
Page |
||
|
1 |
||
|
17 |
||
|
44 |
||
|
46 |
||
|
96 |
||
|
97 |
||
|
101 |
||
|
102 |
||
|
104 |
||
|
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS |
105 |
|
|
112 |
||
|
128 |
||
|
149 |
||
|
158 |
||
|
161 |
||
|
164 |
||
|
186 |
||
|
198 |
||
|
207 |
||
|
207 |
||
|
207 |
||
|
F-1 |
We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus. We have not, and the underwriters have not, authorized anyone to provide you with information that is different from or inconsistent with that contained in this prospectus. 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.
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.
i
SUMMARY
This summary only highlights the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. As this is a summary, it does not contain all of the information that you should consider in making an investment decision. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the information under “Risk Factors” and our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus, before investing.
Unless otherwise stated in this prospectus or the context otherwise requires, references to:
• “we,” “us,” “company” or “our company” are to ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company;
• “Roth” are to Roth Capital Partners, LLC;
• “Companies Act” are to the Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands as the same may be amended from time to time;
• “completion window” are to (i) the period ending on the date that is 18 months from the closing of this offering, or such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, in which we must complete an initial business combination or (ii) such other time period in which we must complete an initial business combination pursuant to an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (in which case our public shareholders will be offered an opportunity to redeem their public shares in connection with any such amendment);
• “Excise Tax” are to the U.S. federal excise tax on stock repurchases under Section 3401 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, enacted by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022;
• “founder shares” are to Class B ordinary shares our sponsor has committed to purchase in a private placement prior to this offering and the Class A ordinary shares that will be issued upon the automatic conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holders thereof as described herein (for the avoidance of doubt, such Class A ordinary shares will not be “public shares”);
• “Investment Company Act” are to the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended;
• “management” or our “management team” are to our officers and directors;
• “ordinary resolution” are to a resolution of the company passed by a simple majority of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at a general meeting of the company, or a resolution approved in writing by all of the holders of the issued shares entitled to vote on such matter (or such lower threshold as may be allowed under the Companies Act from time to time);
• “ordinary shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares and our Class B ordinary shares;
• “public shares” are to Class A ordinary shares sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market);
• “public shareholders” are to the holders of our public shares, including our sponsor, management team, and advisors, provided that sponsor’s, each member of our management team’s, and advisor’s status as a “public shareholder” will only exist with respect to such public shares;
• “public warrants” are to the warrants sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market);
• “private placement units” are to the units issued to our sponsor and Roth in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of this offering, as well as any units that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans, each unit consisting of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one warrant; “private placement shares” refer to the shares included in the private placement units; and “private placement warrants” refer to the warrants included in the private placement units;
1
• “special resolution” are to a resolution of the company passed by at least a two-thirds (2/3) majority (or such higher approval threshold as specified in the company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at a general meeting of the company of which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution has been duly given, or a resolution approved in writing by all of the holders of the issued shares entitled to vote on such matter;
• “sponsor” are to Union Street Sponsor, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company which was recently formed to invest in our company, as further discussed under “Sponsor Information” below; and
• “warrants” are to our public warrants and private placement warrants.
Any conversion of the Class B ordinary shares described in this prospectus will take effect as a compulsory redemption of Class B ordinary shares and an issuance of Class A ordinary shares as a matter of Cayman Islands law.
Any forfeiture of shares, and all references to forfeiture of shares, described in this prospectus shall take effect as a surrender of shares for no consideration as a matter of Cayman Islands law. Any share dividend described in this prospectus will take effect as a share capitalization as a matter of Cayman Islands law (that is, an issuance of shares from share premium).
Unless we tell you otherwise, the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option.
OUR COMPANY
Introduction
We are a blank check company incorporated on January 28, 2026 as a Cayman Islands exempted company and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, amalgamation, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any industry or geographic region, we intend to focus on companies that have an aggregate enterprise value of approximately $750 million or greater, that complement our management team’s background of identifying and executing on private credit investments. We believe that the operational, investment and capital markets experience of our management team will make us an attractive partner to potential target businesses, enhance our ability to complete a successful business combination, and bring value to the target post-business combination.
Our sponsor is an affiliate of Atlas Credit Partners, a Houston, Texas based credit-focused asset manager providing financing solutions to private and public U.S. middle and lower-middle market companies. Atlas Credit Partners has experience providing capital to companies across multiple stages of their life cycle, with an emphasis on both value and growth-oriented businesses. We intend to capitalize on the ability of our management team to identify, acquire, and operate a business that we believe will be well positioned to enter the public markets. Our differentiating factors include proprietary sourcing and direct origination, operational expertise, and a focus on non-sponsor middle market companies. Our team is comprised of seasoned investment professionals through various economic cycles with 80+ years of combined investment experience. Our differentiated sourcing network leverages the senior team’s managerial and operational expertise that allows us to be cycle-ready, not cycle-dependent.
We believe that our management team is well positioned to identify attractive risk-adjusted returns in the marketplace and that our network and transaction sources, ranging from industry executives, private owners, private equity funds, and investment bankers, in addition to the extensive global industry and geographical reach of our affiliates, will enable us to pursue a broad range of attractive opportunities.
Business Strategy
We believe that there are a range of target businesses that could benefit from our industry knowledge, relationships, capital and public vehicle. Our strategy is to capitalize on the significant experience, network and reach of our management team, along with our directors, to identify and complete our initial business combination with a target business that we believe will create shareholder value in the public markets.
2
Following the completion of this offering, we intend to identify and contact potential target businesses and start to evaluate and pursue a possible business combination. In addition, we will communicate the parameters of our search to our network of relationships and transaction sources to help us identify potential target businesses. We plan to leverage our team’s collective experience and capital markets expertise to successfully complete a business combination, and then continue to support the combined company with our industry relationships, operational and capital markets expertise, and capital resources.
Our Management Team
Andrew Mallozzi has served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board since inception. Mr. Mallozzi is an experienced investment professional with over 23 years of experience successfully evaluating, managing, and investing across multiple industries and corporations, with particular expertise in credit, special situations, value and growth investing. Mr. Mallozzi has also served as a director and board observer of multiple portfolio companies of Atlas Credit Partners and affiliates.
Mr. Mallozzi founded the asset management firm Atlas Credit Partners in 2019 and has since served as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer, where he leads all investment activities, risk management, and strategic decisions at the firm. Mr. Mallozzi previously served as Managing Director and sector Portfolio Manager at Anchorage Capital Group, a $28 billion special situations investment firm, where he led investments in public and private opportunities. He also led origination, research, and underwriting at Catalyst Capital, a $5 billion private equity firm, where he was responsible for building and managing the firm’s investment team, pipeline, execution and portfolio company operations. His earlier experience includes serving as Vice President and Portfolio Manager at AIG Investments in the Private Capital Group, where he managed a $2 billion portfolio of private credit and equity investments.
Mr. Mallozzi received his Artium Baccalaureus (“A.B.”) from Princeton University and his Master of Business Administration from Columbia Business School.
Andrew Sung has served as President, Chief Financial Officer and on our board of directors since February 3, 2026. Mr. Sung is an experienced investment professional with extensive expertise in analyzing and investing in credit, special situations, value and growth-oriented opportunities. Mr. Sung has also served as a director and board observer of multiple portfolio companies of Atlas Credit Partners and affiliates.
Since 2021, Mr. Sung has served as Director of Research at Atlas Credit Partners, where he is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee and maintains responsibilities for all aspects of the investment process from initial investment to exit. Mr. Sung previously served as a credit analyst at Reorg Research, a North American independent research firm. Mr. Sung was also a credit analyst at Dundon Advisers, working on behalf of unsecured creditor claimants in special credit situations. Mr. Sung also served as a credit analyst at Pine River Capital Management, where he analyzed special situations and recommended credit investments in the North American public markets. His earlier experience includes serving as a Credit Trader, beginning his career at Lehman Brothers/Barclays Capital and then Credit Suisse, where he worked in credit sales and trading, with a focus on credit derivatives and later at Longwood Credit Partners/Kingston Investment Group, a long/short hedge fund.
Mr. Sung received his A.B. from Princeton University.
Our Independent Director Nominees
Sean Wallace has agreed to serve on our board of directors commencing upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Mr. Wallace is an experienced business leader with over 30 years of banking, management, and finance experience.
Mr. Wallace currently serves as a strategic advisor to Barnwell Industries, Inc., an energy and land investment firm. He also serves as the Chief Investment Officer of his family office and private investment platform. Since 2024, Mr. Wallace has served as an independent senior advisor to certain early-stage private companies in the telecommunications sector, offering strategic and financial advice. From May 2022 to November 2024, Mr. Wallace served as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Consultant of AST SpaceMobile, a Mobile Satellite Service company. From May 2020 to May 2022, Mr. Wallace served as the Chief Financial Officer of Cogent Communications Inc., one of the largest Tier 1 commercial Internet Service Providers in the world. Mr. Wallace also held senior positions at Standard Chartered Bank in Singapore, including Group Head of the Corporate Finance Group and Group Head of the Corporate and Institutional Client Group, overseeing the Wholesale Client Coverage effort with a $9.0 billion top line and 4,000 professionals operating in over 50 countries. Earlier in his career, he was the Co-Head of Investment Banking and Capital Markets for Asia Pacific at J.P. Morgan.
3
Mr. Wallace received his A.B. from Harvard College and his Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
August Roth has agreed to serve on our board of directors commencing upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
Since 2013, Mr. Roth has been the Chief Investment Officer of FCR Holdings, his family office and private investment platform, investing in public equities and credit as well as real estate, private equity and venture capital. He previously was an Investment Partner at Coalition Investment Partners, focused on capital solutions in the public and private realm. Mr. Roth also launched a value-oriented, credit and equity hedge fund, Hylas Capital Management LP, where he served as a credit analyst, equity analyst and Chief Investment Officer. His earlier experience includes serving as an equity and credit analyst at JANA Partners LLC, where he was responsible for idea generation and analysis of special situations, energy, power, and TMT investments across the capital structure. Additionally, while at JANA Partners LLC, Mr. Roth served on numerous creditors’ committees and originated and led several successful concentrated equity investments. Mr. Roth began his career as a research analyst at Salomon Smith Barney, where he focused on high yield corporate credit research, and later Citigroup in their Global Markets group.
Mr. Roth received his Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University.
Jonathan Urfrig has agreed to serve on our board of directors commencing upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Mr. Urfrig is an experienced investor, asset manager, and entrepreneur, with expertise in global investments across private equity, venture capital, and public markets, and sector expertise including natural resources, infrastructure, and technology.
In 2017, Mr. Urfrig co-founded Living Seas Inc., a successor to Emerald Seas LLC, a global developer of sustainable aquaculture projects, and has served as its Co-Chief Executive Officer since inception. Mr. Urfrig also currently serves as Managing Member of UCAP Holdings LLC, an entity formed to manage private and public equity, venture, and real estate investments, where he co-founded Emerald Seas LLC, an aquaculture developer, and was a co-founding member of Tegus Advisors, a predecessor to Tegus Inc., a leading primary research platform. Mr. Urfrig previously served as President of Overbrook Management Corporation, an asset manager where he oversaw and co-headed hedge fund, long-only, and SMA businesses, including launching and co-managing a long-short event-driven hedge fund. He also founded and served as Chief Executive Officer and Portfolio Manager of U Capital Group LP, an event-driven hedge fund focused on cross-capital structure special situations. His earlier experience includes serving as a Portfolio Manager at Third Point LLC, focusing on natural resources, industrials and special situations, as an associate at TPG Capital in private equity and as an analyst at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette where he was an analyst in investment banking and merchant banking groups.
Mr. Urfrig received his Bachelor of Science from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and his Master of Business Administration from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.
Our Competitive Strengths
We believe our management team is uniquely positioned to identify and execute a successful business combination in our target sectors for the following reasons:
• Experienced Special Situations and Middle Market Sponsor Team: The Atlas team has been focused on complex, off-the-run opportunities in the U.S. middle and lower middle market since 2019, deploying over $1.25 billion across bespoke private capital solutions, which demonstrates our ability to evaluate, structure and execute transactions across a range of industries, business models and capital structures. In many cases Atlas applied unique structural solutions designed to provide significant access to capital, offer structural flexibility and help accelerate the growth profile of their client companies.
• Proprietary Sourcing and Relationship-Driven Deal Flow: Approximately 85% of Atlas’s historical transactions have been sourced through proprietary networks, including management teams, boards, advisors and consultants, supported by a proprietary database of more than 2,000 private opportunities, positioning us to identify potential business combination targets that may not participate in broad or highly competitive sale processes.
• Deep Operational and Board-Level Experience: All senior professionals at Atlas have C-level managerial and board experience and an ownership-oriented mindset, which we believe enhances our ability to partner with management teams, support strategic and operational initiatives and
4
help drive long-term value creation in a variety of industry verticals. As part of Atlas’s operational mindset as an investor, Atlas required board access and frequent, scheduled calls and interaction with senior management as part of the terms of their investments in order to develop an active dialog and understanding of the performance of their portfolio companies.
• Expertise in Complex and Transitional Situations: Atlas has a history of underwriting businesses undergoing cyclical, secular or regulatory change, supported by fundamental, bottom-up research, operational diagnostics (including supply chain, working capital and turnaround analyses) and active engagement with management, which we expect to apply to evaluating and supporting a potential business combination across diverse sectors.
• Disciplined, Downside-Focused Investment Approach: The Atlas platform is designed to be “cycle-ready, not cycle-dependent,” emphasizing rigorous risk selection and monitoring, structural protections and multiple paths to value realization, which we believe positions us to assess risk-reward profiles prudently and structure business combinations that seek attractive, risk-adjusted outcomes for our public shareholders.
With respect to the foregoing examples, past performance of our management team is not a guarantee either (i) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate or (ii) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate or candidates for our initial business combinations. You should not rely on the historical record of our management’s performance as indicative of our future performance.
Acquisition Criteria
We have identified the following general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses. We intend to use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating acquisition opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet these criteria and guidelines.
• Experienced Management Team. We will prioritize businesses with experienced and capable management teams that have a track record of success. We anticipate that our own officers and directors will complement, not replace, the skills of the target company’s management team.
• Strong Market Position. We will seek to acquire businesses that have strong market positions and competitive advantages in their sectors. Our intensive, bottoms up analytical mindset enables us to evaluate and determine the likely success of target opportunities.
• Attractive Growth Potential. We will focus on businesses with significant growth potential, with both organic opportunities and through complementary strategic acquisitions.
• Strong Public Comparables. We intend focus on businesses where strong public comparables exist. The existence of public companies which operate in similar industry sectors or have similar operating metrics to a potential target business will be important in helping to establish that the valuation of our initial business combination is attractive relative to such public companies.
• Benefit from Being a Public Company. We will focus on businesses that will benefit from being publicly traded and can effectively utilize the broader access to capital, the public profile associated with being a publicly traded company and the opportunity to better align management and employees with shareholders by offering equity incentives as a portion of employee compensation.
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our management 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 shareholder 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 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.
5
Acquisition Process
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, inspection of facilities, as applicable, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information about the target and its industry which will be made available to us. If we determine to move forward with a particular target, we will proceed to structure and negotiate the terms of the business combination transaction.
The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of, and negotiation with, a prospective target business with which our initial business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds available for us to use to complete another business combination.
Our ability to identify and evaluate a target company may be impacted by significant competition among other special purpose acquisition companies in pursuing a business combination transaction candidate and the significant competition may impact the attractiveness of the acquisition terms that we will be able to negotiate.
Initial Business Combination
We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations for an indefinite period of time following this offering. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the private placement of the private placement units, the proceeds of the sale of our shares in connection with our initial business combination (including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into following the consummation of this offering or otherwise), shares issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target, other securities issuances, or a combination of the foregoing. We may seek to complete our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) without a shareholder vote by means of a tender offer. If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we receive an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law and our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, which requires the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company. In such case, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately-negotiated transactions, aside from shares they may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act, which would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction) in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our sponsor’s founder shares and private placement shares, we would need 6,424,167, or approximately 32.1%, of the 20,000,000 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, the underwriters’ private placement shares are voted in favor of the initial business combination, the over-allotment option is not exercised and the parties to the letter agreement do not acquire any Class A ordinary shares. Assuming that only the holders of one third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing a quorum under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, vote their shares at a general meeting of the company, we would not need any of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering in addition to our founder shares and private placement shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to approve an initial business combination. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder 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 shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement.
6
we must consummate our initial business combination. Subject to shareholder approval, there are no limitations as to the duration of an extension or the number of times the completion window may be extended by shareholders via an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. If we seek shareholder approval for an extension, holders of public shares will be offered an opportunity to redeem their shares at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned thereon (less taxes payable (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us)), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law. Our public shareholders will have the right to redeem their shares regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or vote against an extension.
If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering and do not hold a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the amount of time we will have to consummate an initial business combination, or by such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, we will redeem 100% of the public shares at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned thereon (less taxes payable (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us) and up to $100,000 of interest income to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law as further described herein. We expect the pro rata redemption price to be approximately $10.05 per public share (regardless of whether or not the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option), without taking into account any interest or other income 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 shareholders.
If we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window,
Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account). Our board of directors will make the determination as to the fair market value of our initial business combination. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of our initial business combination, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it likely that our board of directors will be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of our initial business combination, it may be unable to do so if it is less familiar or experienced with the business of a particular target or if there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of the target’s assets or prospects. Additionally, pursuant to Nasdaq rules, any initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders 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. 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, shares or other equity interests of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority
7
of our issued and 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 taken into account for purposes of the 80% of net assets test described above. If the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor or our officers or directors, or completing the business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor or officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated (as defined in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) with our sponsor (including its members), officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, stating that the consideration to be paid by us in 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 units 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. The low price that our sponsor, officers and directors (directly or indirectly) paid for the founder shares creates an incentive whereby our officers and directors could potentially make a substantial profit even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public shareholders. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, or by such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, the founder shares and private placement units (and the securities comprising such units) may be worthless, except to the extent they receive liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account, which could create an incentive for our sponsor, officers and directors to complete a transaction even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public shareholders. 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, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities, pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such other entity, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. If these entities decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing such opportunities. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer, among other persons, shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us, and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which (a) may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other or (b) the presentation of which would breach an existing legal obligation of a director or officer to any other entity. However, we do not believe that any such potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
In addition, our sponsor, 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. As a result, our sponsor, officers and directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other special purpose acquisition company with which they may become involved. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination target.
8
Our sponsor, officers and directors may pursue business combinations for special purpose acquisition companies that they have sponsored in any order, which could result in its more recent special purpose acquisition companies completing business combinations prior to its special purpose acquisition companies that were launched earlier. There are no contractual obligations governing the allocation of opportunities among the various special purpose acquisition companies. Any determination as to which special purpose acquisition companies will pursue a particular acquisition target will be made based on the circumstances of the particular situation, including but not limited to the relative sizes of the special purpose acquisition companies compared to the sizes of the targets, the need or desire for additional financings and the relevant experience of the directors and officers involved with a particular special purpose acquisition companies. Any such special purpose acquisition company may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target, particularly if there is overlap among investment mandates and the board and management teams. 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.
On or 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.
Additional Financing
We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering, the sale of the private placement units, our equity, debt or a combination of these as the consideration to be paid in our initial business combination. Generally, the issuance of additional shares in a business combination:
• may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B ordinary shares resulted in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares;
• may subordinate the rights of holders of Class A ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded to Class A ordinary shares;
• could cause a change in control if a substantial number of Class A ordinary shares are issued, which may affect, among other things, the post-business combination company’s ability to use its net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of officers and directors;
• may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of the post-business combination company by diluting the share ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of the post-business combination company; and
• may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A ordinary shares and/or warrants.
We may issue shares to investors in private placement transactions (so-called PIPE transactions) in order to complete an initial business combination and provide sufficient liquidity and capital to the post-business combination entity. As of the date of this prospectus, we have no commitments to issue any shares in connection with such a transaction. The price of the shares so issued in connection with an initial business combination may be less, and potentially significantly less, than $10.00 per share or the market price for our shares at such time. Any such issuances of equity securities at a price that is less than $10.00 or the prevailing market price of our shares at that time could be structured to ensure a return on investment to the investors and could dilute the interests of our existing shareholders in a manner that would not ordinarily occur in a traditional initial public offering and could result in both a reduction in the trading price of our shares to the price at which we issue such equity securities and fluctuations in the net tangible book value per share of the combined company’s securities following the completion of our initial business combination. We may also provide price protection or other incentives, or issue convertible securities such as preferred equity or convertible debt, and the exercise or conversion price of those securities may be fixed or adjustable, and may be less, and potentially significantly less, than $10.00 per share or the market price for our shares at such time. Such issuances could also result in additional transaction costs related to our initial business combination compared to a traditional initial public offering, including the placement fees associated with the engagement of a placement agent in connection with PIPE transactions.
9
Although we have no commitments as of the date of this prospectus to issue any notes or other debt, or to otherwise incur debt following this offering, we may choose to pursue a business combination in connection with which we incur substantial debt. No issuance of debt will affect the per share amount available for redemption from the trust account. However, if we issue debt securities or otherwise incur significant debt to banks or other lenders or the owners of a target, it could result in:
• default and foreclosure on the assets of the post-business combination company if its operating revenues are insufficient to repay its debt obligations;
• acceleration of the post-business combination company’s obligations to repay such indebtedness, even if it makes all principal and interest payments when due, if it breaches certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;
• the post-business combination company’s immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand;
• the post-business combination company’s inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting its ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding;
• using a substantial portion of the post-business combination company’s cash flow to pay principal and interest on its debt, which will reduce the funds available for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;
• limitations on the post-business combination company’s flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in its business and in the industry in which it operates; and
• increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and limitations on the post-business combination company’s ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of its strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to its competitors who have less debt.
For more information also see “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to our Search for, and Consummation of or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination — We may issue additional Class A ordinary shares or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares 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 therein. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our shareholders and likely present other risks,” “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to our Search for, and Consummation of or Inability to Consummate, a 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,” “Risks Relating to our Search for, and Consummation of or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination — We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete a business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our shareholders’ investment in us,” and “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to our Search for, and Consummation of or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination — 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.”
Sponsor Information
Our sponsor,
10
option is not exercised) and 217,500 private placement units (or approximately 50% of the sponsor’s private placement units) through Class A membership units and Class B membership units, respectively, in our sponsor. Our officers and directors (including Mr. Mallozzi) own membership interests in our sponsor, which represent approximately 58% and 57% of the economic interests in our sponsor in the founder shares and private placement units, respectively, or membership interests representing an aggregate of 3,866,667 founder shares and 248,700 private placement units. As of the date of this prospectus, other than Mr. Mallozzi, no other person has a direct or indirect material interest in our sponsor. Other than our management team, none of the other members of our sponsor will participate in our company’s activities.
The following table sets forth the payments to be received by our sponsor and its affiliates from us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and the securities issued and to be issued by us to our sponsor or its affiliates:
| Entity/Individual | Amount of Compensation to be | Consideration Paid or to be Paid | ||
| Union Street Sponsor, LLC | $25,000 per month | For office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support and other services, which we may elect to accrue monthly, in full or in part, and pay upon the consummation of our initial business combination | ||
| | $ | |||
| 435,000 private placement units | $ or $ | |||
| Union Street Management Sponsor, LLC | Up to $ | Repayment of loans made to us to cover offering related and organizational expenses. | ||
| Holders of Class B ordinary shares | Anti-dilution protection upon conversion into Class A ordinary shares at a greater than one-to-one ratio | Issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable in connection with the conversion of the founder shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion | ||
| Union Street Sponsor, LLC, our officers, directors, director nominees, or their respective affiliates | Finder’s fees, advisory fees, consulting fees or success fees | Any services in order to effectuate the completion of our initial business, which, if made prior to the completion of our initial business combination, will be paid from funds held outside the trust account | ||
| Reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination | Services in connection with identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination | |||
| Up to $ | Working capital loans to finance transaction costs in connection with an initial business combination |
11
Because our sponsor acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, our public shareholders will incur immediate and substantial dilution upon the closing of this offering, assuming no value is ascribed to the warrants included in the units. As a result, the holders of our founder shares (including certain of our directors and officers that indirectly own founder shares) could make a substantial profit after our initial business combination even if our public shareholders lose money on their investment as a result of a decrease in the post-combination value of their Class A ordinary shares. Further, the Class A ordinary shares issuable in connection with the conversion of the founder shares may result in material dilution to our public shareholders due to the anti-dilution rights of our founder shares that may result in an issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion. See “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to our Management Team — 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, and our sponsor are likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to materially decline” and “Dilution.” In addition, the cashless exercise of the private placement warrants included in the private placement units purchased by our sponsor at the closing of this offering would increase the dilution to our public shareholders. Further, the conversion of any working capital loans into private placement units, as well as the cashless exercise of the private placement warrants that are issued as part of such units, would further increase the dilution to our public shareholders. Additionally, we will reimburse our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor in an amount equal to $25,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative services provided to members of our management team prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, as described elsewhere in this prospectus, which we may elect to accrue monthly, in full or in part, and pay upon the consummation of our initial business combination.
The founder shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares immediately prior to, concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holder on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. The Class A ordinary shares issuable in connection with the conversion of the Class B ordinary shares may result in material dilution to our public shareholders due to the anti-dilution rights of our Class B ordinary shares that may result in an issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or any other equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts sold in this offering and related to or in connection with the closing of the initial business combination, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, 25% of the sum of (i) the total number of all Class A ordinary shares outstanding upon the completion of this offering (including any Class A ordinary shares issued pursuant to the underwriters’ over-allotment option and excluding the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private placement units and the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants), plus (ii) all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued, in connection with the closing of the initial business combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and any private placement-equivalent units issued to our sponsor, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, upon conversion of working capital loans) minus (iii) any redemptions of Class A ordinary shares by public shareholders in connection with an initial business combination and any Class A ordinary shares redeemed by public shareholders in connection with any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association made prior to the consummation of the initial business combination (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to the rights of holders of Class A ordinary shares or pre-business combination activity; provided that such conversion of founder shares will never occur on a less than one-for-one basis.
12
Pursuant to a letter agreement to be entered into with us, each of our sponsor, directors and officers will agree to restrictions on its ability to transfer, assign, or sell the founder shares and private placement units (including the securities comprising such units and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants), as summarized in the table below.
| Subject Securities | Expiration Date | Natural Persons and | Exceptions to Transfer | |||
| Founder Shares | | |
|
13
| Subject Securities | Expiration Date | Natural Persons and | Exceptions to Transfer | |||
| of the laws of the Cayman Islands or our sponsor’s limited liability company agreement upon dissolution of our sponsor; (h) in the event of our liquidation prior to our consummation of our initial business combination; (i) in the event that, subsequent to our consummation of an initial business combination, we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property; or (j) to a nominee or custodian of a person or entity to whom a transfer would be permissible under clauses (a) through (g); provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (g) and clause (j) these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions and the other restrictions contained in the letter agreements. | ||||||
| Private Placement Units (including the securities comprising such units and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) | | | | |||
| Any units, warrants, ordinary shares or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, ordinary shares | | | |
14
Up to 1,000,000 of the founder shares will be surrendered for no consideration depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. In addition, although there are no current plans to do so, in order to facilitate our initial business combination or for any other reason determined by our sponsor in its sole discretion, our sponsor may surrender or forfeit, transfer or exchange our founder shares, private placement units (including the securities comprising such units) or any of our other securities, including for no consideration, as well as subject any such securities to earn-outs or other restrictions, or otherwise amend the terms of any such securities or enter into any other arrangements with respect to any such securities. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon conversion of the Class B ordinary 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 as set forth therein.
Corporate Information
Our executive office is located at 3131 Eastside Street, Houston, Texas 77098, and our telephone number is 832-810-6648.
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company. Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies conducting business mainly outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Act. As an exempted company, we have applied for and received a tax exemption undertaking from the Cayman Islands government that, in accordance with Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, for a period of 20 years from the date of the undertaking, no law which is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations will apply to us or our operations and, in addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax will be payable (i) on or in respect of our shares, debentures or other obligations or (ii) by way of the withholding in whole or in part of a payment of dividends or other distribution of income or capital by us to our shareholders or a payment of principal or interest or other sums due under a debenture or other obligation of us.
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 shareholder 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 $1.235 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Class A ordinary shares that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
15
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equaled or exceeded $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equaled or exceeded $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
In addition, after completion of this offering and prior to the consummation of a business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment or removal of directors. As a result, Nasdaq will consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq corporate governance standards. Under Nasdaq corporate governance standards, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power for the appointment of directors is held by an individual, group or another company is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements. We currently do not intend to rely on the “controlled company” exemption, but may do so in the future. Accordingly, if we choose to do so, you will not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of the Nasdaq corporate governance requirements.
16
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.”
|
Securities offered: |
20,000,000 units, at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of: • one Class A ordinary share; and • one-half of one redeemable warrant. |
|
|
Proposed Nasdaq symbols: |
Units: “ACGCU” Class A ordinary shares: “ACGC” Warrants: “ACGCW” |
|
|
Trading commencement and separation of Class A ordinary shares and warrants: |
The units are expected to begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless Roth 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 issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the Class A ordinary shares 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 Class A ordinary shares 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 Class A ordinary |
In no event will the Class A ordinary shares and warrants be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering. If the 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 information to reflect the exercise of the over-allotment option. |
17
|
Units |
||
|
Number outstanding before this offering |
0 |
|
|
Number of private placement units to be sold in a private placement simultaneously with this offering |
|
|
|
Number outstanding after this offering and the private placement(1) |
|
|
|
Ordinary shares |
||
|
Number outstanding before this offering(2) |
7,666,667 |
|
|
Number included in the private placement units to be sold in a private placement simultaneously with this offering(1) |
|
|
|
Number outstanding after this offering and the private placement(1)(3) |
|
|
|
Warrants: |
||
|
Number included in the private placement units to be sold in a private placement simultaneously with this offering(1) |
|
|
|
Number of warrants to be outstanding after this offering and the private |
|
|
|
Exercisability: |
Each whole warrant offered in this offering is exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share. Only whole warrants are exercisable. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. We have structured each unit to contain one-half of one warrant, with each whole warrant exercisable for one Class A ordinary share, as compared to units issued by some other similar special purpose acquisition companies which contain whole warrants exercisable for one share, in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a business combination as compared to units that each contain a whole warrant to purchase one share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive business combination partner for target businesses. |
____________
(1) Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and 1,000,000 founder shares are surrendered to us for no consideration.
(2) Includes up to 1,000,000 founder shares that will be surrendered to us for no consideration depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised.
(3) Comprised of 20,000,000 Class A ordinary shares included in the units to be sold in this offering, 485,000 private placement shares and 6,666,667 Class B ordinary shares (or founder shares). Founder shares are classified as Class B ordinary shares, which shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares immediately prior to, concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holder on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described below adjacent to the caption “Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights.”
(4) Comprised of 10,000,000 public warrants included in the units to be sold in this offering and 242,500 private placement warrants included in the private placement units to be sold in the private placement.
18
|
Exercise price: |
$11.50 per share, subject to adjustments as described herein. In addition, if (x) we issue additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per Class A ordinary share (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 (including from such issuances and this offering), 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 Class A ordinary shares 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 higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger prices described below under “Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price. |
|
|
Exercise period: |
The warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, provided that we have an effective registration statement on Form S-1, Form S-3, Form F-1, or Form F-3, as applicable, under the Securities Act covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available and such shares are registered, qualified or exempt from registration under the securities, or blue sky, laws of the state of residence of the holder (or we permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the warrant agreement). 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 are registering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants in the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part because the warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, which may be within one year of this offering. However, because the warrants will be exercisable until their expiration date of up to five years after the completion of our initial business combination, in order to comply with the requirements of Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act following the consummation of our initial business combination, we have agreed that 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 on Form S-1, S-3, F-1, or F-3, as applicable, for the registration under the Securities Act of the issuance of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary |
19
|
shares until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement. If a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares 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 Class A ordinary shares 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. |
||
|
The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation; provided, however, that the private placement warrants issued to Roth as part of the private placement units will not be exercisable more than five years after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8). On the exercise of any warrant, the warrant exercise price will be paid directly to us and not placed in the trust account. |
||
|
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00 |
• in whole and not in part; • at a price of $0.01 per warrant; • upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, which we refer to as the 30-day redemption period; and • if, and only if, the last reported sale price (the “closing price”) of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Warrants — Redemption Procedures — Anti-dilution Adjustments”) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period commencing at least 30 days after completion of our initial business combination and ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. We will not redeem the warrants as described above unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares is available throughout the |
20
|
measurement period. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of ordinary shares 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. We will use our best efforts to register or qualify such ordinary shares under the blue sky laws of the state of residence in those states in which the warrants were offered by us in this offering. |
||
|
Founder shares: |
On January 29, 2026, our sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain of our offering costs in exchange for 7,666,667 founder shares, up to 1,000,000 of which will be surrendered to us for no consideration after the closing of this offering depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. The founder shares were purchased for approximately $0.003 per share. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by our sponsor, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The per share 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 23,000,000 public units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent 25% of the outstanding shares after this offering (not including the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private placement units and the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants). Our public shareholders may incur material dilution due to such anti-dilution adjustments that result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion. Up to 1,000,000 of the founder shares will be surrendered for no consideration depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not 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 Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of founder shares by our sponsor, on an as-converted basis, at 25% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (not including the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private placement units and the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants). Any conversion of Class B ordinary shares described herein will take effect as a compulsory redemption of Class B ordinary shares and an issuance of Class A ordinary shares as a matter of Cayman Islands law. |
|
|
The founder shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, except that: • prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares have the right to vote on the appointment or removal of directors and on continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (as further described herein), prior to the consummation of our initial business combination; • the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below; • the founder shares are entitled to registration rights; |
21
|
• the founder shares are automatically convertible into our Class A ordinary shares immediately prior to, concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holder on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described below adjacent to the caption “Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights”; • our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to (i) waive their redemption rights with respect to any shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination; (ii) waive their redemption rights with respect to any shares held by them in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; (iii) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares and private placement shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, 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 and to liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account; and (iv) vote any founder shares and private placement shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately-negotiated transactions, aside from shares they may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act, which would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction) in favor of our initial business combination; and |
||
|
• The interests of the members of the sponsor are denominated in two classes of membership units: (i) class A membership units representing interests in the founder shares and (ii) class B membership units that will represent an interest in the private placement units. All members of the sponsor, including the managing member of our sponsor, will hold both classes of membership units representing their proportional interest in the founder shares and private placement units, respectively. Pursuant to an agreement of all members of the sponsor, the management and control of the sponsor is vested exclusively with the managing member, without any voting, veto, consent or other participation rights by any non-managing members regardless of their unit ownership. All matters submitted to a vote by the managing member will require the affirmative vote of the membership units held only by the managing member, without regard to any membership interests held by any non-managing members. |
22
|
Transfer restrictions on founder shares: |
Our sponsor has agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion thereof until the earlier to occur of: (i) six months after the completion of our initial business combination or (ii) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction after our initial business combination that results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property; except to certain permitted transferees and under certain circumstances as described herein under “Principal Shareholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Units.” Any permitted transferees will be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our sponsor with respect to any founder shares. We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the lock-up. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if (1) the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 30 days after our initial business combination or (2) if we consummate a transaction after our initial business combination which results in our shareholders having the right to exchange their shares for cash, securities or other property, the founder shares will be released from the lock-up. Except in certain limited circumstances, no member of the sponsor may sell, transfer, assign, pledge, mortgage, charge, hypothecate, exchange or otherwise dispose directly or indirectly of, all or any portion of its membership interests in the sponsor. For more information, see “Principal Shareholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Units”. |
|
|
Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights: |
|
23
|
to our sponsor, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, upon conversion of working capital loans) minus (iii) any redemptions of Class A ordinary shares by public shareholders in connection with an initial business combination and any Class A ordinary shares redeemed by public shareholders in connection with any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association made prior to the consummation of the initial business combination (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to the rights of holders of Class A ordinary shares or pre-business combination activity; provided that such conversion of founder shares will never occur on a less than one-for-one basis. |
||
|
Appointment and removal of directors and continuing the company outside of the Cayman Islands; Voting Rights: |
|
24
|
With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, except as required by law, holders of the founder shares and holders of our public shares will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote. If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, we will complete our initial business combination only if we receive an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law and our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, which requires the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company. In such case, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately-negotiated transactions, aside from shares they may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act, which would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction) in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our sponsor’s founder shares and private placement shares, we would need 6,424,167, or approximately 32.1%, of the 20,000,000 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, the underwriters’ private placement shares are voted in favor of the initial business combination, the over-allotment option is not exercised and the parties to the letter agreement do not acquire any Class A ordinary shares. Assuming that only the holders of one third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing a quorum under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, vote their shares at a general meeting of the company, we would not need any of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering in addition to our founder shares and private placement shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to approve an initial business combination. |
||
|
Private placement units: |
Our sponsor and Roth Capital Partners, LLC, the representative of the underwriters, have committed, pursuant to written agreements, to purchase an aggregate of 485,000 private placement units at a price of $10.00 per unit, or $4,850,000 in the aggregate, in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Each private placement unit will consist of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one warrant, with each whole warrant exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share. The private placement units are identical to the units sold in this offering, subject to certain limited exceptions as described in this prospectus. The private placement warrants will be identical to the warrants comprising part of the units being offered by this prospectus. Of those 485,000 private placement units, our sponsor has agreed to purchase 435,000 private placement units and Roth has agreed to purchase 50,000 private placement units. The private placement shares and private placement warrants will also be worthless if we do not complete our initial business combination. A portion of the purchase price of the private placement units will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account such that at the time of closing of this offering $201,000,000 (or $231,150,000 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full) will be held in the trust account. The private placement units will be identical to the units |
25
| sold in this offering except that, so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees, the private placement units (including the securities comprising such units and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) (i) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holders until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) will be entitled to registration rights and (iii) with respect to private placement warrants included in the private placement units held by Roth and/or its designees, will not be exercisable more than five years from the commencement of sales in this offering in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8). If we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, the private placement units (and the securities comprising such units) will be worthless. Except in certain limited circumstances, no member of the sponsor may transfer all or any portion of its membership interests in the sponsor. For more information, see “Principal Shareholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Units.” | ||
| Transfer restrictions on private placement units: |
| |
| Proceeds to be held in trust account: | Nasdaq rules provide that at least |
26
Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our taxes, if any (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us), the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement units will not be released from the trust account 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 the completion window, subject to applicable law, or (iii) the redemption of our public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to (A) modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. 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 shareholders. | ||
Ability to extend time to complete business combination |
27
|
If we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, while we do not currently intend to seek shareholder approval to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the amount of time we will have to consummate an initial business combination, we may elect to do so in the future. There is no limit on the number of extensions that we may seek; however, we do not expect to extend the time period to consummate our initial business combination beyond 36 months from the closing of this offering. If we determine not to or are unable to extend the time period to consummate our initial business combination or fail to obtain shareholder approval to extend the completion window, our sponsor’s investment in our founder shares and our private placement units (and the securities comprising such units) will be worthless. |
||
|
Anticipated expenses and funding sources: |
Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, no proceeds held in the trust account will be available for our use, except the withdrawal of interest to pay our taxes (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us) and/or to redeem our public shares in connection with an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, as described above. The proceeds held in the trust account will initially be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations; the holding of these assets in this form is intended to be temporary and for the sole purpose of facilitating the intended business combination. To mitigate the risk that we might be deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, which risk increases the longer that we hold investments in the trust account, we may, at any time (based on our management team’s ongoing assessment of all factors related to our potential status under the Investment Company Act), instruct the trustee to liquidate the investments held in the trust account and instead to hold the funds in the trust account in cash or in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a bank. Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, we may pay our expenses only from such interest withdrawn from the trust account and: • the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units not held in the trust account, which initially will be approximately $1,200,000 in working capital after the payment of approximately $650,000 in expenses relating to this offering; and |
|
|
• any loans or additional investments from our sponsor, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, although they are under no obligation to advance funds or invest in us; 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. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into private placement units, at a price of $10.00 per unit, at the option of the lender. |
28
|
Conditions to completing our initial business combination: |
Additionally, pursuant to Nasdaq rules, any initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors. We will complete our initial business combination only if the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or is otherwise not 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 shareholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination 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, shares or other equity interests of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our issued and 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 taken into account for purposes of the 80% of net assets test described above, provided that in the event that the business combination involves more than one target business, the aggregate value of all of the target businesses will be taken into account for purposes of the 80% fair market value test and we will treat the transactions together as our initial business combination for purposes of seeking shareholder approval or conducting a tender offer, as applicable. |
29
|
Permitted purchases of public shares and public warrants by our affiliates: |
We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules. 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. See “Proposed Business — Effecting Our Initial Business Combination — Permitted Purchases of Our Securities.” for a description of how our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates will select which shareholders to purchase securities from in any private transaction. Our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates will not make any purchases if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. |
30
|
Additionally, in the event our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates were to purchase shares or warrants from public shareholders such purchases would be structured in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act including, in pertinent part, through adherence to the following: • our registration statement/proxy statement filed for our business combination transaction would disclose the possibility that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates may purchase shares or warrants from public shareholders outside the redemption process, along with the purpose of such purchases; • if our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates were to purchase shares or warrants from public shareholders, they would do so at a price no higher than the price offered through our redemption process; • our registration statement/proxy statement filed for our business combination transaction would include a representation that any of our securities purchased by our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction; • our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates would not possess any redemption rights with respect to our securities or, if they do acquire and possess redemption rights, they would waive such rights; and • we would disclose in a Form 8-K, before our security holder meeting to approve the business combination transaction, the following material items: • the amount of our securities purchased outside of the redemption offer by our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates, along with the purchase price; • the purpose of the purchases by our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates; • the impact, if any, of the purchases by our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates on the likelihood that the business combination transaction will be approved; • the identities of our security holders who sold to our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates (if not purchased on the open market) or the nature of our security holders (e.g., 5% security holders) who sold to our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates; and • the number of our securities for which we have received redemption requests pursuant to our redemption offer. |
31
|
See “Proposed Business — Permitted Purchases of Our Securities” for a description of how such persons will determine from which shareholders to seek to acquire securities. The purpose of any such transaction could be to (1) reduce the number of public warrants outstanding and/or increase the likelihood of approval on any matters submitted to the public warrant holders for approval in connection with our 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 our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our securities may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange. See “Risk Factors — If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates may elect to purchase public shares or warrants, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our securities.” |
||
|
Redemption rights for public shareholders upon completion of our initial business combination: |
|
32
|
Manner of conducting redemptions: |
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares, regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or vote against, our initial business combination upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the initial business combination or (ii) without a shareholder vote by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed initial 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 shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements. Asset acquisitions and share purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with our company (other than with a 90% subsidiary of ours) and any transactions where we issue more than 25% of our issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would require shareholder approval. So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on Nasdaq, we will be required to comply with Nasdaq’s shareholder approval rules. The requirement that we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares by one of the two methods listed above will be contained in provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and will apply whether or not we maintain our registration under the Exchange Act or our listing on Nasdaq. Such provisions may be amended if approved by a special resolution, which requires the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company. |
|
|
If we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares in connection with a general meeting, 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. |
||
|
If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we receive an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law and our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, which requires the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company. A quorum for such meeting will be present if the holders of at least one third of our issued and outstanding shares entitled to vote at the meeting are represented in person or by proxy. Our sponsor will count toward this quorum and, pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately-negotiated transactions, aside from |
33
|
shares they may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act, which would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction) in favor of our initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of an ordinary resolution, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. As a result, in addition to our sponsor’s founder shares and private placement shares, we would need 6,424,167 or approximately 32.1%, of the 20,000,000 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, the underwriters’ private placement shares are voted in favor of the initial business combination, the over-allotment option is not exercised and the parties to the letter agreement do not acquire any Class A ordinary shares. Assuming that only the holders of one third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing a quorum under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, vote their shares at a general meeting of the company, we would not need any of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering in addition to our founder shares and private placement shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to approve an initial business combination. However, if our initial business combination is structured as a statutory merger or consolidation with another company under Cayman Islands law, the approval of our initial business combination will require a special resolution, which requires the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company. In addition, prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares (i) will have the right to vote to appoint and remove directors prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) will be entitled to vote on continuing our company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend our constitutional documents or to adopt new constitutional documents, in each case, as a result of our approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our sponsor, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. |
||
|
Each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or vote against the proposed transaction, or whether they do not vote or abstain from voting on the proposed transaction. If a shareholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will: • 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 our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies. |
34
|
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 shareholders not tendering more than the number of shares we are permitted to redeem. If public shareholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete such initial business combination. Upon the public announcement of our initial business combination, if we elect to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, we or our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase our Class A ordinary shares in the open market, in order to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act. We intend to require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to, at the holder’s option, either deliver their share certificates to our transfer agent or deliver their shares to our transfer agent electronically using the Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) system, prior to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. In the case of proxy materials, this date may be up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination. In addition, if we conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote, we intend to require a public shareholder seeking redemption of its public shares to also submit a written request for redemption to our transfer agent two business days prior to the scheduled vote in which the name of the beneficial owner of such shares is included. The proxy materials or tender offer documents, as 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 shareholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. We believe that this will allow our transfer agent to efficiently process any redemptions without the need for further communication or action from the redeeming public shareholders, which could delay redemptions and result in additional administrative cost. If the proposed initial business combination is not approved and we continue to search for a target company, we will promptly return any certificates or shares delivered by public shareholders who elected to redeem their shares. |
||
|
Our proposed initial business combination may impose a minimum cash requirement for (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed initial business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the initial business combination or redeem any shares, and all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof. We may, however, raise funds through the issuance of equity-linked |
35
|
securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop arrangements we may enter into following consummation of this offering, in order to, among other reasons, satisfy such net tangible assets or minimum cash requirements. |
||
|
Limitation on redemption rights of shareholders holding 15% or more of the shares sold in this offering if we hold shareholder vote: |
|
|
|
Release of funds in trust account on closing of our initial business combination: |
|
36
|
Redemption of public shares and distribution and liquidation if no initial business combination: |
Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares and private placement shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account. However, if sponsor 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 completion window. |
|
|
The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commissions held in the trust account in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the funds held in the trust account that will be available to fund the redemption of our public shares. Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a letter agreement, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, |
37
|
in each case unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (less taxes payable (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us)), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. For example, our board of directors may propose such an amendment if it determines that additional time is necessary to complete our initial business combination. In such event, we will conduct a proxy solicitation and distribute proxy materials pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act seeking shareholder approval of such proposal, and in connection therewith, provide our public shareholders with the redemption rights described above upon shareholder approval of such amendment. |
||
|
Limited payments to insiders: |
We are not prohibited from paying any fees (including advisory fees), reimbursements or cash payments to our sponsor, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, including the following payments, all of which, if made prior to the completion of our initial business combination, will be paid from funds held outside the trust account: • Repayment of up to an aggregate of $400,000 in loans made to us by Union Street Management Sponsor, LLC, an affiliate of our sponsor, to cover offering-related and organizational expenses; • Repayment for office space, secretarial and administrative services, and other services made available to us by our sponsor in an amount equal to $25,000 per month, which we may elect to accrue monthly, in full or in part, and pay upon the consummation of our initial business combination; • Payment of advisory, consulting, success or finder fees to our sponsor, officers or directors or our or their respective affiliates in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, which, if made prior to the completion of our initial business combination, will be paid from funds held outside the trust accounts; • Reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating, negotiating and completing an initial business combination; and |
|
|
• Repayment of loans which may be made by our sponsor, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into private placement units of the post-business combination entity at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. Such units would be identical to the private placement units. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. |
38
|
Audit committee: |
We will establish and maintain an audit committee, which will be composed entirely of independent directors as and when required by the rules of Nasdaq and Rule 10A of the Exchange Act. Among its responsibilities, the audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, and monitor compliance with the other terms relating to this offering. If any noncompliance is identified, then the audit committee will be charged with the responsibility to promptly take all action necessary to rectify such noncompliance or otherwise to cause compliance with the terms of this offering. For more information, see “Management — Committees of the Board of Directors — Audit Committee.” |
|
|
Conflicts of Interest: |
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities, pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such other entity, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. If these entities decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing such opportunities. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer, among other persons, shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us, and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which (a) may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other or (b) the presentation of which would breach an existing legal obligation of a director or officer to any other entity. However, we do not believe that any such potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor, 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. As a result, our sponsor, officers and directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other special purpose acquisition company with which they may become involved. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination target. |
39
|
Our sponsor, officers and directors may pursue business combinations for special purpose acquisition companies that they have sponsored in any order, which could result in its more recent special purpose acquisition companies completing business combinations prior to its special purpose acquisition companies that were launched earlier. There are no contractual obligations governing the allocation of opportunities among the various special purpose acquisition companies. Any determination as to which special purpose acquisition companies will pursue a particular acquisition target will be made based on the circumstances of the particular situation, including but not limited to the relative sizes of the special purpose acquisition companies compared to the sizes of the targets, the need or desire for additional financings and the relevant experience of the directors and officers involved with a particular special purpose acquisition companies. Any such special purpose acquisition company may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target, particularly if there is overlap among investment mandates and the board and management teams. 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. Our officers and directors may have interests that differ from you in connection with the business combination, including the fact that they may lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed, except to the extent they receive liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account, 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. Additionally, the personal and financial interests of our directors and officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and pursuing an initial business combination or completing our initial business combination. The different timelines of competing business combinations could cause our directors and officers to prioritize a different business combination over finding a suitable acquisition target for our business combination. Consequently, our directors’ and officers’ discretion in identifying and selecting a suitable target business may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our shareholders’ best interest, which could negatively impact the timing for a business combination. In addition to the above, our officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs, and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including selecting a business combination target and monitoring the related due diligence. See “Risk Factors — Our officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.” |
40
|
Additionally, our sponsor and officers and directors have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Further, our sponsor and officers and directors have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares held by them if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or by such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve. If we do not complete our initial business combination within such applicable time period, the proceeds of the sale of the private placement units held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, and the private placement warrants may expire worthless. With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our sponsor or its permitted transferees until six months after the completion of our initial business combination. With certain limited exceptions, the private placement units (including the securities comprising such units and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants), will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our sponsor or its permitted transferees until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. Since our sponsor and officers and directors may directly or indirectly own ordinary shares and units following this offering, our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination because of their financial interest in completing an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or by such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve. In the event our sponsor or members of our management team provide loans to us to finance transaction costs and/or incur expenses on our behalf in connection with an initial business combination, such persons 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 as such loans may not be repaid and/or such expenses may not be reimbursed unless we consummate such business combination. Similarly, if we agree to pay our sponsor, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, a finder’s fee, advisory fee, consulting fee or success fee in order to effectuate the completion of our initial business combination, such persons 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 as any such fee may not be paid unless we consummate such business combination. |
||
|
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor or our officers or directors, or completing the business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor or our officers or directors; accordingly, such affiliated person(s) 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 as such affiliated |
41
|
person(s) would have interests different from our public shareholders and would likely not receive any financial benefit unless we consummated such business combination. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated (as defined in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) with our sponsor (including its members), officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, stating that the consideration to be paid by us in 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. |
||
|
Indemnity by the sponsor in the event of liquidation without a business combination |
|
42
SUMMARY FINANCIAL DATA
The following table summarizes the relevant financial data for our business at January 30, 2026 and as adjusted to give effect to the sale of our units in this offering and the sale of the private placement units 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 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 present.
|
January 30, 2026 |
||||||||
|
ACTUAL |
AS ADJUSTED |
|||||||
|
Balance Sheet Data: |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Working capital (deficiency) |
$ |
(74,194 |
) |
$ |
1,020,380 |
|
||
|
Total assets |
$ |
111,774 |
|
$ |
202,207,580 |
|
||
|
Total liabilities |
$ |
104,194 |
|
$ |
4,187,200 |
|
||
|
Value of Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption |
$ |
— |
|
$ |
201,000,000 |
|
||
|
Shareholders’ equity (deficit) |
$ |
7,580 |
|
$ |
(2,979,620 |
) |
||
If a business combination is not completed within 18 months from the closing of this offering, the proceeds then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us pursuant to permitted withdrawals (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay liquidation and dissolution expenses), will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares. Our sponsor has agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within such time period.
43
RISKS
We are a recently incorporated company that has conducted no operations and has generated no revenues. Until we complete our initial business combination, we will have no operations and will generate no operating revenues. In making your decision whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the background of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company. This offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. Accordingly, you will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. See “Proposed Business — Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419” for additional information concerning how Rule 419 blank check offerings differ from this offering. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in this prospectus.
Summary of Risk Factors
An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. The occurrence of one or more of the events or circumstances described in the section titled “Risk Factors,” alone or in combination with other events or circumstances, may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. Such risks include, but are not limited to:
• We are a blank check company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
• Our public shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, and even if we hold a vote, holders of our founder shares will participate in such vote, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public shareholders do not support such a combination, we may not need any public shares sold to other investors in this offering to be voted in favor of the initial business combination.
• Your only opportunity to effect your investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash.
• Our sponsor will control the appointment of our board of directors until consummation of our initial business combination and will hold a substantial interest in us. As a result, it will appoint all of our directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination and may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
• If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor and management team have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public shareholders vote.
• The ability of our public shareholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.
• The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares and the amount of deferred underwriting compensation may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure, and may substantially dilute your investment in us.
• The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the completion window may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may limit the time we have in which to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets, in particular as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our shareholders.
44
• If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates may elect to purchase shares or public warrants from public shareholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares or public warrants.
• You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. Therefore, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
• 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.
• 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, and our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to materially decline.
• 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 ordinary at such time is substantially less than $10.00 per share.
• You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
• Past performance by our management team, our advisors and their respective affiliates, including investments and transactions in which they have participated and businesses with which they have been associated may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in the company.
• To mitigate the risk that we might be deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, which risk increases the longer that we hold investments in the trust account, we may, at any time (based on our management team’s ongoing assessment of all factors related to our potential status under the Investment Company Act), instruct the trustee to liquidate the investments held in the trust account and instead to hold the funds in the trust account in cash or in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a bank until the earlier of the consummation of our initial business combination or our liquidation. As a result, following the liquidation of investments in the trust account, we would likely receive less interest on the funds held in the trust account, which would likely reduce the dollar amount our public shareholders would receive upon any redemption or liquidation;
• 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.
• Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.
• Our search for an initial business combination, and any target business with which we may ultimately consummate an initial business combination, may be materially adversely affected by current global geopolitical conditions resulting from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and the recent escalation of the conflict in the Middle East and Southwest Asia.
• An investment in this offering may result in uncertain U.S. federal income tax consequences.
• 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.”
• The other risks and uncertainties discussed in “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus.
45
RISK FACTORS
An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this prospectus, before making a decision to invest in our units. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Relating to our Search for, and Consummation of or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination
Our public shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, and even if we hold a vote, holders of our founder shares will participate in such vote, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public shareholders do not support such a combination, we may not need any public shares sold to other investors in this offering to be voted in favor of the initial business combination.
We may choose not to hold a shareholder vote to approve our initial business combination unless the business combination would require shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements. In such case, the decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow shareholders 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 shareholder approval. Even if we seek shareholder approval, the holders of our founder shares will participate in the vote on such approval and, accordingly, we may complete our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our ordinary shares do not approve of the business combination we complete, we may not need any public shares sold to other investors in this offering to be voted in favor of the initial business combination. See “Proposed Business — Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination” for additional information.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor and management team have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public shareholders vote.
Our sponsor will own 25% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares immediately following the completion of this offering (assuming our sponsor does not purchase any units in this offering and excluding the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private placement units and the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants).
Our sponsor and management team also may from time to time purchase Class A ordinary shares prior to our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides that, if we seek shareholder approval of an initial business combination, such initial business combination will be approved if we receive an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law and our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, which requires the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company. As a result, in addition to our sponsor’s founder shares and private placement shares, we would need 6,424,167, or approximately 32.1%, of the 20,000,000 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, the underwriters’ private placement shares are voted in favor of the initial business combination, the over-allotment option is not exercised and the parties to the letter agreement do not acquire any Class A ordinary shares. Assuming that only the holders of one third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing a quorum under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, vote their ordinary shares at a general meeting of the company, we would not need any of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering in addition to our founder shares and private placement shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to approve an initial business combination. However, if our initial business combination is structured as a statutory merger or consolidation with another company under Cayman Islands law, the approval of our initial business combination will require a special resolution, which requires the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company. Accordingly, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial
46
business combination, the agreement by our sponsor and management team to vote in favor of our initial business combination will increase the likelihood that an ordinary resolution will be passed, being the requisite shareholder approval for such initial business combination.
Your only opportunity to effect your 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 our initial business combination. Since our board of directors may complete a business combination without seeking shareholder approval, public shareholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the business combination, unless we seek such shareholder vote. Accordingly, your only opportunity to effect your investment decision regarding our initial 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 shareholders in which we describe our initial business combination. The per share amount we will distribute to shareholders who properly exercise their redemption rights will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions and after such redemptions, the per-share value of shares held by non-redeeming shareholders will reflect our obligation to pay the deferred underwriting commissions.
The ability of our public shareholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.
We may seek to enter into a business combination transaction agreement with a minimum cash requirement for (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions. If too many public shareholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the business combination. A portion of the deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriters will be based on the percentage of public shares outstanding immediately prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, net of public shares submitted for redemption and net of any public shares held by public shareholders that have entered into forward purchase agreements or other arrangements whereby we have a contractual obligation to repurchase such shares after the closing of the initial business combination, and will be released to the underwriters only upon the completion of an initial business combination. If we are able to consummate an initial business combination, the per-share value of shares held by non-redeeming shareholders will reflect our obligation to pay and the payment of the corresponding deferred underwriting commissions. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would not allow us to satisfy a closing condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with us.
The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares and the amount of deferred underwriting compensation may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure, and may substantially dilute your investment in us.
At the time we enter into an agreement for our initial business combination, we will not know how many shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, and therefore will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted for redemption. If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, we will need to reserve a portion of the cash in the trust account to meet such requirements, or arrange for third party financing. In addition, if a larger number of shares are submitted for redemption than we initially expected, we may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater portion of the cash in the trust account or arrange for third party financing. Raising additional third party financing may involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. Furthermore, this dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provision of the Class B ordinary shares results in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination. In addition, a portion of the deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriters will be based on the percentage of public shares outstanding immediately prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, net of public shares submitted for redemption and
47
net of any public shares held by public shareholders that have entered into forward purchase agreements or other arrangements whereby we have a contractual obligation to repurchase such shares after the closing of the initial business combination, and will be released to the underwriters only upon the completion of an initial business combination. The per share amount we will distribute to shareholders who properly exercise their redemption rights will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions and after such redemptions, the amount held in trust will continue to reflect our obligation to pay the corresponding deferred underwriting commissions. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure. As a result, our obligations to redeem public shares for which redemption is requested and to pay the deferred underwriting commissions may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
In addition, raising additional third-party financing may involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. Furthermore, this dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the Class B ordinary shares result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at the time of our business combination. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure and may result in substantial dilution from your purchase of our Class A ordinary shares. The effect of this dilution will be greater for shareholders who do not redeem. The amount of the deferred underwriting compensation payable to the underwriters may be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with an initial business combination, which may further affect the dilution of your investment. The per-share amount we will distribute to shareholders who properly exercise their redemption rights will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting compensation and after such redemptions, the per-share value of shares held by non-redeeming shareholders will reflect our obligation to pay the deferred underwriting compensation. We may not be able to generate sufficient value from the completion of our initial business combination in order to overcome the dilutive impact of these and other factors, and, accordingly, you may incur a net loss on your investment. See “— Risks Relating to Our Securities — 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, and our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to materially decline.”
The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your shares.
If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful is increased. If our initial business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account until we liquidate the trust account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your shares in the open market; however, at such time our shares may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in the trust account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with your exercise of redemption rights 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 the completion window may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may limit the time we have in which to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets, in particular as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our shareholders.
Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business combination within the completion window. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete our initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the timeframe described above. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation. The length of time it may take us
48
to complete our diligence and negotiate a business combination may reduce the amount of time available for us to ultimately complete an initial business combination should such diligence or negotiations not lead to a consummated initial business combination.
We may engage one or more of our underwriters or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us after this offering, which may include acting as M&A 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 underwriting commissions that will be released from the trust account only upon 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.
We may engage one or more of our underwriters or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us after this offering, including, for example, identifying potential targets, providing M&A advisory services, acting as a placement agent in a private offering or arranging debt financing transactions. We may pay such underwriter or its affiliate fair and reasonable fees or other compensation that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with any of the underwriters or their respective affiliates and no fees or other compensation for such services will be paid to any of the underwriters or their respective affiliates prior to the date that is 60 days from the date of this prospectus, unless such payment would not be deemed underwriters’ compensation in connection with this offering.
The underwriters are also entitled to receive deferred underwriting commissions that are conditioned on the completion of an initial business combination. The underwriters’ or their respective affiliates’ financial interests tied to the consummation of a business combination transaction may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in providing any such additional services to us, including potential conflicts of interest in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination. The underwriters are under no obligation to provide any further services to us in order to receive all or any part of the deferred underwriting commissions.
We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, in which case we would redeem our public shares.
We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within the completion window after the closing of this offering. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter (and subject to lawfully available funds therefor), 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us) and 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 shareholders’ rights as shareholders (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 shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such case, our public shareholders may only receive $10.05 per share, or possibly less, and our warrants will expire without value to the holder. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.05 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.05 per share” and other risk factors described in this “Risk Factors” section.
We may decide not to extend the term we have to consummate our initial business combination, in which case we would redeem our public shares, and the warrants may be worthless.
We have until the date that is 18 months from the closing of this offering or until such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, to consummate our initial business combination. If we anticipate that we may be unable to consummate our initial business combination within such period, we may seek shareholder approval to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the date by which we must
49
consummate our initial business combination. However, we may decide not to seek to extend the date by which we must consummate our initial business combination. If we do not seek to extend the date by which we must consummate our initial business combination, and we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within the applicable time period, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter (and subject to lawfully available funds therefor), 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us) and 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 shareholders’ rights as shareholders (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 shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case, to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such event, the warrants may be worthless.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates may elect to purchase shares or public warrants from public shareholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares or public warrants.
If we seek shareholder 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, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates may purchase public shares or 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 or duty to do so. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgment that such shareholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. It is intended that, if Rule 10b-18 would apply to purchases by sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates, then such purchases will comply with Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act, to the extent it applies, which provides a safe harbor for purchases made under certain conditions, including with respect to timing, pricing and volume of purchases.
Additionally, at any time at or prior to our initial business combination, subject to applicable securities laws (including with respect to material nonpublic information), our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire public shares, vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination or not redeem their public shares. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or warrants in such transactions.
The purpose of any such transactions could be to (1) reduce the number of public warrants outstanding and/or increase the likelihood of approval on any matters submitted to the public warrant holders for approval in connection with our 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 our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our securities may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange. 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
50
requirements. Additionally, in the event our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates were to purchase public shares or warrants from public shareholders, such purchases would be structured in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act including, in pertinent part, through adherence to the following:
• our registration statement/proxy statement filed for our business combination transaction would disclose the possibility that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates may purchase public shares or warrants from public shareholders outside the redemption process, along with the purpose of such purchases;
• if our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates were to purchase public shares or warrants from public shareholders, they would do so at a price no higher than the price offered through our redemption process;
• our registration statement/proxy statement filed for our business combination transaction would include a representation that any of our securities purchased by our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction;
• our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates would not possess any redemption rights with respect to our securities or, if they do acquire and possess redemption rights, they would waive such rights; and
• we would disclose in a Form 8-K, before our security holder meeting to approve the business combination transaction, the following material items:
• the amount of our securities purchased outside of the redemption offer by our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates, along with the purchase price;
• the purpose of the purchases by our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates;
• the impact, if any, of the purchases by our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates on the likelihood that the business combination transaction will be approved;
• the identities of our security holders who sold to our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates (if not purchased on the open market) or the nature of our security holders (e.g., 5% security holders) who sold to our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates; and
• the number of our securities for which we have received redemption requests pursuant to our redemption offer.
See “Proposed Business — Permitted Purchases of Our Securities” for a description of how such persons will determine from which shareholders to seek to acquire securities.
If a shareholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our initial business combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for submitting or tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.
We will comply with the proxy rules or tender offer rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our initial business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a shareholder fails to receive our proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, such shareholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or submit public shares for redemption. For example, we intend to require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to, at the holder’s option, either deliver their share certificates to our transfer agent, or to deliver their shares to our transfer agent electronically prior to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. In the case of proxy materials, this date may be up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination. In addition, if we conduct
51
redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote, we intend to require a public shareholder seeking redemption of its public shares to also submit a written request for redemption to our transfer agent two business days prior to the scheduled vote in which the name of the beneficial owner of such shares is included. In the event that a shareholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures disclosed in the proxy or tender offer materials, as applicable, its shares may not be redeemed. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business — Delivering Share Certificates in Connection with the Exercise of Redemption Rights.”
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of other blank check companies subject to Rule 419 of the Securities Act.
Since the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units are intended to be used to complete one or more initial business combinations with a target business or businesses that have not been selected, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However, because we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the completion of this offering and the sale of the private placement units and will file a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means our units will be immediately tradable and we will have a longer period of time to complete our respective business combinations than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, if this offering were subject to Rule 419, that rule would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us unless and until the funds in the trust account were released to us or in connection with our completion of an initial business combination. For a more detailed comparison of our offering to offerings that comply with Rule 419, see “Proposed Business — Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.”
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of shareholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares, you may lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares.
If we seek shareholder 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 memorandum and articles of association provides that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares,” without our prior consent. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. And as a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We expect to encounter competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess similar or greater technical, human and other resources to ours or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive
52
limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, we are obligated to offer holders of our public shares the right to redeem their shares for cash at the time of our initial business combination in conjunction with a shareholder vote or via a tender offer. Target companies will be aware that this may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. Any of these obligations may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the duration of the completion window, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination, and we will depend on loans from our sponsor or management team to fund our search and to complete our initial business combination.
Of the net proceeds of this offering, only $1,200,000 (or $1,050,000 if the underwriters’ overallotment is exercised in full) will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. We believe that, upon closing of this offering, the funds available to us outside of the trust account will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the duration of the completion window; however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. 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 or merger agreements designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into a letter of intent or merger agreement 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.
In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $650,000, we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. The amount held in the trust account will not be impacted as a result of such increase or decrease. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $650,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount. If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, management team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate.
None of our sponsor, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, is under any obligation to advance funds to us in such circumstances. Any such advances would be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into private placement units of the post-business combination entity at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. Such units would be identical to the private placement units. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to liquidate the trust account. Consequently, our public shareholders may only receive an estimated $10.05 per share, or possibly less, on our redemption of our public shares, and our warrants will expire worthless.
If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.05 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, prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public shareholders, 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
53
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 consider whether competitive alternatives are reasonably available to us and will only enter into an agreement with such third party if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be in the best interests of the company under the circumstances. CBIZ CPAs P.C., 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 management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we 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 shareholders could be less than the $10.05 per public share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors. Pursuant to the letter agreement the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to us (except for the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm), or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or other similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.05 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.05 per public share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us), provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and we believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. 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 $10.05 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 claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
If our initial business combination involves a company organized under the laws of the United States (or any subdivision thereof), the Excise Tax could be imposed on us in connection with any redemptions of our Class A ordinary shares after or in connection with such initial business combination.
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 provides for, among other things, the Excise Tax on certain repurchases (including redemptions) of stock by publicly traded U.S. corporations after December 31, 2022, subject to certain exceptions. If applicable, the amount of Excise Tax is generally 1% of the aggregate fair market value of any stock repurchased by the corporation during a taxable year, net of the aggregate fair market value of certain new stock issuances by the repurchasing corporation during the same taxable year. In addition, the U.S. Treasury Department and IRS have released preliminary guidance that would potentially cause a non-U.S. corporation’s U.S. subsidiaries to be subject to the Excise Tax with respect to any share repurchases made by the non-U.S. corporation under certain circumstances.
As an entity incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company, the Excise Tax is currently not expected to apply to redemptions of our Class A ordinary shares (absent any regulations or other additional guidance that may be issued in the future). However, in connection with an initial business combination involving a company organized under the laws of the United States (or any subdivision thereof), it is possible that we domesticate and continue as
54
a Delaware corporation prior to certain redemptions. Because we expect that, following such a domestication, our securities would continue to trade on Nasdaq, in such a case we could be subject to the Excise Tax with respect to any subsequent redemptions (including redemptions in connection with the initial business combination) that are treated as repurchases for this purpose. In all cases, whether and to what extent we would be subject to the Excise Tax will depend on a number of factors, including (i) the structure of the initial business combination, including the extent to which the initial business combination involves a U.S. corporation and the extent to which we issue shares in the initial business combination or otherwise during the same taxable year that are eligible to offset any redemptions or other repurchases, (ii) the fair market value of the shares redeemed and (iii) the extent such redemptions could be treated as dividends and not as repurchases. The applicability of the Excise Tax to us could be further affected by the content of any regulations, clarifications or other additional guidance from the U.S. Treasury Department that may be issued and applicable to the redemptions.
Any Excise Tax that becomes payable as a result of any redemptions of our Class A ordinary shares (or other shares into which such Class A ordinary shares may be converted) in connection with our initial business combination or otherwise would be payable by us and not by the redeeming holder. To the extent such taxes are applicable, the amount of cash available to pay redemptions or to transfer to the target business in connection with our initial business combination may be reduced, which could result in our inability to meet conditions in the agreement relating to our initial business combination related to a minimum cash requirement, if any, or otherwise result in the shareholders of the combined company (including any of our shareholders who do not exercise their redemption rights in connection with the initial business combination) to economically bear the impact of such Excise Tax.
Our directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.05 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account if less than $10.05 per public share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case less taxes payable (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us), and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment and subject to their fiduciary duties may choose not to do so in any particular instance if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders may be reduced below $10.05 per public share.
We may not have sufficient funds to satisfy indemnification claims of our directors and officers.
We have agreed to indemnify our officers and directors to the fullest extent permitted by law, including for any liability incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own actual fraud, willful default or willful neglect. However, our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account and to not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will be able to be satisfied by us only if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination. Our obligation to indemnify our officers and directors may discourage shareholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our shareholders. Furthermore, a shareholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
55
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or insolvency petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or insolvency petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy or insolvency court may seek to recover such proceeds, and the members of our board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims of punitive damages.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or insolvency petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or insolvency petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy/insolvency laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance, preference or disposition.” As a result, a liquidator or a bankruptcy or other court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to us or our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or insolvency petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or insolvency petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over the claims of our shareholders and the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or insolvency petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or insolvency petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.
We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we will be required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements and numerous complex tax laws. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.
On January 24, 2024, the SEC adopted a series of new rules relating to SPACs (the “SPAC Rules”) requiring, among other items, (i) additional disclosures relating to SPAC business combination transactions; (ii) additional disclosures relating to dilution and to conflicts of interest involving sponsors and their respective affiliates in both SPAC initial public offerings and de-SPAC transactions; (iii) the use of projections by SPACs in SEC filings in connection with proposed business combination transactions; and (iv) both the SPAC and the target company’s status as co-registrants on de-SPAC registration statements.
In addition, the SEC’s adopting release provided guidance describing circumstances in which a SPAC could become subject to regulation under the Investment Company Act, including its duration, asset composition, business purpose, and the activities of the SPAC and its management team in furtherance of such goals.
Compliance with the SPAC Rules and related guidance may increase the costs of and the time needed to negotiate and complete an initial business combination and may constrain the circumstances under which we could complete an initial business combination.
56
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.
As described in the risk factor above entitled “Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations,” the SEC’s adopting release with respect to the SPAC Rules provided guidance describing the extent to which SPACs could become subject to regulation under the Investment Company Act and the regulations thereunder. Whether a SPAC is an investment company will be a question of facts and circumstances. If our facts and circumstances change over time, we will update our disclosure to reflect how those changes impact the risk that we may be considered to be operating as an unregistered investment company. We can give no assurance that a claim will not be made that we have been operating as an unregistered investment company.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may have to change our operations, wind down our operations, or register as 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;
• adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and
• reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations.
In order not to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, unless we can qualify for an exclusion, we must ensure that we are engaged primarily in a business other than investing, reinvesting or trading in securities and that our activities do not include investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading “investment securities” constituting more than 40% of our total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. We are mindful of the SEC’s investment company definition and guidance and intend to identify and complete an initial business combination with an operating business, and not with an investment company, or to acquire minority interests in other businesses exceeding the permitted threshold.
We do not believe that our anticipated activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in the trust account will initially be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations; the holding of these assets in this form is intended to be temporary and for the sole purpose of facilitating the intended business combination. To mitigate the risk that we might be deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, which risk increases the longer that we hold investments in the trust account, we may, at any time (based on our management team’s ongoing assessment of all factors related to our potential status under the Investment Company Act), instruct the trustee to liquidate the investments held in the trust account and instead to hold the funds in the trust account in cash or in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a bank.
Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee is not permitted to invest in securities or assets other than as described above. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, and by having a business plan targeted at acquiring and growing businesses for the long term (rather than on buying and selling businesses in the manner of a merchant bank or private equity fund), we intend to avoid being deemed an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. This offering is not intended for persons who are seeking a return on investments in government securities or investment securities. The trust account is intended solely as a temporary depository for funds pending the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of our initial business combination; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) in a manner that would affect the substance or timing of
57
our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window; or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares or pre-initial business combination activity; or (iii) absent an initial business combination within the completion window, our return of the funds held in the trust account to our public shareholders as part of our redemption of the public shares.
We are aware of litigation claiming that certain SPACs should be considered to be investment companies. Although we believe that these claims were without merit, we cannot guarantee that we will not be deemed to be an investment company and thus subject to the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete an initial business combination or may result in our winding down our operations and our liquidation. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.05 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless, and our public shareholders would also lose the possibility of an investment opportunity in a target company as well as any potential price appreciation in the combined company following a business combination.
To mitigate the risk that we might be deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, we may, at any time (based on our management team’s ongoing assessment of all factors related to our potential status under the Investment Company Act), instruct the trustee to liquidate the investments held in the trust account and instead to hold the funds in the trust account in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a bank until the earlier of the consummation of an initial business combination or our liquidation. As a result, following the liquidation of investments in the trust account, we will likely receive less interest on the funds held in the trust account than we would have had the trust account remained as initially invested, such that our public shareholders would receive less upon any redemption or liquidation of the Company than what they would have received had the investments not been liquidated.
The funds to be held in the trust account will, following this offering, be initially held only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less, in money market funds investing solely in U.S. government treasury obligations and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act and in cash or cash like items (including demand deposit accounts) at a bank. However, to mitigate the risk of us being deemed to be an unregistered investment company (including under the subjective test of Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act) and thus subject to regulation under the Investment Company Act, we may, at any time (based on our management team’s ongoing assessment of all factors related to our potential status under the Investment Company Act), instruct Odyssey Transfer and Trust Company, the trustee with respect to the trust account, to liquidate the U.S. government treasury obligations or money market funds held in the trust account and thereafter to hold all funds in the trust account in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a bank until the earlier of the consummation of our initial business combination or our liquidation. Following such liquidation, we will likely receive less interest on the funds held in the trust account than we would earn if the trust account remained invested in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. government treasury obligations and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. However, interest previously earned on the funds held in the trust account still may be released to us to pay our taxes, if any (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us), and certain other expenses as permitted. As a result, any decision to liquidate the investments held in the trust account and thereafter to hold all funds in the trust account in an interest-bearing demand deposit at a bank could reduce the dollar amount our public shareholders would receive upon any redemption or liquidation of the Company as compared to what they would have received had the investments not been so liquidated.
Notwithstanding the measures set forth above, we may still be deemed to be an investment company. The longer that the funds in the trust account are held in short-term U.S. government treasury obligations or in money market funds invested exclusively in such securities, the greater the risk that we may be deemed to be an unregistered investment company, in which case we may be required to liquidate. If our facts and circumstances change over time, we will update our disclosure to reflect how those changes impact the risk that we may be considered to be operating as an unregistered investment company. As disclosed above, we may determine, in our discretion, to liquidate the securities held in the trust account at any time and instead hold all funds in the trust account in an interest bearing demand deposit account or as cash or cash items at a bank, which could further reduce the dollar amount our public shareholders would receive upon any redemption or liquidation of the Company as compared to what they would
58
have received had the investments not been so liquidated. Were we to liquidate the Company, our warrants would expire worthless, and our securityholders would lose the investment opportunity associated with an investment in the target company with which we could have consummated an initial business combination. In addition, upon moving the funds from the trust account to a deposit account, we will maintain the cash items in bank accounts which, at times, may exceed federally insured limits as guaranteed by the FDIC. While we intend to place our deposits in high-quality banks, only a small portion of the funds in our trust account will be guaranteed by the FDIC.
Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by new outbreaks, or continuation of any existing outbreaks, of any infectious disease (such as COVID-19) and the status of debt and equity markets.
Any new outbreaks, or continuation of any existing outbreaks, of any infectious disease (such as COVID-19) or other events (such as terrorist attacks, armed conflicts or natural disasters) could adversely affect the economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate an initial business combination could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete an initial business combination if concerns relating to any outbreak of a disease restricts travel or limits the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target company’s personnel, vendors and services providers. The extent to which any new outbreak or the continuation of any existing situation impacts our search for an initial business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted. If any such event (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) continues for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate an initial business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate an initial business combination, may be materially adversely affected.
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 outside events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of infectious diseases), 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.
Our search for an initial business combination, and any target business with which we may ultimately consummate an initial business combination, may be materially adversely affected by current global geopolitical conditions resulting from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and the recent escalation of the conflict in the Middle East and Southwest Asia.
United States and global markets are experiencing volatility and disruption following the geopolitical instability resulting from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and the recent escalation of the conflict in the Middle East and Southwest Asia. In response to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (“NATO”) deployed additional military forces to eastern Europe, and the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and other countries have announced various sanctions and restrictive actions against Russia, Belarus and related individuals and entities, including the removal of certain financial institutions from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) payment system. Certain countries, including the United States, have also provided and may continue to provide military aid or other assistance to Ukraine and to Israel, or have undertaken or will undertake military strikes in Southwest Asia, increasing geopolitical tensions among a number of nations. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East and Southwest Asia and the resulting measures that have been taken, and could be taken in the future, by NATO, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Israel and its neighboring states and other countries have created global security concerns that could have a lasting impact on regional and global economies. Although the length and impact of the ongoing conflicts are highly unpredictable, they could lead to market disruptions, including significant volatility in commodity prices, credit and capital markets, as well as supply chain interruptions and increased cyber-attacks against U.S. companies. Additionally, any resulting sanctions could adversely affect the global economy and financial markets and lead to instability and lack of liquidity in capital markets.
Any of the abovementioned factors, or any other negative impact on the global economy, capital markets or other geopolitical conditions resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East and Southwest Asia and subsequent sanctions or related actions, could adversely affect our search for an initial business combination and any target business with which we may ultimately consummate an initial business combination.
59
The extent and duration of the ongoing conflicts, resulting sanctions and any related market disruptions are impossible to predict, but could be substantial, particularly if current or new sanctions continue for an extended period of time or if geopolitical tensions result in expanded military operations on a global scale. Any such disruptions may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this section. If these disruptions or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate an initial business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we may ultimately consummate an initial business combination, may be materially adversely affected.
Military or other conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East and Southwest Asia or elsewhere may lead to increased volume and price volatility for publicly traded securities, or affect the operations or financial condition of potential target companies, which could make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
Military or other conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East, Southwest Asia or elsewhere may lead to increased volume and price volatility for publicly traded securities, or affect the operations or financial condition of potential target companies, and to other company or industry-specific, national, regional or international economic disruptions and economic uncertainty, any of which could make it more difficult for us to identify a business combination target and consummate an initial business combination on acceptable commercial terms, or at all.
If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within the completion window, our public shareholders may be forced to wait beyond 18 months before redemption from our trust account.
If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within the completion window, the proceeds then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (less taxes payable (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us) and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, as further described herein. Any redemption of public shareholders from the trust account will be effected automatically by function of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association prior to any voluntary winding up. If we are required to wind-up, liquidate the trust account and distribute such amount therein, pro rata, to our public shareholders, as part of any liquidation process, such winding up, liquidation and distribution must comply with the applicable provisions of the Companies Act. In that case, investors may be forced to wait beyond the end of the completion window before the redemption proceeds of our trust account become available to them, and they receive the return of their pro rata portion of the proceeds from our trust account. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to the date of our redemption or liquidation unless we consummate our initial business combination prior thereto and only then in cases where investors have sought to redeem their Class A ordinary shares. Only upon our redemption or any liquidation will public shareholders be entitled to distributions if we are unable to complete our initial business combination.
Our shareholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.
If we are forced to enter into an insolvent liquidation, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed as an unlawful payment if it was proved that immediately following the date on which the distribution was made, we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. As a result, a liquidator could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to us or our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, thereby exposing themselves and our company to claims, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons. We and our directors and officers who knowingly and willfully authorized or permitted any distribution to be paid out of our share premium account while we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business would be guilty of an offence and may be liable to a fine of approximately $18,000 and to imprisonment for five years in the Cayman Islands.
60
We may not hold an annual general meeting until after the consummation of our initial business combination, which could delay the opportunity for our public shareholders to discuss company affairs with management, and the holders of our Class A ordinary shares will not have the right to vote on the appointment or removal of directors or continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands until after the consummation of our initial business combination.
In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general meeting until no later than one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. There is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual or extraordinary general meetings to appoint directors. Until we hold an annual general meeting, public shareholders may not be afforded the opportunity to discuss company affairs with management. Our board of directors is divided into three classes with only one class of directors being appointed in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual general meeting) serving a three-year term. In addition, as holders of our Class A ordinary shares, our public shareholders will not have the right to vote on the appointment or removal of directors or continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands until after the consummation of our initial business combination.
Because we are neither limited to evaluating a target business in a particular industry sector nor have we selected any target businesses with which to pursue our initial business combination, you will be unable to ascertain the merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations.
Our efforts to identify a prospective initial business combination target will not be limited to a particular industry, sector or geographic region. While we may pursue an initial business combination opportunity in any industry or sector, we intend to capitalize on the ability of our management team to identify and acquire a business or businesses that can benefit from our management team’s established global relationships and operating experience. Our management team has extensive experience in identifying and executing strategic investments globally and has done so successfully in a number of sectors. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association prohibits us from effectuating a business combination solely with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations.
Because we have not yet selected any specific target business with respect to a business combination, there is no basis to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity, financial condition or prospects. To the extent we complete our initial business combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations with which we combine. For example, if we combine with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable or a development stage entity. In recent years, a number of target businesses have underperformed financially post-business combination. There are no assurances that the target business with which we consummate our initial business combination will perform as anticipated. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors or that we will have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.
We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a business combination target. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
We may seek business combination opportunities in industries or sectors that may be outside of our management’s areas of expertise.
We will consider a business combination 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 business combination opportunity for our company. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in any particular business combination candidate, we cannot assure you that we will adequately ascertain or assess all
61
of the significant risk factors. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors in this offering than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a business combination candidate. In the event we elect to pursue a business combination 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 ascertain or assess adequately all of the relevant risk factors. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of shareholders 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 shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain shareholder 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 shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our shareholders from a financial point of view.
Unless we complete our initial business combination with an affiliated entity or our board of directors cannot independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses (including with the assistance of financial advisors), we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that the price we are paying is fair to our shareholders from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our shareholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community.
Such standards used will be disclosed in our proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
We may issue additional Class A ordinary shares or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares 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 therein. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our shareholders and likely present other risks.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association authorizes the issuance of up to 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, 50,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, and 5,000,000 preference shares, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 479,515,000 and 43,333,333 (assuming in each case that the underwriters have not exercised their over-allotment option and the forfeiture of 1,000,000 Class B ordinary shares) authorized but unissued Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares, respectively, available for issuance, which amount does not take into account shares
62
reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants or shares issuable upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares. The Class B ordinary shares are automatically convertible into Class A ordinary shares (which such Class A ordinary shares delivered upon conversion will not have any redemption rights or be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account if we fail to consummate an initial business combination) immediately prior to, concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holder, initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, including in certain circumstances in which we issue Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities related to our initial business combination. Immediately after this offering, there will be no preference shares issued and outstanding.
We may issue a substantial number of additional Class A ordinary shares or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon conversion of the Class B ordinary 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 as set forth therein. However, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide, among other things, that prior to our initial business combination, except in connection with the conversion of Class B ordinary shares into Class A ordinary shares where the holders of such shares have waived any rights to receive funds from the trust account, 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 public shares on any initial business combination. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, like all provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, may be amended with a shareholder vote. The issuance of additional ordinary or preference shares:
• may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B ordinary shares resulted in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares;
• may subordinate the rights of holders of Class A ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our Class A ordinary shares;
• could cause a change in control if a substantial number of Class A ordinary shares 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;
• may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A ordinary shares and/or warrants; and
• may not result in adjustment to the exercise price of our warrants.
Unlike some other similarly structured special purpose acquisition companies, our sponsor will receive additional Class A ordinary shares if we issue certain shares to consummate an initial business combination.
The founder shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares (which such Class A ordinary shares delivered upon conversion will not have any redemption rights or be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account if we fail to consummate an initial business combination) immediately prior to, concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holder on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or any other equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts sold in this offering and related to or in connection with the closing of the initial business combination, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, 25% of the sum of (i) the total number of all Class A ordinary shares outstanding upon the completion of this offering (including any Class A ordinary shares issued pursuant to the underwriters’ over-allotment option and excluding the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private placement units and the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants), plus (ii) all Class A ordinary shares
63
and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued, in connection with the closing of the initial business combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and any private placement-equivalent units issued to our sponsor, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, upon conversion of working capital loans) minus (iii) any redemptions of Class A ordinary shares by public shareholders in connection with an initial business combination and any Class A ordinary shares redeemed by public shareholders in connection with any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association made prior to the consummation of the initial business combination (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to the rights of holders of Class A ordinary shares or pre-business combination activity; provided that such conversion of founder shares will never occur on a less than one-for-one basis.
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 lower, or at a price that approximates the per-share amounts in our trust account at such time. The purpose of such issuances will be to enable us to provide sufficient liquidity and capital 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. Any such issuances of equity securities could dilute the interests of our existing shareholders. Any financing transaction with the entities in which related parties hold ownership interests present potential for conflicts of interest, as the interests of these entities and their equity holders may not align with the interests of our company and our unaffiliated shareholders with respect to the negotiation of, and certain other matters related to, financing transactions with such entities.
Since only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors, upon the listing of our shares on Nasdaq, Nasdaq will consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq rules and, as a result, we may qualify for exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements.
After completion of this offering and prior to the consummation of a business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors. As a result, Nasdaq will consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq corporate governance standards. Under Nasdaq corporate governance standards, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power for the appointment of directors is held by an individual, group or another company is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including the requirements that:
• we have a board that includes a majority of “independent directors,” as defined under the rules of Nasdaq; and
• we have a compensation committee of our board that is comprised entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities.
We currently do not intend to rely on the “controlled company” exemption, but may do so in the future. Accordingly, if we choose to do so, you will not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of the Nasdaq corporate governance requirements.
Resources could be consumed in researching business combinations that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys, consultants 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
64
be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We may engage in a business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors or existing holders which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In light of the involvement of our sponsor, its managing member, and our officers and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with or competitive with our sponsor, officers, directors and their respective affiliates or existing holders. Our directors also serve as officers and/or board members for other entities, including those described under “Management — Conflicts of Interest.” Our sponsor and/or one or more of our directors and officers and its affiliates may sponsor, form or participate in other blank check companies similar to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. Our sponsor, officers and directors are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to complete our initial business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, and there have been no substantive discussions concerning a business combination with any such entity or entities. Although we will not be specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria for a business combination as set forth in “Proposed Business — Effecting our initial business combination — Selection of a target business and structuring of our initial business combination” and such transaction was approved by a majority of our independent and disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions regarding the fairness to our company from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors or existing holders, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the business combination may not be as advantageous to our public shareholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.
Since our sponsor, officers and directors, and any other holder of our founder shares may lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed (other than with respect to public shares they may acquire during or after this offering), a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
On January 29, 2026, our sponsor paid an aggregate of $25,000 to cover certain of our offering costs in exchange for 7,666,667 founder shares. The founder shares were purchased for approximately $0.003 per share.
Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by the sponsor, 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. The number of founder shares outstanding was determined based on the expectation that the total size of this offering would be a maximum of 23,000,000 public units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent 25% of the outstanding shares after this offering. Our public shareholders may incur material dilution due to such anti-dilution adjustments that result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion. Up to 1,000,000 of the founder shares will be surrendered for no consideration depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination, except to the extent they receive liquidating distributions from assets outside of the trust account. Each private placement unit will consist of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one warrant, with each whole warrant exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share. The private placement units are identical to the units sold in this offering, subject to certain limited exceptions as described in this prospectus. The private placement warrants will be identical to the warrants comprising part of the units being offered by this prospectus. The private placement units (and the securities comprising such units) will be worthless if we do not complete our initial business combination. The personal and financial interests of our officers
65
and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination. This risk may become more acute as the end of the completion window nears, which is the deadline for our completion of an initial business combination.
We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete a business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our shareholders’ investment in us.
Although we have no commitments as of the date of this prospectus to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt following this offering, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our initial business combination. The incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:
• default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;
• acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;
• our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand;
• our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding;
• using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for 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 units, 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 private placement of units will provide us with $197,000,000 (or $226,250,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) that we may use to complete our initial business combination (after taking into account $4,000,000, or $4,900,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, of deferred underwriting commissions being held in the trust account (assuming no redemptions) and excluding $1,200,000 (or $1,050,000 if the underwriters’ overallotment is exercised in full) held outside of the trust account for working capital.
We may effectuate our initial business combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously or within a short period of time. However, we may not be able to effectuate our initial business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments. Further, we would not be able to
66
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 on the performance of a single business, property or asset, or
• dependent on the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services.
This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our initial business combination.
We may attempt to simultaneously complete business combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to complete our initial business combination and give rise to increased costs and risks that could negatively impact our operations and profitability.
If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses that are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete our initial business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.
We may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In pursuing our business combination strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. Very little public information generally exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
We do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete our initial business combination with which a substantial majority of our shareholders do not agree.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold. Our proposed initial business combination may impose a minimum cash requirement for (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions. As a result, we may be able to complete our initial business combination even though a substantial majority of our public shareholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.
67
In order to effectuate an initial business combination, special purpose acquisition companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and other governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or governing instruments in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination that our shareholders may not support.
In order to effectuate a business combination, special purpose acquisition companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. For example, special purpose acquisition companies have extended the time to consummate an initial business combination and, with respect to their warrants, amended their warrant agreements to require the warrants to be exchanged for cash and/or other securities. Amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will require a special resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds (or, in the scenarios described below, 90%) of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company, and amending our warrant agreement will require a vote of holders of at least 50% of the public warrants and, solely with respect to any amendment to the terms of the private placement warrants or any provision of the warrant agreement with respect to the private placement warrants (including, for the avoidance of doubt, the forfeiture or cancellation of any private placement warrants), 50% of the then outstanding private placement warrants (including the vote or written consent of Roth). In addition, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association requires us to provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares, regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or vote against, our initial business combination, for cash if we propose an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. To the extent any of such amendments would be deemed to fundamentally change the nature of the securities offered through this registration statement, we would register, or seek an exemption from registration for, the affected securities. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our charter or governing instruments or extend the time to consummate an initial business combination in order to effectuate our initial business combination.
The provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association 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 not less than two-thirds of our ordinary shares which are represented in person or by proxy and are voted at a general meeting of the company, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other special purpose acquisition companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our shareholders may not support.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that any of its provisions related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the private placement of units into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public shareholders as described herein, and other than amendments relating to the provisions regulating the appointment and removal of directors and continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands, which require a special resolution passed by the affirmative vote of at least 90% (or, where such amendment is proposed in respect of the consummation of our initial business combination, two-thirds) of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company) may be amended if approved by special resolution, under Cayman Islands law. Except as specified above with respect to matters requiring a 90% majority, a special resolution requires the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company. Corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares which are represented in person or by proxy and are voted at a general meeting of the company. Our sponsor, who will own 25% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming it does not purchase any units in this offering and excluding the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private placement units and the Class A ordinary shares underlying the
68
private placement warrants issued to the sponsor), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association 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 memorandum and articles of association which govern our pre-business combination behavior more easily than some other special purpose acquisition companies, and this may increase our ability to complete a business combination with which you do not agree.
Our sponsor, officers, directors, and director nominees have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, in each case unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (less taxes payable (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us)), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. Our shareholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our sponsor, officers, directors, or director nominees for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our shareholders would need to pursue a shareholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.
We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination.
We have not selected any specific business combination target but intend to target businesses with enterprise values that are greater than we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units. As a result, if the cash portion of the purchase price exceeds the amount available from the trust account, net of amounts needed to satisfy any redemption by public shareholders, we may be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. Further, we may be required to obtain additional financing in connection with the closing of our initial business combination for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, or to fund the purchase of other companies. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or shareholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination.
Our sponsor will control the appointment of our board of directors until consummation of our initial business combination and will hold a substantial interest in us. As a result, it will appoint all of our directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination and may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Upon closing of this offering, our sponsor will own 25% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares (assuming it does not purchase any units in this offering and excluding the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private placement units and the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants). Accordingly, they may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. This potential concentration of influence could be disadvantageous to other shareholders with interests different from those of our sponsor. In addition, the founder shares, all of which are currently held by our sponsor, will entitle the holders to vote to appoint all of our directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. Holders
69
of our public shares will have no right to vote on the appointment or removal of directors during such time. Further, prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to vote on continuing our company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend our constitutional documents or to adopt new constitutional documents, in each case, as a result of our approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended if approved by a special resolution passed by the affirmative vote of at least 90% (or, where such amendment is proposed in respect of the consummation of our initial business combination, two-thirds) of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company. As a result, you will not have any influence over the appointment or removal of directors prior to our initial business combination or any influence over our continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands prior to our initial business combination.
If our sponsor purchases any units in this offering or if our sponsor purchases any additional Class A ordinary shares in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase its control. Neither our sponsor nor, to our knowledge, any of our officers or directors, have any current intention to purchase additional securities, other than as disclosed in this prospectus. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, our board of directors, whose members were appointed by our sponsor, is and will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term for three years with only one class of directors being appointed in each year. We may not hold an annual or extraordinary general meeting to appoint new directors prior to the completion of our initial business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the completion of the business combination. If there is an annual general meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered” board of directors, only a minority of the board of directors will be considered for appointment and our sponsor, because of its ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. In addition, since only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on directors prior to our initial business combination, our sponsor will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our initial business combination. Accordingly, our sponsor will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our initial business combination.
Before a prospective target business is identified or the initial business combination is consummated, our sponsor or management may change or divest their ownership interests in us. Such change or divestment could deprive us of key personnel and advisors, and the public shareholders may have very limited influence over the management of the Company as a result.
Our sponsor, Union Street Sponsor, LLC, is a Delaware limited liability company, which was recently formed to invest in our company. Andrew Mallozzi, our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, is the sole managing member of the sponsor and holds voting and investment discretion with respect to the ordinary shares held of record by the sponsor. Although our sponsor is not expected to effect any direct or indirect transfer of the founder shares or private placement units it holds during the applicable lock-up terms, certain transfers prior to the completion of our initial business combination are permitted for the founder shares and private placement units (including the underlying securities): (a) to our officers, directors, advisors or consultants, any affiliate or family member of any of our officers, directors, advisors or consultants, any members or partners of the sponsor and their respective affiliates and funds and accounts advised by such members or partners, any affiliates of the sponsor, or any employees of such affiliates; (b) in the case of an individual, as a gift to such person’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of such person’s immediate family, an affiliate of such person or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of such person; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) by private sales or transfers made in connection with any forward purchase agreement or similar arrangement, in connection with an extension of the completion window or in connection with the consummation of a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares or rights were originally purchased; (f) pro rata distributions from our sponsor to its members, partners or shareholders pursuant to our sponsor’s limited liability company agreement or other charter documents; (g) by virtue of the laws of the Cayman Islands or our sponsor’s limited liability company agreement upon dissolution of our sponsor; (h) in the event of our liquidation prior to our consummation of our initial business combination; (i) in the event that, subsequent to our consummation of an initial business combination, we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property; or
70
(j) to a nominee or custodian of a person or entity to whom a transfer would be permissible under clauses (a) through (g); provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (g) and clause (j) these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions and the other restrictions contained in the letter agreements. In addition, the sponsor’s operating agreement does not permit any member of our sponsor to transfer all or any portion of its membership interests in our sponsor, except (i) with the prior written consent of the managing member of our sponsor, or (ii) after the closing of a business combination, to such member’s affiliates, immediate family, or to a trust, the primary beneficiary(ies) of which is a member or members of such member’s immediate family; provided that such recipient shall be required to become a member of our sponsor pursuant to the terms of our sponsor’s operating agreement and, therefore, be bound by the restrictions on transfers as set forth therein. The foregoing restriction on the transfer of membership interests also applies to the transfer of any non-management sponsor interests. There are no limitations or restrictions on the terms or types of transfers that can be approved by the manager of our sponsor in our sponsor’s operating agreement.
Some permissible transactions, such as the transfer of founder shares from our sponsor to an officer or consultant of the Company, or the transfer of the securities of the sponsor from Mr. Mallozzi to a third party, or the issuance of new securities of the sponsor to a third party, may change the ownership structure or control among the sponsor and the management, or result in the control of the Company by another party. In such scenarios, the public shareholders may have very little influence over the management of the Company.
In the case that our sponsor, Mr. Mallozzi or our management divest such person’s ownership or economic interests in us or in the sponsor, as the case may be, before a prospective target business is identified or an initial business combination is consummated, third parties may assume control over the sponsor or the management of the Company. Such changes may deprive us of key personnel or advisors of the Company, including Mr. Mallozzi, which may materially and adversely affect the Company’s ability to consummate initial business combination and the value of your investment in the Company. In addition, because public shareholders would not have had the opportunity to consider the identities of the persons obtaining control over us before such persons assume control, they may have limited influence over the management of the Company.
We may not be able to complete an initial business combination because such initial business combination may be subject to regulatory review and approval requirements, including foreign investment regulations and review by government entities such as the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”), or may be ultimately prohibited.
Our initial business combination may be subject to regulatory review and approval requirements by governmental entities, or ultimately prohibited. For example, CFIUS has authority to review direct or indirect foreign investments in U.S. companies. Among other things, CFIUS is empowered to require certain foreign investors to make mandatory filings, to charge filing fees related to such filings, and to self-initiate national security reviews of foreign direct and indirect investments in U.S. companies if the parties to that investment choose not to file voluntarily. In the case that CFIUS determines an investment to be a threat to national security, CFIUS has the power to unwind or place restrictions on the investment. Whether CFIUS has jurisdiction to review an acquisition or investment transaction depends on — among other factors — the nature and structure of the transaction, including the level of beneficial ownership interest and the nature of any information or governance rights involved. While our sponsor is a limited liability company formed in Delaware and is not controlled by, nor does it have substantial ties with, a non-U.S. person, investments that result in “control” of a U.S. business by a foreign person are always subject to CFIUS jurisdiction. CFIUS’s expanded jurisdiction under the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 and implementing regulations that became effective on February 13, 2020 further includes investments that do not result in control of a U.S. business by a foreign person but afford certain foreign investors certain information or governance rights in a U.S. business that has a nexus to “critical technologies,” “critical infrastructure” and/or “sensitive personal data.”
If a particular proposed initial business combination with a U.S. business falls within CFIUS’s jurisdiction, we may determine that we are required to make a mandatory filing or that we will submit to CFIUS review on a voluntary basis, or to proceed with the transaction without submitting to CFIUS and risk CFIUS intervention, before or after closing the transaction. CFIUS may decide to block or delay our proposed initial business combination, impose conditions with respect to such initial business combination or request the President of the United States to order us to divest all or a portion of the U.S. target business of our initial business combination that we acquired without first obtaining CFIUS approval, which may limit the attractiveness of, delay or prevent us from pursuing certain
71
target companies that we believe would otherwise be beneficial to us and our shareholders. As a result, the pool of potential targets with which we could complete an initial business combination may be limited and we may be adversely affected in terms of competing with other special purpose acquisition companies which do not have any foreign ownership issues. In addition, certain federally licensed businesses may be subject to rules or regulations that limit foreign ownership.
The process of government review, whether by CFIUS or otherwise, could be lengthy. Because we have only a limited time to complete our initial business combination, our failure to obtain any required approvals within the requisite time period may require us to liquidate. If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within the applicable time period required under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, including as a result of extended regulatory review of a potential initial business combination, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter (and subject to lawfully available funds therefor), 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us) and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses and net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then-outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (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 shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such event, our shareholders will miss the opportunity to benefit from an investment in a target company and the appreciation in value of such investment. Additionally, our warrants may be worthless.
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 or such attractive targets may not be interested to consummate a business combination with a SPAC due to a negative public perception of mergers involving SPACs. 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 target companies to demand improved financial terms. Attractive deals could also become scarcer for other reasons, such as economic or industry sector downturns (including a negative public perception of mergers involving SPACs), 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.
Adverse developments affecting the financial services industry, including events or concerns involving liquidity, defaults or non-performance by financial institutions, could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations, or our prospects.
The funds in our operating account and our trust account will initially be held in banks or other financial institutions and will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations; the holding of these assets in this form is intended to be temporary and for the sole purpose of facilitating the intended business combination. To mitigate the risk that we might be deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, which risk increases the longer that we hold investments in the trust account, we may, at any time (based on our management team’s ongoing
72
assessment of all factors related to our potential status under the Investment Company Act), instruct the trustee to liquidate the investments held in the trust account and instead to hold the funds in the trust account in cash or in an interest-bearing demand deposit account at a bank. Our cash held in these accounts may exceed any applicable Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) insurance limits. Should events, including limited liquidity, defaults, non-performance or other adverse developments occur with respect to the banks or other financial institutions that hold our funds, or that affect financial institutions or the financial services industry generally, or concerns or rumors about any events of these kinds or other similar risks, the value of the assets in our trust account could be impaired, which could have a material impact on our operating results, liquidity, financial condition and prospects. For example, on March 10, 2023, the FDIC announced that Silicon Valley Bank had been closed by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation. We cannot guarantee that the banks or other financial institutions that will hold our funds will not experience similar issues.
Because we must furnish our shareholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective target businesses.
The federal proxy rules require that the proxy statement with respect to the vote on an initial business combination include historical and pro forma financial statement disclosure. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) or international financial reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (“IFRS”) depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”). These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.
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 an initial 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, 2027. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company, we will not be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because a target business with which we seek to complete our initial business combination may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal control of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such business combination.
Changes in international trade policies, tariffs and treaties affecting imports and exports may have a material adverse effect on our search for an initial business combination target or the performance or business prospects of a post-business combination company.
There have recently been significant changes to international trade policies and tariffs affecting imports and exports. Any significant increases in tariffs on goods or materials or other changes in trade policy could negatively affect our search for a target and/or our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Recently, the U.S. has implemented a range of new tariffs and increases to existing tariffs. In response to the tariffs announced by the U.S., other countries have imposed, are considering imposing, and may in the future impose new or increased tariffs on certain exports from the United States. There is currently significant uncertainty about the future relationship between the United States and other countries with respect to trade policies, taxes, government regulations and tariffs. and we cannot predict whether, and to what extent, current tariffs will continue or trade policies will change in the future.
73
Tariffs, or the threat of tariffs or increased tariffs, could have a significant negative impact on certain businesses (either due to domestic businesses’ reliance on imported goods or dependence on access to foreign markets, or foreign businesses’ reliance on sales into the United States). In addition, retaliatory tariffs could have a significant negative impact on foreign businesses that rely on imports from the United States, and domestic businesses that rely on exporting goods internationally. These tariffs and threats of tariffs and other potential trade policy changes could negatively affect the attractiveness of certain initial business combination targets, or lead to material adverse effects on a post-business combination company. Among other things, historical financial performance of companies affected by trade policies and/or tariffs may not provide useful guidance as to the future performance of such companies, because future financial performance of those companies may be materially affected by new U.S. tariffs or foreign retaliatory tariffs, or other changes to trade policies. The business prospects of a particular target for a business combination could change even after we enter into a business combination agreement, as a result of tariffs or the threat of tariffs that may have a material impact on that target’s business, and it may be costly or impractical for us to terminate that business combination agreement. These factors could affect our selection of a business combination target.
We may not be able to adequately address the risks presented by these tariffs or other potential trade policy changes. As a result, we may deem it costly, impractical or risky to complete an initial business combination with a particular target or with a target in a particular industry or from a particular country. Consequently, the pool of potential target companies may be reduced, which could impair our ability to identify a suitable target and to complete an initial business combination. If we complete an initial business combination with such a target, the post-business combination company’s operations and financial results could be adversely affected as a result of tariffs or changes to trade policies, which may cause the market value of the securities of the post-business combination company to decline.
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 January 30, 2026, we had no cash and a working capital deficit of $74,194. Further, we expect to incur significant costs in pursuit of our acquisition plans. Our plans to raise capital and to consummate our initial business combination may not be successful. In addition, management is currently evaluating the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war, the war in Israel, interest rate fluctuations and increased inflation, and the recently adopted SEC rules and amendments affecting special purpose acquisition corporations like the Company, and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that such matters could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, cash flows, results of its operations and/or search for a target company, the specific impacts are not readily determinable as of January 30, 2026. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements contained elsewhere in this report do not include any adjustments that might result from our inability to continue as a going concern.
Risks Relating to the Post-Business Combination Company
Subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination, we may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and the price of our securities, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
Even if we conduct due diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will identify all material issues that may be present within a particular target business, that it would be possible to uncover all material issues through a customary amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. As a result of these factors, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining debt financing to partially finance the initial business combination or thereafter. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders
74
following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
The officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The loss of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
The role of an acquisition candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place.
Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination. We cannot provide assurance that, upon loss of control of a target business, new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.
We may structure our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for us not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. We will not consider any transaction that does not meet such criteria. Even if the post-transaction company owns 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new Class A ordinary shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity interests of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new Class A ordinary shares, our shareholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority shareholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger share of the company’s shares than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that our management will not be able to maintain control of the target business.
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’s management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target business’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target business’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
75
We may seek business combination opportunities with a high degree of complexity that require significant operational improvements, which could delay or prevent us from achieving our desired results.
We may seek business combination opportunities with large, highly complex companies that we believe would benefit from operational improvements. While we intend to implement such improvements, to the extent that our efforts are delayed or we are unable to achieve the desired improvements, the business combination may not be as successful as we anticipate.
To the extent we complete our initial business combination with a large complex business or entity with a complex operating structure, we may also be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine, which could delay or prevent us from implementing our strategy. Although our management team will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business and its operations, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors until we complete our business combination. If we are not able to achieve our desired operational improvements, or the improvements take longer to implement than anticipated, we may not achieve the gains that we anticipate. Furthermore, some of these risks and complexities may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks and complexities will adversely impact a target business. Such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a smaller, less complex organization.
Our initial business combination and our structure thereafter may not be tax-efficient to our shareholders and warrant holders. As a result of our business combination, our tax obligations may be more complex, burdensome and/or uncertain.
Although we will attempt to structure our initial business combination in a tax-efficient manner, tax structuring considerations are complex, the relevant facts and law are uncertain and may change, and we may prioritize commercial and other considerations over tax considerations. For example, in connection with our initial business combination and subject to any requisite shareholder approval, we may: structure our business combination in a manner that requires shareholders and/or warrant holders to recognize gain or income for tax purposes; effect a business combination with a target company in another jurisdiction; or reincorporate in a different jurisdiction (including, but not limited to, the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located). We do not intend to make any cash distributions to shareholders or warrant holders to pay taxes in connection with our business combination or thereafter. Accordingly, a shareholder or a warrant holder may need to satisfy any liability resulting from our initial business combination with cash from its own funds or by selling all or a portion of the shares or warrants received. In addition, shareholders and warrant holders may also be subject to additional income, withholding or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after our initial business combination.
In addition, we may effect a business combination with a target company that has business operations outside of the United States, and possibly, business operations in multiple jurisdictions. If we effect such a business combination, we could be subject to significant income, withholding and other tax obligations in a number of jurisdictions with respect to income, operations and subsidiaries related to those jurisdictions. Due to the complexity of tax obligations and filings in other jurisdictions, we may have a heightened risk related to audits or examinations by U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. taxing authorities. This additional complexity and risk could have an adverse effect on our after-tax profitability and financial condition.
Risks Relating to Acquiring and Operating a Business in Foreign Countries
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.
76
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;
• 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, natural disasters, widespread health emergencies 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, which may result in taxes imposed on shareholders or warrant holders.
We may, in connection with our initial business combination or otherwise and, to the extent applicable, subject to requisite shareholder approval by special resolution under the Companies Act (with respect to which only holders of Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to vote prior to 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 shareholder or warrant holder to recognize taxable income in the jurisdiction in which the shareholder or warrant
77
holder is a tax resident or in which its members are resident if it is a tax transparent entity (or may otherwise result in adverse tax consequences). We do not intend to make any cash distributions to shareholders or warrant holders to pay such taxes. Shareholders or warrant holders may be subject to withholding taxes or other taxes with respect to their ownership of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants after the reincorporation.
We may reincorporate in or transfer by way of continuation to another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination, and the laws of such jurisdiction may govern some or all of our future material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.
In connection with our initial business combination, we may relocate the home jurisdiction of our business from the Cayman Islands to another jurisdiction. If we determine to do this, the laws of such jurisdiction may govern some or all of our future material agreements. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction may not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the United States. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital.
We are subject to changing law and regulations regarding regulatory matters, corporate governance and public disclosure that have increased both our costs and the risk of non-compliance.
We are subject to rules and regulations by various governing bodies, including, for example, the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are charged with the protection of investors and the oversight of companies whose securities are publicly traded, and to new and evolving regulatory measures under applicable law. Our efforts to comply with new and changing laws and regulations have resulted in and are likely to continue to result in, increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities.
Moreover, because these laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance becomes available. This evolution may result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and additional costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to our disclosure and governance practices. If we fail to address and comply with these regulations and any subsequent changes, we may be subject to penalty and our business may be harmed.
If our management following our initial business combination is unfamiliar with United States securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws, which could lead to various regulatory issues.
Following our initial business combination, our management may resign from their positions as officers or directors of the company and the management of the target business at the time of the business combination will remain in place. Management of the target business may not be familiar with United States securities laws. If new management is unfamiliar with United States securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.
Exchange rate fluctuations and currency policies may cause a target business’ ability to succeed in the international markets to be diminished.
In the event we acquire a non-U.S. target, all revenues and income would likely be received in a foreign currency, and the dollar equivalent of our net assets and distributions, if any, could be adversely affected by reductions in the value of the local currency. The value of the currencies in our target regions fluctuate and are affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic conditions. Any change in the relative value of such currency against our reporting currency may affect the attractiveness of any target business or, following consummation of our initial business combination, our financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, if a currency appreciates in value against the dollar prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, the cost of a target business as measured in dollars will increase, which may make it less likely that we are able to consummate such transaction.
78
After our initial business combination, substantially all of our assets may be located in a foreign country and substantially all of our revenue will be derived from our operations in such country. Accordingly, our results of operations and prospects will be subject, to a significant extent, to the economic, political and legal policies, developments and conditions in the country in which we operate.
The economic, political and social conditions, as well as government policies, of the country in which our operations are located could affect our business. Economic growth could be uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy and such growth may not be sustained in the future. If in the future such country’s economy experiences a downturn or grows at a slower rate than expected, there may be less demand for spending in certain industries. A decrease in demand for spending in certain industries could materially and adversely affect our ability to find an attractive target business with which to consummate our initial business combination and if we effect our initial business combination, the ability of that target business to become profitable.
Risks Relating to our Management Team
We are dependent upon our officers and directors and their loss, or a reduction in the amount of time they can dedicate to our initial business combination, could adversely affect our ability to operate.
Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and, in particular, our officers and directors. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our officers and directors, at least until we have completed our initial business combination. In addition, our officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating their time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. Moreover, our officers and directors, including our Chief Executive Officer, are and in the future will be required to commit time and attention to other businesses. To the extent any conflict of interest arises between, on the one hand, us and, on the other hand, any of such entities (including arising as a result of certain of officers and directors being required to offer acquisition opportunities to such entities), such individuals will resolve such conflicts of interest in their sole discretion in accordance with their then existing fiduciary, contractual and other duties and there can be no assurance that such conflict of interest will be resolved in our favor. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our directors or officers. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or officers could have a detrimental effect on us.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. The role of our key personnel in the target business, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel may remain with the target business in senior management or advisory positions following our initial business combination, it is likely that some or all of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements.
Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination, and a particular business combination may be conditioned on the retention or resignation of such key personnel. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our initial business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular business combination is the most advantageous.
Our key personnel may be able to remain with our company after the completion of our initial business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services
79
they would render to us after the completion of the business combination. Such negotiations also could make such key personnel’s retention or resignation a condition to any such agreement. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law.
Our officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Our officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for a business combination and their other businesses. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our officers 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. Our independent directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities. In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors may sponsor, form or participate in other blank check companies similar to ours during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. 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. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination target. However, we do not believe that any such potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs, see “Management — Officers, Directors, and Director Nominees.”
Our officers and directors presently have, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities, including other blank check companies, and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time and in 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 sponsor, its managing member, and our officers and directors are, or may in the future become, affiliated with entities (such as operating companies or investment vehicles) that are engaged in a similar business. We do not have employment contracts with our officers and directors that will limit their ability to work at other businesses. In addition, our officers and directors and their respective affiliates in the future 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 and 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 are or may become involved. Our sponsor, officers and directors have complete discretion, subject to applicable fiduciary duties, as to which blank check company they choose to pursue a business combination and the order in which they pursue business combinations for any of their existing or future blank check companies. As a result, our sponsor, officers and directors may pursue business combinations for blank check companies that it has sponsored in any order, which could result in its more recent blank check companies completing business combinations prior to its blank check companies that were launched earlier. 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, pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such other entity, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer, among other persons, shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us, and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential
80
transaction or matter which (a) may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other or (b) the presentation of which would breach an existing legal obligation of a director or officer to any other entity. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest that you should be aware of, see “Management — Officers, Directors, and Director Nominees” “Management — Conflicts of Interest” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”
Our officers, directors, security holders and their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests.
We have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, officers, security holders or affiliates from having a direct or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. In fact, we may enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or officers, although we do not intend to do so. Nor do we have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination target. However, we do not believe that any such potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
The personal and financial interests of our directors and officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and selecting a target business and completing a business combination. Consequently, our directors’ and officers’ discretion in identifying and selecting a suitable target business may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our shareholders’ best interest. If this were the case, it would be a breach of their fiduciary duties to us as a matter of Cayman Islands law and we or our shareholders might have a claim against such individuals for infringing on our shareholders’ rights. See the section titled “Description of Securities — Certain Differences in Corporate Law — Shareholder Suits” for further information on the ability to bring such claims. However, we might not ultimately be successful in any claim we may make against them for such reason.
Members of our management team and board of directors have significant experience as founders, board members, officers, executives or employees of other companies. Certain of those persons have been, are currently, or may become, involved in litigation, investigations or other proceedings, including related to those companies or otherwise. This may have an adverse effect on us, which may impede our ability to consummate an initial business combination.
During the course of their careers, members of our management team and board of directors have had significant experience as founders, board members, officers, executives or employees of other companies. Certain of those persons have been, are currently or may in the future become involved in litigation, investigations or other proceedings, including relating to the business affairs of such companies, transactions entered into by such companies, or otherwise. Any such litigation, investigations or other proceedings may divert the attention and resources of our management team and board of directors away from identifying and selecting a target business or businesses for our initial business combination and may negatively affect our reputation, which may impede our ability to complete an initial business combination.
Members of our management team and affiliated companies may have been, and may in the future be, involved in civil disputes or governmental investigations unrelated to our business.
Members of our management team have been (and intend to be) involved in a wide variety of businesses. Such involvement has, and may lead to, media coverage and public awareness. As a result, members of our management team and affiliated companies may have been, and may in the future be, involved in civil disputes or governmental investigations unrelated to our business. Any such claims or investigations may be detrimental to our reputation and could negatively affect our ability to identify and complete an initial business combination and may have an adverse effect on the price of our securities.
81
Our letter agreement with our sponsor, officers and directors may be amended without shareholder approval.
Our letter agreement with our sponsor, officers and directors contain provisions relating to transfer restrictions of our founder shares and private placement units (and the securities comprising such units and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants), indemnification of the trust account, waiver of redemption rights and participation in liquidating distributions from the trust account. The letter agreement may be amended without shareholder approval (although releasing the parties from the restriction not to transfer the founder shares for 185 days following the date of this prospectus will require the prior written consent of the underwriters). While we do not expect our board to approve any amendment to the letter agreement 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 the letter agreement. Any such amendments to the letter agreement would not require approval from our shareholders and may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities.
Risks Relating to our Securities
You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. Therefore, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Our public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (i) our completion of an initial business combination, and then only in connection with those Class A ordinary shares that such shareholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the completion window, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In no other circumstances will a public shareholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Holders of warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
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. We expect that our units will be listed on Nasdaq on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. Following the date that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be separately listed on Nasdaq. 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 Nasdaq listing standards, we cannot assure you that our securities will be, or will continue to be, listed on Nasdaq in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on Nasdaq prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and share price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum market value of listed securities (generally $50,000,000) and a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 400 public holders). Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with Nasdaq’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on Nasdaq. For instance, for The Nasdaq Global Market, our share price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share, the market value of listed securities would generally be required to be at least $75 million and we would be required to have a minimum of 400 round lot holders of our securities (with at least 50% of such round lot holders holding securities with a market value of at least $2,500). We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time. In addition, Nasdaq has broad subjective authority to deny listing or apply additional or more stringent criteria based on any event, condition, or circumstance that makes the listing of the company inadvisable or unwarranted in the opinion of Nasdaq. Such determination can be made even if we meet the standards forth initial or continued listing.
82
If Nasdaq delists our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list our securities on another national securities exchange, we expect our securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:
• a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;
• reduced liquidity for our securities;
• a determination that our Class A ordinary shares are a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A ordinary shares 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 Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq, our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants will qualify as covered securities under the statute. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the State of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on Nasdaq, our securities would not qualify as covered securities under the statute and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.
Our sponsor paid an aggregate of $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per founder share and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our Class A ordinary shares.
The difference between the public offering price per share (allocating all of the unit purchase price to the Class A ordinary share and none to the warrant included in the unit) and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our Class A ordinary shares after this offering constitutes the dilution to you and the other investors in this offering. Our sponsor acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, significantly contributing to this dilution. Upon closing of this offering, and assuming no value is ascribed to the warrants included in the units, you and the other public shareholders will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 104.20% (or $10.42 per share, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share after this offering of $(0.42) (assuming the maximum redemption) and the initial offering price of $10.00 per unit. This dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the founder shares result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the founder shares at the time of our initial business combination. In addition, because of the anti-dilution protection in the founder shares, any equity or equity-linked securities issued in connection with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our Class A ordinary shares.
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, and our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to materially decline.
We are offering our units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit and the amount in our trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.05 per public share, implying an initial value of $10.05 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 $0.003 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.
83
The following table shows the public shareholders’ and our sponsor’s investment per share and how these compare to the implied value of one Class A ordinary share upon the completion of our initial business combination. The following table assumes that (i) our valuation is $197,000,000 (which is the amount we would have in the trust account for our initial business combination assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised and following payment of the deferred underwriting commissions and excludes $1,200,000 held outside of the trust account for working capital), (ii) no interest is earned on the funds held in the trust account, (iii) no public shares are redeemed in connection with our initial business combination and (iv) all founder shares are held by our sponsor upon completion of our initial business combination, and does not take into account other potential impacts on our valuation at the time of the initial business combination, such as (1) the value of our public and private placement units (and the securities comprising such units and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants), (2) the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares, (3) the initial business combination transaction costs (other than the payment of $4,000,000 of deferred underwriting commissions (assuming no redemptions)), (4) any equity issued or cash paid to the target’s sellers, (5) any equity issued to other third party investors, or (6) the target’s business itself.
|
Public shares |
|
20,000,000 |
|
|
Founder shares |
|
6,666,667 |
|
|
Private placement shares |
|
485,000 |
|
|
Total shares |
|
27,151,667 |
|
|
Total funds in trust available for initial business combination |
$ |
197,000,000 |
|
|
Public shareholders’ investment per Class A ordinary share(1) |
$ |
10.00 |
|
|
Sponsor’s investment per ordinary share(2) |
$ |
0.004 |
|
|
Initial implied value per public share |
$ |
10.00 |
|
|
Implied value per public share upon consummation of initial business combination(3) |
$ |
7.26 |
____________
(1) While the public shareholders’ investment is in both the public shares and the public warrants, for purposes of this table the full investment amount is ascribed to the public shares only.
(2) The total investment in the equity of the Company by the sponsor is $4,375,000, consisting of (i) $25,000 paid by our sponsor for the founder shares and (ii) $4,350,000 paid by the sponsor for 435,000 private placement units. For purposes of this table, the full investment amount is ascribed to the founder shares only.
(3) All founder shares would automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares upon completion of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holder.
Based on these assumptions, each Class A ordinary share would have an implied value of $7.26 per share upon completion of our initial business combination, representing an approximately 27.4% decrease from the initial implied value of $10.00 per public share. While the implied value of $7.26 per Class A ordinary share upon completion of our initial business combination would represent a dilution to our public shareholders, this would represent a significant increase in value for our sponsor relative to the price paid for each founder share. At $7.26 per Class A ordinary share, the 6,666,667 ordinary shares that our sponsor would own upon completion of our initial business combination (after automatic conversion of the 6,666,667 founder shares) and 435,000 private placement shares would have an aggregate implied value of $51,558,102. As a result, even if the trading price of our Class A ordinary share significantly declines, the value of the founder shares held by our sponsor will be significantly greater than the amount our sponsor paid to purchase such shares. In addition, our sponsor could potentially recoup its entire investment in our company even if the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares after the initial business combination is as low as approximately $0.62 per share. As a result, our sponsor is likely to earn a substantial profit on its investment in us upon disposition of its Class A ordinary shares even if the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares declines after we complete our initial business combination. Our sponsor may therefore be economically incentivized to complete an initial business combination with a riskier, weaker-performing or less-established target business than would be the case if our sponsor had paid the same price per share for the founder shares as our public shareholders paid for their public shares in this offering.
This dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the founder shares result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the founder shares at the time of our initial business combination and would become exacerbated to the extent that public shareholders seek redemptions from the trust for their public shares. In addition, because of the anti-dilution protection in the founder shares, any equity or equity-linked securities issued in connection with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our Class A ordinary shares.
84
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 ordinary shares at such time is substantially less than $10.00 per public share.
Upon the closing of this offering and assuming no exercise of the over-allotment option, our sponsor will have invested in us an aggregate of $4,375,000, comprised of the $25,000 purchase price for the founder shares and the $4,350,000 purchase price for the private placement units. Assuming a trading price of $10.00 per public share upon consummation of our initial business combination, the 6,666,667 founder shares and 435,000 private placement shares would have an aggregate implied value of approximately $71,016,670. Even if the trading price of our ordinary shares were as low as approximately $0.62 per share, and the private placement warrants are worthless, the value of the founder shares and private placement shares would be equal to our sponsor’s aggregate initial investment in us. As a result, our sponsor and Roth are likely to be able to make a substantial profit on their investment in us at a time when our public shares have lost significant value. Accordingly, members of our management team, who own interests in our sponsor, may be more willing to pursue a business combination with a riskier or less-established target business than would be the case if our sponsor had paid the same price per share for the founder shares as our public shareholders paid for their public shares in this offering.
The determination of the offering price of our units and the size of this offering is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities and size of an offering of an operating company in a particular industry. You may have less assurance, therefore, that the offering price of our units properly reflects the value of such units than you would have in a typical offering of an operating company.
Prior to this offering there has been no public market for any of our securities. The public offering price of the units and the terms of the warrants were negotiated between us and the underwriters. In determining the size of this offering, management held customary organizational meetings with the representative 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 Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising part of 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;
• an 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 size, price and terms of the Units is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities of an operating company in a particular industry since we have no historical operations or financial results.
There is currently no market for our securities and a market for our securities may not develop, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.
There is currently no market for our securities. Shareholders therefore have no access to information about prior market history on which to base their investment decision. Following this offering, the price of our securities may vary significantly due to one or more potential business combinations and general market or economic conditions, including as a result of geopolitical events like the conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East and Southwest Asia, and economic impacts such as inflation or health pandemics. Furthermore, an active trading market for our securities may never develop or, if developed, it may not be sustained. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market can be established and sustained.
85
Because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, you may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through the U.S. Federal courts may be limited.
We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon our directors or officers, or enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against our directors or officers.
Our corporate affairs will be governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act (as the same may be supplemented or amended from time to time) and the common law of the Cayman Islands. We will also be subject to the federal securities laws of the United States. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding on a court in the Cayman Islands.
The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are different from what they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and certain states, such as Delaware, may have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholders derivative action in a Federal court of the United States.
We have been advised by Conyers Dill & Pearman LLP, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands Court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a United States company.
After our initial business combination, it is possible that a majority of our directors and officers will live outside the United States and all of our assets will be located outside the United States; therefore, investors may not be able to enforce federal securities laws or their other legal rights.
It is possible that after our initial business combination, a majority of our directors and officers will reside outside of the United States and all of our assets will be located outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult, or in some cases not possible, for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights, to effect service of process upon all of our directors or officers or to enforce judgments of United States courts predicated upon civil liabilities and criminal penalties on our directors and officers under United States laws.
86
Provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our Class A ordinary shares and could entrench management.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that shareholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include a staggered board of directors and the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preference shares, which may make the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that the courts of the Cayman Islands will be the exclusive forums for certain disputes between us and our shareholders, which could limit our shareholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for complaints against us or our directors, officers or employees.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the courts of the Cayman Islands shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any claim or dispute arising out of or in connection with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or otherwise related in any way to each shareholder’s shareholding in us, including but not limited to (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of any fiduciary or other duty owed by any of our current or former directors, officers or other employees to us or our shareholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Companies Act or our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us governed by the internal affairs doctrine (as such concept is recognized under the laws of the United States of America) and that each shareholder irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Cayman Islands over all such claims or disputes. The forum selection provision in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will not apply to actions or suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act, Exchange Act or any claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are, as a matter of the laws of the United States of America, the sole and exclusive forum for determination of such a claim.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association also provide that, without prejudice to any other rights or remedies that we may have, each of our shareholders acknowledges that damages alone would not be an adequate remedy for any breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum and that accordingly we shall be entitled, without proof of special damages, to the remedies of injunction, specific performance or other equitable relief for any threatened or actual breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum.
This choice of forum provision may increase a shareholder’s cost and limit the shareholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and other employees. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any of our shares or other securities, whether by transfer, sale, operation of law or otherwise, shall be deemed to have notice of and have irrevocably agreed and consented to these provisions. There is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such provisions, and the enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ charter documents has been challenged in legal proceedings. It is possible that a court could find this type of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable, and if a court were to find this provision in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving the dispute in other jurisdictions, which could have adverse effect on our business and financial performance.
Economic substance legislation of the Cayman Islands may adversely impact us or our operations.
The Cayman Islands, together with several other non-European Union jurisdictions, have introduced legislation aimed at addressing concerns raised by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) initiative as to offshore structures engaged in certain activities which attract profits without real economic activity. The International Tax Co-operation (Economic Substance) Act, (As Revised) (the “Economic Substance Act”) contains economic substance requirements for in-scope Cayman Islands entities
87
which are engaged in certain “relevant activities”. As we are a Cayman Islands company, our compliance obligations will include filing an annual notification, which need to state whether we are carrying out any relevant activities and if so, whether we have satisfied economic substance tests to the extent required under the Economic Substance Act. If the Cayman Islands Tax Information Authority determines that we or any of our Cayman Islands subsidiaries has failed to meet the requirements imposed by the Economic Substance Act, we may face significant financial penalties, restriction on the regulation of its business activities and/or may be struck off as a registered entity in the Cayman Islands.
As it is still a relatively new regime, it is anticipated that the Economic Substance Act and associated guidance will evolve and may be subject to further clarification and amendments. We may need to allocate additional resources to keep updated with these developments, and may have to make changes to our operations in order to comply with all requirements under the Economic Substance Act. Failure to satisfy these requirements may subject us to penalties under the Economic Substance Act.
Anti-money laundering legislation, regulations and guidance and sanctions legislation may require us to adopt and maintain costly compliance procedures and may adversely impact us or our financial results.
In order to comply with legislation, regulations and guidance aimed at the prevention of money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing, and sanctions legislation, we may be required to adopt and maintain anti-money laundering procedures, and may require subscribers and their beneficial owners, controllers or authorized persons (where applicable) (“Related Persons”) to provide evidence to verify their identity. Where permitted, and subject to certain conditions, we may also rely on, or delegate to, a suitable person the maintenance of our anti-money laundering procedures (including the acquisition of due diligence information).
We reserve the right to request such information as is necessary to verify the identity of a subscriber or its Related Persons. In the event of delay or failure on the part of the subscriber in producing any information required for verification purposes, we may refuse to accept the application, in which case any funds received will be returned without interest to the account from which they were originally debited.
We also reserve the right to refuse to make any redemption payment to a shareholder if directors or officers suspect or are advised that the payment of redemption proceeds to such shareholder might result in a breach of applicable anti-money laundering, sanctions or other laws or regulations by any person in any relevant jurisdiction, or if such refusal is considered necessary or appropriate to ensure compliance with any such laws or regulations in any applicable jurisdiction.
If any person in the Cayman Islands knows or suspects, or has reasonable grounds for knowing or suspecting that another person is engaged in criminal conduct or money laundering, or is involved with terrorism or terrorist financing and property, and the information for that knowledge or suspicion came to their attention in the course of business in the regulated sector, or other trade, profession, business or employment, the person will be required to report such knowledge or suspicion to (i) the Financial Reporting Authority of the Cayman Islands (“FRA”), pursuant to the Proceeds of Crime Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, if the disclosure relates to criminal conduct or money laundering, or (ii) a police officer of the rank of constable or higher, or the FRA, pursuant to the Terrorism Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, if the disclosure relates to involvement with terrorism or terrorist financing and property.
An investment in this offering may result in uncertain U.S. federal income tax consequences.
An investment in this offering may result in uncertain U.S. federal income tax consequences. For instance, because there are no authorities that directly address instruments similar to the units we are issuing in this offering, the allocation an investor makes with respect to the purchase price of a unit between the Class A ordinary share and the one-half of one warrant included in each unit could be challenged by the IRS or courts. In addition, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of a cashless exercise of warrants included in the units we are issuing in this offering is unclear under current law, and the adjustment to the number of ordinary shares for which the warrant may be exercised or to the exercise price of the warrant could give rise to dividend income to U.S. Holders (as defined in the section titled “Taxation — United States Federal Income Tax Considerations”) without a corresponding payment of cash. Finally, it is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to our Class A ordinary shares suspend the running of a U.S. Holder’s holding period for purposes of determining whether any gain or loss realized by such holder on the sale or exchange of Class A ordinary shares is long-term capital gain or loss and for determining
88
whether any dividend we pay would be considered “qualified dividend income” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. See the section titled “Taxation — United States Federal Income Tax Considerations” for a summary of the U.S. federal income tax considerations of an investment in our securities. Prospective investors are urged to consult their own tax advisors with respect to these and other tax consequences applicable to their specific circumstances when acquiring, owning or disposing of our securities.
Whether a redemption of Class A ordinary shares will be treated as a sale of such Class A ordinary shares for U.S. federal income tax purposes will depend on a shareholder’s specific facts.
The U.S. federal income tax treatment of a redemption of Class A ordinary shares will depend on whether the redemption qualifies as a sale of such Class A ordinary shares under Section 302(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), which will depend largely on the total number of our shares treated as held by the shareholder electing to redeem Class A ordinary shares (including any shares constructively owned by the holder as a result of owning warrants) relative to all of our shares outstanding both before and after the redemption. If such redemption is not treated as a sale of Class A ordinary shares for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the redemption will instead be treated as a corporate distribution of cash from us. For more information about the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the redemption of Class A ordinary shares, see the section entitled “Taxation — United States Federal Income Tax Considerations”.
We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.
Our warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Odyssey Transfer and Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder for the purpose of (i) curing any ambiguity or to correct any defective provision or mistake, including to conform the provisions of the warrant agreement to the description of the terms of the warrants and the warrant agreement set forth in this prospectus, (ii) adjusting the provisions relating to cash dividends on ordinary shares as contemplated by and in accordance with the warrant agreement or (iii) adding or changing any provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the warrant agreement as the parties to the warrant agreement may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the rights of the registered holders of the warrants, provided that the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants is required to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder of public warrants if holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, convert the warrants into cash or shares, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.
Our warrant agreement will designate the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our warrant agreement 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 agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum. With respect to any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, we note, however, that there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce this provision and that investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for state and federal courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.
89
Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreement will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our warrant agreement. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions of the warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”) in the name of any holder of our warrants, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder. This choice-of-forum provision may limit a warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our warrant agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.
A provision of our warrant agreement may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
If (i) we issue additional ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per Class A ordinary share, (ii) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination, and (iii) the Market Value of our Class A ordinary shares is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger prices described below under “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Warrants — Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.
We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.
We have the ability to redeem outstanding warrants at any time prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period commencing at least 30 days after completion of our initial business combination and ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we give proper notice of such redemption to the warrants holders and provided certain other conditions are met. We will not redeem the warrants as described above unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares is available throughout the measurement period. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of ordinary shares 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. We will use our best efforts to register or qualify such ordinary shares under the blue sky laws of the state of residence in those states in which the warrants were offered by us in this offering. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force you to (i) exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your warrants.
90
Our warrants may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.
We will be issuing warrants to purchase 10,000,000 of our Class A ordinary shares (or up to 11,500,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) as part of the units offered by this prospectus and, simultaneously with the closing of this offering, we will be issuing in a private placement an aggregate of 485,000 private placement units at $10.00 per unit, which units include private placement warrants to purchase an aggregate of 242,500 Class A ordinary shares at $11.50 per share. In addition, if the sponsor or any of its affiliates makes any working capital loans, it may convert those loans into up to an additional 150,000 private placement units, at the price of $10.00 per unit, which units include up to an additional 75,000 private placement warrants. To the extent we issue ordinary shares to effectuate a business transaction, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional Class A ordinary shares and Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of the warrants included as part of such units could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Such issuance will increase the number of issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares and reduce the value of the Class A ordinary shares issued to complete the business transaction. Therefore, our warrants may make it more difficult to effectuate a business transaction or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
Because each unit contains one-half of one warrant and only a whole warrant may be exercised, the units may be worth less than units of other special purpose acquisition companies.
Each unit contains one-half of one warrant. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, no fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units, and only whole units will trade. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the warrant holder. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one ordinary share and one whole warrant to purchase one share. We have established the components of the units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a business combination since the warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for one-half of the number of shares compared to units that each contain a whole warrant to purchase one share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive merger partner for target businesses. Nevertheless, this unit structure may cause our units to be worth less than if it included a whole warrant to purchase one share.
Holders of Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside of the Cayman Islands.
As holders of our Class A ordinary shares, our public shareholders will not have the right to vote on continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside of the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend our constitutional documents or to adopt new constitutional documents, in each case, as a result of our approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside of the Cayman Islands).
You will not be permitted to exercise your warrants unless we register and qualify the underlying Class A ordinary shares or certain exemptions are available.
If the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of the warrants is not registered on a registration statement on Form S-1, Form S-3, Form F-1, or Form F-3, as applicable, following our initial business combination, and qualified or exempt from registration or qualification under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, holders of warrants will not be entitled to exercise such warrants and such warrants may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the Class A ordinary shares included in the units.
We are registering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants in the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part because the warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, which may be within one year of this offering. However, because the warrants will be exercisable until their expiration date of up to five years after the completion of our initial business combination, in order to comply with the requirements of Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act following the consummation of our initial business combination under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that 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 on Form S-1, S-3, F-1, or F-3,
91
as applicable, for the registration under the Securities Act of the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days following the closing of our initial business combination and to maintain a current prospectus relating to the ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current or correct or the SEC issues a stop order.
If the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered on Form S-1, S-3, F-1, or F-3, as applicable, under the Securities Act under the terms of the warrant agreement, then beginning on the 61st business day after the closing of our initial business combination and ending upon such registration statement being declared effective by the SEC, and during any other period when we have failed to maintain an effective registration statement covering the ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the public warrants, holders of public warrants who seek to exercise their warrants will have the right to exercise such public warrants on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption.
In no event will warrants be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration or qualification is available.
If our Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of “covered securities” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, not permit holders of warrants who seek to exercise their warrants to do so for cash and, instead, require them to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act; in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement or register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities laws.
In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities (other than upon a cashless exercise as described above) or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under the Securities Act or applicable state securities laws.
You may only be able to exercise your public warrants on a “cashless basis” under certain circumstances, and if you do so, you will receive fewer Class A ordinary shares from such exercise than if you were to exercise such warrants for cash.
The warrant agreement provides that in the following circumstances holders of warrants who seek to exercise their warrants will not be permitted to do for cash and will, instead, be required to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act: (i) if the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act in accordance with the terms of the warrant agreement; (ii) if we have so elected and the Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of “covered securities” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act; and (iii) if we have so elected and we call the public warrants for redemption.
If you exercise your public warrants on a cashless basis, you would pay the warrant exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” of our Class A ordinary shares (as defined in the next sentence) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” is the average reported closing price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent or on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants, as applicable. As a result, you would receive fewer Class A ordinary shares from such exercise than if you were to exercise such warrants for cash.
92
The grant of registration rights to our sponsor and other holders of our private placement units may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exercise of such rights may adversely affect the market price of our Class A ordinary shares.
Pursuant to an agreement to be entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in this offering, our sponsor and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the Class A ordinary shares into which founder shares are convertible, holders of our private placement units and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the private placement units (and the securities comprising such units and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) or holders of securities that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans and their permitted transferees may demand that we register such units, shares, warrants or the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of such warrants and any other securities of the company acquired by them prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. We will bear the cost of registering these securities. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the shareholders of the target business may increase the equity stake they seek in the combined entity or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares that is expected when the ordinary shares owned by our sponsor, holders of our private placement units or holders of our working capital loans or their respective permitted transferees are registered.
General Risk Factors
We are a blank check company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
We are a blank check company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands 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. We have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective target business concerning a business combination and may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we fail to complete our initial business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.
Past performance by our management team and their respective affiliates, including investments and transactions in which they have participated and businesses with which they have been associated, may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in the company.
Information regarding our management team and their respective affiliates, including investments and transactions in which they have participated and businesses with which they have been associated, is presented for informational purposes only. Any past experience and performance by our management team, our advisors and their respective affiliates and the businesses with which they have been associated, is not a guarantee that we will be able to successfully identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination, that we will be able to provide positive returns to our shareholders, or of any results with respect to any initial business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical experiences of our management team or their respective affiliates, including investments and transactions in which they have participated and businesses with which they have been associated, as indicative of the future performance of an investment in us or as indicative of every prior investment by each of the members of our management team, our advisors or their respective affiliates. The market price of our securities may be influenced by numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control, and our shareholders may experience losses on their investment in our securities.
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
93
against such occurrences. We may not have sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to, cyber incidents. It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have adverse consequences on our business and lead to financial loss.
We may be a passive foreign investment company, or “PFIC,” which could result in adverse United States federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors.
If we are a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. Holder (as defined in the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation — United States Federal Income Tax Considerations — U.S. Holders”) of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants, the U.S. Holder may be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences and may be subject to additional reporting requirements. Our PFIC status for our current and subsequent taxable years may depend on the status of an acquired company pursuant to a business combination and whether we qualify for the PFIC start-up exception (see the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation — United States Federal Income Tax Considerations — U.S. Holders — Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules”). Depending on the particular circumstances the application of the start-up exception may be subject to uncertainty, and there cannot be any assurance that we will qualify for the start-up exception. Accordingly, there can be no assurances with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year. Our actual PFIC status for any taxable year, however, will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year. In addition, our U.S. counsel expresses no opinion with respect to our PFIC status for any taxable year.
Moreover, if we determine we are a PFIC for any taxable year, upon written request, we will endeavor to provide to a U.S. Holder such information as the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) may require, including a PFIC annual information statement, in order to enable the U.S. Holder to make and maintain a “qualified electing fund” election, but there can be no assurance that we will timely provide such required information, and such election would be unavailable with respect to our warrants in all cases. We urge U.S. investors to consult their own tax advisors regarding the possible application of the PFIC rules. For a more detailed explanation of the tax consequences of PFIC classification to U.S. Holders, see the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation — United States Federal Income Tax Considerations — U.S. Holders — Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.”
We are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and will have reduced public company reporting requirements. If we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies or smaller reporting companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies. Investing in our securities involves risks.
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 internal controls attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our shareholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our Class A ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of any June 30th before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31st. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that
94
apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equaled or exceeded $250 million as of the prior June 30th, or (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equaled or exceeded $700 million as of the prior June 30. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
Certain of our officers and directors are located outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States on our company, officers and directors, or enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against our company, officers and directors.
Changes in the market for directors’ and officers’ liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate and complete an initial business combination.
The market for directors’ and officers’ liability insurance for special purpose acquisition companies has changed in ways adverse to us and our management team. Fewer insurance companies are offering quotes for directors and officers liability coverage, the premiums charged for such policies have generally increased and the terms of such policies have generally become less favorable. These trends may continue into the future.
The increased cost and decreased availability of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate an initial business combination. In order to obtain directors’ and officers’ liability insurance or modify its coverage as a result of becoming a public company, the post-business combination entity might need to incur greater expense, accept less favorable terms or both. However, any failure to obtain adequate directors’ and officers’ liability insurance could have an adverse impact on the post-business combination’s ability to attract and retain qualified officers and directors.
In addition, even after we were to complete an initial business combination, our directors and officers could still be subject to potential liability from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to the initial business combination. As a result, in order to protect our directors and officers, the post-business combination entity may need to purchase additional insurance with respect to any such claims (“run-off insurance”). The need for run-off insurance would be an added expense for the post-business combination entity, and could interfere with or frustrate our ability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors.
Recent increases in inflation in the United States and elsewhere could make it more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
Recent increases in inflation in the United States and elsewhere may lead to increased price volatility for publicly traded securities, including ours, or other national, regional or international economic disruptions, any of which could make it more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
95
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Some of the statements contained in this prospectus may constitute “forward-looking statements” for purposes of the federal securities laws. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management team’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking.
Forward-looking statements in this prospectus may include, for example, statements about:
• our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses;
• our ability to complete our initial business combination;
• our expectations around the performance of the prospective target business or businesses;
• our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination;
• our officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination;
• our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination;
• our pool of prospective target businesses;
• the adverse impacts of certain events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of infectious diseases) on our ability to consummate an initial business combination;
• the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential business combination opportunities;
• our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading;
• the lack of a market for our securities;
• the use of proceeds not held in the trust account or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance;
• the trust account not being subject to claims of third parties; 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. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors.” Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
In addition, statements that contain “we believe” and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based on information available to us as of the date of this prospectus. Although we believe that this information provides a reasonable basis for these statements, this information may be limited or incomplete. Our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain, and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely on these statements.
96
USE OF PROCEEDS
We are offering 20,000,000 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 units will be used as set forth in the following table.
|
Without |
Over-allotment |
|||||||
|
Gross proceeds |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Gross proceeds from units offered to public(1) |
$ |
200,000,000 |
|
$ |
230,000,000 |
|
||
|
Gross proceeds from private placement units offered in the private placement |
$ |
4,850,000 |
|
$ |
4,850,000 |
|
||
|
Total gross proceeds |
$ |
204,850,000 |
|
$ |
234,850,000 |
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
Offering expenses(2) |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Underwriting commissions (1.0% of gross proceeds from units offered to public)(3) |
$ |
2,000,000 |
|
$ |
2,000,000 |
|
||
|
Legal fees and expenses |
|
325,500 |
|
|
325,500 |
|
||
|
Printing expenses |
|
25,000 |
|
|
25,000 |
|
||
|
Accounting fees and expenses |
|
92,500 |
|
|
92,500 |
|
||
|
SEC/FINRA expenses |
|
92,000 |
|
|
92,000 |
|
||
|
Travel and road show expenses |
|
20,000 |
|
|
20,000 |
|
||
|
Trustee and transfer agent fees |
|
20,000 |
|
|
20,000 |
|
||
|
Nasdaq listing fees |
|
75,000 |
|
|
75,000 |
|
||
|
Total offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) |
|
650,000 |
|
|
650,000 |
|
||
|
Proceeds after offering expenses |
$ |
202,200,000 |
|
|
232,200,000 |
|
||
|
Held in trust account(3) |
$ |
201,000,000 |
|
$ |
231,150,000 |
|
||
|
Percentage (%) of public offering size |
|
100.5 |
% |
|
100.5 |
% |
||
|
Not held in trust account |
$ |
1,200,000 |
|
$ |
1,050,000 |
|
||
The following table shows the use of the approximately $1,200,000 (or $1,050,000 if the underwriters’ overallotment option is exercised in full) of net proceeds not held in the trust account:(4)
|
Amount |
% of |
|||||
|
Due diligence, travel, and other expenses in connection with any business combination |
|
115,000 |
9.6 |
% |
||
|
Legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations |
|
200,000 |
16.7 |
% |
||
|
Working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses |
|
100,000 |
8.3 |
% |
||
|
Office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support and other services(5) |
|
450,000 |
37.5 |
% |
||
|
Nasdaq continued listing fees |
|
85,000 |
7.1 |
% |
||
|
Directors’ and officers’ liability insurance |
|
250,000 |
20.8 |
% |
||
|
Total |
$ |
1,200,000 |
100.0 |
% |
||
____________
(1) Includes amounts payable to public shareholders who properly redeem their shares in connection with our successful completion of our initial business combination.
(2) A portion of the offering expenses have been paid from the proceeds of loans from Union Street Management Sponsor, LLC, an affiliate of our sponsor, of up to $400,000 as described in this prospectus. These loans will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $650,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses other than underwriting commissions. 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.
(3) The underwriters have agreed to defer underwriting commissions equal to $0.10 per unit sold pursuant to the underwriters’ over-allotment option, or up to $300,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full and as follows: (i) $0.05 per unit sold in this offering, or $1,000,000 in the aggregate (or up to $1,150,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), payable upon the completion of an initial business combination; (ii) $0.05 per unit sold in this offering, or $1,000,000 in the aggregate (or up to $1,150,000 in the
97
aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), payable upon the completion of an initial business combination only if, immediately prior to such consummation, the funds remaining in the trust account equal or exceed 20% of the total gross proceeds of this offering, calculated based on the number of public shares outstanding immediately prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, net of public shares submitted for redemption and net of any public shares held by public shareholders that have entered into forward purchase agreements or other arrangements whereby we have a contractual obligation to repurchase such shares after the closing of the initial business combination and any required repurchases pursuant to forward purchase agreements or similar arrangements; and (iii) 1.0% of the funds remaining in the trust account, calculated based on the number of public shares outstanding immediately prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, net of public shares submitted for redemption and net of any public shares held by public shareholders that have entered into forward purchase agreements or other arrangements whereby we have a contractual obligation to repurchase such shares after the closing of the initial business combination, in each case, payable upon the completion of an initial business combination. Upon completion of our initial business combination, up to $4,000,000, which constitutes the underwriters’ deferred underwriting commissions (or up to $4,900,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), will be paid to the underwriters from the funds held in the trust account. The remaining funds, less amounts released to the trustee to pay redeeming shareholders, 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 underwriters will not be entitled to any interest accrued on the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions.
(4) These expenses are estimates only. Our actual expenditures for some or all of these items may differ from the estimates set forth herein. For example, we may incur greater legal and accounting expenses than our current estimates in connection with negotiating and structuring our initial business combination based upon the level of complexity of such business combination. In the event we identify a 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. The amount in the table above does not include interest available to us from the trust account. Additionally, to the extent the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised, we may have up to $150,000 fewer funds (for a total of $1,050,000) available for working capital.
(5) We will pay an affiliate of our sponsor $25,000 per month for office space, secretarial and administrative services provided to members of our management team prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, as described elsewhere in this prospectus, which we may elect to accrue monthly, in full or in part, and pay upon the consummation of our initial business combination. The table above reflects the assumption that the monthly payments are made in cash for a period of 18 months.
Nasdaq rules provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement units be deposited in a trust account. Of the $204,850,000 in gross proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement units described in this prospectus, or $234,850,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, $201,000,000 ($10.05 per unit), or $231,150,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.05 per unit), will be placed in a U.S. based trust account with Odyssey Transfer and Trust Company acting as trustee, after deducting $2,000,000 in underwriting discounts and commissions payable upon the closing of this offering and an aggregate of $1,850,000 (or $1,700,000 if the underwriters’ overallotment option is exercised in full) to pay fees and expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and for working capital following the closing of this offering. The proceeds held in the trust account will initially be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations; the holding of these assets in this form is intended to be temporary and for the sole purpose of facilitating the intended business combination. To mitigate the risk that we might be deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, which risk increases the longer that we hold investments in the trust account, we may, at any time (based on our management team’s ongoing assessment of all factors related to our potential status under the Investment Company Act), instruct the trustee to liquidate the investments held in the trust account and instead to hold the funds in the trust account in cash or in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a bank. 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 (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us) and up to $100,000 to pay dissolution expenses, as applicable, if any, 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
98
initial business combination within the completion window, subject to applicable law, or (iii) the redemption of our public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity.
The net proceeds released to us from the trust account upon the closing of our initial business combination may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we complete our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, 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, we may use the balance of the cash released from the trust account following the closing for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds through the issuance of equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop arrangements we may enter into following consummation of this offering. However, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides that, following this offering and prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, except in connection with the conversion of Class B ordinary shares into Class A ordinary shares where the holders of such shares have waived any rights to receive funds from the trust account, 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 public shares on any initial business combination.
We believe that amounts not held in trust will be sufficient to pay the costs and expenses to which such proceeds are allocated that are payable prior to the closing of our initial business combination. However, if our estimate of the costs of undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating a business combination that are payable is less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may be required to raise additional capital, the amount, availability and cost of which is currently unascertainable. If we are required to seek additional capital, we could seek such additional capital through loans or additional investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or any of their affiliates, but such persons are not under any obligation to advance funds to, or invest in, us.
We will pay an affiliate of our sponsor $25,000 per month for office space, secretarial and administrative services provided to members of our management team prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, as described elsewhere in this prospectus, which we may elect to accrue monthly, in full or in part, and pay upon the consummation of our initial business combination.
Prior to the closing of this offering, Union Street Management Sponsor, LLC, an affiliate of our sponsor, has agreed to loan us up to $400,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of December 31, 2026 or the closing of this offering. The loan will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the $650,000 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, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use amounts held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into private placement units of the post business combination entity at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. Such units would be identical to the private placement units. Except as set forth above, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
99
We have until the date that is 18 months from the closing of this offering or until such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, to consummate our initial business combination. If we anticipate that we may be unable to consummate our initial business combination within such 18-month period, we may seek shareholder approval to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the date by which we must consummate our initial business combination. Subject to shareholder approval, there are no limitations as to the duration of an extension or the number of times the completion window may be extended by shareholders via an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. If we seek shareholder approval for an extension, holders of public shares will be offered an opportunity to redeem their shares, regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or vote against, our initial business combination, at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned thereon (less taxes payable (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us)), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law. Our public shareholders will have the right to redeem their shares regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or vote against an extension.
100
DIVIDEND POLICY
We have not paid any cash dividends on our ordinary shares to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. A Cayman Islands company may pay a dividend on its shares out of either profit or the share premium account, provided that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if following such payment the company would be unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. 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 other share dividends in the foreseeable future, except if we increase the size of this offering, in which case we will effect a share dividend or other appropriate mechanism immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in an amount necessary to maintain the number of founder shares at 25% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (not including the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private placement units and the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants). Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
101
DILUTION
The difference between the public offering price per unit and the NTBV per Class A ordinary share after this offering constitutes the dilution to investors in this offering. NTBV per share is determined by dividing our NTBV, which is our total tangible assets less total liabilities (including the value of Class A ordinary shares that may be redeemed for cash), by the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares.
The below calculations (A) assume that (i) no ordinary shares are issued to shareholders of a potential business combination target as consideration or issuable by a post-business combination company, for instance under an equity or employee share purchase plan, (ii) no ordinary shares and convertible equity or debt securities are issued in connection with additional financing that we may seek in connection with an initial business combination, (iii) no working capital loans are converted into private placement units, as further described in this prospectus and (iv) no value is attributed to the warrants, and (B) assume the issuance of 20,000,000 Class A ordinary shares (or 23,000,000 Class A ordinary shares if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) and 7,666,667 founder shares (up to 1,000,000 of which are assumed to be forfeited in the scenario in which the over-allotment option is not exercised in full). Such calculations do not reflect any dilution associated with the exercise of warrants as the warrants are accounted for as equity and are only exercisable following the consummation of our initial business combination. The assumed exercise of the warrants would cause the actual dilution to the public shareholders to be higher, particularly where a cashless exercise is utilized. In addition, as we intend to target an initial business combination with a target business whose enterprise value is greater than what we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, we may need to issue ordinary shares, preference shares and convertible equity or debt securities in connection with additional financing. Any such issuances of equity securities may significantly dilute the equity interest of public shareholders, which dilution would even further increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B ordinary shares resulted in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares.
The following table illustrates the difference between the public offering price per unit and our NTBV per share, as adjusted to give effect to this offering and assuming redemption of our public shares at varying levels and the full exercise and no exercise of the over-allotment option:
| As of January 30, 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Offering | 25% of Maximum | 50% of Maximum | 75% of Maximum | Maximum | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| NTBV | NTBV | Difference | NTBV | Difference | NTBV | Difference | NTBV | Difference | ||||||||||||||||||
|
| Assuming Full Exercise of Over-Allotment Option | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | ( | ) | $ | | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| Assuming No Exercise of Over-Allotment Option | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | ( | ) | $ | | ||||||||
102
For each of the redemption scenarios above, the NTBV was calculated as follows:
| No | 25% of Maximum | 50% of Maximum | 75% of Maximum | Maximum | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Without | With | Without | With | Without | With | Without | With | Without | With | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Public offering price | $ | |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| ||||||||||
| Net tangible book deficit before this offering | $ | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||
| Increase attributable to public shareholders | $ | |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||
| Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering and the sale of the private placement shares | $ | |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||
| Dilution to public shareholders | $ | |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| ||||||||||
| Percentage of dilution to public shareholders |
| 27.10 | % | 27.00 | % | 33.30 | % | 33.30 | % | 43.10 | % | 43.10 | % | 61.10 | % | 61.20 | % | 104.20 | % | 104.70 | % | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| Numerator: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| Net tangible book deficit before this offering | $ | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||
| Net proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement shares(1) | $ | |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| ||||||||||
| Plus: Offering costs accrued for or paid in advance, excluded from tangible book value | $ | |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| ||||||||||
| Less: Deferred underwriting commissions(2) | $ | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||
| Less: Over-allotment liability |
| ( | ) | — |
| ( | ) | — |
| ( | ) | — |
| ( | ) | — |
| ( | ) |
|
| ||||||||||
| Less: Amounts paid for redemptions |
| — |
|
|
| ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||
| $ | |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| ( | ) | ( | ) | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| Denominator: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| Ordinary shares outstanding prior to this offering(3) |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| ||||||||||
| Ordinary shares forfeited if over-allotment is not exercised |
| ( | ) | — |
| ( | ) | — |
| ( | ) | — |
| ( | ) | — |
| ( | ) |
|
| ||||||||||
| Ordinary shares offered |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| ||||||||||
| Sale of private placement shares |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| ||||||||||
| Less: Ordinary shares redeemed |
| — |
|
|
| ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |||||||||||
103
CAPITALIZATION
The following table sets forth our capitalization at January 30, 2026, and as adjusted to give effect to the filing of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the sale of our units in this offering and the sale of the private placement units 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:
|
January 30, 2026 |
|||||||
|
ACTUAL |
AS |
||||||
|
Promissory note – related party |
$ |
22,420 |
|
— |
|
||
|
Over-allotment liability |
|
— |
|
187,200 |
|
||
|
Deferred underwriting fees |
|
— |
|
4,000,000 |
|
||
|
Class A ordinary shares; -0- and 20,000,000 shares are subject to possible redemption, actual and as adjusted, respectively |
|
— |
|
201,000,000 |
|
||
|
Preference shares, $0.0001 par value; 5,000,000 shares authorized; |
|
— |
|
— |
|
||
|
Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 500,000,000 shares |
|
— |
|
49 |
|
||
|
Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized, 7,666,667 and 6,666,667 shares issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted, respectively |
|
767 |
|
667 |
|
||
|
Additional paid-in capital |
|
24,233 |
|
— |
|
||
|
Accumulated deficit |
|
(17,420 |
) |
(2,980,336 |
) |
||
|
Total shareholders’ equity (deficit) |
|
7,580 |
|
(2,979,620 |
) |
||
|
Total capitalization |
$ |
30,000 |
|
202,207,580 |
|
||
104
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated on January 28, 2026 as a Cayman Islands exempted company with no material operations of our own. We were formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, amalgamation, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target.
We may pursue an initial business combination in any business or industry but expect to focus on companies that have an aggregate enterprise value of approximately $750 million or greater, that complement our management team’s background of identifying and executing on private credit investments. Our units offered in this prospectus include shares of a Cayman Islands blank check company instead of the shares of the operating entities with whom we may combine. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the private placement of the private placement units, the proceeds of the sale of our shares in connection with our initial business combination (pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into following the consummation of this offering or otherwise), shares issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target, other securities issuances, or a combination of the foregoing.
The issuance of additional shares in connection with a business combination to the owners of the target or other investors:
• may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B ordinary shares resulted in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares;
• may subordinate the rights of holders of Class A ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our Class A ordinary shares;
• could cause a change in control if a substantial number of our Class A ordinary shares 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 Class A ordinary shares and/or warrants.
Similarly, if we issue debt securities or otherwise incur significant debt to bank or other lenders or the owners of a target, it could result in:
• default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;
• acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;
• our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand;
• our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding;
• using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;
105
• 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.
As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, at January 30, 2026, we had no cash and deferred offering costs of $81,774. Further, we expect to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to complete our initial business combination will be successful.
Results of Operations and Known Trends or Future Events
We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our only activities since inception have been organizational activities and those necessary to prepare for this offering. Following this offering, we will not generate any operating revenues until after completion of our initial business combination. We will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents after this offering. There has been no significant change in our financial or trading position and no material adverse change has occurred since the date of our audited financial statements. After this offering, we expect to incur increased expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses. We expect our expenses to increase substantially after the closing of this offering.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our liquidity needs have been satisfied prior to the completion of this offering through $25,000 paid by the sponsor to cover certain of our offering costs in exchange for the issuance of the founder shares to our sponsor and $400,000 in loans from Union Street Management Sponsor, LLC, an affiliate of our sponsor.
We estimate that the net proceeds from the sale of the units in this offering and the sale of the private placement units for an aggregate purchase price of $4,850,000, after deducting offering expenses of approximately $650,000 and underwriting commissions of $2,000,000 (excluding deferred underwriting commissions of up to $4,000,000, or up to $4,900,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full (in each case, assuming no redemptions)), will be $202,200,000 (or $232,200,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). $201,000,000 (or $231,150,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be held in the trust account, which includes the deferred underwriting commissions described above. The amount of deferred underwriting commissions that becomes payable at the time of our initial business combination depends on funds remaining in the trust account after giving effect to redemptions and may therefore be less than the amount presented. The proceeds held in the trust account will initially be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations; the holding of these assets in this form is intended to be temporary and for the sole purpose of facilitating the intended business combination. To mitigate the risk that we might be deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, which risk increases the longer that we hold investments in the trust account, we may, at any time (based on our management team’s ongoing assessment of all factors related to our potential status under the Investment Company Act), instruct the trustee to liquidate the investments held in the trust account and instead to hold the funds in the trust account in cash or in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a bank. The remaining approximately $1,200,000 will not be held in the trust account. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $650,000, we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $650,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
106
We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account (excluding deferred underwriting commissions). We may withdraw interest to pay our taxes, if any (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us). 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 income taxes. To the extent that our equity or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.
Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we will have available to us the approximately $1,200,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account (assuming our offering expenses are as expected). We will use these funds to primarily identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, and structure, negotiate and complete a business combination.
We do not anticipate that we will need to raise additional funds following this offering in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business prior to our initial business combination. 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 fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use amounts held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into private placement units of the post business combination entity at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. Such units would be identical to the private placement units. The terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
We expect our primary liquidity requirements during that period to include approximately $115,000 for due diligence, travel and other expenses associated with structuring, negotiating and documenting a business combination; $85,000 for Nasdaq continued listing fees; $200,000 for legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting requirements; $450,000 for office space and other services; $250,000 for directors’ and officers’ liability insurance; and $100,000 for working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses.
These amounts are estimates and may differ materially from our actual expenses. In addition, we could use a portion of the funds not being placed in trust to pay commitment fees for financing, fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business or as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into an agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business, the amount that would be used as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision would be determined based on the terms of the specific business combination and the amount of our available funds at the time. Our forfeiture of such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise) could result in our not having sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conducting due diligence with respect to, prospective target businesses.
Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination, either because the transaction requires more cash than is available from the proceeds held in our trust account or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon completion of the business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination. If we raise additional funds through equity or convertible debt issuances, our public shareholders may suffer significant dilution and these securities could have rights that rank senior to our public shares. If we raise additional funds through the incurrence of indebtedness, such indebtedness would have rights that are senior to our equity securities
107
and could contain covenants that restrict our operations. Further, as described above, due to the anti-dilution rights of our founder shares, our public shareholders may incur material dilution. In addition, we intend to target businesses with enterprise values that are greater than we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, and, as a result, if the cash portion of the purchase price exceeds the amount available from the trust account, net of amounts needed to satisfy any redemptions by public shareholders, we may be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. We may also obtain financing prior to the closing of our initial business combination to fund our working capital needs and transaction costs in connection with our search for and completion of our initial business combination. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds through the issuance of equity or equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into following consummation of this offering. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only complete such financing simultaneously with the completion of our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to liquidate the trust account. In addition, following our initial business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations.
As of January 30, 2026, the Company had no cash and working capital deficiency of $74,194. 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 one year from the issuance date of the financial statements. Management plans to address this uncertainty through a proposed public offering. There is no assurance that the Company’s plans to raise capital or to consummate an initial business combination will be successful. The financial statements contained elsewhere in this report do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
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, 2027. Only in the event that we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer and no longer an emerging growth company would we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company as defined in the JOBS Act, we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement.
Prior to the closing of this offering, we will not have completed an assessment, nor will our independent registered public accounting firm have tested our systems, of internal controls. However, we have determined that we currently lack properly designed, implemented and effectively operating controls which would constitute a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. Management, with oversight from the board of directors and the audit committee of the board of directors will implement a remediation plan for this material weakness, including, among other things, designing and maintaining a formal control environment, accounting policies, procedures and controls to achieve complete, accurate and timely financial accounting, reporting and disclosures. We cannot be certain as to the timing of completion of our evaluation, testing, and remediation actions or their effect on our operations.
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;
108
• evidence of internal review and approval of accounting transactions;
• documentation of processes, assumptions and conclusions underlying significant estimates; and
• documentation of accounting policies and procedures.
Because it will take time, management involvement and perhaps outside resources to determine what internal control improvements are necessary for us to meet regulatory requirements and market expectations for our operation of a target business, we may incur significant expenses in meeting our public reporting responsibilities, particularly in the areas of designing, enhancing, or remediating internal and disclosure controls. Doing so effectively may also take longer than we expect, thus increasing our exposure to financial fraud or erroneous financing reporting.
Once our management’s report on internal controls is complete, we will retain our independent registered public accounting firm to audit and render an opinion on such report when required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The independent registered public accounting firm may identify additional issues concerning a target business’s internal controls while performing their audit of internal control over financial reporting.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
The net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units held in the trust account will initially be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations; the holding of these assets in this form is intended to be temporary and for the sole purpose of facilitating the intended business combination. To mitigate the risk that we might be deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, which risk increases the longer that we hold investments in the trust account, we may, at any time (based on our management team’s ongoing assessment of all factors related to our potential status under the Investment Company Act), instruct the trustee to liquidate the investments held in the trust account and instead to hold the funds in the trust account in cash or in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a bank. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk.
Related Party Transactions
On January 29, 2026, our sponsor paid an aggregate of $25,000 to cover certain of our offering costs in exchange for 7,666,667 founder shares. The founder shares were purchased for approximately $0.003 per share.
The number of founder shares outstanding was determined based on the expectation that the total size of this offering would be a maximum of 23,000,000 public units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent 25% of the outstanding shares after this offering. Our public shareholders may incur material dilution due to such anti-dilution adjustments that result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion. Up to 1,000,000 of the founder shares will be surrendered for no consideration depending on the extent to which 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 Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 25% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (not including the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private placement units and the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants).
Our sponsor and Roth have committed to purchase an aggregate of 485,000 private placement units at a price of $10.00 per unit, or $4,850,000 in the aggregate, in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Each private placement unit will consist of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one warrant, with each whole warrant exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share. The private placement warrants will be identical to the warrants comprising part of the units being offered by this prospectus. The private placement warrants will also be worthless if we do not complete our initial business combination. Of those 485,000 private placement units, our sponsor has agreed to purchase 435,000 private placement units and Roth has agreed to purchase 50,000 private placement units. The private placement units will be identical to the units sold in this offering except that, so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees, the private placement
109
units (including the securities comprising such units and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) (i) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holders until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) will be entitled to registration rights and (iii) with respect to private placement warrants included in the private placement units held by Roth and/or its designees, will not be exercisable more than five years from the commencement of sales in this offering in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8).
Prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, we may pay our sponsor, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, a finder’s fee, advisory fee, consulting fee or success fee for any services they render to us in order to effectuate the completion of our initial business, which, if made prior to the completion of our initial business combination, will be paid from funds held outside the trust account.
Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors or our and their respective affiliates.
We will pay an affiliate of our sponsor $25,000 per month for office space, secretarial and administrative services provided to members of our management team prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, as described elsewhere in this prospectus, which we may elect to accrue monthly, in full or in part, and pay upon the consummation of our initial business combination.
Prior to the closing of this offering, Union Street Management Sponsor, LLC, an affiliate of our sponsor may loan us funds in an aggregate amount of up to $400,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. These loans would be non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of December 31, 2026 or the closing of this offering. As of January 30, 2026, we had $22,420 borrowings under the promissory note with our sponsor.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required on a non-interest basis. If we complete an initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use amounts held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units of the post business combination entity at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. Such units would be identical to the private placement units. Except as set forth above, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
Any of the foregoing payments to our sponsor, repayments of loans from our sponsor or repayments of working capital loans prior to our initial business combination will be made using funds held outside the trust account.
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 our shareholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, furnished to our shareholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of distribution of such tender offer materials or at the time of a general meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation.
We have entered into a registration rights agreement with respect to the founder shares and private placement warrants, which is described under the heading “Principal Shareholders — Registration Rights.”
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements; Commitments and Contractual Obligations; Quarterly Results
As of January 30, 2026, 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 not conducted any operations to date.
110
JOBS Act
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 firm rotation or a supplement to the report of the independent registered public accounting firm 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.
111
PROPOSED BUSINESS
Introduction
We are a blank check company incorporated on January 28, 2026 as a Cayman Islands exempted company and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, amalgamation, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any industry or geographic region, we intend to focus on companies that have an aggregate enterprise value of approximately $750 million or greater, that complement our management team’s background of identifying and executing on private credit investments. We believe that the operational, investment and capital markets experience of our management team will make us an attractive partner to potential target businesses, enhance our ability to complete a successful business combination, and bring value to the target post-business combination.
Our sponsor is an affiliate of Atlas Credit Partners, a Houston, Texas based credit-focused asset manager providing financing solutions to private and public U.S. middle and lower-middle market companies. Atlas Credit Partners has experience providing capital to companies across multiple stages of their life cycle, with an emphasis on both value and growth-oriented businesses. We intend to capitalize on the ability of our management team to identify, acquire, and operate a business that we believe will be well positioned to enter the public markets. Our differentiating factors include proprietary sourcing and direct origination, operational expertise, and a focus on non-sponsor middle market companies. Our team is comprised of seasoned investment professionals through various economic cycles with 80+ years of combined investment experience. Our differentiated sourcing network leverages the senior team’s managerial and operational expertise that allows us to be cycle-ready, not cycle-dependent.
We believe that our management team is well positioned to identify attractive risk-adjusted returns in the marketplace and that our network and transaction sources, ranging from industry executives, private owners, private equity funds, and investment bankers, in addition to the extensive global industry and geographical reach of our affiliates, will enable us to pursue a broad range of attractive opportunities.
Business Strategy
We believe that there are a range of target businesses that could benefit from our industry knowledge, relationships, capital and public vehicle. Our strategy is to capitalize on the significant experience, network and reach of our management team, along with our directors, to identify and complete our initial business combination with a target business that we believe will create shareholder value in the public markets.
Following the completion of this offering, we intend to identify and contact potential target businesses and start to evaluate and pursue a possible business combination. In addition, we will communicate the parameters of our search to our network of relationships and transaction sources to help us identify potential target businesses. We plan to leverage our team’s collective experience and capital markets expertise to successfully complete a business combination, and then continue to support the combined company with our industry relationships, operational and capital markets expertise, and capital resources.
Our Management Team
Andrew Mallozzi has served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board since inception. Mr. Mallozzi is an experienced investment professional with over 23 years of experience successfully evaluating, managing, and investing across multiple industries and corporations, with particular expertise in credit, special situations, value and growth investing. Mr. Mallozzi has also served as a director and board observer of multiple portfolio companies of Atlas Credit Partners and affiliates.
Mr. Mallozzi founded the asset management firm Atlas Credit Partners in 2019 and has since served as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer, where he leads all investment activities, risk management, and strategic decisions at the firm. Mr. Mallozzi previously served as Managing Director and sector Portfolio Manager at Anchorage Capital Group, a $28 billion special situations investment firm, where he led investments in public and private opportunities. He also led origination, research, and underwriting at Catalyst Capital, a $5 billion private equity firm, where he was responsible for building and managing the firm’s investment team, pipeline,
112
execution and portfolio company operations. His earlier experience includes serving as Vice President and Portfolio Manager at AIG Investments in the Private Capital Group, where he managed a $2 billion portfolio of private credit and equity investments.
Mr. Mallozzi received his Artium Baccalaureus (“A.B.”) from Princeton University and his Master of Business Administration from Columbia Business School.
Andrew Sung has served as President, Chief Financial Officer and on our board of directors since February 3, 2026. Mr. Sung is an experienced investment professional with extensive expertise in analyzing and investing in credit, special situations, value and growth-oriented opportunities. Mr. Sung has also served as a director and board observer of multiple portfolio companies of Atlas Credit Partners and affiliates.
Since 2021, Mr. Sung has served as Director of Research at Atlas Credit Partners, where he is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee and maintains responsibilities for all aspects of the investment process from initial investment to exit. Mr. Sung previously served as a credit analyst at Reorg Research, a North American independent research firm. Mr. Sung was also a credit analyst at Dundon Advisers, working on behalf of unsecured creditor claimants in special credit situations. Mr. Sung also served as a credit analyst at Pine River Capital Management, where he analyzed special situations and recommended credit investments in the North American public markets. His earlier experience includes serving as a Credit Trader, beginning his career at Lehman Brothers/Barclays Capital and then Credit Suisse, where he worked in credit sales and trading, with a focus on credit derivatives and later at Longwood Credit Partners/Kingston Investment Group, a long/short hedge fund.
Mr. Sung received his A.B. from Princeton University.
Our Independent Director Nominees
Sean Wallace has agreed to serve on our board of directors commencing upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Mr. Wallace is an experienced business leader with over 30 years of banking, management, and finance experience.
Mr. Wallace currently serves as a strategic advisor to Barnwell Industries, Inc., an energy and land investment firm. He also serves as the Chief Investment Officer of his family office and private investment platform. Since 2024, Mr. Wallace has served as an independent senior advisor to certain early-stage private companies in the telecommunications sector, offering strategic and financial advice. From May 2022 to November 2024, Mr. Wallace served as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Consultant of AST SpaceMobile, a Mobile Satellite Service company. From May 2020 to May 2022, Mr. Wallace served as the Chief Financial Officer of Cogent Communications Inc., one of the largest Tier 1 commercial Internet Service Providers in the world. Mr. Wallace also held senior positions at Standard Chartered Bank in Singapore, including Group Head of the Corporate Finance Group and Group Head of the Corporate and Institutional Client Group, overseeing the Wholesale Client Coverage effort with a $9.0 billion top line and 4,000 professionals operating in over 50 countries. Earlier in his career, he was the Co-Head of Investment Banking and Capital Markets for Asia Pacific at J.P. Morgan.
Mr. Wallace received his A.B. from Harvard College and his Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
August Roth has agreed to serve on our board of directors commencing upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
Since 2013, Mr. Roth has been the Chief Investment Officer of FCR Holdings, his family office and private investment platform, investing in public equities and credit as well as real estate, private equity and venture capital. He previously was an Investment Partner at Coalition Investment Partners, focused on capital solutions in the public and private realm. Mr. Roth also launched a value-oriented, credit and equity hedge fund, Hylas Capital Management LP, where he served as a credit analyst, equity analyst and Chief Investment Officer. His earlier experience includes serving as an equity and credit analyst at JANA Partners LLC, where he was responsible for idea generation and analysis of special situations, energy, power, and TMT investments across the capital structure. Additionally, while at JANA Partners LLC, Mr. Roth served on numerous creditors’ committees and originated and led several successful concentrated equity investments. Mr. Roth began his career as a research analyst at Salomon Smith Barney, where he focused on high yield corporate credit research, and later Citigroup in their Global Markets group.
113
Mr. Roth received his Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University.
Jonathan Urfrig has agreed to serve on our board of directors commencing upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Mr. Urfrig is an experienced investor, asset manager, and entrepreneur, with expertise in global investments across private equity, venture capital, and public markets, and sector expertise including natural resources, infrastructure, and technology.
In 2017, Mr. Urfrig co-founded Living Seas Inc., a successor to Emerald Seas LLC, a global developer of sustainable aquaculture projects, and has served as its Co-Chief Executive Officer since inception. Mr. Urfrig also currently serves as Managing Member of UCAP Holdings LLC, an entity formed to manage private and public equity, venture, and real estate investments, where he co-founded Emerald Seas LLC, an aquaculture developer, and was a co-founding member of Tegus Advisors, a predecessor to Tegus Inc., a leading primary research platform. Mr. Urfrig previously served as President of Overbrook Management Corporation, an asset manager where he oversaw and co-headed hedge fund, long-only, and SMA businesses, including launching and co-managing a long-short event-driven hedge fund. He also founded and served as Chief Executive Officer and Portfolio Manager of U Capital Group LP, an event-driven hedge fund focused on cross-capital structure special situations. His earlier experience includes serving as a Portfolio Manager at Third Point LLC, focusing on natural resources, industrials and special situations, as an associate at TPG Capital in private equity and as an analyst at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette where he was an analyst in investment banking and merchant banking groups.
Mr. Urfrig received his Bachelor of Science from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and his Master of Business Administration from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.
Our Competitive Strengths
We believe our management team is uniquely positioned to identify and execute a successful business combination in our target sectors for the following reasons:
• Experienced Special Situations and Middle Market Sponsor Team: The Atlas team has been focused on complex, off-the-run opportunities in the U.S. middle and lower middle market since 2019, deploying over $1.25 billion across bespoke private capital solutions, which demonstrates our ability to evaluate, structure and execute transactions across a range of industries, business models and capital structures. In many cases Atlas applied unique structural solutions designed to provide significant access to capital, offer structural flexibility and help accelerate the growth profile of their client companies.
• Proprietary Sourcing and Relationship-Driven Deal Flow: Approximately 85% of Atlas’s historical transactions have been sourced through proprietary networks, including management teams, boards, advisors and consultants, supported by a proprietary database of more than 2,000 private opportunities, positioning us to identify potential business combination targets that may not participate in broad or highly competitive sale processes.
• Deep Operational and Board-Level Experience: All senior professionals at Atlas have C-level managerial and board experience and an ownership-oriented mindset, which we believe enhances our ability to partner with management teams, support strategic and operational initiatives and help drive long-term value creation in a variety of industry verticals. As part of Atlas’s operational mindset as an investor, Atlas required board access and frequent, scheduled calls and interaction with senior management as part of the terms of their investments in order to develop an active dialog and understanding of the performance of their portfolio companies.
• Expertise in Complex and Transitional Situations: Atlas has a history of underwriting businesses undergoing cyclical, secular or regulatory change, supported by fundamental, bottom-up research, operational diagnostics (including supply chain, working capital and turnaround analyses) and active engagement with management, which we expect to apply to evaluating and supporting a potential business combination across diverse sectors.
114
• Disciplined, Downside-Focused Investment Approach: The Atlas platform is designed to be “cycle-ready, not cycle-dependent,” emphasizing rigorous risk selection and monitoring, structural protections and multiple paths to value realization, which we believe positions us to assess risk-reward profiles prudently and structure business combinations that seek attractive, risk-adjusted outcomes for our public shareholders.
With respect to the foregoing examples, past performance of our management team is not a guarantee either (i) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate or (ii) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate or candidates for our initial business combinations. You should not rely on the historical record of our management’s performance as indicative of our future performance.
Acquisition Criteria
We have identified the following general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses. We intend to use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating acquisition opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet these criteria and guidelines.
• Experienced Management Team. We will prioritize businesses with experienced and capable management teams that have a track record of success. We anticipate that our own officers and directors will complement, not replace, the skills of the target company’s management team.
• Strong Market Position. We will seek to acquire businesses that have strong market positions and competitive advantages in their sectors. Our intensive, bottoms up analytical mindset enables us to evaluate and determine the likely success of target opportunities.
• Attractive Growth Potential. We will focus on businesses with significant growth potential, with both organic opportunities and through complementary strategic acquisitions.
• Strong Public Comparables. We intend focus on businesses where strong public comparables exist. The existence of public companies which operate in similar industry sectors or have similar operating metrics to a potential target business will be important in helping to establish that the valuation of our initial business combination is attractive relative to such public companies.
• Benefit from Being a Public Company. We will focus on businesses that will benefit from being publicly traded and can effectively utilize the broader access to capital, the public profile associated with being a publicly traded company and the opportunity to better align management and employees with shareholders by offering equity incentives as a portion of employee compensation.
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our management 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 shareholder 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 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.
Acquisition Process
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, inspection of facilities, as applicable, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information about the target and its industry which will be made available to us. If we determine to move forward with a particular target, we will proceed to structure and negotiate the terms of the business combination transaction.
115
The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of, and negotiation with, a prospective target business with which our initial business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds available for us to use to complete another business combination.
Our ability to identify and evaluate a target company may be impacted by significant competition among other special purpose acquisition companies in pursuing a business combination transaction candidate and the significant competition may impact the attractiveness of the acquisition terms that we will be able to negotiate.
Initial Business Combination
We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations for an indefinite period of time following this offering. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the private placement of the private placement units, the proceeds of the sale of our shares in connection with our initial business combination (including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into following the consummation of this offering or otherwise), shares issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target, other securities issuances, or a combination of the foregoing. We may seek to complete our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) without a shareholder vote by means of a tender offer. If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we receive an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law and our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, which requires the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company. In such case, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately-negotiated transactions, aside from shares they may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act, which would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction) in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our sponsor’s founder shares and private placement shares, we would need 6,424,167, or approximately 32.1%, of the 20,000,000 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, the underwriters’ private placement shares are voted in favor of the initial business combination, the over-allotment option is not exercised and the parties to the letter agreement do not acquire any Class A ordinary shares. Assuming that only the holders of one third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing a quorum under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, vote their shares at a general meeting of the company, we would not need any of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering in addition to our founder shares and private placement shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to approve an initial business combination. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder 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 shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement.
We have until the date that is 18 months from the closing of this offering or until such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, to consummate our initial business combination. If we anticipate that we may be unable to consummate our initial business combination within such 18-month period, we may seek shareholder approval to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the date by which we must consummate our initial business combination. Subject to shareholder approval, there are no limitations as to the duration of an extension or the number of times the completion window may be extended by shareholders via an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. If we seek shareholder approval for an extension, holders of public shares will be offered an opportunity to redeem their shares at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned thereon
116
(less taxes payable (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us)), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law. Our public shareholders will have the right to redeem their shares regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or vote against an extension.
If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering and do not hold a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the amount of time we will have to consummate an initial business combination, or by such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, we will redeem 100% of the public shares at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned thereon (less taxes payable (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us) and up to $100,000 of interest income to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law as further described herein. We expect the pro rata redemption price to be approximately $10.05 per public share (regardless of whether or not the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option), without taking into account any interest or other income 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 shareholders.
If we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, while we do not currently intend to seek shareholder approval to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the amount of time we will have to consummate an initial business combination, we may elect to do so in the future. There is no limit on the number of extensions that we may seek; however, we do not expect to extend the time period to consummate our initial business combination beyond 36 months from the closing of this offering. If we determine not to or are unable to extend the time period to consummate our initial business combination or fail to obtain shareholder approval to extend the completion window, our sponsor’s investment in our founder shares and our private placement units (and the securities comprising such units) will be worthless.
Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account). Our board of directors will make the determination as to the fair market value of our initial business combination. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of our initial business combination, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it likely that our board of directors will be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of our initial business combination, it may be unable to do so if it is less familiar or experienced with the business of a particular target or if there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of the target’s assets or prospects. Additionally, pursuant to Nasdaq rules, any initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders 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. 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, shares or other equity interests of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our issued and 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 taken into account for purposes of the 80% of net assets test described above. If the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses.
117
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor or our officers or directors, or completing the business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor or our officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated (as defined in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) with our sponsor (including its members), officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, stating that the consideration to be paid by us in 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 units 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. The low price that our sponsor, officers and directors (directly or indirectly) paid for the founder shares creates an incentive whereby our officers and directors could potentially make a substantial profit even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public shareholders. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, or by such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, the founder shares and private placement units (and the securities comprising such units) may be worthless, except to the extent they receive liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account, which could create an incentive for our sponsor, officers and directors to complete a transaction even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public shareholders. 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, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities, pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such other entity, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. If these entities decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing such opportunities. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer, among other persons, shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us, and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which (a) may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other or (b) the presentation of which would breach an existing legal obligation of a director or officer to any other entity. However, we do not believe that any such potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
In addition, our sponsor, 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. As a result, our sponsor, officers and directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other special purpose acquisition company with which they may become involved. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination target.
Our sponsor, officers and directors may pursue business combinations for special purpose acquisition companies that they have sponsored in any order, which could result in its more recent special purpose acquisition companies completing business combinations prior to its special purpose acquisition companies that were launched earlier. There are no contractual obligations governing the allocation of opportunities among the various special purpose acquisition companies. Any determination as to which special purpose acquisition companies will pursue a particular acquisition target will be made based on the circumstances of the particular situation, including but not limited to the relative sizes of the special purpose acquisition companies compared to the sizes of the targets, the need or desire for additional financings and the relevant experience of the directors and officers involved with a particular special purpose acquisition companies. Any such special purpose acquisition company may present additional conflicts of
118
interest in pursuing an acquisition target, particularly if there is overlap among investment mandates and the board and management teams. 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.
On or 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.
Additional Financing
We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering, the sale of the private placement units, our equity, debt or a combination of these as the consideration to be paid in our initial business combination. Generally, the issuance of additional shares in a business combination:
• may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B ordinary shares resulted in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares;
• may subordinate the rights of holders of Class A ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded to Class A ordinary shares;
• could cause a change in control if a substantial number of Class A ordinary shares are issued, which may affect, among other things, the post-business combination company’s ability to use its net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of officers and directors;
• may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of the post-business combination company by diluting the share ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of the post-business combination company; and
• may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A ordinary shares and/or warrants.
We may issue shares to investors in private placement transactions (so-called PIPE transactions) in order to complete an initial business combination and provide sufficient liquidity and capital to the post-business combination entity. As of the date of this prospectus, we have no commitments to issue any shares in connection with such a transaction. The price of the shares so issued in connection with an initial business combination may be less, and potentially significantly less, than $10.00 per share or the market price for our shares at such time. Any such issuances of equity securities at a price that is less than $10.00 or the prevailing market price of our shares at that time could be structured to ensure a return on investment to the investors and could dilute the interests of our existing shareholders in a manner that would not ordinarily occur in a traditional initial public offering and could result in both a reduction in the trading price of our shares to the price at which we issue such equity securities and fluctuations in the net tangible book value per share of the combined company’s securities following the completion of our initial business combination. We may also provide price protection or other incentives, or issue convertible securities such as preferred equity or convertible debt, and the exercise or conversion price of those securities may be fixed or adjustable, and may be less, and potentially significantly less, than $10.00 per share or the market price for our shares at such time. Such issuances could also result in additional transaction costs related to our initial business combination compared to a traditional initial public offering, including the placement fees associated with the engagement of a placement agent in connection with PIPE transactions.
Although we have no commitments as of the date of this prospectus to issue any notes or other debt, or to otherwise incur debt following this offering, we may choose to pursue a business combination in connection with which we incur substantial debt. No issuance of debt will affect the per share amount available for redemption from the trust account. However, if we issue debt securities or otherwise incur significant debt to banks or other lenders or the owners of a target, it could result in:
• default and foreclosure on the assets of the post-business combination company if its operating revenues are insufficient to repay its debt obligations;
119
• acceleration of the post-business combination company’s obligations to repay such indebtedness, even if it makes all principal and interest payments when due, if it breaches certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;
• the post-business combination company’s immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand;
• the post-business combination company’s inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting its ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding;
• using a substantial portion of the post-business combination company’s cash flow to pay principal and interest on its debt, which will reduce the funds available for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;
• limitations on the post-business combination company’s flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in its business and in the industry in which it operates; and
• increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and limitations on the post-business combination company’s ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of its strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to its competitors who have less debt.
For more information also see “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to our Search for, and Consummation of or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination — We may issue additional Class A ordinary shares or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares 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 therein. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our shareholders and likely present other risks,” “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to our Search for, and Consummation of or Inability to Consummate, a 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,” “Risks Relating to our Search for, and Consummation of or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination — We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete a business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our shareholders’ investment in us,” and “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to our Search for, and Consummation of or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination — 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.”
Sponsor Information
Our sponsor, Union Street Sponsor, LLC, is a Delaware limited liability company, which was recently formed to invest in our company. Although our sponsor is permitted to undertake any activities permitted under the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act and other applicable law, our sponsor’s business is focused on investing in our company. Andrew Mallozzi, the managing member of Union Street Sponsor, LLC, controls the management of our sponsor, including the exercise of voting and investment discretion with respect to the ordinary shares held of record by the sponsor. Mr. Mallozzi will have an indirect interest in an aggregate of 3,333,334 founder shares (or approximately 50% of the outstanding founder shares, assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised) and 217,500 private placement units (or approximately 50% of the sponsor’s private placement units) through Class A membership units and Class B membership units, respectively, in our sponsor. As of the date of this prospectus, our officers and directors (including Mr. Mallozzi) own membership interests in our sponsor, which represent approximately 58% and 57% of the economic interests in our sponsor in the founder shares and private placement units, respectively, or membership interests representing an aggregate of 3,866,667 founder shares and 248,700 private placement units. As of the date of this prospectus, other than Mr. Mallozzi, no other person has a direct or indirect material interest in our sponsor. Other than our management team, none of the other members of our sponsor will participate in our company’s activities.
120
The following table sets forth the payments to be received by our sponsor and its affiliates from us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and the securities issued and to be issued by us to our sponsor or its affiliates:
|
Entity/Individual |
Amount of Compensation to be |
Consideration Paid or to be Paid |
||
|
Union Street Sponsor, LLC |
$25,000 per month |
For office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support and other services |
||
|
7,666,667 Class B Ordinary Shares (of which 1,000,000 are subject to forfeiture to the extent the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option). |
$25,000 |
|||
|
435,000 private placement units |
$4,350,000 or $10.00 per private placement unit |
|||
|
Union Street Management |
Up to $400,000 in loans |
Repayment of loans made to us to cover offering related and organizational expenses. |
||
|
Holders of Class B ordinary shares |
Anti-dilution protection upon conversion into Class A ordinary shares at a greater than one-to-one ratio |
Issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable in connection with the conversion of the founder shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion |
||
|
Union Street Sponsor, LLC, our officers, directors, or their respective affiliates |
Finder’s fees, advisory fees, consulting fees or success fees |
Any services in order to effectuate the completion of our initial business, which, if made prior to the completion of our initial business combination, will be paid from funds held outside the trust account |
||
|
Reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination |
Services in connection with identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination |
|||
|
Up to $1,500,000 in working capital loans, which loans may be convertible into private placement units of the post-business combination entity at a price of $10.00 per unit |
Working capital loans to finance transaction costs in connection with an initial business combination |
Because our sponsor acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, our public shareholders will incur immediate and substantial dilution upon the closing of this offering, assuming no value is ascribed to the warrants included in the units. As a result, the holders of our founder shares (including certain of our directors and officers that indirectly own founder shares) could make a substantial profit after our initial business combination even if our public shareholders lose money on their investment as a result of a decrease in the post-combination value of their Class A ordinary shares. Further, the Class A ordinary shares issuable in connection with the conversion of the founder shares may result in material dilution to our public shareholders due to the anti-dilution rights of our founder shares that may result in an issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion. See “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to our Management Team — 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, and our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to materially decline” and “Dilution.” In addition, the cashless exercise of the private placement warrants included in the private placement units purchased by our sponsor at the closing of this offering would increase the dilution to our public shareholders. Further, the conversion of any working capital loans into private placement units, as well as the cashless exercise of the private placement warrants that are issued as part of such units, would further increase the dilution to our public shareholders. Additionally, we will reimburse our sponsor or an
121
affiliate of our sponsor in an amount equal to $25,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative services provided to members of our management team prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, as described elsewhere in this prospectus, which we may elect to accrue monthly, in full or in part, and pay upon the consummation of our initial business combination.
The founder shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares immediately prior to, concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holder on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. The Class A ordinary shares issuable in connection with the conversion of the Class B ordinary shares may result in material dilution to our public shareholders due to the anti-dilution rights of our Class B ordinary shares that may result in an issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or any other equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts sold in this offering and related to or in connection with the closing of the initial business combination, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, 25% of the sum of (i) the total number of all Class A ordinary shares outstanding upon the completion of this offering (including any Class A ordinary shares issued pursuant to the underwriters’ over-allotment option and excluding the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private placement units and the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants), plus (ii) all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued, in connection with the closing of the initial business combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and any private placement-equivalent units issued to our sponsor, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, upon conversion of working capital loans) minus (iii) any redemptions of Class A ordinary shares by public shareholders in connection with an initial business combination and any Class A ordinary shares redeemed by public shareholders in connection with any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association made prior to the consummation of the initial business combination (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to the rights of holders of Class A ordinary shares or pre-business combination activity; provided that such conversion of founder shares will never occur on a less than one-for-one basis.
Pursuant to a letter agreement to be entered into with us, each of our sponsor, directors and officers will agree to restrictions on its ability to transfer, assign, or sell the founder shares and private placement units (including the securities comprising such units and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants), as summarized in the table below.
|
Subject Securities |
Expiration Date |
Natural Persons and |
Exceptions to Transfer |
|||
|
Founder Shares |
The earlier of (A) six months after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier if, subsequent to our initial business combination, the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period |
Our sponsor, officers, directors, and director nominees. |
Transfers permitted (a) to our officers, directors, advisors or consultants, any affiliate or family member of any of our officers, directors, advisors or consultants, any members or partners of the sponsor and their respective affiliates and funds and accounts advised by such members or partners, any affiliates of the sponsor, or any employees of such affiliates; (b) in the case of an individual, as a gift to such person’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of such person’s immediate family, an |
122
|
Subject Securities |
Expiration Date |
Natural Persons and |
Exceptions to Transfer |
|||
|
commencing at least 30 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 shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. |
affiliate of such person or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of such person; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) by private sales or transfers made in connection with any forward purchase agreement or similar arrangement, in connection with an extension of the completion window or in connection with the consummation of a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares or warrants were originally purchased; (f) pro rata distributions from our sponsor to its members, partners or shareholders pursuant to our sponsor’s limited liability company agreement or other charter documents; (g) by virtue of the laws of the Cayman Islands or our sponsor’s limited liability company agreement upon dissolution of our sponsor; (h) in the event of our liquidation prior to our consummation of our initial business combination; (i) in the event that, subsequent to our consummation of an initial business combination, we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property; or (j) to a nominee or custodian of a person or entity to whom a transfer would be permissible under |
123
|
Subject Securities |
Expiration Date |
Natural Persons and |
Exceptions to Transfer |
|||
|
clauses (a) through (g); provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (g) and clause (j) these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions and the other restrictions contained in the letter agreements. |
||||||
|
Private Placement Units (including the securities comprising such units and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) |
30 days after the completion of our initial business combination |
Our sponsor, officers, directors, and director nominees |
Same as above. |
|||
|
Any units, warrants, ordinary shares or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, ordinary shares |
180 days after the date of this prospectus |
Our sponsor, officers, directors, and director nominees |
The representative, in its sole discretion, may release any of the securities subject to this lock-up agreement at any time without notice. |
Up to 1,000,000 of the founder shares will be surrendered for no consideration depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. In addition, although there are no current plans to do so, in order to facilitate our initial business combination or for any other reason determined by our sponsor in its sole discretion, our sponsor may surrender or forfeit, transfer or exchange our founder shares, private placement units (including the securities comprising such units) or any of our other securities, including for no consideration, as well as subject any such securities to earn-outs or other restrictions, or otherwise amend the terms of any such securities or enter into any other arrangements with respect to any such securities. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon conversion of the Class B ordinary 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 as set forth therein.
Sourcing of Potential Business Combination Targets
We believe our management team’s significant operating and transaction experience and relationships will provide us with a substantial number of potential initial business combination targets. Over the course of their careers, the members of our management team have developed a broad network of contacts and corporate relationships around the world. This network has grown through the activities of our management team sourcing, acquiring and financing businesses, the reputation of our management team and advisors for integrity and fair dealing with sellers, financing sources and target management teams and the experience of our management team in executing transactions under varying economic and financial market conditions.
This network has provided our management team with a flow of referrals that has resulted in numerous transactions which were proprietary or where a limited group of investors were invited to participate in the sale process. We believe that the network of contacts and relationships of our management team will provide us important sources of investment opportunities. In addition, we anticipate that target business combination candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment market participants, private equity funds and large business enterprises seeking to divest non-core assets or divisions.
124
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor or our officers or directors, or completing the business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor or our officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated (as defined in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) with our sponsor (including its members), officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, stating that the consideration to be paid by us in 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 units 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, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities, pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such other entity, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. If these entities decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing such opportunities. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer, among other persons, shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us, and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which (a) may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other or (b) the presentation of which would breach an existing legal obligation of a director or officer to any other entity. However, we do not believe that any such potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
In addition, our sponsor, 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. As a result, our sponsor, officers and directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other special purpose acquisition company with which they may become involved. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination target.
Our sponsor, officers and directors may pursue business combinations for special purpose acquisition companies that they have sponsored in any order, which could result in its more recent special purpose acquisition companies completing business combinations prior to its special purpose acquisition companies that were launched earlier. There are no contractual obligations governing the allocation of opportunities among the various special purpose acquisition companies. Any determination as to which special purpose acquisition companies will pursue a particular acquisition target will be made based on the circumstances of the particular situation, including but not limited to the relative sizes of the special purpose acquisition companies compared to the sizes of the targets, the need or desire for additional financings and the relevant experience of the directors and officers involved with a particular special purpose acquisition companies. Any such special purpose acquisition company may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target, particularly if there is overlap among investment mandates and the board and management teams. 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.
125
On or 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.
Status as a Public Company
We believe our structure will make us an attractive business combination partner to target businesses. As an existing public company, we offer a target business an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger or other business combination with us. In a business combination transaction with us, the owners of the target business may, for example, exchange their shares in the target business for our Class A ordinary shares (or shares of a new holding company) or for a combination of our Class A ordinary shares and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. Although there are various costs and obligations associated with being a public company, we believe target businesses will find this method a more expeditious and cost effective method to becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering. The typical initial public offering process takes a significantly longer period of time than the typical business combination transaction process, and there are additional expenses incurred in marketing, road show and public reporting efforts that may not be present to the same extent in connection with a business combination with us.
Furthermore, once a proposed business combination is completed, the target business will have effectively become public, whereas an initial public offering is always subject to the underwriters’ ability to complete the offering, as well as general market conditions, which could delay or prevent the offering from occurring or could have negative valuation consequences. Once public, we believe the target business would then have greater access to capital and an additional means of providing management incentives consistent with shareholders’ interests. It can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder 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 $1.235 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Class A ordinary shares that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equaled or exceeded $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates
126
equaled or exceeded $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
In addition, after completion of this offering and prior to the consummation of a business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment or removal of directors. As a result, Nasdaq will consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq corporate governance standards. Under Nasdaq corporate governance standards, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power for the appointment of directors is held by an individual, group or another company is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements. We currently do not intend to rely on the “controlled company” exemption, but may do so in the future. Accordingly, if we choose to do so, you will not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of the Nasdaq corporate governance requirements.
Financial Position
With funds available for a business combination initially in the amount of $197,000,000, after payment of $4,000,000 of deferred underwriting fees (assuming no redemptions) and excluding $1,200,000 held outside of the trust account for working capital (or $226,250,000 assuming no redemptions and after payment of $4,900,000 of deferred underwriting fees if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full and excluding $1,050,000 held outside of the trust account for working capital), we offer a target business a variety of options, such as creating a liquidity event for its owners, providing capital for the potential growth and expansion of its operations or strengthening its balance sheet by reducing its debt ratio. Because we are able to complete our initial business combination using our cash, debt or equity securities, or a combination of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to use the most efficient combination that will allow us to tailor the consideration to be paid to the target business to fit its needs and desires. However, we have not taken any steps to secure third party financing and there can be no assurance it will be available to us.
127
EFFECTING OUR 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 units, the proceeds of the sale of our shares in connection with our initial business combination (including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into following the consummation of this offering or otherwise), shares issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target, other securities issuances, or a combination of the foregoing. We may seek to complete our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.
If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemptions of our Class A ordinary shares, we may use the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account following the closing for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies, or for working capital.
We have not selected any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target.
We may pursue an initial business combination in any business or industry but expect to focus on companies that have an aggregate enterprise value of approximately $750 million or greater, that complement our management team’s background of identifying and executing on private credit investments. Accordingly, there is no current basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the target business with which we may ultimately complete our initial business combination. Although our management will assess the risks inherent in a particular target business with which we may combine, we cannot assure you that this assessment will result in our identifying all risks that a target business may encounter. Furthermore, some of those risks may be outside of our control, meaning that we can do nothing to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely affect a target business.
We may seek to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt or equity securities in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and we may effectuate our initial business combination using the proceeds of such offering rather than using the amounts held in the trust account. In addition, we intend to target businesses with enterprise values that are greater than we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, and, as a result, if the cash portion of the purchase price exceeds the amount available from the trust account, net of amounts needed to satisfy any redemptions by public shareholders, we may be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would expect to complete such financing only simultaneously with the completion of our initial business combination. In the case of an initial business combination funded with assets other than the trust account assets, our proxy materials or tender offer documents disclosing the initial business combination would disclose the terms of the financing and, only if required by law, we would seek shareholder approval of such financing. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds through the issuance of equity or equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into following consummation of this offering. At this time, we are not a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities or otherwise. None of our sponsors, officers, directors or shareholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination.
128
Sources of Target Businesses
We expect to receive a number of proprietary transaction opportunities to originate as a result of the business relationships, direct outreach, and deal sourcing activities of our management team. In addition to the proprietary deal flow, we anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment banking firms, consultants, accounting firms, private equity groups, large business enterprises, and other market participants. These sources may also introduce us to target businesses in which they think we may be interested on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read this prospectus and know what types of businesses we are targeting. Our sponsor, as well as its 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. Except as described in this prospectus, our sponsor, officers, directors and their respective affiliates will not be paid any finder’s fee, consulting fee, advisory fee or other compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the completion of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is) although we may consider cash or other compensation to officers or advisors we may hire subsequent to this offering to be paid either prior to or in connection with our initial business combination. We have agreed to reimburse our sponsor for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor or advisors or making the acquisition through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, officers, directors or advisors. As more fully discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may be required to present such business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such business combination opportunity to us.
Prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, we may pay our sponsor, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, a finder’s fee, advisory fee, consulting fee or success fee for any services they render to us in order to effectuate the completion of our initial business, which, if made prior to the completion of our initial business combination, will be paid from funds held outside the trust account.
We will engage a finder only to the extent our management determines that the use of a finder may bring opportunities to us that may not otherwise be available to us or if finders approach us on an unsolicited basis with a potential transaction that our management determines is in our best interest to pursue. Payment of a finder’s fee is customarily tied to completion of a transaction, in which case any such fee will be paid out of the funds held in the trust account.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor or our officers or directors, or completing the business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor or our officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated (as defined in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) with our sponsor (including its members), officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, stating that the consideration to be paid by us in 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.
Evaluation of a Target Business and Structuring of Our Initial Business Combination
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, inspection of facilities, as applicable, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us. If we determine to move forward with a particular target, we will proceed to structure and negotiate the terms of the business combination transaction.
129
The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of, and negotiation with, a prospective target business with which our initial business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination.
Lack of Business Diversification
For an indefinite period of time after the completion of our initial business combination, the prospects for our success may depend entirely on the future performance of a single business. Unlike other entities that have the resources to complete business combinations with multiple entities in one or several industries, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations and mitigate the risks of being in a single line of business. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:
• subject us to negative economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact on the particular industry in which we operate after our initial business combination, and
• cause us to depend on the marketing and sale of a single product or limited number of products or services.
Limited Ability to Evaluate the Target’s Management Team
Although we intend to closely scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with that business, our assessment of the target business’s management may not prove to be correct. In addition, the future management may not have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of members of our management team, if any, in the target business cannot presently be stated with any certainty. The determination as to whether any of the members of our management team will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination. While it is possible that one or more of our directors will remain associated in some capacity with us following our initial business combination, it is unlikely that any of them will devote their full efforts to our affairs subsequent to our initial business combination. Moreover, we cannot assure you that members of our management team will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.
We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with the combined company. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
Following a business combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.
Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination
We may conduct redemptions without a shareholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC subject to the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. However, we will seek shareholder approval if it is required by law or applicable stock exchange rule, or we may decide to seek shareholder approval for business or other reasons.
Under Nasdaq’s listing rules, shareholder approval would be required for our initial business combination if, for example:
• We issue ordinary shares that will be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of our ordinary shares then outstanding (other than in a public offering);
130
• Any of our directors, officers or substantial shareholders (as defined by Nasdaq rules) has a 5% or greater interest earned on the trust account (or such persons collectively have a 10% or greater interest), directly or indirectly, in the target business or assets to be acquired or otherwise and the present or potential issuance of ordinary shares could result in an increase in outstanding ordinary shares or voting power of 5% or more; or
• The issuance or potential issuance of ordinary shares will result in our undergoing a change of control.
The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination in those instances in which shareholder approval is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on business and legal reasons, which include a variety of factors, including, but not limited to: (i) the timing of the transaction, including in the event we determine shareholder approval would require additional time and there is either not enough time to seek shareholder approval or doing so would place the company at a disadvantage in the transaction or result in other additional burdens on the company; (ii) the expected cost of holding a shareholder vote; (iii) the risk that the shareholders would fail to approve the proposed business combination; (iv) other time and budget constraints of the company; and (v) additional legal complexities of a proposed business combination that would be time-consuming and burdensome to present to shareholders.
Permitted Purchases of Our Securities
If we seek shareholder 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, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates may purchase public shares or 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 or duty to do so. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgment that such shareholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. It is intended that, if Rule 10b-18 would apply to purchases by sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates, then such purchases will comply with Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act, to the extent it applies, which provides a safe harbor for purchases made under certain conditions, including with respect to timing, pricing and volume of purchases.
Additionally, at any time at or prior to our initial business combination, subject to applicable securities laws (including with respect to material nonpublic information), our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire public shares, vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination or not redeem their public shares. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or warrants in such transactions.
The purpose of any such transactions could be to (1) reduce the number of public warrants outstanding and/or increase the likelihood of approval on any matters submitted to the public warrant holders for approval in connection with our 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 our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our securities may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
Our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates anticipate that they may identify the shareholders with whom our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates may pursue privately negotiated transactions by either the shareholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by shareholders (in the case of Class A ordinary shares) following our mailing of proxy materials in
131
connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates enter into a private transaction, they would identify and contact only potential selling or redeeming shareholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against our initial business combination, whether or not such shareholder has already submitted a proxy with respect to our initial business combination but only if such shares have not already been voted at the general meeting related to our initial business combination. Our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates will select which shareholders to purchase shares from based on the negotiated price and number of shares and any other factors that they may deem relevant, and will be restricted from purchasing shares if such purchases do not comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.
Our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates will be restricted from making purchases of shares if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements. Additionally, in the event our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates were to purchase public shares or warrants from public shareholders, such purchases would be structured in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act including, in pertinent part, through adherence to the following:
• our registration statement/proxy statement filed for our business combination transaction would disclose the possibility that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates may purchase public shares or warrants from public shareholders outside the redemption process, along with the purpose of such purchases;
• if our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates were to purchase public shares or warrants from public shareholders, they would do so at a price no higher than the price offered through our redemption process;
• our registration statement/proxy statement filed for our business combination transaction would include a representation that any of our securities purchased by our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction;
• our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates would not possess any redemption rights with respect to our securities or, if they do acquire and possess redemption rights, they would waive such rights; and
• we would disclose in a Form 8-K, before our security holder meeting to approve the business combination transaction, the following material items:
• the amount of our securities purchased outside of the redemption offer by our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates, along with the purchase price;
• the purpose of the purchases by our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates;
• the impact, if any, of the purchases by our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates on the likelihood that the business combination transaction will be approved;
• the identities of our security holders who sold to our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates (if not purchased on the open market) or the nature of our security holders (e.g., 5% security holders) who sold to our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates; and
• the number of our securities for which we have received redemption requests pursuant to our redemption offer.
See “Risk Factors — If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates may elect to purchase shares or public warrants from public shareholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares or public warrants.”
132
Redemption Rights for Public Shareholders upon Completion of Our Initial Business Combination
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares, regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or vote against, our initial business combination, upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (less taxes payable (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us)), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.05 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 sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination.
Our proposed initial business combination may impose a minimum cash requirement for (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed initial business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the initial business combination or redeem any shares, and all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof. We may, however, raise funds through the issuance of equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop arrangements we may enter into following consummation of this offering, in order to, among other reasons, satisfy such net tangible assets or minimum cash requirements.
Manner of Conducting Redemptions
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) without a shareholder vote by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder 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 shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement or whether we were deemed to be a foreign private issuer (which would require a tender offer rather than seeking shareholder approval under SEC rules), as described above under the heading “Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination.” Asset acquisitions and share purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with our company (other than with a 90% subsidiary of ours) and any transactions where we issue more than 25% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would require shareholder approval. So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on Nasdaq, we will be required to comply with Nasdaq’s shareholder approval rules.
The requirement that we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares by one of the two methods listed above are contained in provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and will apply whether or not we maintain our registration under the Exchange Act or our listing on Nasdaq. Such provisions may be amended if approved by a special resolution, which requires the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company, so long as we offer redemption in connection with such amendment.
133
If we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares in connection with a general meeting, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association:
• conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules, and
• file proxy materials with the SEC.
In the event that we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection therewith, provide our public shareholders with the redemption rights described above upon completion of the initial business combination.
If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we receive an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law and our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, which requires the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company. A quorum for such meeting will be present if the holders of at least one third of our issued and outstanding shares entitled to vote at the meeting are represented in person or by proxy. Our sponsor, officers and directors will count toward this quorum and, pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately-negotiated transactions, aside from shares they may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act, which would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction) in favor of our initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of an ordinary resolution, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. As a result, in addition to our sponsor’s founder shares and private placement shares, we would need 6,424,167, or approximately 32.1%, of the 20,000,000 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, the underwriters’ private placement shares are voted in favor of the initial business combination, the over-allotment option is not exercised and the parties to the letter agreement do not acquire any Class A ordinary shares. Assuming that only the holders of one third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing a quorum under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association vote their shares at a general meeting of the company, we would not need any of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering in addition to our founder shares and private placement shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to approve an initial business combination. However, if our initial business combination is structured as a statutory merger or consolidation with another company under Cayman Islands law, the approval of our initial business combination will require a special resolution, which requires the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company. In addition, prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares (i) will have the right to vote to appoint and remove directors prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) will be entitled to vote on continuing our company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend our constitutional documents or to adopt new constitutional documents, in each case, as a result of our approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreement of our sponsor, officers and directors, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or vote against the proposed transaction, or whether they do not vote or abstain from voting on the proposed transaction.
134
If a shareholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will:
• 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.
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 shareholders not tendering more than the number of public shares we are permitted to redeem. If public shareholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the initial business combination.
Upon the public announcement of our initial business combination, if we elect to conduct redemption pursuant to the tender offer rules, we or our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase our Class A ordinary shares in the open market, in order to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act.
We intend to require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to, at the holder’s option, either deliver their share certificates to our transfer agent or deliver their shares to our transfer agent electronically using the Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) system, prior to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. In the case of proxy materials, this date may be up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination. In addition, if we conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote, we intend to require a public shareholder seeking redemption of its public shares to also submit a written request for redemption to our transfer agent two business days prior to the scheduled vote in which the name of the beneficial owner of such shares is included. The proxy materials or tender offer documents, as 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 shareholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. We believe that this will allow our transfer agent to efficiently process any redemptions without the need for further communication or action from the redeeming public shareholders, which could delay redemptions and result in additional administrative cost. If the proposed initial business combination is not approved and we continue to search for a target company, we will promptly return any certificates or shares delivered by public shareholders who elected to redeem their shares.
Our proposed initial business combination may impose a minimum cash requirement for (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed initial business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the initial business combination or redeem any shares, and all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof. We may, however, raise funds through the issuance of equity or equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop arrangements we may enter into following consummation of this offering, in order to, among other reasons, satisfy such net tangible assets or minimum cash requirements.
135
Limitation on Redemption Upon Completion of Our Initial Business Combination
If We Seek Shareholder Approval
If we seek shareholder 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 memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to Excess Shares without our prior consent. We believe this restriction will discourage shareholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to exercise their redemption rights against a proposed business combination as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public shareholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us, our sponsor or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’ ability to redeem no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering without our prior consent, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash.
However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination.
Delivering Share Certificates in Connection with the Exercise of Redemption Rights
As described above, we intend to require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to, at the holder’s option, either deliver their share certificates to our transfer agent or deliver their shares to our transfer agent electronically using the Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) system, prior to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. In the case of proxy materials, this date may be up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination. In addition, if we conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote, we intend to require a public shareholder seeking redemption of its public shares to also submit a written request for redemption to our transfer agent two business days prior to the scheduled vote in which the name of the beneficial owner of such shares is included. The proxy materials or tender offer documents, as 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 shareholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. Accordingly, a public shareholder would have up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the initial business combination if we distribute proxy materials, or from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, as applicable, to submit or tender its shares if it wishes to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that a shareholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures disclosed in the proxy or tender offer materials, as applicable, its shares may not be redeemed. Given the relatively short exercise period, it is advisable for shareholders to use electronic delivery of their public shares.
There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC system. The transfer agent will typically charge the broker submitting or tendering shares a fee of approximately $100 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights to submit or tender their shares. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated.
Any request to redeem such shares, once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivered its certificate in connection with an election of redemption rights and subsequently decides prior to the applicable date not to elect to exercise such rights, such holder may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically). It is anticipated that the funds to be distributed to holders of our public shares electing to redeem their shares will be distributed promptly after the completion of our initial business combination.
136
If our initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public shareholders who elected to exercise their redemption rights would not be entitled to redeem their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account. In such case, we will promptly return any certificates delivered by public holders who elected to redeem their shares.
If our initial proposed business combination is not completed, we may continue to try to complete a business combination with a different target until the end of the completion window.
Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation if No Initial Business Combination
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we will have only the duration of the completion window to complete our initial business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter (and subject to lawfully available funds therefor), 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us) and 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 shareholders’ rights as shareholders (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 shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands 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 completion window.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares and private placement shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, although they will entitled to liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account. However, if our sponsor 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 allotted completion window.
Our sponsor, officers, directors and director nominees have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, in each case unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (less taxes payable (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us)), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares.
We expect that all costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, as well as payments to any creditors, will be funded from amounts remaining out of the approximately $1,200,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account (or $1,050,000 if the underwriters’ overallotment option is exercised in full), although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. However, if those funds are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, to the extent that there is any interest accrued in the trust account not required to pay taxes on interest income earned on the trust account balance, we may request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $100,000 of such accrued interest to pay those costs and expenses.
If we were to expend all of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account, the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders upon our dissolution would be approximately $10.00. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to the claims of our creditors which
137
would have higher priority than the claims of our public shareholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption amount received by shareholders will not be substantially less than $10.00. While we intend to pay such amounts, if any, we cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims.
Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public shareholders, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements or even if they execute such agreements that they would be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account including but not limited to fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will consider whether competitive alternatives are reasonably available to us and will only enter into an agreement with such third party if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be in the best interests of the company under the circumstances. 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. CBIZ CPAs P.C., 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. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. In order to protect the amounts held in the trust account, our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to us (except for the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm), or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or other similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.05 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.05 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us), provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and we believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. 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 $10.05 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 claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.05 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account if less than $10.05 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case less taxes payable (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us), and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its indemnification obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so in any particular instance if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per-share redemption price will not be less than $10.05 per share.
138
We will seek to reduce the possibility that our sponsor will have to indemnify the trust account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account. Our sponsor will also not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We will have access to up to approximately $1,200,000 (or $1,050,000 if the underwriters’ overallotment option is exercised in full) from the proceeds of this offering with which to pay any such potential claims (including costs and expenses incurred in connection with our liquidation, currently estimated to be no more than approximately $100,000). In the event that we liquidate and it is subsequently determined that the reserve for claims and liabilities is insufficient, shareholders who received funds from our trust account could be liable for claims made by creditors. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $650,000, we may fund such excess with funds from the funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $650,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
If we file a bankruptcy or insolvency petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or insolvency petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.05 per share to our public shareholders. Additionally, if we file a bankruptcy or insolvency petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or insolvency petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy/insolvency laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance, preference or disposition.” As a result, a liquidator or bankruptcy or other court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to us or 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 shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.
Our public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only (i) in the event of the redemption of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, (ii) in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity or (iii) if they redeem their respective shares for cash upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to applicable law and any limitations (including but not limited to cash requirements) created by the terms of the proposed business combination. In no other circumstances will a shareholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. In the event we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, a shareholder’s voting in connection with the business combination alone will not result in a shareholder’s redeeming its shares to us for an applicable pro rata share of the trust account. Such shareholder must have also exercised its redemption rights described above. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, like all provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, may be amended with a shareholder vote.
139
Comparison of Redemption or Purchase Prices in Connection with Our Initial Business Combination and if We Fail to Complete Our Initial Business Combination.
The following table compares the redemptions and other permitted purchases of public shares that may take place in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window.
|
|
Redemptions in |
Other Permitted |
Redemptions if we fail to |
|||
|
Calculation of redemption price |
Redemptions at the time of our initial business combination may be made pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a shareholder vote. The redemption price will be the same whether we conduct redemptions pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a shareholder vote. In either case, our public shareholders may redeem their public shares for cash equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination (which is initially anticipated to be $10.05 per share), including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (less taxes payable (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us)), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitation that no redemptions will take place if all of the redemptions would cause to be unable to satisfy any limitations (including but not limited to cash requirements) agreed to in connection with the negotiation of terms of a proposed business combination. |
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates may purchase shares or warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following completion of our initial business combination. If our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates were to purchase shares of warrants from public shareholders, they would do so at a price no higher than the price offered through our redemption process. If they engage in such transactions, they will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material nonpublic information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules. |
If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, we will redeem all public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount, then on deposit in the trust account (which is initially anticipated to be $10.05 per share), including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us (less taxes payable (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us) and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. |
140
|
|
Redemptions in |
Other Permitted |
Redemptions if we fail to |
|||
|
Impact to remaining shareholders |
The redemptions in connection with our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for our remaining shareholders, who will bear the burden of the deferred underwriting commissions and interest withdrawn in order to pay our taxes (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us and to the extent not paid from amounts accrued as interest on the funds held in the trust account). |
If the permitted purchases described above are made, there would be no impact to our remaining shareholders because the purchase price would not be paid by us. |
The redemption of our public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for the shares held by our sponsor, who will be our only remaining shareholder after such redemptions. |
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 |
|||
|
Escrow of offering proceeds |
$201,000,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units will be deposited into a U.S. based trust account with Odyssey Transfer and Trust Company acting as trustee. |
Approximately $174,600,000 of the offering proceeds, representing the gross proceeds of this offering, 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 |
$201,000,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units held in trust will initially be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations; the holding of these assets in this form is intended to be temporary and for the sole purpose of facilitating the intended business combination. To mitigate the risk that we might be deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, which risk increases the longer that we hold |
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. |
141
|
Terms of Our Offering |
Terms Under a |
|||
|
investments in the trust account, we may, at any time (based on our management team’s ongoing assessment of all factors related to our potential status under the Investment Company Act), instruct the trustee to liquidate the investments held in the trust account and instead to hold the funds in the trust account in cash or in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a bank. |
||||
|
Receipt of interest on escrowed funds |
Interest on proceeds from the trust account to be paid to shareholders is reduced by (i) any taxes paid or payable (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us) and (ii) in the event of our liquidation for failure to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time, up to $100,000 of net interest that may be released to us should we have no or insufficient working capital to fund the costs and expenses of our dissolution and liquidation. |
Interest on funds in escrow account would be held for the sole benefit of investors, unless and only after the funds held in escrow were released to us in connection with our completion of a business combination. |
||
|
Limitation on fair value or net assets of target business |
Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of our assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. |
The fair value or net assets of a target business must represent at least 80% of the maximum offering proceeds. |
||
|
Trading of securities issued |
The units are expected to begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless Roth 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. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering, which closing is anticipated to take place three business days from the date of this prospectus. |
No trading of the units or the underlying Class A ordinary shares and warrants would be permitted until the completion of a business combination. During this period, the securities would be held in the escrow or trust account. |
142
|
Terms of Our Offering |
Terms Under a |
|||
|
If the 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 information to reflect the exercise of the over-allotment option. |
||||
|
Exercise of the warrants |
The warrants cannot be exercised until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. |
The warrants could be exercised prior to the completion of a business combination, but securities received and cash paid in connection with the exercise would be deposited in the escrow or trust account. |
||
|
Election to remain an investor |
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares, regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or vote against, our initial business combination, for cash at a per share price 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 (less taxes payable (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us)), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein. We may not be required by law to hold a shareholder vote. If we are not required by law and do not otherwise decide to hold a shareholder vote, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC and file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, we hold a shareholder vote, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. |
A prospectus containing information pertaining to the business combination required by the SEC would be sent to each investor. Each investor would be given the opportunity to notify the company in writing, within a period of no less than 20 business days and no more than 45 business days from the effective date of a post-effective amendment to the company’s registration statement, to decide if he, she or it elects to remain a shareholder 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 45 business day, funds and interest or dividends, if any, held in the trust or escrow account are automatically returned to the shareholder. 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. |
143
|
Terms of Our Offering |
Terms Under a |
|||
|
If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we receive an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law and our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, which requires the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company. However, if our initial business combination is structured as a statutory merger or consolidation with another company under Cayman Islands law, the approval of our initial business combination will require a special resolution, which requires the affirmative by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or vote against the proposed transaction, or whether they do not vote or abstain from voting on the proposed transaction. |
||||
|
Business combination deadline |
If we have not completed our initial business combination within the completion window, 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 (and subject to lawfully available funds therefor), 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us) and 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 shareholders’ rights as shareholders |
If an acquisition has not been completed within 18 months after the effective date of the company’s registration statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account are returned to investors. |
144
|
Terms of Our Offering |
Terms Under a |
|||
|
(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 shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. |
||||
|
Release of funds |
Except for the withdrawal of interest to pay our taxes, if any (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us), none of the funds held in trust will be released from the trust account 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 the completion window, subject to applicable law, or (iii) the redemption of our public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. |
The proceeds held in the escrow account are not released until the earlier of the completion of a business combination or the failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time. |
||
|
Delivering share certificates in connection with the exercise of redemption rights |
We intend to require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to, at the holder’s option, either deliver their share certificates to our transfer agent or deliver their shares to our transfer agent electronically using the Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) system, prior to the date set forth |
Many blank check companies provide that a shareholder can vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating that such shareholder is seeking to exercise its redemption rights. After the business combination is approved, the company would contact such shareholder to arrange for delivery of its share certificates to verify ownership. |
145
|
Terms of Our Offering |
Terms Under a |
|||
|
in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. In the case of proxy materials, this date may be up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination. In addition, if we conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote, we intend to require a public shareholder seeking redemption of its public shares to also submit a written request for redemption to our transfer agent two business days prior to the scheduled vote in which the name of the beneficial owner of such shares is included. The proxy materials or tender offer documents, as 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 shareholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. Accordingly, a public shareholder would have up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the initial business combination if we distribute proxy materials, or from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, as applicable, to submit or tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. |
||||
|
Limitation on redemption rights of shareholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold a shareholder vote |
If we seek shareholder 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 memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to Excess Shares without our prior consent. However, we would not restrict our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. |
Many blank check companies provide no restrictions on the ability of shareholders to redeem shares based on the number of shares held by such shareholders in connection with an initial business combination. |
146
Competition
In identifying, evaluating, and selecting a target business for our initial business combination, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, and operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess similar or greater financial, technical, human, and other resources than we do. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public shareholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination and our issued and outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Either of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination.
Facilities
Our executive offices are located at 3131 Eastside Street, Houston, Texas 77098. Pursuant to the Services and Indemnification Agreement, until the completion of our initial business combination or liquidation, we will pay a monthly fee of $25,000 to our sponsor or an affiliate thereof for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support and other services made available to us, which we may elect to accrue monthly, in full or in part, and pay upon the consummation of our initial business combination. We consider our current office space, combined with the other office space otherwise available to our officers, adequate for our current operations.
Employees
We currently have two officers, Andrew Mallozzi and Andrew Sung. These individuals are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time they will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the stage of the initial business combination process we are in. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination.
Periodic Reporting and Financial Information
We will register our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual reports will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accountants.
We will provide shareholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, sent to shareholders. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or reconciled to, GAAP or IFRS, depending on the circumstances, and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential business combination candidate will have financial statements prepared in accordance with the requirements outlined above, or that the potential target business will be able to prepare its financial statements in accordance with the requirements outlined above. To the extent that these requirements cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business. While this may limit the pool of potential business combination candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.
147
We will be required to evaluate our internal control procedures for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2027 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such business combination.
On or 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 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.
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company. Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies conducting business mainly outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Act.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder 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.
Legal Proceedings
There is no material litigation, arbitration or governmental proceeding currently pending against us or any members of our management team in their capacity as such.
148
MANAGEMENT
Officers, Directors, and Director Nominees
Our officers, directors, and director nominees are as follows:
|
Name |
Age |
Position |
||
|
Andrew Mallozzi |
45 |
Chief Executive Officer, Chairman, and Director |
||
|
Andrew Sung |
43 |
President, Chief Financial Officer, and Director |
||
|
Sean Wallace |
64 |
Director Nominee |
||
|
August Roth |
47 |
Director Nominee |
||
|
Jonathan Urfrig |
51 |
Director Nominee |
Andrew Mallozzi has served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board since inception. Mr. Mallozzi is an experienced investment professional with over 23 years of experience successfully evaluating, managing, and investing across multiple industries and corporations, with particular expertise in credit, special situations, value and growth investing. Mr. Mallozzi has also served as a director and board observer of multiple portfolio companies of Atlas Credit Partners and affiliates.
Mr. Mallozzi founded the asset management firm Atlas Credit Partners in 2019 and has since served as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer, where he leads all investment activities, risk management, and strategic decisions at the firm. Mr. Mallozzi previously served as Managing Director and sector Portfolio Manager at Anchorage Capital Group, a $28 billion special situations investment firm, where he led investments in public and private opportunities. He also led origination, research, and underwriting at Catalyst Capital, a $5 billion private equity firm, where he was responsible for building and managing the firm’s investment team, pipeline, execution and portfolio company operations. His earlier experience includes serving as Vice President and Portfolio Manager at AIG Investments in the Private Capital Group, where he managed a $2 billion portfolio of private credit and equity investments.
Mr. Mallozzi received his Artium Baccalaureus (“A.B.”) from Princeton University and his Master of Business Administration from Columbia Business School.
Andrew Sung has served as President, Chief Financial Officer and on our board of directors since February 3, 2026. Mr. Sung is an experienced investment professional with extensive expertise in analyzing and investing in credit, special situations, value and growth-oriented opportunities. Mr. Sung has also served as a director and board observer of multiple portfolio companies of Atlas Credit Partners and affiliates.
Since 2021, Mr. Sung has served as Director of Research at Atlas Credit Partners, where he is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee and maintains responsibilities for all aspects of the investment process from initial investment to exit. Mr. Sung previously served as a credit analyst at Reorg Research, a North American independent research firm. Mr. Sung was also a credit analyst at Dundon Advisers, working on behalf of unsecured creditor claimants in special credit situations. Mr. Sung also served as a credit analyst at Pine River Capital Management, where he analyzed special situations and recommended credit investments in the North American public markets. His earlier experience includes serving as a Credit Trader, beginning his career at Lehman Brothers/Barclays Capital and then Credit Suisse, where he worked in credit sales and trading, with a focus on credit derivatives and later at Longwood Credit Partners/Kingston Investment Group, a long/short hedge fund.
Mr. Sung received his A.B. from Princeton University.
Sean Wallace has agreed to serve on our board of directors commencing upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Mr. Wallace is an experienced business leader with over 30 years of banking, management, and finance experience.
Mr. Wallace currently serves as a strategic advisor to Barnwell Industries, Inc., an energy and land investment firm. He also serves as the Chief Investment Officer of his family office and private investment platform. Since 2024, Mr. Wallace has served as an independent senior advisor to certain early-stage private companies in the telecommunications sector, offering strategic and financial advice. From May 2022 to November 2024, Mr. Wallace served as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Consultant of AST SpaceMobile, a Mobile Satellite Service company. From May 2020 to May 2022, Mr. Wallace served as the Chief Financial Officer of Cogent Communications Inc., one of the largest Tier 1 commercial Internet Service Providers in the world. Mr. Wallace also held senior positions
149
at Standard Chartered Bank in Singapore, including Group Head of the Corporate Finance Group and Group Head of the Corporate and Institutional Client Group, overseeing the Wholesale Client Coverage effort with a $9.0 billion top line and 4,000 professionals operating in over 50 countries. Earlier in his career, he was the Co-Head of Investment Banking and Capital Markets for Asia Pacific at J.P. Morgan.
Mr. Wallace received his A.B. from Harvard College and his Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
August Roth has agreed to serve on our board of directors commencing upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
Since 2013, Mr. Roth has been the Chief Investment Officer of FCR Holdings, his family office and private investment platform, investing in public equities and credit as well as real estate, private equity and venture capital. He previously was an Investment Partner at Coalition Investment Partners, focused on capital solutions in the public and private realm. Mr. Roth also launched a value-oriented, credit and equity hedge fund, Hylas Capital Management LP, where he served as a credit analyst, equity analyst and Chief Investment Officer. His earlier experience includes serving as an equity and credit analyst at JANA Partners LLC, where he was responsible for idea generation and analysis of special situations, energy, power, and TMT investments across the capital structure. Additionally, while at JANA Partners LLC, Mr. Roth served on numerous creditors’ committees and originated and led several successful concentrated equity investments. Mr. Roth began his career as a research analyst at Salomon Smith Barney, where he focused on high yield corporate credit research, and later Citigroup in their Global Markets group.
Mr. Roth received his Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University.
Jonathan Urfrig has agreed to serve on our board of directors commencing upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Mr. Urfrig is an experienced investor, asset manager, and entrepreneur, with expertise in global investments across private equity, venture capital, and public markets, and sector expertise including natural resources, infrastructure, and technology.
In 2017, Mr. Urfrig co-founded Living Seas Inc., a successor to Emerald Seas LLC, a global developer of sustainable aquaculture projects, and has served as its Co-Chief Executive Officer since inception. Mr. Urfrig also currently serves as Managing Member of UCAP Holdings LLC, an entity formed to manage private and public equity, venture, and real estate investments, where he co-founded Emerald Seas LLC, an aquaculture developer, and was a co-founding member of Tegus Advisors, a predecessor to Tegus Inc., a leading primary research platform. Mr. Urfrig previously served as President of Overbrook Management Corporation, an asset manager where he oversaw and co-headed hedge fund, long-only, and SMA businesses, including launching and co-managing a long-short event-driven hedge fund. He also founded and served as Chief Executive Officer and Portfolio Manager of U Capital Group LP, an event-driven hedge fund focused on cross-capital structure special situations. His earlier experience includes serving as a Portfolio Manager at Third Point LLC, focusing on natural resources, industrials and special situations, as an associate at TPG Capital in private equity and as an analyst at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette where he was an analyst in investment banking and merchant banking groups.
Mr. Urfrig received his Bachelor of Science from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and his Master of Business Administration from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.
Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors
We will have 5 directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. 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 general meeting of shareholders) serving a three-year term. Prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to vote on the appointment and removal of directors or continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend our constitutional documents or to adopt new constitutional documents, in each case, as a result of our approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on such matters during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association relating to these rights of holders of Class B ordinary shares may be amended by a special resolution passed by the affirmative vote of at least 90% (or, where such amendment is proposed in respect of the consummation of our initial business combination, two-thirds) of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or,
150
where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company. In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of Andrew Sung, will expire at our first annual general meeting of shareholders. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of August Roth and Jonathan Urfrig, will expire at the second annual general meeting of shareholders. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of Andrew Mallozzi and Sean Wallace, will expire at the third annual general meeting of shareholders. We may not hold an annual general meeting of shareholders until after we consummate our initial business combination.
Our officers are appointed by the board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board of directors, rather than for specific terms of office. Our board of directors is authorized to appoint persons to the offices set forth in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association as it deems appropriate.
Director Independence
Nasdaq listing standards require that a majority of our board of directors be independent within one year of our initial public offering. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person other than an officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship which in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. Our board of directors has determined that Sean Wallace, August Roth and Jonathan Urfrig are “independent directors” as defined in the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
Officer and Director Compensation
None of our officers or directors has received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Additionally, no compensation was awarded to, earned by, or paid to our officers or directors. Other than as described elsewhere in this prospectus, no compensation of any kind, including finder’s and consulting fees, will be paid to our sponsor or any of its respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. In addition, our officers, 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 and its respective affiliates.
After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting or management fees from the combined company. All of these fees will be fully disclosed to shareholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our shareholders in connection with a proposed business combination. We have not established any limit on the amount of such fees that may be paid by the combined company to our directors or members of management. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of the proposed business combination, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers will be determined, or recommended to the board of directors for determination, either by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors or by a majority of the independent directors on our board of directors.
Following a business combination, to the extent we deem it necessary, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management team of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Upon the commencement of trading of our units on Nasdaq, our board of directors will establish two standing committees: an audit committee and a compensation committee. Subject to phase-in rules and a limited exception, the rules of Nasdaq and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors, and the rules of Nasdaq require that the compensation committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors. Each committee operates under a charter that has been approved by our board and have the composition and responsibilities described below.
151
Audit Committee
Upon the commencement of trading of our units on Nasdaq, we will establish an audit committee of the board of directors. Sean Wallace, August Roth, and Jonathan Urfrig will serve as members of our audit committee, with Sean Wallace serving as the chairman of the audit committee. Under the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least three members of the audit committee, all of whom must be independent. However, a minority of the members of the audit committee may be exempt from the heightened audit committee independence standards for one year from the date of effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Sean Wallace, August Roth, and Jonathan Urfrig meet the independent director standard under Nasdaq listing standards and under Rule 10-A-3(b)(1) of the Exchange Act. As allowed under the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC and Nasdaq, we intend to phase in compliance with the audit committee composition requirements prior to the end of the one-year transition period.
Each member of the audit committee is financially literate, and our board of directors has determined that Sean Wallace qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules.
We will adopt an audit committee charter, which will detail the principal functions of the audit committee, including:
• the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent auditors and any other independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us;
• pre-approving all audit and permitted non-audit services to be provided by the independent auditors or any other registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures;
• reviewing and discussing with the independent auditors all relationships the auditors have with us in order to evaluate their continued independence;
• setting clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent auditors;
• setting clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations;
• obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the independent auditors describing (i) the independent auditor’s internal quality-control procedures and (ii) any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review, or peer review, of the audit firm, or by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities within the preceding five years respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the firm and any steps taken to deal with such issues;
• reviewing and approving any related party transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC prior to us entering into such transaction; and
• reviewing with management, the independent auditors, and our legal advisors, as appropriate, any legal, regulatory or compliance matters, including any correspondence with regulators or government agencies and any employee complaints or published reports that raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies and any significant changes in accounting standards or rules promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC or other regulatory authorities.
Compensation Committee
Upon the commencement of trading of our units on Nasdaq, we will establish a compensation committee of the board of directors. August Roth, Sean Wallace, and Jonathan Urfrig will serve as members of our compensation committee, with August Roth serving as the chairman of the compensation committee. Under the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least two members of the compensation committee, all of whom must be independent, subject to certain phase-in provisions. Each such person meets the independent director standard under Nasdaq listing standards applicable to members of the compensation committee.
152
We will adopt a compensation committee charter, which will detail the principal functions of the compensation committee, including:
• reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our Chief Executive Officer based on such evaluation;
• reviewing and approving on an annual basis the compensation of all of our other officers;
• reviewing on an annual basis our executive compensation policies and plans;
• implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans;
• assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements;
• approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our officers and employees;
• if required, producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and
• reviewing, evaluating, and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, as indicated above, other than reimbursement of expenses, no compensation of any kind, including finders, consulting or other similar fees, will be paid to any of our existing shareholders, officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates, prior to, or for any services they render in order to complete the consummation of a business combination although we may consider cash or other compensation to officers or advisors we may hire subsequent to this offering to be paid either prior to or in connection with our initial business combination. Accordingly, it is likely that prior to the consummation of an initial business combination, the compensation committee will only be responsible for the review and recommendation of any compensation arrangements to be entered into in connection with such initial business combination.
The charter will also provide that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser and will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by NASDAQ and the SEC.
Director Nominations
We do not have a standing nominating committee. In accordance with Rule 5605(e)(2) of the Nasdaq Rules, a majority of the independent directors may recommend a director nominee for selection by the board of directors. The board of directors believes that the independent directors can satisfactorily carry out the responsibility of properly selecting or approving director nominees without the formation of a standing nominating committee. The directors who will participate in the consideration and recommendation of director nominees are Sean Wallace, August Roth, and Jonathan Urfrig. As there is no standing nominating committee, we do not have a nominating committee charter in place.
The board of directors will also consider director candidates recommended for nomination by our shareholders during such times as they are seeking proposed nominees to stand for election at the next annual general meeting of shareholders (or, if applicable, an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders). Our shareholders that wish to nominate a director for election to our board of directors should follow the procedures set forth in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
We have not formally established any specific, minimum qualifications that must be met or skills that are necessary for directors to possess. In general, in identifying and evaluating nominees for director, our board of directors considers educational background, diversity of professional experience, knowledge of our business, integrity, professional reputation, independence, wisdom, and the ability to represent the best interests of our shareholders. 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.
153
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
None of our officers currently serves, in the past year has served, as a member of the compensation committee of any entity that has one or more officers serving on our board of directors.
Clawback Policy
We have adopted a compensation recovery policy that is compliant with Nasdaq listing rules as required by the Dodd-Frank Act.
Code of Ethics
Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will adopt a Code of Ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees. We will file a copy of our Code of Ethics and our audit and compensation committee charters as exhibits 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 Ethics will be provided without charge upon request from us. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Where You Can Find Additional Information.”
Conflicts of Interest
Under Cayman Islands law, directors and officers owe the following fiduciary duties:
• duty to act in good faith in what the director or officer believes to be in the best interests of the company as a whole;
• duty to exercise powers for the purposes for which those powers were conferred and not for a collateral purpose;
• directors should not improperly fetter the exercise of future discretion;
• duty to exercise powers fairly as between different sections of shareholders;
• duty not to put themselves in a position in which there is a conflict between their duty to the company and their personal interests; and
• duty to exercise independent judgment.
In addition to the above, directors also owe a duty of care which is not fiduciary in nature. This duty has been defined as a requirement to act as a reasonably diligent person having both the general knowledge, skill and experience that may reasonably be expected of a person carrying out the same functions as are carried out by that director in relation to the company and the general knowledge skill and experience of that director.
As set out above, directors have a duty not to put themselves in a position of conflict and this includes a duty not to engage in self-dealing, or to otherwise benefit as a result of their position. However, in some instances what would otherwise be a breach of this duty can be forgiven and/or authorized in advance by the shareholders provided that there is full disclosure by the directors. This can be done by way of permission granted in the memorandum and articles of association or alternatively by shareholder approval at general meetings.
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, or contractual obligations to other entities, pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present business combination opportunities to such entity. Accordingly, in the future, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or
154
indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other.
Potential investors should also be aware of the following other potential conflicts of interest:
• Members of our management team directly or indirectly own 7,666,667 founder shares (up to 1,000,000 shares of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised) 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.
• The approximately $0.003 per share price that the members of management team paid for the founder shares creates an incentive whereby our officers and directors could potentially make a substantial profit even if the Company selects an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public investors.
• In the event we do not consummate a business combination within the completion window, the founder shares, the warrants, the private placement units, and their underlying securities will expire worthless, which could create an incentive for our officers and directors to complete any transaction, regardless of its ultimate value.
•
• In the course of their other business activities, our officers and directors may become aware of investment and business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us as well as the other entities with which they are affiliated.
•
•
•
155
• We will pay an affiliate of our sponsor $25,000 per month for office space, secretarial and administrative services provided to members of our management team prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, as described elsewhere in this prospectus, which we may elect to accrue monthly, in full or in part, and pay upon the consummation of our initial business combination. Upon consummation of this offering, we will repay up to $400,000 in loans made to us by Union Street Management Sponsor, LLC, an affiliate of our sponsor to cover a portion of the expenses of this offering. Additionally, members of our management team will be entitled to reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination. As a result, there may be actual or potential material conflicts of interest between members of our management team, our sponsor and its affiliates on one hand, and purchasers in this offering on the other.
The conflicts described above may not be resolved in our favor.
Accordingly, as a result of multiple business affiliations, our directors and officers have similar legal obligations relating to presenting business opportunities meeting the above-listed criteria to multiple entities. Below is a table summarizing the entities to which our directors and officers and certain of our affiliates currently have fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may present a conflict of interest:
|
Individual |
Entity |
Entity’s Business |
Affiliation |
|||
|
Andrew Mallozzi |
Atlas Credit Partners |
Private credit fund |
Chief Investment Officer and Managing Partner |
|||
|
Andrew Sung |
Atlas Credit Partners |
Private credit fund |
Director of Research and Investment Committee Member |
|||
|
Sean Wallace |
Dragon Blue LLC |
Family Office |
Chief Investment Officer |
|||
|
Barnwell Industries, Inc. |
Energy investment company |
Strategic Advisor |
||||
|
August Roth |
FCR Holdings |
Family Office |
Chief Investing Officer |
|||
|
Jonathan Urfrig |
UCAP Holdings LLC |
Venture capital firm |
Managing Member |
|||
|
Living Seas Inc. |
Aquaculture |
Co-Chief Executive Officer |
Accordingly, as a result of multiple business affiliations, our officers and directors may have similar legal obligations relating to presenting business opportunities meeting the above-listed criteria to multiple entities. Furthermore, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor or any affiliate of it, subject to certain approvals and consents.
In the event that we submit our initial business combination to our shareholders for a vote, our sponsor has agreed to vote any founder shares and private placement shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after the offering in favor of our initial business combination.
Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors
Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against willful default, willful neglect, civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides for indemnification of our officers and directors to the maximum extent permitted
156
by law, including for any liability incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own actual fraud, willful default or willful neglect. We entered into agreements with our directors and officers to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. We expect to purchase a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors.
Our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account, and have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever (except to the extent they are entitled to funds from the trust account due to their ownership of public shares). Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied by us if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination.
Our indemnification obligations may discourage shareholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our shareholders. Furthermore, a shareholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
We believe that these provisions, the insurance, and the indemnity agreements are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced officers and directors.
157
PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS
The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares as of the date of this prospectus, and as adjusted to reflect the sale of our Class A ordinary shares included in the units offered by this prospectus and the private placement units, 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 our issued and outstanding ordinary shares;
• each of our officers, directors, and director nominees; and
• all our officers and directors as a group.
Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all of our ordinary shares beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect record or beneficial ownership of the private placement warrants as these warrants are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this prospectus.
On January 29, 2026, our sponsor paid an aggregate of $25,000 to cover certain of our offering costs in exchange for 7,666,667 founder shares. The founder shares were purchased for approximately $0.003 per share.
Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by the sponsor, 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. The number of founder shares outstanding was determined based on the expectation that the total size of this offering would be a maximum of 23,000,000 public units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent 25% of the outstanding shares after this offering (excluding the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private placement units and the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants). Up to 1,000,000 of the founder shares will be surrendered for no consideration depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. The post-offering percentages in the following table assume that the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option, that 1,000,000 founder shares have been surrendered to us for no consideration, and that there are 27,151,667 ordinary shares issued and outstanding after this offering.
|
Name and Address of |
Number of |
Approximate |
Number of |
Approximate |
||||||||||||
|
Before |
After |
Before |
After |
|||||||||||||
|
Union Street Sponsor, LLC(3) |
435,000 |
— |
% |
1.6 |
% |
6,666,667 |
100 |
% |
100 |
% |
||||||
|
Andrew Mallozzi(3) |
435,000 |
— |
% |
1.6 |
% |
6,666,667 |
100 |
% |
100 |
% |
||||||
|
Andrew Sung(4) |
— |
— |
|
— |
|
— |
— |
|
— |
|
||||||
|
Sean Wallace(4) |
— |
— |
|
— |
|
— |
— |
|
— |
|
||||||
|
August Roth(4) |
— |
— |
|
— |
|
— |
— |
|
— |
|
||||||
|
Jonathan Urfrig(4) |
— |
— |
|
— |
|
— |
— |
|
— |
|
||||||
|
All officers, directors, and director nominees as a group (5 persons) |
435,000 |
— |
% |
1.6 |
% |
6,666,667 |
100 |
% |
100 |
% |
||||||
____________
* Less than one percent.
(1) Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following is c/o ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp., 3131 Eastside Street, Houston, Texas 77098.
(2) Interests shown consist solely of founder shares, classified as Class B ordinary shares. Such shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares immediately prior to, concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holder on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment, as described in the section entitled “Description of Securities.”
158
(3) Union Street Sponsor, LLC, our sponsor, is the record holder of such shares. Union Street Management Sponsor, LLC is the managing member of Union Street Sponsor, LLC. Andrew Mallozzi is the managing member of Union Street Management Sponsor, LLC. Mr. Mallozzi indirectly controls each of our sponsor and Union Street Management Sponsor, LLC, and has voting and investment discretion with respect to the ordinary shares held of record by the sponsor. Andrew Mallozzi disclaims any beneficial ownership of any securities held by the sponsor except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein, directly or indirectly.
(4) Excludes securities in which this individual holds an indirect interest through an ownership interest in our sponsor.
Immediately after this offering, our sponsor will beneficially own 25% of the then issued and outstanding ordinary shares (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering and excluding the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private placement units and the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants). Prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to vote on the appointment and removal of directors or continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend our constitutional documents or to adopt new constitutional documents, in each case, as a result of our approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). Because of this ownership block, our sponsor may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all other matters requiring approval by our shareholders, including the appointment of directors or continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend our constitutional documents or to adopt new constitutional documents, in each case, as a result of our approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands), and approval of significant corporate transactions including our initial business combination.
Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Units
The founder shares and private placement units (including the securities comprising such units and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) are each subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to lock-up provisions in the agreements entered into by our sponsor and management team. Those lock-up provisions provide that such securities are not transferable or saleable (i) in the case of the founder shares, until the earlier of (A) six months after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier if, subsequent to our initial business combination, the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 30 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 shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property and (ii) in the case of the private placement units (including the securities comprising such units and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants), until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination except in each case (a) to our officers, directors, advisors or consultants, any affiliate or family member of any of our officers, directors, advisors or consultants, any members or partners of the sponsor and their respective affiliates and funds and accounts advised by such members or partners, any affiliates of the sponsor, or any employees of such affiliates; (b) in the case of an individual, as a gift to such person’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of such person’s immediate family, an affiliate of such person or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of such person; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) by private sales or transfers made in connection with any forward purchase agreement or similar arrangement, in connection with an extension of the completion window or in connection with the consummation of a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares or warrants were originally purchased; (f) pro rata distributions from our sponsor to its respective members, partners or shareholders pursuant to our sponsor’s limited liability company agreement or other charter documents; (g) by virtue of the laws of the Cayman Islands or our sponsor’s limited liability company agreement upon dissolution of our sponsor; (h) in the event of our liquidation prior to our consummation of our initial business combination; (i) in the event that, subsequent to our consummation of an initial business combination, we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property; or (j) to a nominee or custodian of a person or entity to whom a transfer would be permissible under clauses (a) through (g); provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (g) and clause (j) these permitted transferees must
159
enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions and the other restrictions contained in the letter agreements. Except in certain limited circumstances, no member of the sponsor may transfer all or any portion of its membership interests in the sponsor.
Assuming no liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction takes place, lock-ups on securities owned by our sponsor would expire as follows:
|
Founder Shares |
Private Placement Units |
|
|
Six months after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier if, subsequent to our initial business combination, the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 30 days after our initial business combination |
30 days after completion of our initial business combination |
Registration Rights
The holders of the (i) founder shares, which were issued in a private placement prior to the closing of this offering, (ii) private placement units (and the securities comprising such units and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants comprising part of such units) which will be issued in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of this offering and (iii) private placement units (and the securities comprising such units and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants comprising part of such units) that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans will have registration rights to require us to register a sale of any of our securities held by them and any other securities of the company acquired by them prior to the consummation of our initial business combination pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering. Pursuant to the registration rights agreement and assuming the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full and $1,500,000 of working capital loans are converted into private placement units, we will be obligated to register up to 8,619,167 Class A ordinary shares and 317,500 warrants. The number of Class A ordinary shares includes (i) 7,666,667 ordinary shares to be issued upon conversion of the founder shares, (ii) 485,000 Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private placement units and 242,500 Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants comprising part of such private placement units, (iii) 150,000 Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private placement units issued upon conversion of working capital loans and (iv) 75,000 Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants included in such private placement units. The number of warrants includes up to 242,500 private placement warrants included in the private placement units and 75,000 private placement warrants comprising part of the private placement units issued upon the 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 completion of our initial business combination. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, Roth may only make a demand on one occasion and only during the five-year period beginning on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. In addition, Roth may participate in a “piggy-back” registration only during the seven-year period beginning on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
160
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
On January 29, 2026, our sponsor paid an aggregate of $25,000 to cover certain of our offering costs in exchange for 7,666,667 founder shares. The founder shares were purchased for approximately $0.003 per share.
The number of founder shares outstanding was determined based on the expectation that the total size of this offering would be a maximum of 23,000,000 public units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent 25% of the outstanding shares after this offering (excluding the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private placement units and the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants). Up to 1,000,000 of the founder shares will be surrendered for no consideration depending on the extent to which 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 Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 25% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (excluding the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private placement units and the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants).
Our sponsor and Roth have committed, pursuant to written agreements, to purchase an aggregate of 485,000 private placement units at a price of $10.00 per unit, or $4,850,000 in the aggregate, in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Each private placement unit will consist of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one warrant, with each whole warrant exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share. The private placement units are identical to the units sold in this offering, subject to certain limited exceptions as described in this prospectus. The private placement warrants will be identical to the warrants comprising part of the units being offered by this prospectus. Of those 485,000 private placement units, our sponsor has agreed to purchase 435,000 private placement units and Roth has agreed to purchase 50,000 private placement units.
The private placement units held by the sponsor are subject to a lock-up as described in “Principal Shareholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Units”.
Prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, we may pay our sponsor, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, a finder’s fee, advisory fee, consulting fee or success fee for any services they render to us in order to effectuate the completion of our initial business, which, if made prior to the completion of our initial business combination, will be paid from funds held outside the trust account.
We will pay an affiliate of our sponsor $25,000 per month for office space, secretarial and administrative services provided to members of our management team prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, as described elsewhere in this prospectus, which we may elect to accrue monthly, in full or in part, and pay upon the consummation of our initial business combination.
Prior to the closing of this offering, Union Street Management Sponsor, LLC, an affiliate of our sponsor, may loan us funds in an aggregate amount of up to $400,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. These loans would be non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of December 31, 2026 or the closing of this offering.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required on a non-interest basis. If we complete an initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use amounts held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units of the post business combination entity at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. Such units would be identical to the private placement units. Except as set forth above, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
161
We have until the date that is 18 months from the closing of this offering or until such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, to consummate our initial business combination. If we anticipate that we may be unable to consummate our initial business combination within such 18-month period, we may seek shareholder approval to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the date by which we must consummate our initial business combination. Subject to shareholder approval, there are no limitations as to the duration of an extension or the number of times the completion window may be extended by shareholders via an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. If we seek shareholder approval for an extension, holders of public shares will be offered an opportunity to redeem their shares at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned thereon (less taxes payable (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us)), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law. Our public shareholders will have the right to redeem their shares regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or vote against an extension.
Any of the foregoing payments to our sponsor, repayments of loans from our sponsor or repayments of working capital loans prior to our initial business combination will be made using funds held outside the trust account.
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 our shareholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, furnished to our shareholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of distribution of such tender offer materials or at the time of a general meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation.
We have entered into a registration rights agreement with respect to the founder shares, the private placement units, the private placement warrants and the Class A ordinary share issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants, which is described under the heading “Principal Shareholders — Registration Rights.”
In addition, although there are no current plans to do so, in order to facilitate our initial business combination or for any other reason determined by our sponsor in its sole discretion, our sponsor may surrender or forfeit, transfer or exchange our founder shares, private placement units and/or any of our other securities, including for no consideration, as well as subject any such securities to earn-outs or other restrictions, or otherwise amend the terms of any such securities or enter into any other arrangements with respect to any such securities.
Policy for Approval of Related Party Transactions
The audit committee of our board of directors will adopt a policy setting forth the policies and procedures for its review and approval or ratification of “related party transactions.” A “related party transaction” is any consummated or proposed transaction or series of transactions: (i) in which the company was or is to be a participant; (ii) the amount of which exceeds (or is reasonably expected to exceed) the lesser of $120,000 or 1% of the average of the company’s total assets at year end for the prior two completed fiscal years in the aggregate over the duration of the transaction (without regard to profit or loss); and (iii) in which a “related party” had, has or will have a direct or indirect material interest. “Related parties” under this policy will include: (i) our directors, nominees for director or officers or any person who has served in such roles since the beginning of the most recent fiscal year, even if he or she does not currently serve in that role; (ii) any record or beneficial owner of more than 5% of any class of our voting securities; (iii) any immediate family member of any of the foregoing if the foregoing person is a natural person; and (iv) any other person who maybe a “related person” pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K under the Exchange Act. Pursuant to the policy, the audit committee will consider (i) the relevant facts and circumstances of each related party transaction, including if the transaction is on terms comparable to those that could be obtained in arm’s-length dealings with an unrelated third party, (ii) the extent of the related party’s interest in the transaction, (iii) whether the transaction contravenes our code of ethics or other policies, (iv) whether the audit committee believes the relationship underlying the transaction to be in the best interests of the company and its shareholders and (v) if the related party is a director or an immediate family member of a director, the effect that the transaction may have on a director’s status as an independent member of the board and on his or her eligibility to serve on the board’s committees. Management will present to the audit committee each proposed related party transaction, including all relevant facts and circumstances relating thereto.
162
Under the policy, we may consummate related party transactions only if our audit committee approves or ratifies the transaction in accordance with the guidelines set forth in the policy. The policy will not permit any director or officer to participate in the discussion of, or decision concerning, a related person transaction in which he or she is the related party.
We are not prohibited from paying any fees (including advisory fees), reimbursements or cash payments to our sponsor, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, including the following payments, all of which, if made prior to the completion of our initial business combination, will be paid from funds held outside the trust account:
• Repayment of up to an aggregate of $400,000 in loans made to us by Union Street Management Sponsor, LLC, an affiliate of our sponsor, to cover offering-related and organizational expenses;
• Repayment for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support and other services made available to us by our sponsor in an amount equal to $25,000 per month, which we may elect to accrue monthly, in full or in part, and pay upon the consummation of our initial business combination;
• Payment of advisory, consulting, success or finder fees to our sponsor, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, which, if made prior to the completion of our initial business combination, will be paid from funds held outside the trust accounts;
• Reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating, negotiating and completing an initial business combination; and
• Repayment of loans which may be made by our sponsor, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units of the post-business combination entity at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. Such units would be identical to the private placement units. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans.
163
DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company (company number 430659) and our affairs are governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act and the common law of the Cayman Islands. Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association which will be adopted upon the consummation of this offering, we will be authorized to issue 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value each, 50,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value each as well as 5,000,000 preference shares, $0.0001 par value each. The following description summarizes certain terms of our shares as set out more particularly in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. 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 Class A ordinary share and one-half of one warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of the company’s Class A ordinary shares. 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 Class A ordinary share, such warrant will not be exercisable. If a warrant holder holds two halves of one warrant, such whole warrant will be exercisable for one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share.
The Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units are expected to begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless Roth 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 Class A ordinary shares 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 Class A ordinary shares and warrants. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least two units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant. Additionally, the units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination.
In no event will the Class A ordinary shares 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. If the 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 information to reflect the exercise of the over-allotment option.
Private Placement Units
The private placement units (including the private placement shares, private placement warrants and Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants included in such private placement units) will not be transferable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except, among other limited exceptions as described under “Principal Shareholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Units,” to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with our sponsor). For more information on the letter agreement in which such transfer restrictions are included and for more information on the limited exceptions to such transfer restrictions, also see “Proposed Business — Initial Business Combination — Sponsor Information.”
Holders of our private placement units (including their component securities) are entitled to certain registration rights. If we do not consummate an initial business combination within the completion window, any proceeds from the sale of the private placement units held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law). Holders of our private placement units have entered into an agreement with us, pursuant to which, among others, they will agree to waive their redemption rights with respect
164
to their founder shares, private placement shares included in any private placement units and public shares in connection with (i) the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) 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 the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. Further, if we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law and our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. In such case, our sponsor and management team will agree to vote their founder shares, private placement shares included in any private placement units and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination. Otherwise, the private placement units are identical to the Class A ordinary shares sold in this offering.
In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into private placement units of the post business combination entity at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. The private placement units issued upon conversion of any such loans would be identical to the private placement units sold in a private placement concurrently with this offering.
Ordinary Shares
Prior to the date of this prospectus, there were 7,666,667 Class B ordinary shares outstanding, all of which were held of record by our sponsor, so that our sponsor will own 25% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (assuming our sponsor does not purchase any units in this offering and excluding the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private placement units and the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants). Up to 1,000,000 of the founder shares will be surrendered for no consideration depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. Upon the closing of this offering, 27,151,667 of our ordinary shares will be outstanding (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the corresponding surrender for no consideration of 1,000,000 founder shares) comprising:
• 20,000,000 Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the units issued as part of this offering;
• 485,000 Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private placement units; and
• 6,666,667 Class B ordinary shares held by our sponsor.
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 Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of founder shares by our sponsor at 25% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering and not including their ownership of the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private placement units).
Ordinary shareholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by shareholders. However, only holders of Class B ordinary shares will have the right to (i) appoint or remove directors in any election held prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, meaning that holders of Class A ordinary shares will not have the right to vote to appoint any directors until after the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) continue the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend our constitutional documents or to adopt new constitutional documents, in each case, as a result of our approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). The provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association governing these matters prior to our initial business combination may only be amended by a special resolution passed by the affirmative vote of at least 90% (or, where such amendment is proposed in respect of the consummation of our initial business combination, two-thirds) of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company. On any other matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, holders of Class A ordinary shares and holders of Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single
165
class on all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders except as required by law. Unless otherwise specified in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or as required by applicable provisions of the Companies Act or applicable stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of our ordinary shares that are represented in person or by proxy and are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our shareholders. Approval of certain actions will require a special resolution under Cayman Islands law, which (except as outlined above) requires the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company, and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association; such actions include amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (other than the provisions referred to above) and approving a statutory merger or consolidation with another company. 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 appointed in each year. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the appointment of directors, with the result that the holders of more than 50% of the shares entitled to vote and voted for the appointment of directors can appoint all of the directors. Our shareholders 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 memorandum and articles of association authorize the issuance of up to 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, 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 Class A ordinary shares which we are authorized to issue at the same time as our shareholders vote on the business combination to the extent we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination. Our board of directors is divided into three classes with only one class of directors being appointed in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual general meeting) serving a three-year term.
In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. There is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual or general meetings or appoint directors other than to ensure that the company has at least one director at all times. We may not hold an annual general meeting to appoint new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination.
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares, regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or vote against, our initial business combination, 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 (less taxes payable (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us)), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.05 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 sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Unlike many special purpose acquisition companies that hold shareholder 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 shareholder vote is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, 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 memorandum and articles of association require 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 shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other 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 shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we receive an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law and our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, which requires the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company. However, if our initial business combination
166
is structured as a statutory merger or consolidation with another company under Cayman Islands law, the approval of our initial business combination will require a special resolution, which requires the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company. However, the participation of our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors and their respective 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 shareholders vote, or indicate their intention to vote, against such initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of an ordinary resolution, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association require that at least five clear days’ notice will be given of any general meeting.
If we seek shareholder 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 memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder 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 without our prior consent. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Our shareholders’ inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination, and such shareholders could suffer a material loss in their investment if they sell such Excess Shares on the open market. Additionally, such shareholders will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. And, as a result, such shareholders will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% 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 shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately-negotiated transactions, aside from shares they may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act, which would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction) in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our sponsor’s founder shares and private placement shares, we would need 6,424,167, or approximately 32.1%, of the 20,000,000 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, the underwriters’ private placement shares are voted in favor of the initial business combination, the over-allotment option is not exercised and the parties to the letter agreement do not acquire any Class A ordinary shares. Assuming that only the holders of one third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing a quorum under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association vote their shares at a general meeting of the company, we would not need any of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering in addition to our founder shares and private placement shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to approve an initial business combination. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or vote against the proposed transaction, or whether they do not vote or abstain from voting on the proposed transaction.
Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, if we have not completed our initial business combination within the completion window, 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 (and subject to lawfully available funds therefor), 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us) and 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 shareholders’ rights as shareholders (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 shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement 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 and private placement shares if we fail to complete our initial business
167
combination within the completion window. However, if our sponsor 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 shareholders 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 ordinary shares. Our shareholders have no preemptive or other subscription rights. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to the ordinary shares, except that we will provide our public shareholders 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 (less taxes payable (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us)), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein.
Founder Shares
The founder shares are designated as Class B ordinary shares and, except as described below, are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, and holders of founder shares have the same shareholder rights as public shareholders, except that (i) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below, (ii) the founder shares are entitled to registration rights, (iii) our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to (A) waive their redemption rights with respect to any shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (B) waive their redemption rights with respect to any shares held by them in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (x) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within the completion window or (y) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, (C) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares and private placement shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, 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 to liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account and (D) vote any founder shares and private placement shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately-negotiated transactions, aside from shares they may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act, which would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction) in favor of our initial business combination, (iv) the founder shares are automatically convertible into Class A ordinary shares immediately prior to, concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holder on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described herein and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, and (v) prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to vote on the appointment and removal of directors or continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend our constitutional documents or to adopt new constitutional documents, in each case, as a result of our approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands).
The founder shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares immediately prior to, concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holder on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or any other equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts sold in this offering and related to or in connection with the closing of the initial business combination, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, 25% of the sum of (i) the total number of all Class A ordinary shares outstanding upon the completion of this offering (including any Class A ordinary shares issued pursuant to the underwriters’ over-allotment option and excluding the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private placement units
168
and the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants), plus (ii) all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued, in connection with the closing of the initial business combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and any private placement-equivalent units issued to our sponsor, officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, upon conversion of working capital loans) minus (iii) any redemptions of Class A ordinary shares by public shareholders in connection with an initial business combination and any Class A ordinary shares redeemed by public shareholders in connection with any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association made prior to the consummation of the initial business combination (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to the rights of holders of Class A ordinary shares or pre-business combination activity; 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 saleable (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) six months after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier if, subsequent to our initial business combination, the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 30 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 shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Up to 1,000,000 founder shares will be surrendered to us for no consideration depending on the exercise of the over-allotment option.
Except in certain limited circumstances, no member of the sponsor may transfer all or any portion of its membership interests in the sponsor. For more information, see “Principal Shareholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Units”.
Register of Members
Under Cayman Islands law, we must keep a register of members and there will be entered therein:
• the names and addresses of the members, a statement of the shares held by each member, and of the amount paid or agreed to be considered as paid, on the shares of each member and the voting rights of the shares of each member;
• whether voting rights attach to the shares in issue;
• the date on which the name of any person was entered on the register as a member; and
• the date on which any person ceased to be a member.
Under Cayman Islands law, the register of members of our company is prima facie evidence of the matters set out therein (i.e. the register of members will raise a presumption of fact on the matters referred to above unless rebutted) and a member registered in the register of members will be deemed as a matter of Cayman Islands law to have legal title to the shares as set against its name in the register of members. Upon the closing of this public offering, the register of members will be immediately updated to reflect the issue of shares by us. Once our register of members has been updated, the shareholders recorded in the register of members will be deemed to have legal title to the shares set against their name. However, there are certain limited circumstances where an application may be made to a Cayman Islands court for a determination on whether the register of members reflects the correct legal position. Further, the Cayman Islands court has the power to order that the register of members maintained by a company should be rectified where it considers that the register of members does not reflect the correct legal position. If an application for an order for rectification of the register of members were made in respect of our ordinary shares, then the validity of such shares may be subject to re-examination by a Cayman Islands court.
169
Preference Shares
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association authorize 5,000,000 preference shares and provide that preference shares may be issued from time to time in one or more series. Our board of directors will be authorized to fix the voting rights, if any, designations, powers, preferences, the relative, participating, optional or other special rights and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, applicable to the shares of each series. Our board of directors will be able to, without shareholder approval, issue preference shares with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of the ordinary shares and could have anti-takeover effects. The ability of our board of directors to issue preference shares without shareholder approval could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of us or the removal of existing management. We have no preference shares outstanding at the date hereof. Although we do not currently intend to issue any preference shares, we cannot assure you that we will not do so in the future. No preference shares are being issued or registered in this offering.
Warrants
Public Warrants
Each whole warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, provided that we have an effective registration statement on Form S-1, Form S-3, Form F-1, or Form F-3, as applicable, under the Securities Act covering the Class A ordinary shares 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 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 warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of Class A ordinary shares. 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 Class A ordinary shares pursuant to the exercise of a warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration statement on Form S-1, Form S-3, Form F-1, or Form F-3, as applicable, under the Securities Act with respect to the Class A ordinary shares 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 Class A ordinary share upon exercise of a warrant unless the Class A ordinary share 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 Class A ordinary share comprising part of such unit.
We are registering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants in the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part because the warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, which may be within one year of this offering. However, because the warrants will be exercisable until their expiration date of up to five years after the completion of our initial business combination, in order to comply with the requirements of Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act following the consummation of our initial business combination, we have agreed that 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 post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or a new registration statement and have an effective registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement. If a registration statement covering
170
the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the sixtieth (60) 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 Class A ordinary shares 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.
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00. Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants:
• in whole and not in part;
• at a price of $0.01 per warrant; upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption (the “30-day redemption period”); and
• if, and only if, the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “— Redemption Procedures — Anti-dilution Adjustments”) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period commencing at least 30 days after completion of our initial business combination and ending three business days before we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders.
We will not redeem the warrants as described above unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares is available throughout the measurement period. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of ordinary shares 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. We will use our best efforts to register or qualify such ordinary shares under the blue sky laws of the state of residence in those states in which the warrants were offered by us in this offering. 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 Class A ordinary shares may fall below the $18.00 redemption trigger price (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) as well as the $11.50 warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.
Redemption procedures
A holder of a warrant may notify us in writing in the event it elects to be subject to a requirement that such holder will not have the right to exercise such warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), to the warrant agent’s actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 4.9% or 9.9% (as specified by the holder) of the Class A ordinary shares outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise.
Anti-dilution Adjustments. If the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares is increased by a share capitalization payable in Class A ordinary shares, or by a sub-division of ordinary shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such share capitalization, sub-division or similar event, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable on exercise of each warrant will be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding ordinary shares. A rights offering made to all or substantially all holders of ordinary shares entitling holders to purchase Class A ordinary shares at a price less than the fair market value will be deemed a share capitalization of a number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the product of (i) the number of Class A ordinary shares actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for Class A ordinary shares) and (ii) the quotient of (x) the price per Class A ordinary share paid in such rights offering and (y) the fair market value. For these purposes (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for Class A ordinary shares, in determining the price payable for Class A ordinary
171
shares, there will be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (ii) fair market value means the volume weighted average price of Class A ordinary shares as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the Class A ordinary shares 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 all or substantially all the holders of Class A ordinary shares on account of such Class A ordinary shares (or other securities into which the warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described above, (b) certain ordinary cash dividends, (c) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A ordinary shares in connection with a proposed initial business combination, or (d) 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 Class A ordinary share in respect of such event.
If the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse share sub-division or reclassification of Class A ordinary shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse share sub-division, reclassification or similar event, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable on exercise of each warrant will be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding Class A ordinary shares.
Whenever the number of Class A ordinary shares 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 Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which will be the number of Class A ordinary shares so purchasable immediately thereafter.
In addition, if (x) we issue additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per Class A ordinary share, (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds (including from such issuances and this offering), and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the Market Value of our Class A ordinary shares is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger prices described above under “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Warrants — Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares (other than those described above or that solely affects the par value of such outstanding shares), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of us with or into another corporation (other than a consolidation or merger in which we are the continuing corporation and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of our issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares), 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 Class A ordinary shares immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of Class A ordinary shares 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”). If less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of Class A ordinary shares in such a transaction is payable in the form of securities in the successor entity that are listed for trading on a national securities exchange or quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or are to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the registered holder of the warrant properly exercises the warrant within thirty (30) days following public disclosure of the consummation of such transaction, the warrant exercise price will be reduced by an amount equal
172
to the difference of (i) the warrant price in effect prior to such reduction minus (ii) (A) the per share consideration (as defined in the warrant agreement but in no event less than zero) minus (B) the Black-Scholes Warrant Value (as defined in the warrant agreement). 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 warrants.
The warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Odyssey Transfer and Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder for the purpose of (i) curing any ambiguity or to correct any defective provision or mistake, including to conform the provisions of the warrant agreement to the description of the terms of the warrants and the warrant agreement set forth in this prospectus, (ii) adjusting the provisions relating to cash dividends on ordinary shares as contemplated by and in accordance with the warrant agreement, (iii) adding or changing any provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the warrant agreement as the parties to the warrant agreement may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the rights of the registered holders of the warrants or (iv) to provide for the delivery of the Alternative Issuance. All other modifications or amendments require the vote or written consent the holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants, except that amending our warrant agreement will require a vote of holders of at least 50% of the private placement warrants (including the vote or written consent of Roth) or working capital warrants solely with respect to any amendment to the terms of the private placement warrants or working capital warrants (including, for the avoidance of doubt, the forfeiture of cancellation of any warrants). You should review a copy of the warrant agreement, which will be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, for a complete description of the terms and conditions applicable to the warrants.
The 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 warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of ordinary shares and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive Class A ordinary shares. After the issuance of Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of the warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by shareholders.
We have agreed that, subject to applicable law, any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York located in the County of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction will be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. See “Risk Factors — Our warrant agreement will designate the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.” This provision applies to claims under the Securities Act but does not apply to claims under the Exchange Act or any claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. With respect to any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, we note, however, that there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce this provision and that investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for state and federal courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. If it is conclusively determined that the exclusive forum provision applies to claims under the Securities Act, we will notify investors of such update in future SEC filings (which notification will include clarification that the exclusive forum provision does not apply to claims under the Exchange Act) in future SEC filings.
Private Placement Warrants
The private placement warrants will be identical to the warrants sold in this offering except that, so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees, the private placement warrants (i) may not (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of these warrants), subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holders until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) will be entitled to registration rights and (iii) with respect to private placement warrants included in the private placement units held by Roth and/or its designees, will not be exercisable more than five years from the commencement of sales in this offering in accordance
173
with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8). Amending our warrant agreement (including, for the avoidance of doubt, the forfeiture of cancellation of any warrants) will require a vote of holders of at least 50% of the private placement warrants (including the vote or written consent of Roth) or working capital warrants solely with respect to any amendment to the terms of the private placement warrants or working capital warrants. All other modifications or amendments require the vote or written consent the holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants.
Dividends
We have not paid any cash dividends on our ordinary shares to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. A Cayman Islands company may pay a dividend on its shares out of either profit or the share premium account, provided that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if following such payment the company would be unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. The payment of cash dividends following completion of our initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time and will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition at such time. There is no certainty we will be in a position to, or decide to, pay cash dividends after completing any business combination. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a share capitalization or other appropriate mechanism immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 25% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (not including the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private placement units). Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, our ability to declare dividends following completion of our initial business combination may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
Our Transfer Agent and Warrant Agent
The transfer agent for our Class A ordinary shares and warrant agent for our warrants is Odyssey Transfer and Trust Company. We have agreed to indemnify Odyssey Transfer and Trust Company in its roles as transfer agent and warrant agent, its agents and each of its shareholders, 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. Odyssey Transfer and 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.
Certain Differences in Corporate Law
Cayman Islands companies are governed by the Companies Act. The Companies Act is modeled on English law but does not follow recent English law statutory enactments, and differs from laws applicable to United States corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of the material differences between the provisions of the Companies Act applicable to us and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders.
Mergers and Similar Arrangements. In certain circumstances, the Companies Act allows for mergers or consolidations between two Cayman Islands companies, or between a Cayman Islands exempted company and a company incorporated in another jurisdiction (provided that is facilitated by the laws of that other jurisdiction).
Where the merger or consolidation is between two Cayman Islands exempted companies, the directors of each company must approve a written plan of merger or consolidation containing certain prescribed information. That plan or merger or consolidation must then be authorized by either (i) a special resolution of the shareholders of each company; and (ii) such other authorization, if any, as may be specified in such constituent company’s articles of association. No shareholder resolution is required for a merger between a parent company (i.e., a company that holds issued shares that together represent 90% of the votes at a general meeting of the subsidiary company) and its subsidiary company, provided the parent company is the surviving entity and a copy of the plan of merger is given to every member of each subsidiary company to be merged unless that member agrees otherwise. The consent of each holder of a fixed or floating security interest of a constituent company must be obtained, unless the court waives such requirement. If the Cayman Islands Registrar of Companies is satisfied that the requirements of the Companies Act (which includes certain other formalities) have been complied with, the Registrar of Companies will register the plan of merger or consolidation.
174
Where the merger or consolidation involves a foreign company, the procedure is similar, save that with respect to the foreign company, the directors of the Cayman Islands exempted company are also required to make a declaration to the effect that, having made due enquiry, they are of the opinion that certain requirements have been met, including the following requirements: (i) that the merger or consolidation is permitted or not prohibited by the constitutional documents of the foreign company and by the laws of the jurisdiction in which the foreign company is incorporated, and that those laws and any requirements of those constitutional documents have been or will be complied with; (ii) that no petition or other similar proceeding has been filed and remains outstanding or order made or resolution adopted to wind up or liquidate the foreign company in any applicable jurisdictions; (iii) that no receiver, trustee, administrator or other similar person has been appointed in any jurisdiction and is acting in respect of the foreign company, its affairs or its property or any part thereof; (iv) that no scheme, order, compromise or other similar arrangement has been entered into or made in any jurisdiction whereby the rights of creditors of the foreign company are and continue to be suspended or restricted; and (v) there is no other reason why it would be against the public interest to permit the merger or consolidation.
Where the surviving company is the Cayman Islands exempted company, the directors of the Cayman Islands exempted company are further required to make a declaration to the effect that, having made due enquiry, they are of the opinion that the following requirements have been met: (i) that the foreign company is able to pay its debts as they fall due and that the merger or consolidation is bona fide and not intended to defraud unsecured creditors of the foreign company; (ii) that in respect of the transfer of any security interest granted by the foreign company to the surviving or consolidated company (A) consent or approval to the transfer has been obtained, released or waived; (B) the transfer is permitted by and has been approved in accordance with the constitutional documents of the foreign company; and (C) the laws of the jurisdiction of the foreign company with respect to the transfer have been or will be complied with; and (iii) that the foreign company will, upon the merger or consolidation becoming effective, cease to be incorporated, registered or exist under the laws of the relevant foreign jurisdiction.
The Companies Act provides for a right of dissenting shareholders to be paid the fair value of their shares upon their dissenting to the merger or consolidation in certain circumstances if they follow a prescribed procedure. In essence, where such rights apply, that procedure is as follows: (i) the shareholder must give his written objection to the merger or consolidation to the constituent company before the vote on the merger or consolidation, including a statement that the shareholder proposes to demand payment for their shares if the merger or consolidation is authorized by the vote; (ii) within 20 days following the date on which the merger or consolidation is authorized by the shareholders, the constituent company must give written notice to each shareholder who made a written objection; (iii) a shareholder must within 20 days following receipt of such notice from the constituent company, give the constituent company a written notice of his intention to dissent including, among other details, a demand for payment of the fair value of their shares; (iv) within seven days following the date of the expiration of the period set out in paragraph (ii) above or seven days following the date on which the plan of merger or consolidation is filed, whichever is later, the constituent company, the surviving company or the consolidated company must make a written offer to each dissenting shareholder to purchase their shares at a price that the company determines is the fair value and if the company and the shareholder agree the price within 30 days following the date on which the offer was made, the company must pay the shareholder such amount; and (v) if the company and the shareholder fail to agree on a price within such 30 day period, within 20 days following the date on which such 30 day period expires, the company must (and any dissenting shareholder may) file a petition with the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands to determine the fair value of all dissenting shares and such petition must be accompanied by a list of the names and addresses of the dissenting shareholders with whom agreements as to the fair value of their shares have not been reached by the company. At the hearing of that petition, the court has the power to determine the fair value of the shares together with a fair rate of interest, if any, to be paid by the company upon the amount determined to be the fair value. Any dissenting shareholder whose name appears on the list filed by the company may participate fully in all proceedings until the determination of fair value is reached. A shareholder who dissents must do so in respect of all shares that that person holds in the constituent company. Upon the giving of a notice of dissent under paragraph (iii) above, the shareholder to whom the notice relates shall cease to have any of the rights of a shareholder except the right to be paid the fair value of that person’s shares and certain rights specified in the Companies Act. These rights of a dissenting shareholder are not available in certain circumstances, for example, to dissenting shareholders holding shares of any class in respect of which an open market exists on a recognized stock exchange or recognized interdealer quotation system at the relevant date, where the consideration for such shares to be contributed are shares of any company listed on a national securities exchange or shares of the surviving or consolidated company.
175
Moreover, Cayman Islands law has separate statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction or amalgamation of companies in certain circumstances, commonly referred to in the Cayman Islands as a “scheme of arrangement,” which may be tantamount to a merger. Schemes of arrangement will generally be more suited for complex mergers or other transactions involving widely held companies. In the event that a merger was sought pursuant to a scheme of arrangement (the procedures for which are more rigorous and take longer to complete than the procedures typically required to consummate a merger in the United States), the arrangement in question must be approved (i) in relation to a compromise or arrangement between a company and its creditors or any class of them, a majority in number of such creditors or class of creditors with whom the arrangement is to be made and who must in addition represent 75% in value of such creditors or class of creditors, as the case may be, that are present and voting either in person or by proxy at a meeting summoned for that purpose; and (ii) in relation to a compromise or arrangement between a company and its shareholders or any class of them, shareholders who represent 75% in value of the company’s shareholders or class of shareholders, as the case may be, that are present and voting either in person or by proxy at a meeting summoned for that purpose. The convening of the meetings and subsequently the terms of the arrangement must be sanctioned by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. While a dissenting shareholder would have the right to express to the court the view that the transaction should not be approved, the court can be expected to approve the arrangement if it satisfies itself that:
• we are not proposing to act illegally or beyond the scope of our corporate authority and the statutory provisions as to majority vote have been complied with;
• the shareholders have been fairly represented at the meeting in question;
• the arrangement is such as a businessman would reasonably approve; and
• the arrangement is not one that would more properly be sanctioned under some other provision of the Companies Act or that would amount to a “fraud on the minority.”
If a scheme of arrangement or takeover offer (as described below) is approved, any dissenting shareholder would have no rights comparable to dissenters’ rights or appraisal rights (providing rights to receive payment in cash for the judicially determined value of the shares), which would otherwise ordinarily be available to dissenting shareholders of United States corporations.
Squeeze-out Provisions
When a takeover offer is made and accepted by holders of 90% in value of the shares to whom the offer relates within four months, the offeror may, within a two-month period after the expiration of the initial four-month period, require the holders of the remaining shares to transfer such shares on the terms of the offer. An objection can be made to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, but this is unlikely to succeed unless there is evidence of fraud, bad faith, collusion or inequitable treatment of the shareholders.
Further, transactions similar to a merger, reconstruction and/or an amalgamation may in some circumstances be achieved through means other than these statutory provisions, such as a share capital exchange, asset acquisition or control, or through contractual arrangements of an operating business.
Shareholders’ Suits
Conyers Dill & Pearman LLP, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, is not aware of any reported class action having been brought in a Cayman Islands court. Derivative actions have been brought in the Cayman Islands courts, and the Cayman Islands courts have confirmed the availability of such actions. In most cases, we will be the proper plaintiff in any claim based on a breach of duty owed to us, and a claim against (for example) our officers or directors usually may not be brought by a shareholder. However, based both on Cayman Islands authorities and on English authorities, which would in all likelihood be of persuasive authority and be applied by a court in the Cayman Islands, exceptions to the foregoing principle apply in circumstances in which:
• a company is acting, or proposing to act, illegally or beyond the scope of its authority;
• the act complained of, although not beyond the scope of the authority, could be effected if duly authorized by more than the number of votes which have actually been obtained; or
• those who control the company are perpetrating a “fraud on the minority.”
176
A shareholder may have a direct right of action against us where the individual rights of that shareholder have been infringed or are about to be infringed.
Enforcement of Civil Liabilities. The Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States and provides less protection to investors. Additionally, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to sue before the Federal courts of the United States.
We have been advised by Conyers Dill & Pearman LLP, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, and or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands Court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
Special Considerations for Exempted Companies. We are an exempted company with limited liability under the Companies Act. The Companies Act distinguishes between ordinary resident companies and exempted companies. Any company that is registered in the Cayman Islands but conducts business mainly outside of the Cayman Islands may apply to be registered as an exempted company. The requirements for an exempted company are essentially the same as for an ordinary company except for the exemptions and privileges listed below:
• annual reporting requirements are minimal and consist mainly of a statement that the company has conducted its operations mainly outside of the Cayman Islands and has complied with the provisions of the Companies Act;
• an exempted company’s register of members is not open to inspection and can be kept outside of the Cayman Islands;
• an exempted company does not have to hold an annual general meeting;
• an exempted company may issue shares with no nominal or par value;
• an exempted company may obtain an undertaking against the imposition of any future taxation (such undertakings are usually given for 20 years in the first instance);
• an exempted company may register by way of continuation in another jurisdiction and be deregistered in the Cayman Islands;
• an exempted company may register as a limited duration company; and
• an exempted company may register as a segregated portfolio company.
“Limited liability” means that the liability of each shareholder is limited to the amount unpaid by the shareholder on the shares of the company (except in exceptional circumstances, such as involving fraud, the establishment of an agency relationship or an illegal or improper purpose or other circumstance in which a court may be prepared to pierce or lift the corporate veil).
177
Our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
Prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to vote on the appointment and removal of directors or continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend our constitutional documents or to adopt new constitutional documents, in each case, as a result of our approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands).
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association 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 a special resolution. As a matter of Cayman Islands law, a special resolution is a resolution that (i) has been passed by a majority of at least two-thirds (or any higher threshold specified in a company’s articles of association) of such of a company’s shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at a general meeting for which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution has been given; or (ii) if so authorized by a company’s articles of association, has been approved by a unanimous written resolution of all of the company’s shareholders who are entitled to vote on such matter. The provisions regulating the appointment and removal of directors and continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands may only be amended by a special resolution passed by the affirmative vote of at least 90% (or, where such amendment is proposed in respect of the consummation of our initial business combination, two-thirds) of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company. Other than as described above, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that special resolutions must be approved either by at least two-thirds of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company (i.e., the lowest threshold permissible under Cayman Islands law), or by a written resolution passed in accordance with the Companies Act.
Our sponsor, who will collectively beneficially own 25% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering and excluding the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private placement units and the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Specifically, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides, among other things, that:
• If we have not completed our initial business combination within the completion window, 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 (and subject to lawfully available funds therefor), 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us) and 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 shareholders’ rights as shareholders (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 shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law;
• Prior to our initial business combination, we may not, except in connection with the conversion of Class B ordinary shares into Class A ordinary shares where the holders of such shares have waived any rights to receive funds from the trust account, issue additional shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote as a class with public shares on any initial business combination;
• If a shareholder vote on our initial business combination is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons, we will offer to redeem our public shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, and will file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act;
178
• Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account).
• If our shareholders approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association not for the purposes of approving, or in conjunction with the consummation of, an initial business combination (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination within the completion window or (ii) with respect to any other material provisions relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares or pre-initial business combination activity, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us)), divided by the number of then-outstanding public shares;
• We will not effectuate our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations; and
• Only holders of our Class B ordinary shares have the right to vote on appointing or removing directors or continuing our company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (as further described herein), prior to the consummation of our initial business combination.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the courts of the Cayman Islands shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any claim or dispute arising out of or in connection with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or otherwise related in any way to each shareholder’s shareholding in us, including but not limited to (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of any fiduciary or other duty owed by any of our current or former directors, officers or other employees to us or our shareholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Companies Act or our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us governed by the internal affairs doctrine (as such concept is recognized under the laws of the United States of America) and that each shareholder irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Cayman Islands over all such claims or disputes. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association also provide that, without prejudice to any other rights or remedies that we may have, each of our shareholders acknowledges that damages alone would not be an adequate remedy for any breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum and that accordingly we shall be entitled, without proof of special damages, to the remedies of injunction, specific performance or other equitable relief for any threatened or actual breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum. The forum selection provision in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will not apply to actions or suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act, Exchange Act or any claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are, as a matter of the laws of the United States of America, the sole and exclusive forum for determination of such a claim.
Anti-Money Laundering, Counter Terrorist Financing, Prevention of Proliferation Financing and Financial Sanctions Compliance — Cayman Islands
If any person resident in the Cayman Islands knows or suspects, or has reasonable grounds for knowing or suspecting, that another person is engaged in criminal conduct or money laundering, is involved with terrorism or terrorist property or proliferation financing or is the business combination partner of a financial sanction and the information for that knowledge or suspicion came to their attention in the course of business in the regulated sector or other trade, profession, business or employment, the person will be required to report such knowledge or suspicion to (i) the Financial Reporting Authority of the Cayman Islands, pursuant to the Proceeds of Crime Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands if the disclosure relates to criminal conduct, money laundering or proliferation financing or is the business combination partner of a financial sanction; or (ii) a police officer of the rank of constable or higher, or the Financial Reporting Authority, pursuant to the Terrorism Act (Revised) of the Cayman Islands, if the disclosure relates to involvement with terrorism or terrorist financing and property. Such a report
179
will not be treated as a breach of confidence or of any restriction upon the disclosure of information imposed by any enactment or otherwise. We reserve the right to refuse to make any payment to a shareholder if our directors or officers suspect or are advised that the payment to such shareholder might result in a breach of applicable anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing, prevention of proliferation financing and financial sanctions or other laws or regulations by any person in any relevant jurisdiction, or if such refusal is considered necessary or appropriate to ensure our compliance with any such laws or regulations in any applicable jurisdiction.
Should a shareholder or its duly authorized delegates or agents be, or become (or is believed by the company or its affiliates (“Agents”) to be or become) at any time while it owns or holds an interest in the company, (a) an individual or entity named on any sanctions list maintained by the United Kingdom (including as extended to the Cayman Islands by Orders in Council) or the Cayman Islands or any similar list maintained under applicable law or is otherwise subject to applicable sanctions in the Cayman Islands (a “Sanctions Subject”) or (b) an entity owned or controlled directly or indirectly by a Sanctions Subject, as determined by the company in its sole discretion, then (i) the company or its Agents may immediately and without notice to the shareholder cease any further dealings with the shareholder or freeze any dealings with the interests or accounts of the shareholder (e.g., by prohibiting payments by or to the shareholder or restricting or suspending dealings with the interests or accounts) or freeze the assets of the company (including interests or accounts of other shareholders who are not Sanctions Subjects), until the relevant person ceases to be a Sanctions Subject or a license is obtained under applicable law to continue such dealings (a “Sanctioned Persons Event”), (ii) the company and its Agents may be required to report such action or failure to comply with information requests and to disclose the shareholder’s identity (and/or the identity of the shareholder’s beneficial owners and control persons) to the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority, the Cayman Islands Financial Reporting Authority, or other applicable governmental or regulatory authorities (without notifying the shareholder that such information has been so provided) and (iii) the company and its Agents have no liability whatsoever for any liabilities, costs, expenses, damages and/or losses (including but not limited to any direct, indirect or consequential losses, loss of profit, loss of revenue, loss of reputation and all interest, penalties and legal costs and all other professional costs and expenses) incurred by the shareholder as a result of a Sanctioned Persons Event.
Economic Substance — Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands, together with several other non-European Union jurisdictions, have introduced legislation aimed at addressing concerns raised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) initiative as to offshore structures engaged in certain activities which attract profits without real economic activity. The Economic Substance Act contains economic substance requirements for in-scope Cayman Islands entities which are engaged in certain “relevant activities”. As we are a Cayman Islands company, our compliance obligations will include filing an annual notification, which need to state whether we are carrying out any relevant activities and if so, whether we have satisfied economic substance tests to the extent required under the Economic Substance Act. If the Cayman Islands Tax Information Authority determines that we or any of our Cayman Islands subsidiaries has failed to meet the requirements imposed by the Economic Substance Act, we may face significant financial penalties, restriction on the regulation of our business activities and/or may be struck off as a registered entity in the Cayman Islands.
As it is still a relatively new regime, it is anticipated that the Economic Substance Act and associated guidance will evolve and may be subject to further clarification and amendments. We may need to allocate additional resources to keep updated with these developments, and may have to make changes to our operations in order to comply with all requirements under the Economic Substance Act. Failure to satisfy these requirements may subject us to penalties under the Economic Substance Act.
Data Protection — Cayman Islands
We have certain duties under the Data Protection Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, as amended from time to time and any regulations, codes of practice, or orders promulgated pursuant thereto (the “DPA”) based on internationally accepted principles of data privacy.
180
Privacy Notice
Introduction
This privacy notice puts our shareholders on notice that through your investment in the company you will provide us with certain personal information which constitutes personal data within the meaning of the DPA (“personal data”). In the following discussion, the “company” refers to us and our affiliates and/or delegates, except where the context requires otherwise.
We are committed to processing personal data in accordance with the DPA. In our use of personal data, we will be characterized under the DPA as a “data controller,” whilst certain of our service providers, affiliates, and delegates may act as “data processors” under the DPA. These service providers may process personal data for their own lawful purposes in connection with services provided to us. For the purposes of this Privacy Notice, “you” or “your” shall mean the shareholder and shall also include any individual connected to the shareholder.
By virtue of your investment in the company, we and certain of our service providers may collect, record, store, transfer, and otherwise process personal data by which individuals may be directly or indirectly identified. We may combine personal data that you provide to use with personal data that we collect from, or about you. This may include personal data collected in an online or offline context including from credit reference agencies and other available public databases or data sources, such as news outlines, websites and other media sources and international sanctions lists.
Your personal data will be processed fairly and for lawful purposes, including (a) where the processing is necessary for us to perform a contract to which you are a party or for taking pre-contractual steps at your request, (b) where the processing is necessary for compliance with any legal, tax, or regulatory obligation to which we are subject, (c) where the processing is for the purposes of legitimate interests pursued by us or by a service provider to whom the data are disclosed, or (d) where you otherwise consent to the processing of personal data for any other specific purpose. As a data controller, we will only use your personal data for the purposes for which we collected it. If we need to use your personal data for an unrelated purpose, we will contact you.
We anticipate that we will share your personal data with our service providers for the purposes set out in this privacy notice. We may also share relevant personal data where it is lawful to do so and necessary to comply with our contractual obligations or your instructions or where it is necessary or desirable to do so in connection with any regulatory reporting obligations. In exceptional circumstances, we will share your personal data with regulatory, prosecuting, and other governmental agencies or departments, and parties to litigation (whether pending or threatened), in any country or territory including to any other person where we have a public or legal duty to do so (e.g. to assist with detecting and preventing fraud, tax evasion, and financial crime or compliance with a court order).
Your personal data shall not be held by the company for longer than necessary with regard to the purposes of the data processing.
We will not sell your personal data. Any transfer of personal data outside of the Cayman Islands shall be in accordance with the requirements of the DPA. Where necessary, we will ensure that separate and appropriate legal agreements are put in place with the recipient of that data.
We will only transfer personal data in accordance with the requirements of the DPA, and will apply appropriate technical and organizational information security measures designed to protect against unauthorized or unlawful processing of the personal data and against the accidental loss, destruction, or damage to the personal data.
Investor Data
We will collect, use, disclose, retain and secure personal data to the extent reasonably required only and within the parameters that could be reasonably expected during the normal course of business. We will only process, disclose, transfer or retain personal data to the extent legitimately required to conduct our activities of on an ongoing basis or to comply with legal and regulatory obligations to which we are subject. We will only transfer personal data in accordance with the requirements of the DPA, and will apply appropriate technical and organizational information security measures designed to protect against unauthorized or unlawful processing of the personal data and against the accidental loss, destruction or damage to the personal data.
181
In our use of this personal data, we will be characterized as a “data controller” for the purposes of the DPA, while our affiliates and service providers who may receive this personal data from us in the conduct of our activities may either act as our “data processors” for the purposes of the DPA or may process personal information for their own lawful purposes in connection with services provided to us.
We may also obtain personal data from other public sources. Personal data includes, without limitation, the following information relating to a shareholder and/or any individuals connected with a shareholder as an investor: name, residential address, email address, contact details, corporate contact information, signature, nationality, place of birth, date of birth, tax identification, credit history, correspondence records, passport number, bank account details, source of funds details and details relating to the shareholder’s investment activity.
Who this Affects
If you are a natural person, this will affect you directly. If you are a corporate investor (including, for these purposes, legal arrangements such as trusts or exempted limited partnerships) that provides us with personal data on individuals connected to you for any reason in relation to your investment in the company, this will be relevant for those individuals and you should transmit the content of this Privacy Notice to such individuals or otherwise advise them of its content.
How the Company May Use a Shareholder’s Personal Data
The company, as the data controller, may collect, store and use personal data for lawful purposes, including, in particular:
• where this is necessary for the performance of our rights and obligations under any purchase agreements;
• where this is necessary for compliance with a legal and regulatory obligation to which we are subject (such as compliance with anti-money laundering, counter terrorist financing, prevention of proliferation financing, financial sanctions and FATCA/CRS requirements); and/or
• where this is necessary for the purposes of our legitimate interests and such interests are not overridden by your interests, fundamental rights or freedoms.
Should we wish to use personal data for other specific purposes (including, if applicable, any purpose that requires your consent), we will contact you.
Why We May Transfer Your Personal Data
In certain circumstances we may be legally obliged to share personal data and other information with respect to your shareholding with the relevant regulatory authorities such as the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority or the Tax Information Authority. They, in turn, may exchange this information with foreign authorities, including tax authorities.
We anticipate disclosing personal data to persons who provide services to us and their respective affiliates (which may include certain entities located outside the United States, the Cayman Islands or the European Economic Area), who will process your personal data on our behalf.
The Data Protection Measures We Take
Any transfer of personal data by us or our duly authorized affiliates and/or delegates outside of the Cayman Islands shall be in accordance with the requirements of the DPA.
We and our duly authorized affiliates and/or delegates shall apply appropriate technical and organizational information security measures designed to protect against unauthorized or unlawful processing of personal data, and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data.
We shall notify you of any personal data breach that is reasonably likely to result in a risk to your interests, fundamental rights or freedoms or those data subjects to whom the relevant personal data relates.
182
Rights of Individual Data Subjects
Individual data subjects have certain data protection rights, including the right to:
• be informed about the purposes for which your personal data are processed;
• access your personal data;
• stop direct marketing;
• restrict the processing of your personal data;
• have incomplete or inaccurate personal data corrected;
• ask us to stop processing your personal data;
• be informed of a personal data breach (unless the breach is unlikely to be prejudicial to you);
• complain to the Data Protection Ombudsman; and
• require us to delete your personal data in some limited circumstances.
If you consider that your personal data has not been handled correctly, or you are not satisfied with our responses to any requests you have made regarding the use of your personal data, you have the right to complain to the Cayman Islands’ Ombudsman. The Ombudsman can be contacted by email at info@ombudsman.ky or by accessing their website here: ombudsman.ky.
Certain Anti-Takeover Provisions of our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that our board of directors will be classified into three classes of directors. In addition, prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote to appoint and remove directors prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. As a result, in most circumstances, a person can gain control of our board only by successfully engaging in a proxy contest at two or more annual general meetings and obtaining the support of our sponsor.
Our authorized but unissued ordinary shares and preference shares are available for future issuances without shareholder 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 ordinary shares and preference shares could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.
Extraordinary General Meetings
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that extraordinary general meetings 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 Shareholder Proposals and Director Nominations
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that shareholders seeking to bring business before our annual general meeting, or to nominate candidates for appointment as directors at our annual general meeting must provide timely notice of their intent in writing. To be timely, a shareholder’s notice will need to be received by the company secretary at our principal executive offices not later than the close of business on the 90th day nor earlier than the close of business on the 150th day prior to the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual general meeting. Pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act, proposals seeking inclusion in our annual proxy statement must comply with the notice periods contained therein. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will also specify certain requirements as to the form and content of a shareholders’ meeting. These provisions may preclude our shareholders from bringing matters before our annual general meeting or from making nominations for directors at our annual general meeting. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will allow the chairman of the meeting at a meeting of the shareholders to adopt rules and regulations for the conduct of meetings which may have the effect of precluding
183
the conduct of certain business at a meeting if the rules and regulations are not followed. These provisions may also defer, delay or discourage a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquirer’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to influence or obtain control of us.
Written Resolutions
Subsequent to the consummation of the offering, any action required or permitted to be taken by our shareholders may be effected by a duly called annual general meeting or extraordinary general meeting or by written resolution passed in accordance with the Companies Act.
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 memorandum and articles of association 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 preference shares, any or all of the directors may be removed from office at any time by an ordinary resolution, which requires the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company. Prior to the consummation of an initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment and removal of directors. Our board of directors may, by a vote of a majority of our directors then in office, appoint any person to be a director, either to fill a vacancy or as an additional director.
Securities Eligible for Future Sale
Immediately after this offering we will have 27,151,667 (or 31,151,667 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) ordinary shares outstanding. Of these shares, the Class A ordinary shares sold in this offering (20,000,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised and 23,000,000 shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, except for any Class A ordinary shares purchased by one of our affiliates within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act. All of the outstanding founder shares (6,666,667 founder shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised and 7,666,667 founder shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) and all of the outstanding private placement shares comprising part of the private placement units (485,000 private placement shares) will be restricted securities under Rule 144, in that they were issued in private transactions not involving a public offering, and are subject to transfer restrictions as set forth elsewhere in this prospectus.
Rule 144
Pursuant to Rule 144, a person who has beneficially owned restricted shares or warrants for at least six months would be entitled to sell their securities provided that (i) such person is not deemed to have been one of our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale and (ii) we are subject to the Exchange Act periodic reporting requirements for at least three months before the sale and have filed all required reports under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the 12 months (or such shorter period as we were required to file reports) preceding the sale.
Persons who have beneficially owned restricted shares or warrants for at least six months but who are our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale, would be subject to additional restrictions, by which such person would be entitled to sell within any three-month period only a number of securities that does not exceed the greater of:
• 1% of the total number of ordinary shares then outstanding, which will equal 271,517 shares immediately after this offering (or 311,517 if the underwriters exercise in full their over-allotment option); or
• the average weekly reported trading volume of the Class A ordinary shares during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to the sale.
184
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 sponsor will be able to sell its founder shares and private placement warrants, as applicable, pursuant to Rule 144 without registration one year after we have completed our initial business combination.
Registration Rights
The holders of the (i) founder shares, which were issued in a private placement prior to the closing of this offering, (ii) private placement units (and the securities comprising such units and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants comprising part of such units) which will be issued in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of this offering and (iii) private placement units (and the securities comprising such units and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants comprising part of such units) that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans will have registration rights to require us to register a sale of any of our securities held by them and any other securities of the company acquired by them prior to the consummation of our initial business combination pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering. Pursuant to the registration rights agreement and assuming the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full and $1,500,000 of working capital loans are converted into private placement units, we will be obligated to register up to 8,619,167 Class A ordinary shares and 317,500 warrants. The number of Class A ordinary shares includes (i) 7,666,667 ordinary shares to be issued upon conversion of the founder shares, (ii) 485,000 Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private placement units and 242,500 Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants comprising part of such private placement units, (iii) 150,000 Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private placement units issued upon conversion of working capital loans and (iv) 75,000 Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants included in such private placement units. The number of warrants includes up to 242,500 private placement warrants included in the private placement units and 75,000 private placement warrants comprising part of the private placement units issued upon the 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 completion of our initial business combination. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, Roth may only make a demand on one occasion and only during the five-year period beginning on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. In addition, Roth may participate in a “piggy-back” registration only during the seven-year period beginning on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Listing of Securities
We intend to apply to have our units listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “ACGCU” 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 Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “ACGC” and “ACGCW”, respectively.
185
TAXATION
The following summary of certain Cayman Islands and United States federal income tax consequences of an investment in our units, each consisting of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant, which we refer to collectively as our securities, is based upon laws and relevant interpretations thereof in effect as of the date of this prospectus, all of which are subject to change. This summary does not deal with all possible tax consequences relating to an investment in our Class A ordinary shares and warrants, such as the tax consequences under state, local and other tax laws.
Prospective investors should consult their advisors on the possible tax consequences of investing in our securities under the laws of their country of citizenship, residence or domicile.
Cayman Islands Tax Considerations
The following is a discussion on certain Cayman Islands income tax consequences of an investment in our securities. The discussion is a general summary of present law, which is subject to prospective and retroactive change. It is not intended as tax advice, does not consider any investor’s particular circumstances, and does not consider tax consequences other than those arising under Cayman Islands law.
Under Existing Cayman Islands Laws
The Cayman Islands currently levies no taxes on individuals or corporations based upon profits, income, gains, or appreciation and there is no taxation in the nature of inheritance tax, gift tax or estate duty. There are no other taxes likely to be material to us levied by the Government of the Cayman Islands except for stamp duties which may be applicable on instruments executed in, or, after execution, brought within the jurisdiction of the Cayman Islands. No stamp duty is payable in the Cayman Islands on the issue of shares by, or any transfers of shares of, Cayman Islands companies (except those which hold interests in land in the Cayman Islands). There are no exchange control regulations or currency restrictions in the Cayman Islands.
Payments of dividends and capital in respect of our securities will not be subject to taxation in the Cayman Islands and no withholding will be required on the payment of a dividend or capital to any holder of the securities nor will gains derived from the disposal of the securities be subject to Cayman Islands income or corporate tax.
No stamp duty is payable in respect of the warrants, the units or the Class A ordinary shares. An instrument of transfer in respect of a warrant, a unit or a Class A ordinary share is stampable if executed in or brought into the Cayman Islands.
The Company has been incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands as an exempted company with limited liability and, as such, has applied for and received an undertaking from the Financial Secretary of the Cayman Islands in a form substantially similar to the following on February 3, 2026:
The Tax Concessions Law
Undertaking as to Tax Concessions
In accordance with the Tax Concessions Law, the following undertaking is hereby given to:
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
(a) That no law which is hereafter enacted in the Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations shall apply to the Company or its operations; and
(b) In addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax shall be payable:
(i) on or in respect of the shares, debentures or other obligations of the Company; or
(ii) by way of the withholding in whole or part of any relevant payment as defined in the Tax Concessions Law.
These concessions shall be for a period of TWENTY years from the 3rd day of February 2026.”
186
United States Federal Income Tax Considerations
The following discussion summarizes certain United States federal income tax considerations generally applicable to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our units (each consisting of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant) that are purchased in this offering, which we refer to collectively as our securities, by U.S. Holders (as defined below) and Non-U.S. Holders (as defined below).
Because the components of a unit are generally separable at the option of the holder, the holder of a unit generally should be treated, for United States federal income tax purposes, as the owner of the underlying Class A ordinary share or warrant components of the unit. As a result, the discussion below with respect to holders of Class A ordinary shares and warrants should also apply to holders of units (as the deemed owners of the underlying Class A ordinary shares and warrants that constitute the units).
This discussion is limited to certain United States federal income tax considerations to beneficial owners of our securities who are initial purchasers of a unit pursuant to this offering and hold the unit and each component of the unit as a capital asset under the Code. This discussion assumes that the Class A ordinary shares and one-half of one redeemable warrant will trade separately and that any distributions made (or deemed made) by us on our Class A ordinary shares and any consideration received (or deemed received) by a holder in consideration for the sale or other disposition of our securities will be in U.S. dollars. This discussion is a summary only and does not consider all aspects of United States federal income taxation that may be relevant to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of a unit by a prospective investor in light of its particular circumstances, including:
• our founders, the sponsor, officers or directors;
• banks, financial institutions or financial services entities;
• broker-dealers;
• taxpayers that are subject to the mark-to-market tax accounting rules;
• S Corporations;
• tax-exempt entities;
• individual retirement accounts or other tax deferred accounts;
• governments or agencies or instrumentalities thereof;
• insurance companies;
• regulated investment companies;
• real estate investment trusts;
• expatriates or former long-term residents of the United States;
• persons that actually or constructively own five percent or more of our voting shares or five percent or more of the total value of our shares;
• persons that acquired our securities pursuant to an exercise of employee share options, in connection with employee share incentive plans or otherwise as compensation or in connection with services;
• persons that hold our securities as part of a straddle, constructive sale, hedging, conversion or other integrated or similar transaction;
• persons required to accelerate the recognition of any item of gross income with respect to Class A ordinary shares or warrants as a result of such income being recognized on an applicable financial statement;
187
• U.S. Holders whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar;
• controlled foreign corporations; or
• passive foreign investment companies.
Moreover, the discussion below is based upon the provisions of the Code, the Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder and administrative and judicial interpretations thereof, all as of the date hereof, and such provisions may be repealed, revoked, modified or subject to differing interpretations, possibly on a retroactive basis, so as to result in United States federal income tax consequences different from those discussed below. Furthermore, this discussion does not address any aspect of United States federal non-income tax laws, such as alternative minimum gift, estate or Medicare contribution tax laws, or state, local or non-U.S. tax laws.
We have not sought, and will not seek, a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) as to any United States federal income tax consequence described herein. The IRS may disagree with the discussion herein, and its determination may be upheld by a court. Moreover, there can be no assurance that future legislation, regulations, administrative rulings or court decisions will not change the accuracy of the statements in this discussion.
As used herein, the term “U.S. Holder” means a beneficial owner of units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants who or that is, for United States federal income tax purposes:
• an individual citizen or resident of the United States;
• a corporation (or other entity treated as a corporation for United States federal income tax purposes) that is created or organized (or treated as created or organized) in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia;
• an estate the income of which is subject to United States federal income taxation regardless of its source; or
• a trust if (A) a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust, or (B) it has in effect a valid election to be treated as a U.S. person.
This discussion does not consider the tax treatment of entities or arrangements treated as partnerships or other pass-through entities or persons who hold our securities through such entities or arrangements. If a partnership (or other entity or arrangement classified as a partnership for United States federal income tax purposes) is the beneficial owner of our securities, the United States federal income tax treatment of a partner in the partnership generally will depend on the status of the partner, the activities of the partnership and certain determinations made at the partner level. Partnerships holding our securities and partners in such partnerships are urged to consult their own tax advisors.
THIS DISCUSSION IS ONLY A SUMMARY OF CERTAIN UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR SECURITIES. THE UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX TREATMENT OF THE PROSPECTIVE INVESTOR IN OUR SECURITIES MAY BE AFFECTED BY MATTERS NOT DISCUSSED HEREIN AND DEPENDS IN SOME INSTANCES ON DETERMINATION OF FACT AND INTERPRETATIONS OF COMPLEX PROVISIONS OF UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX LAW FOR WHICH NO CLEAR PRECEDENT OR AUTHORITY MAY BE AVAILABLE. EACH PROSPECTIVE INVESTOR IN OUR SECURITIES IS URGED TO CONSULT ITS OWN TAX ADVISOR WITH RESPECT TO THE PARTICULAR TAX CONSEQUENCES TO SUCH INVESTOR OF THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR SECURITIES, INCLUDING THE APPLICABILITY AND EFFECT OF ANY UNITED STATES FEDERAL NON-INCOME, STATE AND LOCAL AND NON-U.S. TAX LAWS AS WELL AS UNDER ANY APPLICABLE TAX TREATY.
188
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 United States federal income tax purposes, and therefore, that treatment is not entirely clear. The acquisition of a unit should be treated for United States federal income tax purposes as the acquisition of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant, a whole one of which is exercisable to acquire one Class A ordinary share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. We intend to treat the acquisition of a unit in this manner and, by purchasing a unit, you must adopt such treatment for United States federal income tax purposes. For United States federal income and other applicable tax purposes, each holder of a unit must allocate the purchase price paid by such holder for such unit between the one Class A ordinary share and the one-half of one redeemable warrant based on the relative fair market value of each at the time of issuance. Under United States federal income tax law, each investor must make its own determination of such value based on all the facts and circumstances. Therefore, we strongly urge each investor to consult its tax advisor regarding the determination of value for these purposes. The price allocated to each Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant should be the shareholder’s tax basis in such share or warrant. Any disposition of a unit should be treated for United States federal income tax purposes as a disposition of the Class A ordinary share or one-half of one redeemable warrant comprising the unit, and the amount realized on the disposition should be allocated between the Class A ordinary share or one-half of one redeemable warrant based on their relative fair market values at the time of disposition (as determined by each such holder based on all the facts and circumstances).
The foregoing treatment of the units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants and a holder’s purchase price allocation are not binding on the IRS or the courts. Because there are no authorities that directly address instruments that are similar to the units, no assurance can be given that the IRS or the courts will agree with the characterization described above or the discussion below. If the IRS or a court were to determine that, contrary to the characterization described above, a unit is a single instrument for United States federal income tax purposes, the tax consequences to an investor could be materially different than those described below. Accordingly, each prospective investor is urged to consult its tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of an investment in a unit (including alternative characterizations of a unit). The balance of this discussion assumes that the characterization of the units (and the components thereof) and any allocation of purchase price of a unit as described above is respected for United States federal income tax purposes.
U.S. Holders
Taxation of Distributions
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, a U.S. Holder generally will be required to include in gross income, in accordance with such U.S. Holder’s method of accounting for United States federal income tax purposes, as dividends the amount of any distribution of cash or other property paid on our Class A ordinary shares to the extent the distribution is paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under United States federal income tax principles). Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, distributions in excess of such earnings and profits generally will be applied against and reduce the U.S. Holder’s basis in its Class A ordinary shares (but not below zero) and, to the extent in excess of such basis, will be treated as gain from the sale or exchange of such Class A ordinary shares. In the event that we do not maintain calculations of our earnings and profits under United States federal income tax principles, a U.S. Holder should expect that all distributions will be reported as dividends for United States federal income tax purposes.
Dividends paid by us out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits as described above generally will be taxable to a corporate U.S. Holder at regular rates and will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction generally allowed to domestic corporations in respect of dividends received from other domestic corporations. With respect to non-corporate U.S. Holders, under tax laws currently in effect and subject to certain exceptions (including, but not limited to, dividends treated as investment income for purposes of investment interest deduction limitations), dividends generally will be treated as “qualified dividend income” and taxed at the lower applicable long-term capital gains rate (see “— Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Ordinary shares and Warrants” below) only if our Class A ordinary shares are readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States, the Company is not treated as a PFIC at the time the dividend was paid or in the preceding year and certain other requirements are met (including with respect to holding period). It is unclear, however, whether
189
certain redemption rights described in this prospectus may suspend the running of the applicable holding period for this purpose. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the availability of such lower rate for any dividends paid with respect to our Class A ordinary shares.
Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Ordinary shares and Warrants
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss on the sale or other taxable disposition of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants (including on our dissolution and liquidation if we do not consummate an initial business combination within the required time period). Any such capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder’s holding period for such Class A ordinary shares or warrants exceeds one year. It is unclear, however, whether certain redemption rights described in this prospectus may suspend the running of the applicable holding period for this purpose. If the running of the holding period 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 our Class A ordinary shares or warrants would be subject to short-term capital gain treatment and would be taxed at ordinary income rates.
The amount of gain or loss recognized on a sale or other taxable disposition generally will be equal to the difference between (i) the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received in such disposition (or, if the Class A ordinary shares or warrants are held as part of units at the time of the disposition, the portion of the amount realized on such disposition that is allocated to the Class A ordinary shares or warrants based upon the then fair market values of the Class A ordinary shares and warrants included in the units) and (ii) the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A ordinary shares or warrants so disposed of. A U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A ordinary shares or warrants generally will equal the U.S. Holder’s acquisition cost (that is, the portion of the purchase price of a unit allocated to an Class A ordinary share or one-half of one warrant, as described above under “— Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit”) reduced, in the case of an Class A ordinary share by any prior distributions treated as a return of capital. Long-term capital gain realized by a non-corporate U.S. Holder is currently eligible to be taxed at reduced rates. See “— Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant” below for a discussion regarding a U.S. Holder’s basis in an Class A ordinary share acquired pursuant to the exercise of a warrant. The deduction of capital losses is subject to certain limitations. U.S. Holders who recognize losses with respect to a disposition of our securities should consult their own tax advisors regarding the tax treatment of such losses.
Redemption of Ordinary shares
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, in the event that a U.S. Holder’s Class A ordinary shares are redeemed pursuant to the redemption provisions described in this prospectus under “Description of Securities — Ordinary shares” or if we purchase a U.S. Holder’s Class A ordinary shares in an open market transaction, the treatment of the transaction for United States federal income tax purposes will depend on whether the redemption or purchase by us qualifies as a sale or exchange of the Class A ordinary shares under Section 302 of the Code. If the redemption or purchase by us qualifies as a sale or exchange of Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. Holder will be treated as described under “— Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Ordinary shares and Warrants” above. If the redemption or purchase by us does not qualify as a sale of Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. Holder will be treated as receiving a corporate distribution with the tax consequences described above under “— Taxation of Distributions.” Whether a redemption or purchase by us qualifies for treatment as a sale or exchange will depend largely on the total number of our shares treated as held by the U.S. Holder (including any Class A ordinary shares constructively owned by the U.S. Holder described in the following paragraph) relative to all of our shares issued and outstanding both before and after such redemption or purchase. The redemption or purchase by us of Class A ordinary shares generally will be treated as a sale or exchange of the Class A ordinary shares (rather than as a corporate distribution) if such redemption or purchase by us (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 our shares actually owned by the U.S. Holder, but also our shares that are constructively owned by such holder. A U.S. Holder may constructively own, in addition to shares owned directly, shares 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 shares
190
the U.S. Holder has a right to acquire by exercise of an option, which would generally include Class A ordinary shares which could be acquired pursuant to the exercise of the warrants. In order to meet the substantially disproportionate test, the percentage of our issued and outstanding voting shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder immediately following the redemption or purchase by us of Class A ordinary shares must, among other requirements, be less than 80 percent of the percentage of our issued and outstanding voting shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder immediately before the redemption or purchase by us. Prior to our initial business combination, the Class A ordinary shares may not be treated as voting shares for this purpose and, consequently, this substantially disproportionate test may not be applicable. There will be a complete termination of a U.S. Holder’s interest if either (i) all of our shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder are redeemed or (ii) all of our shares actually owned by the U.S. Holder are redeemed and the U.S. Holder is eligible to waive, and effectively waives in accordance with specific rules, the attribution of shares owned by certain family members and the U.S. Holder does not constructively own any other of our shares and otherwise complies with specific conditions. Whether the redemption or purchase by us of the Class A ordinary shares will not be essentially equivalent to a dividend if such redemption or purchase by us results in a “meaningful reduction” of the U.S. Holder’s proportionate interest in us. Whether the redemption or purchase by us will result in a meaningful reduction in a U.S. Holder’s proportionate interest in us generally will depend on the particular facts and circumstances applicable to such holder. However, the IRS has indicated in a published ruling that even a small reduction in the proportionate interest of a small minority shareholder in a publicly held corporation who exercises no control over corporate affairs may constitute such a “meaningful reduction.” A U.S. Holder should consult its own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of a redemption or purchase by us of any Class A ordinary shares.
If none of the foregoing tests are satisfied, then the redemption or purchase by us of any Class A ordinary shares will be treated as a corporate distribution and the tax effects will be as described under “— Taxation of Distributions” above. After the application of those rules, any remaining tax basis of the U.S. Holder in the redeemed Class A ordinary shares will be added to the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its remaining shares. If there are no remaining shares, a U.S. Holder is urged to consult its tax advisor as to the allocation of any remaining tax basis. U.S. Holders who actually or constructively own five percent (5%) (or, if the Class A ordinary shares are not then publicly traded, one percent (1%)) or more of the Class A ordinary shares (by vote or value) may be subject to special reporting requirements with respect to a redemption of Class A ordinary shares, and such holders are urged to consult with their own tax advisers with respect to their reporting requirements.
Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below and except as discussed below with respect to the cashless exercise of a warrant, a U.S. Holder generally will not recognize gain or loss upon the acquisition of an Class A ordinary share on the exercise of a warrant for cash. A U.S. Holder’s tax basis in an Class A ordinary share received upon exercise of the warrant generally will equal the sum of the U.S. Holder’s initial investment in the warrant (that is, the portion of the U.S. Holder’s purchase price for the units that is allocated to the warrant, as described above under “— Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit”) and the exercise price. It is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary share will commence on the date of exercise of the warrant or the day following the date of exercise of the warrant; in either case, the holding period will not include the period during which the U.S. Holder held the warrant. If a warrant is allowed to lapse unexercised, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize a capital loss equal to such holder’s tax basis in the warrant.
The tax consequences of a cashless exercise of a warrant are not clear under current law. Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, cashless exercise may not be taxable, either because the exercise is not a realization event or because the exercise is treated as a recapitalization for United States federal income tax purposes. In either situation, a U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the Class A ordinary shares received generally would equal the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the warrants. If the cashless exercise was not a realization event, it is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary share will commence on the date of exercise of the warrant or the day following the date of exercise of the warrant. If the cashless exercise were treated as a recapitalization, the holding period of the Class A ordinary shares would include the holding period of the warrants.
Although we expect any cashless exercise of warrants to be treated as a recapitalization for U.S. federal income purposes, it is also possible that a cashless exercise may be treated as a taxable exchange in which gain or loss would be recognized. In such event, a U.S. Holder may be deemed to have surrendered warrants with an aggregate value equal to the exercise price for the total number of warrants deemed exercised. Subject to the PFIC rules discussed
191
below, the U.S. Holder would recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the fair market value of the warrants deemed surrendered and the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in such warrants. In this case, a U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the Class A ordinary shares received would equal the sum of the U.S. Holder’s initial investment in the warrants deemed exercised (i.e., the portion of the U.S. Holder’s purchase price for the units that is allocated to such warrants, as described above under “— Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit”) and the exercise price of such warrants. It is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares would commence on the date of exercise of the warrant or the day following the date of exercise of the warrant.
Due to the absence of authority on the United States federal income tax treatment of a cashless exercise, 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.
Subject to the PFIC rules described below, if we redeem warrants for cash pursuant to the redemption provisions described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Warrants” or if we purchase warrants in an open market transaction, such redemption or purchase generally will be treated as a taxable disposition to the U.S. Holder, taxed as described above under “— Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Ordinary shares and Warrants.”
Possible Constructive Distributions
The terms of each warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of Class A ordinary shares 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 captioned “Description of Securities — 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 increases such U.S. Holders’ proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of Class A ordinary shares 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 our Class A ordinary shares which is taxable to the U.S. Holders of such Class A ordinary shares as described under “— 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 the increase in the interest. For certain information reporting purposes, we are required to determine the date and amount of any such constructive distributions. Proposed Treasury regulations, which we may rely on prior to the issuance of final regulations, specify how the date and amount of constructive distributions are determined.
Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules
A non-U.S. corporation will be classified as a PFIC for United States federal income tax purposes if either (i) at least 75% of its gross income in a taxable year, including its pro rata share of the gross income of any corporation in which it is considered to own at least 25% of the shares by value, is passive income or (ii) at least 50% of its assets in a taxable year (ordinarily determined based on fair market value and averaged quarterly over the year), including its pro rata share of the assets of any corporation in which it is considered to own at least 25% of the shares by value, are held for the production of, or produce, passive income. Passive income generally includes dividends, interest, rents and royalties (other than rents or royalties derived from the active conduct of a trade or business) and gains from the disposition of assets giving rise to passive income.
Because we are a blank check company, with no current active operating business, we believe that it is likely that we will meet the PFIC asset or income test for our current taxable year. However, pursuant to a startup exception, a corporation will not be a PFIC for the first taxable year the corporation has gross income (the “startup year”), if (i) no predecessor of the corporation was a PFIC; (ii) the corporation satisfies the IRS that it will not be a PFIC for either of the first two taxable years following the startup year; and (iii) the corporation is not in fact a PFIC for either of those years. The applicability of the startup exception to us will not be known until after the close of our current taxable year and, perhaps, until the end of our two taxable years following our startup year (within the meaning of the startup exception). Further, after the acquisition of a company or assets in a business combination, we may still meet one of the PFIC tests depending on the timing of the acquisition and the amount of our passive income and
192
assets as well as the passive income and assets of the acquired business. If the company that we acquire in a business combination is a PFIC (or we do not complete a business acquisition by the end of the first taxable year after the taxable year of our formation), then we will likely not qualify for the startup exception and will be a PFIC for our current taxable year. Our actual PFIC status for our current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year (and, in the case of the startup exception to our current taxable year, perhaps not until after the end of our two taxable years following our startup year). Accordingly, there can be no assurance with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year or any future taxable year. In addition, our U.S. counsel expresses no opinion with respect to our PFIC status for any taxable year.
Although our PFIC status is determined annually, an initial determination that our company is a PFIC will generally apply for subsequent years to a U.S. Holder who held (or is deemed to have held) Class A ordinary shares or warrants while we were a PFIC, whether or not we meet the test for PFIC status in those subsequent years. If we are determined to be a PFIC and, in the case of our Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. Holder did not make either a mark-to-market election, a timely qualified electing fund (“QEF”) election for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. Holder held (or was deemed to hold) Class A ordinary shares, or a QEF election together with a purging election, each as described below, such U.S. Holder generally will be subject to special rules with respect to (i) any gain recognized by the U.S. Holder on the sale or other disposition of its Class A ordinary shares or warrants and (ii) any “excess distribution” made to the U.S. Holder (generally, any distributions to such U.S. Holder during a taxable year of the U.S. Holder that are greater than 125% of the average annual distributions received by such U.S. Holder in respect of the Class A ordinary shares during the three preceding taxable years of such U.S. Holder or, if shorter, such U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares).
Under these rules:
• the U.S. Holder’s gain or excess distribution will be allocated ratably over the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares or warrants;
• the amount allocated to the U.S. Holder’s taxable year in which the U.S. Holder recognized the gain or received the excess distribution, or to the period in the U.S. Holder’s holding period before the first day of our first taxable year in which we are a PFIC, will be taxed as ordinary income;
• the amount allocated to other taxable years (or portions thereof) of the U.S. Holder and included in its holding period will be taxed at the highest tax rate in effect for that year and applicable to the U.S. Holder; and
• an additional amount equal to the interest charge generally applicable to underpayments of tax will be imposed on the U.S. Holder with respect to the tax attributable to each such other taxable year of the U.S. Holder.
In general, if we are determined to be a PFIC, a U.S. Holder may be able to avoid certain PFIC tax consequences described above in respect to our Class A ordinary shares (but not our warrants) by making and maintaining a timely and valid QEF election (if eligible to do so) to include in income its pro rata share of our net capital gains (as long-term capital gain) and other earnings and profits (as ordinary income), on a current basis, in each case whether or not distributed, in the taxable year of the U.S. Holder in which or with which our taxable year ends. A U.S. Holder generally may make a separate election to defer the payment of taxes on undistributed income inclusions under the QEF rules, but if deferred, any such taxes will be subject to an interest charge.
It is not entirely clear how various aspects of the PFIC rules apply to the warrants. However, a U.S. Holder may not make a QEF election with respect to its warrants to acquire our Class A ordinary shares. As a result, if a U.S. Holder sells or otherwise disposes of such warrants (other than upon exercise of such warrants for cash) and we were a PFIC at any time during the U.S. Holder’s holding period of such warrants, any gain recognized generally will be treated as an excess distribution, taxed as described above. If a U.S. Holder that exercises such warrants properly makes and maintains a QEF election with respect to the newly acquired Class A ordinary shares (or has previously made a QEF election with respect to our Class A ordinary shares), the QEF election will apply to the newly acquired Class A ordinary shares. Notwithstanding any such QEF election, the adverse tax consequences relating to PFIC shares, adjusted to take into account the current income inclusions resulting from the QEF election, will continue to apply with respect to such newly acquired Class A ordinary shares (which generally will be deemed to have a holding period for purposes of the PFIC rules that includes the period the U.S. Holder held the warrants), unless
193
the U.S. Holder makes a purging election under the PFIC rules. Under one type of purging election, the U.S. Holder will be deemed to have sold such shares at their fair market value and any gain recognized on such deemed sale will be treated as an excess distribution, as described above. Under another type of purging election, an electing U.S. Holder will be treated as having received as an excess distribution its ratable share of our earnings and profits determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In order for a U.S. Holder to make the second election, we must also be a “controlled foreign corporation” as defined in the Code, and there are no assurances that we will so qualify. As a result of either purging election, the U.S. Holder will generally have additional basis (to the extent of the excess distribution resulting from the purging election) and, solely for purposes of the PFIC rules, a new holding period in the Class A ordinary shares acquired upon the exercise of the warrants. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors as to the applicability of the rules governing purging elections to their particular circumstances.
The QEF election is made on a shareholder-by-shareholder basis and, once made, can be revoked only with the consent of the IRS. A U.S. Holder generally makes a QEF election by attaching a completed IRS Form 8621 (Information Return by a Shareholder of a Passive Foreign Investment Company or Qualified Electing Fund), including the information provided in a PFIC annual information statement, to a timely filed United States federal income tax return for the tax year to which the election relates. Retroactive QEF elections generally may be made only by filing a protective statement with such return and if certain other conditions are met or with the consent of the IRS. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the availability and tax consequences of a retroactive QEF election under their particular circumstances.
In order to comply with the requirements of a QEF election, a U.S. Holder must receive a PFIC annual information statement from us. If we determine we are a PFIC for any taxable year, upon written request, we will endeavor to provide to a U.S. Holder such information as the IRS may require, including a PFIC annual information statement, in order to enable the U.S. Holder to make and maintain a QEF election, but there is no assurance that we will timely provide such required information. There is also no assurance that we will have timely knowledge of our status as a PFIC in the future or of the required information to be provided.
If a U.S. Holder has made a QEF election with respect to our Class A ordinary shares, and the excess distribution rules discussed above do not apply to such shares (because of a timely QEF election for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. Holder holds (or is deemed to hold) such shares or a purge of the PFIC taint pursuant to a purging election, as described above), any gain recognized on the sale of our Class A ordinary shares generally will be taxable as capital gain and no additional interest charge will be imposed under the PFIC rules. As discussed above, if we are a PFIC for any taxable year, a U.S. Holder of our Class A ordinary shares that has made a QEF election will be currently taxed on its pro rata share of our earnings and profits, whether or not distributed for such year. A subsequent distribution of such earnings and profits that were previously included in income generally should not be taxable when distributed to such U.S. Holder. The tax basis of a U.S. Holder’s shares in a QEF will be increased by amounts that are included in income, and decreased by amounts distributed but not taxed as dividends, under the above rules. In addition, if we are not a PFIC for any taxable year, such U.S. Holder will not be subject to the QEF inclusion regime with respect to our Class A ordinary shares for such a taxable year.
Alternatively, if a U.S. Holder, at the close of its taxable year, owns shares in a PFIC that are treated as marketable stock, the U.S. Holder may make a mark-to-market election with respect to such shares for such taxable year. If the U.S. Holder makes a valid mark-to-market election for the first taxable year of the U.S. Holder in which the U.S. Holder holds (or is deemed to hold) Class A ordinary shares in us and for which we are determined to be a PFIC, such U.S. Holder generally will not be subject to the PFIC rules described above in respect of its Class A ordinary shares.
Instead, in general, the U.S. Holder will include for each of its taxable years as ordinary income the excess, if any, of the fair market value of its Class A ordinary shares at the end of such year over its adjusted basis in its Class A ordinary shares. These amounts of ordinary income would not be eligible for the favorable tax rates applicable to qualified dividend income or long-term capital gains. The U.S. Holder also will recognize an ordinary loss in respect of the excess, if any, of its adjusted basis of its Class A ordinary shares over the fair market value of its Class A ordinary shares at the end of its taxable year (but only to the extent of the net amount of previously included income as a result of the mark-to-market election). The U.S. Holder’s basis in its Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted to reflect any such income or loss amounts, and any further gain recognized on a sale or other taxable disposition of its Class A ordinary shares will be treated as ordinary income. Currently, a mark-to-market election may not be made with respect to warrants.
194
The mark-to-market election is available only for “marketable stock,” generally, stock that is regularly traded on a national securities exchange that is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Nasdaq (on which we intend to list the Class A ordinary shares), or on a foreign exchange or market that the IRS determines has rules sufficient to ensure that the market price represents a legitimate and sound fair market value. If made, a mark-to-market election would be effective for the taxable year for which the election was made and for all subsequent taxable years unless the Class A ordinary shares ceased to qualify as “marketable stock” for purposes of the PFIC rules or the IRS consented to the revocation of the election. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the availability and tax consequences of a mark-to-market election in respect to our Class A ordinary shares under their particular circumstances.
If we are a PFIC and, at any time, have a foreign subsidiary that is classified as a PFIC, U.S. Holders generally would be deemed to own a portion of the shares of such lower-tier PFIC, and generally could incur liability for the deferred tax and interest charge described above if we receive a distribution from, or dispose of all or part of our interest in, the lower-tier PFIC or the U.S. Holders otherwise were deemed to have disposed of an interest in the lower-tier PFIC. Upon written request we will endeavor to cause any lower-tier PFIC to provide to a U.S. Holder the information that may be required to make or maintain a QEF election with respect to the lower-tier PFIC. There can be no assurance that we will have timely knowledge of the status of any such lower-tier PFIC. In addition, we may not hold a controlling interest in any such lower-tier PFIC and thus there can be no assurance we will be able to cause the lower-tier PFIC to provide such required information. A mark-to-market election generally would not be available with respect to such lower-tier PFIC. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the tax issues raised by lower-tier PFICs.
A U.S. Holder that owns (or is deemed to own) shares in a PFIC during any taxable year of the U.S. Holder, may have to file an IRS Form 8621 (whether or not a QEF or mark-to-market election is made) and such other information as may be required by the Treasury. Failure to do so, if required, will extend the statute of limitations until such required information is furnished to the IRS.
The rules dealing with PFICs and with the QEF and mark-to-market elections are very complex and are affected by various factors in addition to those described above. Accordingly, U.S. Holders of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants should consult their own tax advisors concerning the application of the PFIC rules to our securities under their particular circumstances.
Tax Reporting
Certain U.S. Holders may be required to file an IRS Form 926 (Return by a U.S. Transferor of Property to a Foreign Corporation) to report a transfer of property (including cash) to us. Substantial penalties may be imposed on a U.S. Holder that fails to comply with this reporting requirement, and the period of limitations on assessment and collection of U.S. federal income taxes will be extended in the event of a failure to comply. Furthermore, certain U.S. Holders who are individuals and certain entities will be required to report information with respect to such U.S. Holder’s investment in “specified foreign financial assets” on IRS Form 8938 (Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets), subject to certain exceptions. Specified foreign financial assets generally include any financial account maintained with a non-U.S. financial institution and should also include the Class A ordinary shares and warrants if they are not held in an account maintained with a U.S. financial institution. Persons who are required to report specified foreign financial assets and fail to do so may be subject to substantial penalties, and the period of limitations on assessment and collection of U.S. federal income taxes will generally be extended in the event of a failure to comply. Potential investors are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the foreign financial asset and other reporting obligations and their application to an investment in our Class A ordinary shares and warrants.
Non-U.S. Holders
This section applies to you if you are a “Non-U.S. Holder.” As used herein, the term “Non-U.S. Holder” means a beneficial owner of our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants (other than a partnership or other entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. Federal income tax purposes) who or that is for United States federal income tax purposes:
• a non-resident alien individual (other than certain former citizens and residents of the United States subject to U.S. tax as expatriates);
195
• 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 United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of disposition. If you are such an individual, you should consult your tax advisor regarding the United States federal income tax consequences of the sale or other disposition of our securities.
Dividends (including constructive distributions treated as dividends) paid or deemed paid to a Non-U.S. Holder in respect of our Class A ordinary shares generally will not be subject to United States federal income tax, unless the dividends are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, are attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base that such Non-U.S. Holder maintains in the United States). If the dividend, despite being paid by a foreign corporation, is deemed to be U.S. source under the Code and Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder, then withholding at a 30% rate applies, unless such tax rate is lowered by an applicable income tax treaty. In addition, a Non-U.S. Holder generally will not be subject to United States federal income tax on any gain attributable to a sale or other taxable disposition of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants unless such gain is effectively connected with its conduct of a trade or business in the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, is attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base that such holder maintains in the United States).
Dividends (including constructive distributions treated as dividends) and gains that are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business in the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, are attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base in the United States) generally will be subject to United States federal income tax at the same regular United States federal income tax rates applicable to a comparable U.S. Holder and, in the case of a Non-U.S. Holder that is a corporation for United States federal income tax purposes, also may be subject to an additional branch profits tax at a 30% rate or a lower applicable tax treaty rate.
The characterization for United States federal income tax purposes of the redemption or purchase by us of a Non-U.S. Holder’s Class A ordinary shares will generally correspond to the U.S. federal income tax characterization of such a redemption or purchase by us of a U.S. Holder’s Class A ordinary shares, as described under “— U.S. Holders — Redemption of Ordinary shares” above, and the consequences of the redemption or purchase by us to the Non-U.S. Holder will be as described in the paragraphs above under the heading “— Non-U.S. Holders” based on such characterization. The United States 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 United States federal income tax treatment of the exercise or lapse of a warrant by a U.S. Holder, as described under “— U.S. Holders — Exercise or Lapse of a Warrant,” above, although to the extent a cashless exercise results in a taxable exchange, the consequences would be similar to those described in the preceding paragraphs above for a Non-U.S. Holder’s gain on the sale or other disposition of our Class A ordinary shares and warrants.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding
Dividend payments with respect to our Class A ordinary shares and proceeds from the sale, exchange, redemption or other taxable disposition of our Class A ordinary shares may be subject to information reporting to the IRS and possible United States backup withholding. Backup withholding will not apply, however, to a U.S. Holder who furnishes a correct taxpayer identification number and makes other required certifications, or who is otherwise exempt from backup withholding and establishes such exempt status. U.S. Holders who are required to establish their exempt status may be required to provide such certification on IRS Form W-9. A Non-U.S. Holder generally will eliminate the requirement for information reporting and backup withholding by providing certification of its foreign status, under penalties of perjury, on a duly executed applicable IRS Form W-8 or by otherwise establishing an exemption.
196
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Amounts withheld as backup withholding may be credited against a holder’s United States federal income tax liability, and a holder generally may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules by timely filing the appropriate claim for refund with the IRS and furnishing any required information. Holders are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the application of backup withholding and the availability of and procedure for obtaining an exemption from backup withholding in their particular circumstances.
The U.S. federal income tax discussion set forth above is included for general information only and may not be applicable depending upon a holder’s particular situation. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to the tax consequences to them of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our Class A ordinary shares and warrants, including the tax consequences under U.S. federal, state and local, estate, non-U.S. and other tax laws and tax treaties and the possible effects of changes in U.S. or other tax laws.
197
UNDERWRITING
Roth Capital Partners, LLC is acting as representative of the underwriters named below. Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement dated , 2026, each underwriter named below has severally agreed to purchase, and we have agreed to sell to such underwriter, the number of units set forth opposite the underwriter’s name.
|
Underwriter |
Number of |
|
|
Roth Capital Partners, LLC |
|
|
|
Total |
20,000,000 |
The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the underwriters to purchase the units included in this offering are subject to approval of legal matters by counsel and to other conditions. The underwriters are obligated to purchase all of the units (other than those covered by the over-allotment option described below) if they purchase any of the units.
The offering of the units by the underwriters is subject to receipt and acceptance and subject to the underwriters’ right to reject any order in whole or in part.
Pricing of the Offering
Units sold by the underwriters to the public will initially be offered at the initial public offering price set forth on the cover of this prospectus. If all of the units are not sold at the initial offering price, the underwriters may change the offering price and the other selling terms. The representative has advised us that the underwriters do not intend to make sales to discretionary accounts.
Over-allotment Option
We have granted to the underwriters an option, exercisable for 45 days from the date of this prospectus, to purchase up to 3,000,000 additional units at the public offering price less the underwriting discount. The underwriters may exercise this option solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments, if any, in connection with this offering. To the extent the option is exercised, each underwriter must purchase a number of additional units approximately proportionate to that underwriter’s initial purchase commitment. Any units issued or sold under the option will be issued and sold on the same terms and conditions as the other units that are the subject of this offering.
Lock-up
We, our sponsor and our officers and directors have agreed that, for a period of 180 days from the date of this prospectus, we and they will not, without the prior written consent of the representative, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any units, warrants, ordinary shares or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, any units, ordinary shares, founder shares or warrants, subject to certain exceptions. The representative in its sole discretion may release any of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements at any time without notice. Our sponsor, officers and directors are also subject to separate transfer restrictions on their founder shares and private placement units (including the securities comprising such units and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) pursuant to the letter agreement described herein.
Our sponsor has agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any founder shares until the earlier to occur of (A) six months after the completion of our initial business combination or (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the last sale price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 30 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property (except with respect to permitted transferees as described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Shareholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Units”). Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our sponsor with respect to any
198
founder shares. The private placement units and the units that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (including the securities comprising such units and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or saleable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except with respect to permitted transferees as described herein under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Shareholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Units”).
Except in certain limited circumstances, no member of the sponsor may transfer all or any portion of its membership interests in the sponsor. For more information, see “Principal Shareholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Units”.
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our securities. Consequently, the initial public offering price for the units was determined by negotiations between us and the representative. The determination of our per unit offering price was more arbitrary than would typically be the case if we were an operating company. Among the factors considered in determining the initial public offering price were the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies, prior offerings of those companies, our management, our capital structure, and currently prevailing general conditions in equity securities markets, including current market valuations of publicly traded companies considered comparable to our company. We cannot assure you, however, that the price at which the units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants will sell in the public market after this offering will not be lower than the initial public offering price or that an active trading market in our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants will develop and continue after this offering.
Listing
We expect our units to be listed on Nasdaq, under the symbol “ACGCU” commencing on or promptly after the date of this prospectus, and, once the Class A ordinary shares and warrants begin separate trading, to have our Class A ordinary shares and warrants listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “ACGC” and “ACGCW”, respectively. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq.
Discounts, Commissions and Other Compensation
The following table shows the underwriting discounts, commissions and other compensation that we are to pay to the underwriters in connection with this offering. These amounts are shown assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
|
Per Unit |
Total |
|||||||||||
|
Without |
With |
Without |
With |
|||||||||
|
Underwriting Discounts and Commissions paid by us(1) |
$ |
0.30 |
$ |
0.30 |
$ |
6,000,000 |
$ |
6,900,000 |
||||
___________
(1) Includes $0.10 per unit sold in this offering, or $2,000,000 in the aggregate, is payable to the underwriters upon the closing of this offering. Also includes up to $0.20 per unit sold in this offering, or up to $4,000,000 in the aggregate (or up to $4,600,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions to be deposited in a trust account and released to the underwriters only upon the completion of an initial business combination. The deferred underwriting commissions will be payable as follows: (i) $0.05 per unit sold in this offering, or $1,000,000 in the aggregate (or up to $1,150,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full); (ii) $0.05 per unit sold in this offering, or $1,000,000 in the aggregate (or up to $1,150,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), payable only if, immediately prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, the funds remaining in the trust account equal or exceed 20% of the total gross proceeds of this offering, calculated based on the number of public shares outstanding immediately prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, net of public shares submitted for redemption and net of any public shares held by public shareholders that have entered into forward purchase agreements or other arrangements whereby we have a contractual obligation to repurchase such shares after the closing of the initial business combination and any required repurchases pursuant to forward purchase agreements or similar arrangements; and (iii) 1.0% of the funds remaining in the trust account, calculated based on the number of public shares outstanding immediately prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, net of public shares submitted for redemption and net of any public shares held by public shareholders that have entered into forward purchase agreements or other arrangements whereby we have a contractual obligation to repurchase such shares after the closing of the initial business combination.
199
An additional $0.10 per unit sold pursuant to the underwriters’ over-allotment option, or up to $300,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, will be deposited in the trust account and released to the underwriters only upon the completion of an initial business combination. The deferred underwriting commissions will be paid to Roth Capital Partners, LLC in cash upon the closing of the initial business combination.
If we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window and subsequently liquidate, the trustee and the underwriters have agreed that (i) they will forfeit any rights or claims to their deferred underwriting discounts and commissions, including any accrued interest thereon, then in the trust account upon liquidation, and (ii) that the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions will be distributed on a pro rata basis, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (less taxes payable (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on us)), to the public shareholders.
Roth Capital Partners, LLC (and/or its designees) has also committed to purchase from us 50,000 private placement units at $10.00 per unit for an aggregate purchase price of $500,000 (irrespective of whether the over-allotment option is exercised). The private placement units (including the securities comprising such units and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or saleable until 30 days after the consummation of our initial business combination (except with respect to permitted transferees as described herein under “Principal Shareholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Units”) and the private placement warrants included in the private placement units held by Roth Capital Partners, LLC will not be exercisable more than five years from the commencement of sales in this offering in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8). The purchase of the private placement units will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. Such private placement units (including private placement shares and private placement warrants comprising such private placement units and the Class A ordinary shares underlying such private placement warrants) will be considered underwriting compensation in connection with this offering.
Such private placement units will be subject to lock-up restrictions, as required by FINRA Rule 5110(e)(1) and may 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 effective economic disposition of such securities by any person for a period of 180 days immediately following the commencement of sales of the offering, except as provided in FINRA Rule 5110(e)(2) including to any member participating in the offering and the officers or partners, registered persons or affiliates thereof. Roth Capital Partners, LLC is entitled under the registration rights agreement to demand and “piggy-back” resale registration rights. Roth Capital Partners, LLC may not exercise its demand and “piggy-back” registration rights after five and seven years, respectively, after the commencement of sales in this offering and may not exercise its demand rights on more than one occasion.
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 over-allotment 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 over-allotment 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.
200
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. 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.
We estimate that our portion of the total expenses of this offering payable by us will be $650,000, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions. We have agreed to reimburse the underwriters for certain of their accountable and out-of-pocket costs (including, but not limited to, the expenses of investigations and background checks of our principals (not to exceed $3,000 per person for U.S. individuals and $4,000 per person for non-U.S. individuals)) for this offering up to an aggregate expense allowance of $50,000, which maximum expense allowance shall include the documented fees of up to $15,000 of the underwriters’ legal counsel to be reimbursed by us. Roth has agreed to reimburse us for certain of our expenses.
We have agreed to indemnify the several underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make because of any of those liabilities.
In addition, in the ordinary course of their 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. Such investments and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of ours or our affiliates. The underwriters and their respective affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or financial instruments and may hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.
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
201
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.
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 defenses 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 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;
202
• 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 authorized, nor do they authorize, 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 respective 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.
203
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.
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.
204
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 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.
205
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 authorized, nor do they authorize, 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 respective 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 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.
Cayman Islands
No offer or invitation, whether directly or indirectly, is being or may be made to the public in the Cayman Islands to subscribe for any of our securities.
206
LEGAL MATTERS
DLA Piper LLP (US), New York, New York, is acting as counsel in connection with the registration of our securities under the Securities Act, and as such, will pass upon the validity of the securities offered in this prospectus with respect to units and warrants. Conyers Dill & Pearman LLP, Cayman Islands, will pass upon the validity of the securities offered in this prospectus with respect to the ordinary shares and matters of Cayman Islands law. In connection with this offering, Loeb & Loeb LLP, is acting as counsel to the underwriters.
EXPERTS
The financial statements of ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp. as of January 30, 2026 and for the period from January 28, 2026 (inception) through January 30, 2026 appearing in this prospectus have been audited by CBIZ CPAs P.C., an independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon which report expresses an unqualified opinion and includes an explanatory paragraph relating to going concern, appearing herein and elsewhere in this prospectus. Such financial statements have been included in reliance upon the report of such firm given upon their authority 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.
207
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
|
Page |
||
|
Audited Financial Statements of ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.: |
||
|
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB #199) |
F-2 |
|
|
F-3 |
||
|
Statement of Operations for the Period from January 28, 2026 (Inception) through |
F-4 |
|
|
F-5 |
||
|
Statement of Cash Flows for the Period from January 28, 2026 (Inception) through |
F-6 |
|
|
F-7 |
F-1
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Shareholder and Board of Directors of
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) as of January 30, 2026, the related statements of operations, shareholder’s equity and cash flows for the period from January 28, 2026 (inception) through January 30, 2026, 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 January 30, 2026, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from January 28, 2026 (inception) through January 30, 2026, 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 does not have sufficient cash and working capital to sustain its operations for a reasonable period of time, which is generally considered to be one year from the issuance date of the financial statements. The Company’s ability to execute its business plan is dependent upon its completion of a proposed initial public offering. 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 Note 1. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ CBIZ CPAs P.C.
CBIZ CPAs P.C.
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2026.
New York, New York
March 6, 2026
F-2
ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.
BALANCE SHEET
JANUARY 30, 2026
|
Assets: |
|
|
||
|
Prepaid expenses |
$ |
30,000 |
|
|
|
Total Current Assets |
|
30,000 |
|
|
|
Deferred offering costs |
|
81,774 |
|
|
|
Total Assets |
$ |
111,774 |
|
|
|
Liabilities and Shareholder’s Equity: |
|
|
||
|
Accrued offering costs |
$ |
81,774 |
|
|
|
Promissory note – related party |
|
22,420 |
|
|
|
Total Current Liabilities |
|
104,194 |
|
|
|
|
|
|||
|
Commitments and Contingencies (Note 6) |
|
|
||
|
Shareholder’s Equity |
|
|
||
|
Preference shares, $0.0001 par value; 5,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding |
|
— |
|
|
|
Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value; 500,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding |
|
— |
|
|
|
Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value; 50,000,000 shares authorized; 7,666,667 shares issued and outstanding(1) |
|
767 |
|
|
|
Additional paid-in capital |
|
24,233 |
|
|
|
Accumulated deficit |
|
(17,420 |
) |
|
|
Total Shareholder’s Equity |
|
7,580 |
|
|
|
Total Liabilities and Shareholder’s Equity |
$ |
111,774 |
|
____________
(1) Includes up to 1,000,000 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 5 and Note 7).
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F-3
ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
FOR THE PERIOD FROM JANUARY 28, 2026 (INCEPTION) THROUGH JANUARY 30, 2026
|
Formation, general and administrative costs |
$ |
17,420 |
|
|
|
Net loss |
$ |
(17,420 |
) |
|
|
Basic and diluted weighted average Class B ordinary shares outstanding(1) |
|
6,666,667 |
|
|
|
Basic and diluted net loss per Class B ordinary share |
$ |
(0.00 |
) |
____________
(1) Excludes up to 1,000,000 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 5 and Note 7).
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F-4
ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDER’S EQUITY
FOR THE PERIOD FROM JANUARY 28, 2026 (INCEPTION) THROUGH JANUARY 30, 2026
|
Class B |
Additional |
Accumulated |
Shareholder’s |
|||||||||||||
|
Shares |
Amount |
|||||||||||||||
|
Balance as of January 28, 2026 (inception) |
— |
$ |
— |
$ |
— |
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
|||||
|
Class B ordinary shares issued to initial shareholders(1) |
7,666,667 |
|
767 |
|
24,233 |
|
— |
|
|
25,000 |
|
|||||
|
Net loss |
— |
|
— |
|
— |
|
(17,420 |
) |
|
(17,420 |
) |
|||||
|
Balance as of January 30, |
7,666,667 |
$ |
767 |
$ |
24,233 |
$ |
(17,420 |
) |
$ |
7,580 |
|
|||||
____________
(1) Includes up to 1,000,000 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 5 and Note 7).
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F-5
ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
FOR THE PERIOD FROM JANUARY 28, 2026 (INCEPTION) THROUGH JANUARY 30, 2026
|
Cash flows from operating activities: |
|
|
||
|
Net loss |
$ |
(17,420 |
) |
|
|
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: |
|
|
||
|
Prepaid expense |
|
(30,000 |
) |
|
|
Net cash used in operating activities |
|
(47,420 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|||
|
Cash flows from financing activities: |
|
|
||
|
Proceeds from issuance of Class B ordinary shares to Sponsor |
|
25,000 |
|
|
|
Proceeds from promissory note – related party |
|
22,420 |
|
|
|
Net cash provided by financing activities |
|
47,420 |
|
|
|
|
|
|||
|
Net change in cash |
|
— |
|
|
|
Cash, beginning of the period |
|
— |
|
|
|
Cash, end of the period |
$ |
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|||
|
Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing activities: |
|
|
||
|
Deferred offering costs included in accrued offering costs |
$ |
81,774 |
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F-6
ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
JANUARY 30, 2026
Note 1 — Organization and Business Operations
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company on January 28, 2026. The Company was incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, amalgamation, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”). The Company has not selected any specific Business Combination target, and the Company has not, nor has anyone on its behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any Business Combination target with respect to an initial Business Combination with the Company.
As of January 30, 2026, the Company has not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from January 28, 2026 (inception) through January 30, 2026 relates to the Company’s formation and the Proposed Public Offering (as defined below). The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of its initial Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company may generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on the proceeds derived from the Proposed Public Offering (as defined below). The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.
The Company’s sponsor is Union Street Sponsor LLC (the “Sponsor”). The Company’s ability to commence operations is contingent upon obtaining adequate financial resources through a proposed public offering of 20,000,000 units at $10.00 per unit (the “Units”) (or 23,000,000 Units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), which is discussed in Note 3 (the “Proposed Public Offering”), and the sale of an aggregate of 485,000 private placement units (the “Private Placement Units”) to the Sponsor and Roth Capital Partners, LLC, at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement Unit, or $4,850,000 in the aggregate, in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the Proposed Public Offering, which is discussed in Note 4.
Each Unit will consist of one Class A ordinary share (the “Public Shares”) and one-half of one redeemable warrant (the “Public Warrants”). Each Private Placement Unit will consist of one Class A ordinary share (“Private Placement Share”) and one-half of one warrant (“Private Placement Warrant”). Each whole Public Warrant and Private Placement Warrant (together the “Warrants”) entitles the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share. The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering and the Private Placement Units, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be generally applied toward consummating a Business Combination (less deferred underwriting commissions).
The Company’s Business Combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net balance in the Trust Account (as defined below) (excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts held and taxes payable on the income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the signing an agreement to enter into a Business Combination. However, the Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-Business Combination company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act 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 an aggregate of $10.05 per Unit sold in the Proposed Public Offering will be held in a trust account (the “Trust Account”) and initially be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations; the holding of these assets in this form is intended to be temporary and for the sole purpose of facilitating the intended Business Combination. To mitigate the risk that the Company might be deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, which risk increases the longer that the
F-7
ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
JANUARY 30, 2026
Note 1 — Organization and Business Operations (cont.)
Company holds investments in the Trust Account, the Company may, at any time (based on the management team’s ongoing assessment of all factors related to the Company’s potential status under the Investment Company Act), instruct the trustee to liquidate the investments held in the Trust Account and instead to hold the funds in the Trust Account in cash or in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a bank. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account that may be released to the Company to pay its taxes, if any, the proceeds from the Proposed Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Units will not be released from the Trust Account until the earliest of (i) the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination, (ii) the redemption of the Company’s Public Shares if the Company is unable to complete the initial Business Combination within 18 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering or by such earlier liquidation date as the Company’s board of directors may approve (the “Completion Window”), subject to applicable law, or (iii) the redemption of the Company’s Public Shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to (A) modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with the initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the Company’s Public Shares if the Company has not consummated an initial Business Combination within the Completion Window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity. The proceeds deposited in the Trust Account could become subject to the claims of the Company’s creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of the Company’s public shareholders.
The Company will provide the Company’s public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares, regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or vote against, our initial Business Combination upon completion of our initial Business Combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the initial Business Combination or (ii) without a shareholder vote by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek shareholder approval of a proposed initial Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion. The public shareholders will be entitled to redeem their shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account (less taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, subject to the limitations. The amount in the Trust Account is initially anticipated to be $10.05 per Public Share. The ordinary 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 Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480, “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.”
The Company will have only the duration of the Completion Window to complete the initial Business Combination. However, if the Company is unable to complete its initial Business Combination within the Completion Window, the Company will as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter (and subject to lawfully available funds therefor), 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will constitute full and complete payment for the Public Shares and completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation or other distributions, if any), subject to the Company’s obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and subject to the other requirements of applicable law.
The Sponsor, officers and directors (“Initial Shareholders”) will enter into a letter agreement with the Company, pursuant to which they agree to waive their redemption rights with respect to any shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial Business Combination. Additionally, the Sponsor, officers and directors will agree to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to their founder shares and Private Placement Shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time
F-8
ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
JANUARY 30, 2026
Note 1 — Organization and Business Operations (cont.)
frame, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from assets outside the Trust Account. If we do not complete the initial Business Combination within the prescribed time frame, the Private Placement Units (and the securities comprising such units) will be worthless. Furthermore, the initial shareholders will agree not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion thereof until the earlier to occur of: (i) six months after the completion of the initial Business Combination or (ii) the date following the completion of the initial Business Combination on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (1) if the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 30 days after the initial Business Combination or (2) if we consummate a transaction after our initial business combination which results in our shareholders having the right to exchange their shares for cash, securities or other property, the founder shares will be released from the lock-up. The Private Placement Units (including the securities comprising such units and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants) will not be transferable until 30 days following the completion of the initial Business Combination. Because each of the officers and directors will own ordinary shares or units directly or indirectly, they may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination.
The Company’s Sponsor will agree that it will 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 entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or other similar agreement or Business Combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below the lesser of (i) $10.05 per Public Share and (ii) the actual amount per Public Share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account, if less than $10.05 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the Trust Account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply 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”). However, the Company has not asked the Sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor has the Company independently verified whether the Sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and the Company believes that the Sponsor’s only assets are securities of the Company. Therefore, the Company cannot assure that the Sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations.
Going Concern Consideration
As of January 30, 2026, the Company had no cash and a working capital deficit of $74,194. Further, the Company 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. The Company plans to address this uncertainty through a Proposed Public Offering as discussed in Note 3 and the sale of Private Placement Units as discussed in Note 4. There is no assurance that the Company’s plans to raise capital or to consummate a Business Combination will be successful or successful within the target business acquisition period. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
F-9
ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
JANUARY 30, 2026
Note 2 — Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying financial statements are presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).
Emerging Growth Company Status
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 auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder 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 U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Deferred Offering Costs
The Company complies with the requirements of the FASB ASC 340-10-S99 and SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin Topic 5A, “Expenses of Offering.” Deferred offering costs consist principally of professional and registration fees that are related to the Proposed Public Offering. FASB ASC 470-20, “Debt with Conversion and Other Options,” addresses the allocation of proceeds from the issuance of convertible debt into its equity and debt components. The Company applies this guidance to allocate Proposed Public Offering proceeds from the Units between Class A ordinary shares and warrants, using the residual method by allocating Proposed Public Offering proceeds first to assigned value of the warrants included in the Units and then to the Class A ordinary shares. Offering costs allocated to the Public Shares will be charged to temporary equity. Offering costs allocated to Public Warrants and Private Placement Units will be charged to shareholder’s deficit as the underlying financial instruments, after management’s evaluation, will be classified within shareholder’s deficit. Should the Proposed Public Offering prove to be unsuccessful, these deferred costs, as well as additional expenses to be incurred, will be charged to operations.
F-10
ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
JANUARY 30, 2026
Note 2 — Significant Accounting Policies (cont.)
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under FASB ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” approximate the carrying amounts represented in the balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.
Fair value is defined as the price that would be received for sale of an asset or paid to transfer of a liability, in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. GAAP establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). These tiers include:
• Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical instruments in active markets;
• Level 2, defined as inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable such as quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets or quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and
• Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions, such as valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable.
Net Loss per Class B Ordinary Share
Net loss per Class B ordinary share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period, excluding ordinary shares subject to forfeiture. Weighted average shares were reduced for the effect of an aggregate of 1,000,000 ordinary shares that are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters (see Note 7). At January 30, 2026, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into ordinary shares and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted loss per Class B ordinary share is the same as basic loss per Class B ordinary share for the period presented.
Income Taxes
The Company accounts for income taxes under FASB 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.
FASB 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’s management determined that the Cayman Islands is the Company’s major tax jurisdiction. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. As of January 30, 2026, there were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties. 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 considered to be a Cayman Islands exempted company with no connection to any other taxable jurisdiction and is presently not subject to income taxes or income tax filing requirements in the Cayman Islands or the United States. As such, the Company’s tax provision was zero for the period presented.
F-11
ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
JANUARY 30, 2026
Note 2 — Significant Accounting Policies (cont.)
Derivative Financial Instruments
The Company evaluates its financial instruments to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging”. For derivative financial instruments that are accounted for as liabilities, the derivative instrument is initially recorded at its fair value on the grant date and is then re-valued at each reporting date, with changes in the fair value reported in the 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 liabilities are classified in the balance sheet as current or non-current based on whether or not net cash settlement or conversion of the instrument could be required within 12 months of the balance sheet date. The underwriters’ over-allotment option is deemed to be a freestanding financial instrument indexed on the contingently redeemable shares and will be accounted for as a liability pursuant to FASB ASC 480 if not fully exercised at the time of the Proposed Public Offering.
Warrant Instruments
The Company will account for the Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants to be issued in connection with the Proposed Public Offering and the private placement in accordance with the guidance contained in FASB ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging”. Accordingly, the Company evaluated and will classify the warrant instruments under equity treatment at their relative fair values. There are no Public Warrants or Private Placement Warrants currently outstanding as of January 30, 2026.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-07, “Segment reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures” (“ASU 2023-07”). The amendments in this ASU require disclosures, on an annual and interim basis, of significant segment expenses that are regularly provided to the chief operating decision maker (“CODM”), as well as the aggregate amount of other segment items included in the reported measure of segment profit or loss. The ASU requires that a public entity disclose the title and position of the CODM and an explanation of how the CODM uses the reported measure(s) of segment profit or loss in assessing segment performance and deciding how to allocate resources. Public entities will be required to provide all annual disclosures currently required by Topic 280 in interim periods, and entities with a single reportable segment are required to provide all the disclosures required by the amendments in this ASU and existing segment disclosures in Topic 280. The ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted ASU 2023-07 on January 28, 2026, the date of its incorporation.
Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards if currently adopted would have a material effect on the accompanying financial statements.
Note 3 — Proposed Public Offering
In the Proposed Public Offering, the Company will offer for sale up to 20,000,000 Units (or 23,000,000 Units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a purchase price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit that the Company is offering has a price of $10.00 and consists of one Class A ordinary share, and one-half of one redeemable Public Warrant. Each whole Public Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. Each Public Warrant will become exercisable at the later of 12 months from the closing of this offering and 30 days after the completion of the initial Business Combination and will expire five years after the completion of the initial Business Combination, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
F-12
ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
JANUARY 30, 2026
Note 4 — Private Placement
The Sponsor and Roth Capital Partners, LLC have agreed to purchase an aggregate of 485,000 Private Placement Units, at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement Unit, or $4,850,000 in the aggregate, in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the Proposed Public Offering. Of those 485,000 Private Placement Units, the Sponsor has agreed to purchase 435,000 Private Placement Units and Roth Capital Partners, LLC has agreed to purchase 50,000 Private Placement Units. Each Private Placement Unit consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one warrant. Each whole Private Placement Warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment.
The Private Placement Warrants will be identical to the Public Warrants sold in the Proposed Public Offering except that, so long as they are held by the Sponsor, Roth Capital Partners, LLC, or their permitted transferees, the Private Placement Warrants (i) may not (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of these Private Placement Warrants), subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holders until 30 days after the completion of the initial Business Combination, (ii) will be entitled to registration rights and (iii) with respect to Private Placement Warrants held by Roth Capital Partners, LLC and/or its designees, will not be exercisable more than five years from the commencement of sales in this offering in accordance with Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) Rule 5110(g)(8).
The Sponsor, officers and directors will enter into a letter agreement with the Company, pursuant to which they will agree to (i) waive their redemption rights with respect to any shares held by them in connection with the completion of the initial Business Combination; (ii) waive their redemption rights with respect to any shares held by them in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with the initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the Public Shares if the Company has not consummated an initial Business Combination within the Completion Window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity; (iii) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to their founder shares and Private Placement Shares if the Company fails to complete an initial Business Combination within the Completion Window, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to any Public Shares they hold if the Company fails to complete an initial Business Combination within the prescribed time frame and to liquidating distributions from assets outside the Trust Account; and (iv) vote any founder shares and Private Placement Shares held by them and any Public Shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately-negotiated transactions, aside from shares they may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act, which would not be voted in favor of approving the Business Combination transaction) in favor of the initial Business Combination.
Note 5 — Related Party Transactions
Founder Shares
On January 29, 2026, the Sponsor made a capital contributions of $25,000 in the aggregate, or approximately $0.003 per share, to cover certain of the Company’s expenses, for which the Company issued 7,666,667 founder shares to the Sponsor. Up to 1,000,000 of the founder shares may be surrendered by the Sponsor for no consideration depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised.
The Company’s initial shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares and any Class A ordinary shares issued upon conversion thereof until the earlier to occur of (i) six months after the completion of the initial Business Combination or (ii) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction after the initial Business Combination that results in all of the Company’s shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Any permitted transferees will be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of the Company’s initial shareholders with respect to any founder shares (the “Lock-up”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, if (1) the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share
F-13
ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
JANUARY 30, 2026
Note 5 — Related Party Transactions (cont.)
subdivisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 30 days after the initial Business Combination or (2) if the Company consummates a transaction after the initial Business Combination which results in the Company’s shareholders having the right to exchange their shares for cash, securities or other property, the founder shares will be released from the Lock-up.
Promissory Note — Related Party
Union Street Management Sponsor, LLC, an affiliate of the Sponsor, has agreed to loan the Company an aggregate of up to $400,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of the Proposed Public Offering (the “Promissory Note”). The Promissory Note is non-interest bearing, unsecured and due at the earlier of (i) December 31, 2026 or (ii) the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. As of January 30, 2026, the Company had borrowed $22,420 under the Promissory Note.
Administrative Services Agreement
Commencing on the effective date of the Proposed Public Offering, the Company will enter into an agreement with an affiliate of the Sponsor to pay an aggregate of $25,000 per month for office space, secretarial and administrative services provided to members of our management team prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination, which the Company may elect to accrue monthly, in full or in part, and pay upon the consummation of the initial Business Combination. Upon completion of the initial Business Combination or the liquidation, the Company will cease paying and accruing the $25,000 per month fee.
Related Party Loans
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required on a non-interest basis (the “Working Capital Loans”). If we complete an initial Business Combination, the Company would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that the initial Business Combination does not close, the Company may use amounts held outside the Trust Account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from the Trust Account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units of the post business combination entity at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. Such units would be identical to the Private Placement Units. Except as set forth above, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. As of January 30, 2026, no such Working Capital Loans were outstanding.
Note 6 — Commitments and Contingencies
Registration Rights
The holders of the (i) founder shares, which were issued in a private placement prior to the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, (ii) Private Placement Units (and the securities comprising such units and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants) which will be issued in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of the Proposed Public Offering and (iii) Private Placement Units (and the securities comprising such units and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants) that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans will have registration rights to require the Company to register a sale of any of the Company’s securities held by them and any other securities of the Company acquired by them prior to the consummation of an initial Business Combination pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of the Proposed Public Offering. The holders of these securities will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that the Company register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the completion of an initial Business Combination. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, Roth Capital Partners, LLC may only make a demand on one occasion and only during the five-year period beginning
F-14
ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
JANUARY 30, 2026
Note 6 — Commitments and Contingencies (cont.)
on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. In addition, Roth Capital Partners, LLC may participate in a “piggy-back” registration only during the seven-year period beginning on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Underwriting Agreement
The Company will grant the underwriters a 45-day option from the date of the Proposed Public Offering to purchase up to an additional 3,000,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.
The underwriters will be entitled to a cash underwriting discount of 1.00% of the gross proceeds of the units offered in the Proposed Public Offering, or $2,000,000 in the aggregate, payable to the underwriters upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering and a cash underwriting discount of 1.00% of the gross proceeds of the units sold pursuant to the underwriters’ over-allotment option, or up to $300,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions to be deposited in a trust account and released to the underwriters only upon the completion of an initial Business Combination. Additionally, the underwriters will be entitled to a deferred underwriting discount of up to 2.00% of the gross proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering held in the Trust Account, or up to $4,000,000 in the aggregate (or up to $4,600,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), to be deposited in a trust account and released to the underwriters only upon the completion of an initial Business Combination. Such deferred underwriting commissions will be payable as follows: (i) $0.05 per unit sold in the Proposed Public Offering, or $1,000,000 in the aggregate (or up to $1,150,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full); (ii) $0.05 per unit sold in the Proposed Public Offering, or $1,000,000 in the aggregate (or up to $1,150,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), payable only if, immediately prior to the consummation of an initial Business Combination, the funds remaining in the Trust Account equal or exceed 20% of the gross proceeds of the units offered in the Proposed Public Offering, calculated based on the number of public shares outstanding immediately prior to the consummation of an initial Business Combination, net of public shares submitted for redemption and net of any public shares held by public shareholders that have entered into forward purchase agreements or other arrangements whereby the Company has a contractual obligation to repurchase such shares after the closing of the initial Business Combination and any required repurchases pursuant to forward purchase agreements or similar arrangements; and (iii) 1.0% of the funds remaining in the Trust Account, calculated based on the number of public shares outstanding immediately prior to the consummation of an initial Business Combination, net of public shares submitted for redemption and net of any public shares held by public shareholders that have entered into forward purchase agreements or other arrangements whereby the Company has a contractual obligation to repurchase such shares after the closing of the initial Business Combination.
Note 7 — Shareholder’s Equity
Preference Shares — The Company is authorized to issue a total of 5,000,000 preference shares at par value of $0.0001 each. At January 30, 2026, there were no preference shares issued or outstanding.
Class A Ordinary Shares — The Company is authorized to issue a total of 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares at par value of $0.0001 each. At January 30, 2026, there were no shares of Class A ordinary shares issued or outstanding.
Class B Ordinary Shares — The Company is authorized to issue a total of 50,000,000 Class B ordinary shares at par value of $0.0001 each. At January 30, 2026, there were 7,666,667 Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding, of which an aggregate of up to 1,000,000 Class B ordinary shares are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters in full.
F-15
ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
JANUARY 30, 2026
Note 7 — Shareholder’s Equity (cont.)
The founder shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares (which such Class A ordinary shares delivered upon conversion will not have any redemption rights or be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account if the Company fails to consummate an initial Business Combination) concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of an initial Business Combination or earlier at the option of the holder on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or any other equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts sold in this offering and related to or in connection with the closing of the initial Business Combination, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, 25% of the sum of (i) the total number of all Class A ordinary shares outstanding upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering (including any Class A ordinary shares issued pursuant to the underwriters’ over-allotment option and excluding the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the Private Placement Units and the Class A ordinary shares underlying the Private Placement Warrants), plus (ii) all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued, in connection with the closing of the initial Business Combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial Business Combination and any private placement-equivalent units issued to our Sponsor or any of its affiliates or to the Company’s officers or directors upon conversion of Working Capital Loans) minus (iii) any redemptions of Class A ordinary shares by public shareholders in connection with an initial Business Combination and any Class A ordinary shares redeemed by public shareholders in connection with any amendment to the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association made prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination (A) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with the initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the public shares if the Company does not complete the initial Business Combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to the rights of holders of Class A ordinary shares or pre-business combination activity; provided that such conversion of founder shares will never occur on a less than one-for-one basis.
Holders of record of the Company’s Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by shareholders. Unless specified in the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or as required by the Companies Act or stock exchange rules, an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law and the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, which requires the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the Company is generally required to approve any matter voted on by the Company’s shareholders. Approval of certain actions require a special resolution under Cayman Islands law, which (except as specified below) requires the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting, and pursuant to the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, such actions include amending the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approving a statutory merger or consolidation with another company. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the appointment of directors, meaning, following the Company’s initial Business Combination, the holders of more than 50% of the Company’s ordinary shares voted for the appointment of directors can elect all of the directors. Prior to the consummation of an initial Business Combination, only holders of the Company’s Class B ordinary shares will (i) have the right to vote on the appointment and removal of directors and (ii) be entitled to vote on continuing the Company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend our constitutional documents or to adopt new constitutional documents, in each case, as a result of approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). Holders of the Company’s Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on these matters during such time. These provisions of the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended if approved by a special resolution passed by the affirmative
F-16
ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
JANUARY 30, 2026
Note 7 — Shareholder’s Equity (cont.)
vote of at least 90% (or, where such amendment is proposed in respect of the consummation of an initial Business Combination, two-thirds) of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the Company.
Warrants — No Warrants are currently outstanding. Each whole Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed herein. The Warrants cannot be exercised until the later of 12 months from the closing of this offering and 30 days after the completion of the initial Business Combination, and will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, five years after the completion of the initial Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
The Company will not be obligated to deliver any Class A ordinary shares pursuant to the exercise of a Warrant and will have no obligation to settle such Warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the Class A ordinary shares underlying the Warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current. No Warrant will be exercisable and the Company will not be obligated to issue a Class A ordinary share upon exercise of a Warrant unless the Class A ordinary share 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 the Company 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 Class A ordinary share underlying such Unit.
Under the terms of the warrant agreement, the Company will agree that, as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days after the closing of its Business Combination, it will use commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a post-effective amendment to the registration statement for the Proposed Public Offering or a new registration statement covering the registration under the Securities Act of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants and thereafter will use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days following the Company’s initial Business Combination and to maintain a current prospectus relating to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants until the expiration of the Warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. If a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants is not effective by the sixtieth (60th) business day after the closing of the initial Business Combination, Warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise Warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. Notwithstanding the above, if the Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a Warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, the Company may, at its option, require holders of Public Warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event the Company so elects, the Company will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, and in the event the Company does not so elect, the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.
If the holders exercise their Public Warrants on a cashless basis, they would pay the warrant exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” of the Class A ordinary shares over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” is the average reported closing price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent or on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants, as applicable.
F-17
ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
JANUARY 30, 2026
Note 7 — Shareholder’s Equity (cont.)
Redemption of Warrants When the Price per Class A Ordinary Share Equals or Exceeds $18.00: The Company may redeem the outstanding Warrants:
• in whole and not in part;
• at a price of $0.01 per Warrant;
• upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption (the “30-day redemption period”); and
• if, and only if, the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a Warrant) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period commencing at least 30 days after completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination and ending three business days before the Company sends the notice of redemption to the Warrant holders.
Additionally, if the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares is increased by a share capitalization payable in Class A ordinary shares, or by a subdivision of ordinary shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such share capitalization, subdivision or similar event, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable on exercise of each Warrant will be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding ordinary shares. A rights offering made to all or substantially all holders of ordinary shares entitling holders to purchase Class A ordinary shares at a price less than the fair market value will be deemed a share capitalization of a number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the product of (i) the number of Class A ordinary shares actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for Class A ordinary shares) and (ii) the quotient of (x) the price per Class A ordinary share paid in such rights offering and (y) the fair market value. For these purposes (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for Class A ordinary shares, in determining the price payable for Class A ordinary shares, there will be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (ii) fair market value means the volume weighted average price of Class A ordinary shares as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the Class A ordinary shares trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights.
Note 8 — Segment Information
FASB ASC Topic 280, Segment Reporting, establishes standards for companies to report, in their financial statements, information about operating segments, products, services, geographic areas, and major customers. Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise that engage in business activities from which it may recognize revenues and incur expenses, and for which separate financial information is available that is regularly evaluated by the Company’s CODM, or group, in deciding how to allocate resources and assess performance.
The Company’s CODM has been identified as the Chief Executive Officer, who reviews the operating results for the Company as a whole to make decisions about allocating resources and assessing financial performance. Accordingly, management has determined that the Company only has one reportable segment.
The CODM assesses performance for the single segment and decides how to allocate resources based on net income or loss that also is reported on the statement of operations as net income or loss. The measure of segment assets is reported on the balance sheet as total assets. When evaluating the Company’s performance and making key decisions regarding resource allocation, the CODM reviews several key metrics included in net income or loss and total assets, which include the following:
|
January 30, |
|||
|
Deferred offering costs |
$ |
81,774 |
|
F-18
ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
JANUARY 30, 2026
Note 8 — Segment Information (cont.)
|
For the |
|||
|
Formation, general and administrative costs |
$ |
17,420 |
|
The CODM reviews formation, general and administrative costs to manage and forecast cash to ensure enough capital is available to complete a business combination or similar transaction within the business combination period. The CODM also reviews formation, general and administrative costs to manage, maintain and enforce all contractual agreements to ensure costs are aligned with all agreements and budget. Formation, general and administrative costs, as reported on the statement of operations, are the significant segment information provided to the CODM on a regular basis. All other segment items included in net income or loss are reported on the statement of operations and described within their respective disclosures.
The CODM reviews the position of total assets available with the company to assess if the Company has sufficient resources available to discharge its liabilities. The CODM is provided with details of cash and liquid resources available with the Company. Additionally, the CODM regularly reviews the status of deferred costs incurred to assess if these are in line with the planned use of proceeds to be raised from the public offering.
Note 9 — Subsequent Event
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date and through the date that the financial statements are issued. Based upon this review, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements, other than as disclosed below.
F-19
20,000,000 Units
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
________________________________
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
________________________________
, 2026
Sole Book-Running Manager
Roth Capital Partners
Until , 2026 (25 days after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade our units, Class A ordinary shares or public warrants, 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.
Part II
Information not required in prospectus
Item 13. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.
The estimated expenses payable by us in connection with the offering described in this registration statement (other than the underwriting discount and commissions) will be as follows:
|
Legal fees and expenses |
|
325,500 |
|
|
Printing expenses |
|
25,000 |
|
|
Accounting fees and expenses |
|
92,500 |
|
|
SEC/FINRA expenses |
|
92,000 |
|
|
Travel and roadshow expenses |
|
20,000 |
|
|
Trustee and transfer agent fees |
|
20,000 |
|
|
Nasdaq listing fees |
|
75,000 |
|
|
Total |
$ |
650,000 |
Item 14. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against willful default, willful neglect, actual fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide for indemnification of our officers and directors to the maximum extent permitted by law, including for any liability incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own actual fraud, willful default or willful neglect. We will enter into agreements with our directors and officers to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. We expect to purchase a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors.
Our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account, and have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever (except to the extent they are entitled to funds from the trust account due to their ownership of public shares). Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied by us if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
Item 15. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities.
On January 29, 2026 our sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per share, to cover certain of our offering costs in exchange for 7,666,667 founder shares. Such securities were issued in connection with our organization pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. Our sponsor is an accredited investor for purposes of Rule 501 of Regulation D.
The number of founder shares outstanding was determined based on the expectation that the total size of this offering would be a maximum of 23,000,000 public units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent 25% of the outstanding shares after this offering. Our public shareholders may incur material dilution due to such anti-dilution adjustments that result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion. Up to 1,000,000 of the founder shares will be surrendered for no consideration depending on the extent to which 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 Class B ordinary shares
II-1
immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 25% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (not including the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the private placement units and the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants).
Our sponsor and Roth have committed to purchase an aggregate of 485,000 private placement units at a price of $10.00 per unit, or $4,850,000 in the aggregate, in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Each private placement unit will consist of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one warrant, with each whole warrant exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share. Of those 485,000 private placement units, our sponsor has agreed to purchase 435,000 private placement units and Roth has agreed to purchase 50,000 private placement units.
No underwriting discounts or commissions were paid with respect to such sales.
Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.
Exhibit Index
|
Exhibit No. |
Description |
|
|
1.1* |
||
|
3.1.1** |
||
|
3.1.2** |
||
|
3.2* |
Form of Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association. |
|
|
4.1* |
||
|
4.2** |
||
|
4.3* |
||
|
4.4* |
Form of Warrant Agreement between Odyssey Transfer and Trust Company and the Registrant. |
|
|
5.1* |
Opinion of DLA Piper LLP (US), U.S. counsel to the Registrant. |
|
|
5.2* |
Opinion of Conyers Dill & Pearman LLP, Cayman Islands counsel to the Registrant. |
|
|
10.1* |
||
|
10.2* |
||
|
10.3* |
||
|
10.4** |
||
|
10.5** |
||
|
10.6** |
||
|
10.7** |
Securities Subscription Agreement between Union Street Sponsor, LLC and the Registrant. |
|
|
10.8* |
||
|
10.9* |
||
|
14.1** |
||
|
23.1* |
||
|
23.2* |
||
|
23.3* |
Consent of Conyers Dill & Pearman LLP (included in Exhibit 5.2). |
|
|
24.1** |
Power of Attorney (included on the signature page of the initial filing). |
|
|
99.1** |
||
|
99.2** |
||
|
99.3** |
||
|
99.4** |
||
|
99.5** |
II-2
|
Exhibit No. |
Description |
|
|
101.INS |
Inline XBRL Instance Document (the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document). |
|
|
101.SCH |
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document. |
|
|
101.CAL |
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document. |
|
|
101.DEF |
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document. |
|
|
101.LAB |
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document. |
|
|
101.PRE |
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document. |
|
|
104 |
Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101). |
|
|
107* |
____________
* Filed herewith.
** Previously filed.
Item 17. Undertakings.
(a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriters at the closing specified in the underwriting agreement, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriters to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.
(b) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
(c) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that:
(1) For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.
(2) For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(3) For the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 of 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 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.
II-3
(4) 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-4
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Houston, Texas, on the 30th day of March, 2026.
|
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp. |
||||
|
By: |
/s/ Andrew Mallozzi |
|||
|
Name: |
Andrew Mallozzi |
|||
|
Title: |
Chief Executive Officer |
|||
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
|
Name |
Position |
Date |
||
|
/s/ Andrew Mallozzi |
Chief Executive Officer, Chairman, and Director |
March 30, 2026 |
||
|
Andrew Mallozzi |
(Principal Executive Officer) |
|||
|
/s/ Andrew Sung |
President, Chief Financial Officer, and Director |
March 30, 2026 |
||
|
Andrew Sung |
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
II-5
AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 6(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, the undersigned has signed this registration statement, solely in its capacity as the duly authorized representative of ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp., in Houston, Texas, on the 30th day of March, 2026.
|
/s/ Andrew Mallozzi |
||
|
Name: Andrew Mallozzi |
||
|
Title: Chief Executive Officer |
II-6
Exhibit 1.1
20,000,000 Units
ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
[ ], 2026
ROTH CAPITAL PARTNERS, LLC
888 San Clemente Dr.
Newport Beach CA, 92660
As Representative of the several Underwriters
Ladies and Gentlemen:
1. INTRODUCTORY. ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), proposes to sell, pursuant to the terms of this Underwriting Agreement (the “Agreement”), to the several underwriters named in Schedule A hereto (the “Underwriters,” and each an “Underwriter”), an aggregate of 20,000,000 units of the Company (the “Firm Units”) at a purchase price (net of discounts and commissions, excluding the Deferred Underwriting Commission defined below) of $9.90 per Firm Unit. The Firm Units are to be offered initially to the public at the offering price of $10.00 per Firm Unit. Each Firm Unit consists of one Class A ordinary share, par value $0.0001 per share (“Class A Ordinary Shares”, and the Class A Ordinary Shares included in the Firm Units, the “Firm Shares”) of the Company and one-half of one redeemable warrant (collectively, the “Firm Warrants”), with each whole Firm Warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one Class A Ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share. The Company also proposes to sell to the several Underwriters, upon the terms and conditions set forth in Section 3 hereof, up to an additional 3,000,000 units (the “Optional Units”), each unit consisting of one Class A Ordinary Share (collectively, the “Optional Shares”) and one-half of one redeemable warrant as described above (collectively, the “Optional Warrants”). The Firm Units and the Optional Units are hereinafter sometimes collectively referred to as the “Public Units”; the Firm Shares and the Optional Shares as the “Public Shares”; and the Firm Warrants and the Optional Warrants as the “Public Warrants.” Roth Capital Partners, LLC (“Roth”) is acting as representative of the several Underwriters and in such capacity is hereinafter referred to as the “Representative.” The several Underwriters propose initially to offer the Public Units for sale upon the terms set forth in the Prospectus (as defined below).
The Public Shares and the Public Warrants included in the Firm Units and any Optional Units will not be separately tradable until the 52nd day after the date hereof unless the Representative informs the Company of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to the Company filing a Current Report on Form 8-K with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) containing an audited balance sheet reflecting the Company’s receipt of gross proceeds from the initial public offering contemplated by this Agreement (the “Offering”) and issuing a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Each Public Warrant entitles its holder to receive one-half of one redeemable warrant, with each whole warrant entitling the holder thereof the ability to purchase one Class A Ordinary share at a purchase price of $11.50; provided that no fractional Class A Ordinary Shares shall be issued in respect of the Public Warrants. As used herein, the term “Business Combination,” as described more fully in the Registration Statement (as defined below), shall mean a merger, amalgamation, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities and involving the Company.
On January 29, 2026, Union Street Sponsor, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”) acquired from the Company an aggregate of 7,666,667 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 par value per share, of the Company (the “Class B Ordinary Shares”) for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000 (such Class B Ordinary Shares, the “Insider Shares”). The Class A Ordinary Shares and the Class B Ordinary Shares are collectively referred to herein as the “Ordinary Shares.” The Insider Shares include an aggregate of up to 1,000,000 Class B Ordinary Shares subject to forfeiture to the extent the Over-Allotment Option (as defined below) is not exercised in full, so that the Sponsor will collectively own 25% of the Company’s issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares after the Offering (excluding the sale of the Private Units (as defined below) and assuming that the Sponsor does not purchase Public Units in the Offering).
Simultaneously with the Closing of the Offering, the Company will enter into separate subscription agreements for Private Units (the “Private Unit Subscription Agreements”) with the Sponsor and Roth, respectively (collectively the “Private Unit Subscribers”), substantially in the forms filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement. Pursuant to the Private Unit Subscription Agreements, the Private Unit Subscribers have agreed to purchase from the Company an aggregate of 485,000 units (such units, collectively, the “Private Units” and, together with the Public Units, the “Units”), each unit consisting of one Class A Ordinary Share (collectively, the “Private Shares” and, together with the Public Shares, the “Shares”) and one-half of one redeemable warrant, each whole warrant entitling the holder thereof to receive one Class A Ordinary Share at a purchase price of $11.50 (collectively, the “Private Warrants” and, together with the Public Warrants, the “Warrants”). Of the 485,000 Private Units, the Sponsor has agreed to purchase 435,000 Private Units and Roth has agreed to purchase 50,000 Private Units. The Private Units, the Private Shares and the Private Warrants are substantially similar to the Public Units, the Public Shares and the Public Warrants, respectively, except to the extent contemplated in the General Disclosure Package (as defined below) and the Prospectus.
The Company has entered into an Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated as of the date hereof, with Odyssey Transfer & Trust Company (“Odyssey”), as trustee, substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the “Trust Agreement”), pursuant to which the proceeds from the sale of the Private Units and a portion of the proceeds from the Offering will be deposited and held in a trust account (the “Trust Account”) for the benefit of the Company, the Underwriters and the holders of the Public Units. Payment for the Firm Units shall be made on the Closing Date by wire transfer in Federal (same day) funds, payable as follows: $201,000,000 of the proceeds (or $231,150,000 if the Over-Allotment Option is exercised in full) received by the Company for the Firm Units and the sale of the Private Units shall be deposited in the Trust Account pursuant to the terms of the Trust Agreement.
The Company has entered into a Warrant Agreement with respect to the Warrants, dated as of the date hereof, with Odyssey. as warrant agent, substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the “Warrant Agreement”), pursuant to which Odyssey will act as warrant agent in connection with the issuance, registration, transfer, exchange, redemption and exercise of the Warrants.
The Company has entered into a Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of the date hereof, with the holders of the Insider Shares and the Private Unit Subscribers (the “Registration Rights Agreement”), substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, pursuant to which the Company has granted certain registration rights in respect of, among other securities, the Insider Shares, the Private Units and the securities underlying the Private Units.
The Company has entered into a letter agreement (the “Insider Letter”), dated as of the date hereof, with the Company’s initial shareholders, officers and directors, substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, pursuant to which the initial shareholders, officers and directors agree to certain actions described in the Prospectus.
The Private Unit Subscription Agreements, the Trust Agreement, the Warrant Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement, and the Insider Letter are hereinafter referred to as the “Other Transaction Agreements”.
2
2. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES. The Company represents and warrants to the several Underwriters, as of the date hereof and as of each Closing Date (as defined below), and agrees with the several Underwriters, that:
(a) Registration Statement. A registration statement of the Company on Form S-1 (File No. 333- 294120) (including all amendments thereto filed before the execution of this Agreement, the “Initial Registration Statement”) in respect of the Public Units, the Public Shares and the Public Warrants has been filed with the Commission. The Initial Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, each in the form heretofore delivered to you, have become effective in such form and meet in all material respects the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (the “Securities Act Rules”). Other than (i) the Initial Registration Statement, (ii) a registration statement, if any, increasing the size of the offering filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act and the Securities Act Rules (a “Rule 462(b) Registration Statement”), (iii) any Preliminary Prospectus (as defined below) and (iv) the Prospectus contemplated by this Agreement to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act in accordance with Section 4(a) hereof, no other document with respect to the offer and sale of the Public Units, the Public Shares or the Public Warrants has heretofore been filed with the Commission. No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Initial Registration Statement, any post-effective amendment thereto or the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, has been issued and, to the Company’s knowledge, no proceeding for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the Securities Act has been initiated or threatened by the Commission (any preliminary prospectus included in the Initial Registration Statement or filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act is hereinafter called a “Preliminary Prospectus”). The Initial Registration Statement, including all exhibits thereto and including the information contained in the Prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act and deemed to be part of the Initial Registration Statement at the time it became effective for purposes of Section 11 of the Securities Act (the “Effective Time”), as such section applies to the several Underwriters, is hereinafter collectively called the “Registration Statement.” If the Company files a Rule 462(b) Registration Statement which becomes effective prior to the Closing Date, then any reference herein to the term “Registration Statement” shall be deemed to include such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement. “Market Making Prospectus” means the final prospectus included in the Registration Statement (or, if applicable, the form of final prospectus containing information permitted to be omitted at the time of effectiveness by Rule 430A of the Securities Act Rules, filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424 of the Securities Act Rules) relating to offers and sales of the Public Units and the Public Shares and the Public Warrants underlying the Public Units in connection with market making transactions as filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the Securities Act. The final prospectus, in the form filed pursuant to and within the time limits described in Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, including the final Market Making Prospectus, is hereinafter called the “Prospectus.”
(b) General Disclosure Package. As of the Applicable Time (as defined below) and as of each Closing Date, as the case may be, neither (i) the Pricing Prospectus (as defined below) (the “General Disclosure Package”), nor (ii) any individual Written Testing-the-Waters Communication (as defined below), when considered together with the General Disclosure Package, included or will include any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that the Company makes no representations or warranties as to information contained in or omitted from the General Disclosure Package in reliance upon, and in conformity with, written information furnished to the Company through the Representative by or on behalf of any Underwriter specifically for inclusion therein, which information the parties hereto agree is limited to the Underwriters’ Information (as defined in Section 18). As used in this paragraph and elsewhere in this Agreement:
“Applicable Time” means [●] P.M., New York time, on the date of this Agreement or such other time as agreed to by the Company and the Representative.
“Pricing Prospectus” means the Preliminary Prospectus relating to the Public Units, the Public Shares and the Public Warrants that is included in the Registration Statement immediately prior to the Applicable Time.
“Written Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any Testing-the-Waters Communication (as defined below) that is a written communication within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
3
(c) No Stop Orders; No Material Misstatements. No order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus has been issued by the Commission, and, to the Company’s knowledge, no proceeding for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the Securities Act has been instituted or threatened by the Commission, and each Preliminary Prospectus, at the time of filing thereof, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Act and the Securities Act Rules, and did not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that the Company makes no representations or warranties as to information contained in or omitted from any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, in reliance upon, and in conformity with, written information furnished to the Company through the Representative by or on behalf of any Underwriter specifically for inclusion therein, which information the parties hereto agree is limited to the Underwriters’ Information.
(d) Registration Statement and Prospectus Contents. As of the Effective Time, the Registration Statement complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the Securities Act Rules and did not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; as of the Applicable Time, the Pricing Prospectus complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act (including Section 10(a) of the Securities Act) and the Securities Act Rules and did not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; at all times during the Market Making Period (as defined below), the Registration Statement and the Market Making Prospectus do and will contain all material statements that are required to be stated therein in accordance with the Securities Act and the Securities Act Rules, and did or will, in all material respects, conform to the requirements of the Securities Act and the Securities Act Rules; as of the Applicable Time, the General Disclosure Package did not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; the Market Making Prospectus, as of its date, did not, and during the Market Making Period, will not, and the amendments and supplements thereto, as of their respective dates, will not, include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; the Prospectus will comply, as of its date and at each Closing Date, in all material respects, with the requirements of the Securities Act (including Section 10(a) of the Securities Act) and the Securities Act Rules and, as of the date the Prospectus is filed with the Commission, and at each Closing Date, the Prospectus will not include an untrue statement of material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that the foregoing representations and warranties in this paragraph (d) shall not apply to information contained in or omitted from the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, in reliance upon, and in conformity with, written information furnished to the Company through the Representative by or on behalf of any Underwriter specifically for inclusion therein, which information the parties hereto agree is limited to the Underwriters’ Information.
(e) No Free Writing Prospectus. The Company has not disseminated any written materials which may be deemed a “free writing prospectus” under the Securities Act Rules.
(f) Distribution of Offering Materials. The Company has not, directly or indirectly, distributed and will not distribute until the end of the Market Making Period any offering material in connection with the Offering other than any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and other materials, if any, permitted under the Securities Act.
(g) Emerging Growth Company. From the time of the first submission or filing of the Registration Statement with the Commission (or, if earlier, the first date on which the Company engaged directly or through any person authorized to act on its behalf in any Testing-the-Waters Communications) through the date hereof, the Company has been and is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act (an “Emerging Growth Company”). “Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any oral or written communication with potential investors undertaken in reliance on Section 5(d) of the Securities Act.
4
(h) [Reserved].
(i) Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company (a) has not alone engaged in any Testing-the-Waters Communication other than Testing-the-Waters Communications with the consent of the Representative with entities that are qualified institutional buyers within the meaning of Rule 144A under the Securities Act or institutions that are accredited investors within the meaning of Rule 501 under the Securities Act and (b) has not authorized anyone other than the Representative to engage in Testing-the-Waters Communications on its behalf. The Company reconfirms that the Representative has been authorized by it to act on its behalf in undertaking Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company has not distributed any Written Testing-the-Waters Communications other than those listed on Schedule B hereto.
(j) Organization and Good Standing. The Company has been duly organized and is validly existing as corporation in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation. The Company is duly qualified to do business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation in each jurisdiction in which its ownership or lease of property or the conduct of its business requires such qualification and has all power and authority (corporate or other) necessary to own or hold its property and to conduct its business as described in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, and to enter into this Agreement and the Other Transaction Agreements, and to carry out the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, except where the failure to so qualify or have such power or authority would not reasonably be expected to (i) have a material adverse effect on the business, properties, general affairs, management, financial position, shareholders’ equity, results of operations or prospects of the Company or (ii) impair in any material respect the ability of the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement and the Other Transaction Agreements or (iii) impair in any material respect the ability of the Company to consummate any transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the Other Transaction Agreements, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (any such effect as described in clauses (i), (ii) or (iii), a “Material Adverse Effect”). The Company has no subsidiaries. The Company does not own, directly or indirectly, any shares, shares of stock or other equity interests or long-term debt securities of any corporation, firm, partnership, joint venture, association or other entity.
(k) Properties. The Company owns or leases all such properties as are necessary to conduct its business as currently conducted, and as proposed to be conducted and described in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(l) Offering Documents. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company. Each of the Trust Agreement, the Warrant Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company, and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except, in each case, as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability. The Private Unit Subscription Agreements have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company (and, to the Company’s knowledge, the Private Unit Subscribers that are parties thereto) and are valid and binding agreements of the Company (and, to the Company’s knowledge, the Private Unit Subscribers that are parties thereto), enforceable against the Company (and, to the Company’s knowledge, the Private Unit Subscribers that are parties thereto) in accordance with its terms, except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability. The Registration Rights Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company (and, to the Company’s knowledge, the holders of the Insider Shares and the Private Unit Subscribers that are parties thereto, respectively) and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company (and, to the Company’s knowledge, the holders of the Insider Shares and the Private Unit Subscribers that are parties thereto, respectively), enforceable against the Company (and, to the Company’s knowledge, the holders of the Insider Shares and the Private Unit Subscribers that are parties thereto, respectively) in accordance with its terms, except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability. The Insider Letter has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company (and, to the Company’s knowledge, the Company’s initial shareholders and the Company’s officers and directors that are parties thereto) and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company (and, to the Company’s knowledge, the Company’s initial shareholders and the Company’s officers and directors that are parties thereto), enforceable against the Company (and, to the Company’s knowledge, the Company’s initial shareholders and the Company’s officers and directors that are parties thereto) in accordance with its terms, except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability.
5
(m) The Offering Securities. The Units have been duly and validly authorized and, when issued and delivered against payment therefor as provided herein or in the Private Unit Subscription Agreements, as applicable, will be duly and validly issued, will be free of statutory and contractual preemptive rights, resale rights, rights of first refusal or similar rights, will conform to the descriptions thereof in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, and will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability. The certificates for the Units are in due and proper form. The Class A Ordinary Shares included in the Units have been duly and validly authorized and, when issued and delivered against payment therefor as provided herein or in the Private Unit Subscription Agreements, as applicable, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable and free of statutory and contractual preemptive rights, resale rights, rights of first refusal and similar rights. The Warrants included in the Units, when executed, authenticated, issued and delivered in the manner set forth in the Warrant Agreement against payment therefor as provided herein or in the Private Unit Subscription Agreements, as applicable, will be duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered and will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability. The Class A Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants included in the Units have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance upon exercise of the Warrants and, when issued and delivered against payment therefor pursuant to the Warrant Agreement, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable; the holders of such Class A Ordinary Shares are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; such Class A Ordinary Shares are not and will not be subject to any statutory or contractual preemptive rights, resale rights, rights of first refusal or similar rights; and all corporate action required to be taken for the authorization, issuance and delivery of such Class A Ordinary Shares (other than the issuance and delivery to be made upon exercise of the Warrants pursuant to the Warrant Agreement) has been duly and validly taken.
(n) Capitalization. The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth under the heading “Capitalization” in the Pricing Prospectus, and all of the issued shares of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable, have been issued in compliance with federal and state securities laws, and conform to the description thereof contained in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. No securities of the Company have been sold by the Company or by or on behalf of, or for the benefit of, any person or persons controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Company, since the date of the Company’s formation, except as disclosed in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. All of the Company’s options, warrants and other rights to purchase or exchange any securities for the Company’s capital shares, if any, have been duly authorized and validly issued, were issued in compliance with federal and state securities laws and conform to the description thereof contained in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. None of the outstanding Ordinary Shares were issued in violation of any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights to subscribe for or purchase securities of the Company. As of the date set forth in the General Disclosure Package, there were no authorized or outstanding capital shares, options, warrants, preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other rights to purchase, or equity or debt securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for, any capital shares of the Company other than those described in the General Disclosure Package. Since such date, the Company has not issued any securities, other than those described in the General Disclosure Package.
(o) No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and each of the Other Transaction Agreements, and the issuance and sale of the Units and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, will not (with or without notice or lapse of time or both) (i) conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, constitute a default or a Debt Repayment Triggering Event (as defined below) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, encumbrance, security interest, claim or charge upon any property or assets of the Company pursuant to, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which the Company is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company is subject, (ii) result in any violation of the provisions of the Company’s Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association (as may be amended from time to time, the “Memorandum and Articles”) or any other internal governance instruments of the Company or (iii) result in the violation of any law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory commission, board, body, authority or agency, or any self-regulatory organization or other non-governmental regulatory authority (including the rules and regulations of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (the “Exchange”)), domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties or assets, except, in the case of clauses (i) and (iii) above, for any such conflict, breach, violation or default that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. A “Debt Repayment Triggering Event” means any event or condition that gives, or with the giving of notice or lapse of time or both would give the holder of any note, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion of such indebtedness by the Company.
6
(p) No Consents Required. No approval, authorization, consent or order of or filing with any federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory commission, board, body, authority or agency, or any self-regulatory organization or other non-governmental regulatory authority (including the Exchange), or approval of the shareholders of the Company, is required in connection with the issuance and sale of the Units or in connection with the transactions contemplated in this Agreement or the Other Transaction Agreements, or the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, other than (i) registration of the Public Units and the Public Shares and the Public Warrants underlying them under the Securities Act, which has been effected (or, with respect to any registration statement to be filed hereunder pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, will be effected in accordance therewith), (ii) any necessary qualification under the securities or blue sky laws of the various jurisdictions in which the Public Units are being offered by the Underwriters, (iii) under the applicable rules of FINRA, (iv) any listing applications and related consents or any notices required by the Exchange in the ordinary course of the Offering, (v) filings with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act and (vi) any such other required approvals as have been obtained prior to the date hereof.
(q) No Preemptive Rights. Except as described in the Registration Statement (excluding the exhibits thereto), each Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, (i) no person has the right, contractual or otherwise, to cause the Company to issue or sell to it any Units, capital shares or other equity interests of the Company, (ii) no person has any preemptive rights, resale rights, rights of first refusal or other rights to receive any Units, capital shares or other equity interests in the Company, (iii) no person has the right to act as an underwriter or as a financial advisor to the Company in connection with the offer and sale of the Units and (iv) no person has the right, contractual or otherwise, to cause the Company to register under the Securities Act any Units, capital shares or other equity interests in the Company or to include any such securities or interests in the Registration Statement or the offering contemplated thereby.
(r) Independent Auditors. To the Company’s knowledge, CBIZ CPAs P.C. (“CBIZ”), who have certified certain financial statements of the Company included in the Registration Statement, General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, is an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company within the meaning of Article 2-01 of Regulation S-X under the Securities Act (“Regulation S-X”) and the rules and standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (the “PCAOB”).
(s) Financial Statements. The financial statements, together with the related notes, included in the General Disclosure Package, the Prospectus and in the Registration Statement fairly present in all material respects the financial position and the results of operations and changes in financial position of the Company at the respective dates or for the respective periods therein specified. Such statements and related notes have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved except as may be set forth in the related notes included in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. The financial statements, together with the related notes, included in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus comply in all material respects with Regulation S-X. No other financial statements or supporting schedules or exhibits are required by Regulation S-X to be described or included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus. Except as set forth in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company is not party to any off-balance sheet transactions, agreements or other contractual arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a material current or future effect on the Company’s financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues, expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources. Except as set forth in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company does not hold an interest in any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust or other entity. Any summary or selected financial data included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus fairly present in all material respects the information shown therein as at the respective dates and for the respective periods specified and are derived from the financial statements set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
7
(t) No Material Adverse Change. Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, in each case excluding any amendments or supplements to the foregoing made after the execution of this Agreement, there has not been, (i) any material adverse change, or any development that would reasonably be expected to cause a material adverse change, in the business, properties, management, financial condition or results of operation of the Company, (ii) any transaction which is material to the Company, (iii) any obligation or liability, direct or contingent (including any off-balance sheet obligations), incurred by the Company, which is material to the Company, (iv) any material loss or interference with the business of the Company from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any action, order or decree of any court or governmental or regulatory authority, (v) any change in the authorized share capital or outstanding indebtedness of the Company or (vi) any dividend or distribution of any kind declared, set aside for payment, paid or made by the Company on any class of capital shares.
(u) Legal Proceedings. Except as set forth in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there is no legal or governmental proceeding pending to which the Company is a party or of which any property or assets of the Company is the subject that is required to be described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus and is not described therein, or which, singularly or in the aggregate, if determined adversely to effect the Company, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and to the Company’s knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened or contemplated by governmental or regulatory authorities or threatened by others.
(v) No Violation or Default. The Company is not (i) in violation of the Memorandum and Articles or any other internal governance instruments of the Company, (ii) in default in any respect, and no event has occurred which, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute such a default, in the due performance or observance of any term, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, lease or other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it is bound or to which any of its property or assets is subject or (iii) in violation in any respect of any law, ordinance, governmental rule, regulation or court order, decree or judgment to which it or its property or assets may be subject, except, for any such violation or default that would not, singularly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(w) Licenses or Permits. The Company possesses all licenses, certificates, authorizations and permits issued by, and has made all declarations and filings with, the appropriate federal, state, local and foreign governmental or regulatory commissions, boards, bodies, authorities and agencies that are necessary for the ownership or lease of its property and the conduct of its businesses as described in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (collectively, the “Governmental Permits”) except where any failures to possess or make the same would not, singularly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company is in material compliance with all such Governmental Permits; all such Governmental Permits are valid and in full force and effect, except where the validity or failure to be in full force and effect would not, singularly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company has not received notification of any revocation, modification, suspension, termination or invalidation (or proceedings related thereto) of any such Governmental Permit and the Company has no reason to believe that any such Governmental Permit will not be renewed.
(x) Investment Company Act. The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering of the Public Units and the Private Units and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, will not be, required to register as an “investment company” or an entity “controlled” by an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
(y) No Stabilization. Neither the Company nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any of its officers, directors or affiliates has taken or will take, directly or indirectly, any action without the consent of the Representative designed or intended to stabilize or manipulate the price of any security of the Company, or which caused or resulted in, or which might in the future reasonably be expected to cause or result in, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company.
8
(z) [Reserved].
(aa) [Reserved].
(bb) No Labor Dispute. There is (A) no significant unfair labor practice complaint pending against the Company nor, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened against it, before the National Labor Relations Board, any state or local labor relation board or any foreign labor relations board, and no significant grievance or significant arbitration proceeding arising out of or under any collective bargaining agreement is so pending against the Company, or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened against it and (B) no labor disturbance by or dispute with, employees of the Company exists or, to the Company’s knowledge, is contemplated or threatened, and the Company is not aware of any existing or imminent labor disturbance by the employees of any of its principal suppliers, manufacturers, customers or contractors, that could reasonably be expected, singularly or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company is not aware that any key employee or significant group of employees of the Company plans to terminate employment with the Company.
(cc) Compliance with ERISA. No “prohibited transaction” (as defined in Section 406 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, including the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (“ERISA”), or Section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time (the “Code”)) or “accumulated funding deficiency” (as defined in Section 302 of ERISA) or any of the events set forth in Section 4043(b) of ERISA (other than events with respect to which the thirty (30)-day notice requirement under Section 4043 of ERISA has been waived) has occurred or could reasonably be expected to occur with respect to any employee benefit plan of the Company which could, singularly or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect. Each employee benefit plan of the Company is in compliance in all material respects with applicable law, including ERISA and the Code. The Company has not incurred and could not reasonably be expected to incur liability under Title IV of ERISA with respect to the termination of, or withdrawal from, any pension plan (as defined in ERISA).
(dd) Environmental Laws and Hazardous Materials. The Company is in compliance with all foreign, federal, state and local rules, laws and regulations relating to the use, treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous or toxic substances or waste and protection of health and safety or the environment which are applicable to its business (“Environmental Laws”). There has been no storage, generation, transportation, handling, treatment, disposal, discharge, emission, or other release of any kind of toxic or other wastes or other hazardous substances by, due to, or caused by the Company (or, to the Company’s knowledge, any other entity for whose acts or omissions the Company is or may otherwise be liable) upon any of the property now or previously owned or leased by the Company, or upon any other property, in violation of any law, statute, ordinance, rule, regulation, order, judgment, decree or permit or which would, under any law, statute, ordinance, rule (including rule of common law), regulation, order, judgment, decree or permit, give rise to any liability; and there has been no disposal, discharge, emission or other release of any kind onto such property or into the environment surrounding such property of any toxic or other wastes or other hazardous substances with respect to which the Company has knowledge.
(ee) Taxes. The Company (i) has timely filed all necessary federal, state, local and foreign tax returns, and all such returns were true, complete and correct, (ii) has paid all federal, state, local and foreign taxes for which it is liable, including all sales and use taxes and all taxes which the Company is obligated to withhold from amounts owing to employees, creditors and other parties and (iii) does not have any tax deficiency or claims outstanding or assessed or, to its knowledge, proposed against it, except those, in each of the cases described in clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) above, that would not, singularly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and (iv) in the event an excise tax and/or any other similar fee or tax in nature is levied or imposed on the Company pursuant to any current law(s), including without limitation any excise tax due under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 in relation to a redemption of securities as described in the Registration Statement or otherwise, the Company agrees not to make payment of any such tax or fee from the Trust Account and further agrees not to seek recourse for any such tax or fee from the Trust Account.
9
(ff) [Reserved].
(gg) Accounting Controls. The Company maintains a system of “internal control over financial reporting” (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the General Securities Act Rules under the Exchange Act (the “Exchange Act Rules”)) that complies in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and has been designed by its principal executive and principal financial officers, or under their supervision, to provide reasonable assurances that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain accountability for assets; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. Except as described in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there has been no material weakness in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated).
(hh) Disclosure Controls. The Company maintains “disclosure controls and procedures” (as such is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) of the Exchange Act Rules) that comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act; such disclosure controls and procedures have been designed to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports that it files or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, including controls and procedures designed to ensure that such information is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management to allow timely decisions regarding disclosures.
(ii) [Reserved].
(jj) No Undisclosed Relationships. No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company on the one hand, and the Company’s directors, officers or shareholders (or analogous interest holders) or any of their affiliates on the other hand, which is required to be described in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and which is not so described.
(kk) No Registration Rights. No person has the right to require registration of any Ordinary Shares or other securities of the Company because of the filing or effectiveness of the Registration Statement, except for persons who have expressly waived such right in writing or who have been given timely and proper written notice and have failed to exercise such right within the time or times required under the terms and conditions of such right. Except as described in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there are no persons with registration rights or similar rights to have any securities registered by the Company or any of its subsidiaries under the Securities Act.
(ll) Margin Rules. The application of the proceeds received by the Company from the issuance, sale and delivery of the Public Units as described in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus will not violate Regulation T, U or X of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve system or any other regulation of such Board of Governors.
(mm) No Broker’s Fees. The Company is not a party to any contract, agreement or understanding with any person (other than this Agreement) that would give rise to a valid claim against the Company or the Underwriters for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or like payment in connection with the Offering and sale of the Public Units or any transaction contemplated by this Agreement, the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus.
10
(nn) [Reserved].
(oo) Listing. The Public Units, the Class A Ordinary Shares and the Public Warrants have been approved for listing on the Exchange subject to notice of issuance. A registration statement has been filed on Form 8-A pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act, which registration statement complies in all material respects with the Exchange Act and the Exchange Act Rules and is effective as of the date hereof.
(pp) Sarbanes-Oxley Act. There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or, to the Company’s knowledge, any of the Company’s officers or directors, in their capacities as such, to comply with any provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), including Section 402 related to loans, to the extent such provisions and rules and regulations are applicable.
(qq) No Unlawful Payments. Neither the Company nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any employee or agent of the Company, has (i) used any corporate funds for unlawful contributions, gifts, entertainment or other unlawful expenses relating to political activity, (ii) made any unlawful payment to foreign or domestic government officials or employees or to foreign or domestic political parties or campaigns from corporate funds, (iii) violated any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended or (iv) made any other unlawful payment.
(rr) Statistical and Market Data. The statistical and market related data included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company believes to be reliable and accurate, and such data agree with the sources from which they are derived.
(ss) Compliance with Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company are and have been conducted at all times in material compliance with all applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including those of the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by Title III of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act), and the applicable anti-money laundering statutes of jurisdictions where the Company conducts business, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Anti-Money Laundering Laws”), and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company with respect to the Anti-Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, assuming reasonable inquiry, threatened.
(tt) Compliance with OFAC.
(A) Neither the Company nor any director or officer thereof, nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any employee, any agent, affiliate or representative of the Company, is an individual or entity (“Person”) that is, or is owned or controlled by a Person that is: (i) the subject of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), the United Nations Security Council (“UNSC”), the European Union (“EU”), Her Majesty’s Treasury (“HMT”), or any other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), nor (ii) located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of Sanctions (including the Crimea region, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria).
(B) The Company will not, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of the Offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any other Person: (i) to fund or facilitate any activities or business of or with any Person or in any country or territory that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject of Sanctions; or in any other manner that will result in a violation of Sanctions by any Person (including any Person participating in the Offering, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise).
(C) The Company has not knowingly engaged in, is not now knowingly engaged in, and will not engage in, any dealings or transactions with any Person, or in any country or territory, that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject of Sanctions.
11
(uu) FINRA Matters. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, neither the Company nor any of its affiliates (within the meaning of FINRA Rule 5121(f)(1)) directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, or is an associated person (within the meaning of Article I, Section 1(ee) of the By-Laws of FINRA) of, any person that is a member of FINRA (a “FINRA Member”).
(vv) Except as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, during the period beginning 180 days prior to the first submission of the Registration Statement with the Commission and ending on the effective date of the Registration Statement, the Company has not made any direct or indirect payments (in cash, securities or any other “non-cash compensation” as defined in FINRA Rule 5110(f)((1)(B)), nor has it entered into any arrangements, contracts, agreements or understandings relating to the payment to: (i) any person, as a finder’s fee, consulting, investment banking, financial advisory, origination fee or otherwise, in consideration of such person raising capital for the Company or introducing to the Company persons who raised or provided capital to the Company; (ii) any FINRA Member; or (iii) any person that, to the Company’s knowledge, has any direct or indirect affiliation or association with any FINRA Member, other than payments to the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement.
(ww) Except as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, no person to whom securities of the Company have been privately sold during the period beginning 180 days prior to the initial submission of the Registration Statement with the Commission has, to the Company’s knowledge, any relationship or affiliation or association with any FINRA Member intending to participate in the Offering. As used in this Agreement, the term “FINRA Member intending to participate in the Offering” includes any associated person of a FINRA Member intending to participate in the Offering, any associated person of a FINRA Member who is among such associated person’s immediate family and any affiliate of a FINRA Member intending to participate in the Offering.
(xx) Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, to the Company’s knowledge, no FINRA Member intending to participate in the Offering has a conflict of interest with the Company. For this purpose, a “conflict of interest” exists if, at the time of the FINRA Member’s participation in the Offering, any of the following applies: (A) the securities are to be issued by the FINRA Member; (B) the Company controls, is controlled by or is under common control with the FINRA Member or the FINRA Member’s associated persons; (C) at least 5% of the net proceeds of the Offering, not including underwriting compensation, are intended to be (i) used to reduce or retire the balance of a loan or credit facility extended by the FINRA Member, its affiliates and its associated persons, in the aggregate, or (ii) otherwise directed to the FINRA Member, its affiliates and associated persons, in the aggregate; or (D) as a result of the Offering and any transactions contemplated at the time of the Offering: (i) the FINRA Member will be an affiliate of the Company, (ii) the FINRA Member will become publicly owned or (iii) the Company will become a FINRA Member or form a broker-dealer subsidiary.
(yy) No Integration. The Company has not made any offer or sale of any securities which are required to be “integrated” pursuant to the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission with the offer and sale of the Public Units or any of their underlying securities pursuant to the Registration Statement.
(zz) Questionnaires. To the knowledge of the Company, assuming reasonable inquiry, all information contained in the questionnaires completed by the Company’s officers and directors and provided to the Underwriters (the “Questionnaires”) is true and correct and the Company has not become aware of any information that would cause the information disclosed in the Questionnaires to become inaccurate and incorrect.
(aaa) No Acquisition Target Discussions. The Company has not, nor to its knowledge has anyone on its behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any potential target business regarding a potential initial Business Combination with the Company.
12
(bbb) No Insider Fee Arrangements. No agreements have been entered into for the payment by the Company of consulting, finder or success fees to any of the Company’s officers, directors, shareholders or their affiliates for assisting the Company in consummating its initial Business Combination.
Any certificate signed by or on behalf of the Company and delivered to the Representative or to counsel for the Underwriters shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty by the Company to each Underwriter as to the matters covered thereby.
3. PURCHASE, SALE AND DELIVERY OF OFFERED SECURITIES. On the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements herein contained, but subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to issue and sell to the Underwriters, and the Underwriters agree, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, the respective number of Firm Units set forth opposite the names of the Underwriters in Schedule A hereto. The Company is advised by the Representative that the Underwriters intend (i) to make a public offering of their respective portions of the Firm Units as soon after the effective date of the Registration Statement as is in the Representative’s judgment advisable and (ii) initially to offer the Firm Units upon the terms set forth in the Prospectus.
The purchase price per share to be paid by the Underwriters to the Company for the Firm Units will be (net of discounts and commissions, excluding the Deferred Underwriting Commission) $9.90 per Firm Unit.
The Company will deliver the Firm Units to the Representative for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters, through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company or, at the election of the Representative, in the form of definitive certificates, in each such case, issued in such names and in such denominations as the Representative may direct by notice in writing to the Company given at or prior to 12:00 Noon, New York time, on the business day immediately preceding the Closing Date against payment of the following by wire transfer in federal (same day) funds to the Trust Account of $9.90 per Firm Unit.
The time of purchase, sale and delivery shall be of the essence, and delivery at the time and place specified pursuant to this Agreement is a condition of the obligations of each Underwriter hereunder. The time and date of the delivery and closing shall be at [●], New York time, on [ ], 2026 , in accordance with Rule 15c6-1 of the Exchange Act. The time and date of such payment and delivery are herein referred to as the “Initial Closing Date”. The Initial Closing Date and the location of delivery of, and the form of payment for, the Firm Units may be varied by agreement between the Company and the Representative.
In addition, the Company hereby grants to the several Underwriters the option (the “Over-Allotment Option”) to purchase, and upon the basis of the representations and warranties and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Underwriters shall have the right to purchase, severally and not jointly, from the Company, ratably in accordance with the number of Firm Units to be purchased by each of them, all or a portion of the Optional Units as may be necessary to cover over-allotments made in connection with the offering of the Firm Units, at the same purchase price per Firm Unit to be paid by the Underwriters to the Company. The Over-Allotment Option may be exercised by the Representative on behalf of the several Underwriters at any time, and from time to time, on or before the forty-fifth (45th) day following the date of the Prospectus, by written notice to the Company, setting forth the number of Optional Units to be purchased by the Underwriters and the date and time for delivery of and payment for the Optional Units. The number of Optional Units to be sold to each Underwriter shall be the number which bears the same proportion to the aggregate number of Optional Units being purchased as the number of Firm Units set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter on Schedule A hereto bears to the total number of Firm Units (subject, in each case, to such adjustment as the Representative may determine to eliminate fractional shares).
Each date and time for delivery of and payment for Optional Units (which may be the Initial Closing Date, but not earlier) is herein called the “Option Closing Date” and shall in no event be earlier than two (2) business days nor later than five (5) business days after written notice of exercise is given. Each Option Closing Date and the Initial Closing Date are herein called the “Closing Dates,” or each a “Closing Date.”
13
Payment for the Optional Units shall be made on the Option Closing Date by wire transfer in federal (same day) funds, payable as follows: $10.05 per Optional Unit shall be deposited in the Trust Account pursuant to the Trust Agreement upon delivery to the Representative of certificates (in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative) representing the Optional Units (or through the facilities of DTC) for the account of the Representative.
The Company will deliver the Optional Units to the Representative for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company or, at the election of the Representative, in the form of definitive certificates, in each such case, issued in such names and in such denominations as the Representative may direct by notice in writing to the Company given at or prior to 12:00 Noon, New York time, on the business day immediately preceding the Option Closing Date against payment of the aggregate purchase price therefor by wire transfer in federal (same day) funds to the Trust Account. Time shall be of the essence, and delivery at the time and place specified pursuant to this Agreement is a further condition of the obligations of each Underwriter hereunder. The Company, in the event the Representative elects to have the Underwriters take delivery of definitive certificates instead of delivery from the Company of the certificates through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company, shall make the certificates for the Optional Units available to the Representative for examination on behalf of the Underwriters in New York, New York not later than 10:00 A.M., New York Time, at least one (1) full business day prior to the Option Closing Date. The Option Closing Date and the location of delivery of, and the form of payment for, the Optional Units may be varied by agreement between the Company and the Representative.
The Deferred Underwriting Commission shall consist of the following: (i) $0.10 per Optional Unit sold pursuant to the Over-Allotment Option; (ii) $0.05 per Public Unit sold in the Offering; (iii) $0.05 per Public Unit sold in the Offering, payable only if, immediately prior to the consummation of the Business Combination, the funds remaining in the Trust Account equal or exceed twenty percent (20%) of the total gross proceeds of the Offering, calculated based on the number of Public Shares outstanding immediately prior to the consummation of the Company’s Business Combination, net of Public Shares submitted for redemption and net of any Public Shares held by public shareholders that have entered into forward purchase agreements or other arrangements whereby the Company has a contractual obligation to repurchase such shares after the closing of the Business Combination and any required repurchases pursuant to forward purchase agreements or similar arrangements; and (iv) 1.0% of the cash remaining in the Trust Account, calculated based on the number of Public Shares outstanding immediately prior to the consummation of the Company’s Business Combination, net of Public Shares submitted for redemption and net of any Public Shares held by public shareholders that have entered into forward purchase agreements or other arrangements whereby the Company has a contractual obligation to repurchase such shares after the closing of the Company’s Business Combination (collectively the “Deferred Underwriting Commission”). The Representative agrees that the Deferred Underwriting Commission will be deposited and held in the Trust Account and payable directly from the Trust Account, without accrued interest, to the Representative upon consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination. In the event that the Company is unable to consummate a Business Combination and the Trustee liquidates the Trust Account as provided in the Trust Agreement, the Representative agrees that (i) it will forfeit any rights or claims to the Deferred Underwriting Commission, including any accrued interest thereon, then in the Trust Account, and (ii) the remaining amounts in the Trust Account (including the forfeited amount of Deferred Underwriting Commission) will be distributed upon liquidation of the Trust Account as provided for in the Trust Agreement.
4. FURTHER AGREEMENTS. The Company agrees with the several Underwriters:
(a) Required Filings; Amendments or Supplements; Notice to the Representative. If agreed between the Company and the Representative, to prepare the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if necessary, in a form approved by the Representative and file such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement with the Commission by 10:00 P.M., New York time, on the date hereof, and the Company shall at the time of filing either pay to the Commission the filing fee for the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement or give irrevocable instructions for the payment of such fee pursuant to Rule 111(b) under the Securities Act; to prepare the Prospectus in a form approved by the Representative and to file such Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act not later than the second (2nd) business day following the execution and delivery of this Agreement or, if applicable, such earlier time as may be required by the Securities Act; to notify the Representative immediately of the Company’s intention to file or prepare any supplement or amendment to the Registration Statement or to the Prospectus and to make no amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or to the Prospectus to which the Representative shall reasonably object by notice to the Company after a reasonable period to review; to advise the Representative, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the time when any amendment to the Registration Statement has been filed or becomes effective or any supplement to the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or any amended Prospectus or any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication has been filed and to furnish the Underwriters with copies thereof; to file promptly all material required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rules 433(d) or 163(b)(2) under the Securities Act, as the case may be; to advise the Representative, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication, of the suspension of the qualification of the Public Units, the Public Shares or the Public Warrants for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for any such purpose, or of any request by the Commission for the amending or supplementing of the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or for additional information including any request for information concerning any Testing-the-Waters Communication; and, in the event of the issuance of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or suspending any such qualification, to promptly use its reasonable best efforts to obtain the withdrawal of such order.
14
(b) Emerging Growth Company. To promptly notify the Representative if the Company ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the later of (a) the completion of the distribution of the Public Units within the meaning of the Securities Act, (b) the completion of the Market Making Period and (c) completion of the Lock-Up Period (as defined below).
If at any time following the distribution of any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company will promptly notify the Representative and will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication to eliminate or correct such untrue statement or omission.
(c) Ongoing Compliance. If at any time prior to the date when a prospectus relating to the Public Units is required to be delivered (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Securities Act), including during the Market Making Period (as defined below), any event occurs or condition exists as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact, or omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made when the Prospectus is delivered (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Securities Act), not misleading, or if it is necessary at any time to amend or supplement the Registration Statement or the Prospectus to comply with the Securities Act, to promptly notify the Representative thereof and upon their request to prepare an appropriate amendment or supplement in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative which will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance and to use its reasonable best efforts to have any amendment to the Registration Statement declared effective as soon as possible. The Company will furnish without charge to each Underwriter and to any dealer in securities as many copies as the Representative may from time to time reasonably request of such amendment or supplement. In case any Underwriter is required to deliver a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Securities Act) relating to the Public Units, the Company upon the request of the Representative will prepare promptly an amended or supplemented Prospectus as may be necessary to permit compliance with the requirements of Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act and deliver to such Underwriter as many copies as such Underwriter may request of such amended or supplemented Prospectus complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act. If during the period beginning on the date hereof and expiring on the close of trading on the later of (i) 30 days from the date hereof and (ii) the date on which the Company notifies the Representative in writing that it no longer intends to keep current the Market Making Prospectus (the “Market Making Period”), any event shall have occurred as a result of which, in the opinion of counsel for the Company or counsel for the Representative, the Market Marking Prospectus, as then amended or supplemented, includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or if it is necessary at any time to amend or supplement the Market Marking Prospectus to comply with the Securities Act, the Company will notify the Representative promptly and prepare and file with the Commission an appropriate amendment or supplement in accordance with Section 10 of the Securities Act.
(d) Amendment to General Disclosure Package. If the General Disclosure Package is being used to solicit offers to buy the Public Units at a time when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers and any event shall occur as a result of which, in the judgment of the Company or the Underwriters, it becomes necessary to amend or supplement the General Disclosure Package in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances then prevailing, not misleading, or to make the statements therein not conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement then on file and not superseded or modified, or if it is necessary at any time to amend or supplement the General Disclosure Package to comply with any law, to promptly prepare, file with the Commission (if required) and furnish to the Underwriters and any dealers an appropriate amendment or supplement to the General Disclosure Package.
(e) Delivery of Registration Statement. To the extent not publicly available on the Commission’s Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system or any successor system (“EDGAR”), upon the request of the Representative, to furnish promptly to the Representative and to counsel for the Underwriters a signed copy of the Registration Statement as originally filed with the Commission, and of each amendment thereto filed with the Commission, including all consents and exhibits filed therewith.
15
(f) Delivery of Copies. Upon request of the Representative, to the extent not publicly available on EDGAR, to deliver promptly to the Representative such number of the following documents as the Representative shall reasonably request: (i) conformed copies of the Registration Statement as originally filed with the Commission (in each case excluding exhibits), (ii) each Preliminary Prospectus, (iii) the Market Making Prospectus, (iv) the Prospectus (the delivery of the documents referred to in clauses (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv) of this paragraph to be made not later than 10:00 A.M., New York time, on the second business day following the execution and delivery of this Agreement), (v) conformed copies of any amendment to the Registration Statement (excluding exhibits) and (vi) any amendment or supplement to the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (the delivery of the documents referred to in clauses (v) and (vi) of this paragraph to be made not later than 10:00 A.M., New York City time, on the second business day following the date of such amendment or supplement).
(g) Earnings Statement. To make generally available to its security holders as soon as practicable, but in any event not later than sixteen (16) months after the effective date of the Registration Statement (as defined in Rule 158(c) under the Securities Act), an earnings statement of the Company (which need not be audited) complying with Section 11(a) of the Securities Act (including, at the option of the Company, Rule 158 under the Securities Act); and to furnish to its security holders as soon as practicable after the end of each fiscal year an annual report (including a balance sheet and statements of income, shareholders’ equity and cash flows of the Company certified by independent public accountants) and as soon as possible after each of the first three fiscal quarters of each fiscal year (beginning with the first fiscal quarter after the effective date of such Registration Statement), summary financial information of the Company for such quarter in reasonable detail.
(h) Blue Sky Compliance. To take promptly from time to time such actions as the Representative may reasonably request to qualify the Public Units and any of the underlying securities for offering and sale under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions (domestic or foreign) as the Representative may reasonably designate and to continue such qualifications in effect, and to comply with such laws, for so long as required to permit the offer and sale of Public Units and any of the underlying securities in such jurisdictions; provided that the Company shall not be obligated to (i) qualify as foreign corporation in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified, (ii) file a general consent to service of process in any jurisdiction or (iii) subject itself to taxation in any such jurisdiction if it is not otherwise so subject.
(i) Reports. Upon request, during the period of five (5) years from the date hereof, to deliver to each of the Underwriters, (i) as soon as they are available, copies of all reports or other communications (financial or other) furnished to security holders and (ii) as soon as they are available, copies of any reports and financial statements furnished or filed with the Commission or any national securities exchange on which the Public Units, the Class A Ordinary Shares, or the Warrants are listed. However, so long as the Company is subject to the reporting requirements of either Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act and is timely filing reports on EDGAR, it is not required to furnish such reports or statements to the Underwriters.
(j) Lock-Up. During the period commencing on and including the date hereof and ending on and including the 180th day following the date of this Agreement, (the “Lock-Up Period”) to not, without the prior written consent of the Representative (which consent may be withheld at the sole discretion of the Representative), directly or indirectly offer, sell (including in any short sale), assign, transfer, pledge, contract to sell, establish an open “put equivalent position” within the meaning of Rule 16a-1(h) under the Exchange Act or otherwise dispose of, or announce the offering of, or file any registration statement under the Securities Act in respect of, any Public Units, Class A Ordinary Shares, options, or warrants to acquire Class A Ordinary Shares or securities exchangeable or exercisable for or convertible into Class A Ordinary Shares (other than as is contemplated by this Agreement with respect to the Public Units) or publicly announce any intention to do any of the foregoing. The Company will cause each of the Company’s officers, directors and security holders prior to the Offering to furnish to the Representative, prior to the Initial Closing Date, an Insider Letter, which contains, among other things, “lock-up” restrictions on disposition of securities of the Company, and the Company shall not release any such party from such “lock-up” restrictions without the prior written consent of the Representative (which consent may be withheld at the sole discretion of the Representative). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company may: (a) issue and sell the Private Units, (b) issue and sell the Optional Units on exercise of the option provided for in Section 3 hereof, (c) register with the Commission pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement, in accordance with the terms of the Registration Rights Agreement, the resale of the Insider Shares, the Private Units and the Private Shares and the Private Warrants underlying the Private Units and (d) issue securities in connection with a Business Combination; provided, further, that in no case shall the Company issue any ordinary shares, options, or warrants to acquire ordinary shares or securities exchangeable or exercisable for or convertible into ordinary shares, or any preference shares, in each case, that participate in any manner in the Trust Account or that vote as a class with the Class A Ordinary Shares on a Business Combination.
16
(k) Intentionally Omitted.
(l) Delivery of SEC Correspondence. To supply the Underwriters with copies of all correspondence to and from, and all documents issued to and by, the Commission in connection with the registration of the Public Units (and the Public Shares and the Public Warrants underlying them) under the Securities Act or any of the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto or document incorporated by reference therein.
(m) Press Releases. Prior to the Initial Closing Date, not to issue any press release or other communication directly or indirectly or hold any press conference with respect to the Company, its condition, financial or otherwise, or earnings, business affairs or business prospects, without the prior consent of the Representative, unless in the judgment of the Company and its counsel, and after notification to the Representative, such press release or communication is required by law or the rules of the Exchange.
(n) Compliance with Regulation M. Until the Underwriters shall have notified the Company of the completion of the resale of the Public Units, not to, and use its reasonable best efforts to cause its affiliated purchasers (as defined in Regulation M under the Exchange Act) not to, either alone or with one or more other persons, bid for or purchase, for any account in which it or any of its affiliated purchasers has a beneficial interest, any Public Units, or attempt to induce any person to purchase any Public Units; and not to, and to use its reasonable best efforts to cause its affiliated purchasers not to, make bids or purchase for the purpose of creating actual, or apparent, active trading in or of raising the price of the Public Units.
(o) Registrar, Transfer Agent and Warrant Agent. To maintain, at its expense, a registrar, transfer agent and warrant agent for the Units, Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants.
(p) Use of Proceeds. To apply the net proceeds from the sale of the Public Units as set forth in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the heading “Use of Proceeds”; except as disclosed in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company does not intend to use any of the proceeds from the sale of the Public Units hereunder to repay any outstanding debt owed to any affiliate of any Underwriter.
(q) Exchange Listing. To use its reasonable best efforts to list the Public Units, the Class A Ordinary Shares and the Public Warrants on the Exchange, and to maintain the listing of the Public Units, Class A Ordinary Shares and the Public Warrants on the Exchange until completion of a Business Combination.
(r) Performance of Covenants and Satisfaction of Conditions. To use its reasonable best efforts to do and perform all things required to be done or performed under this Agreement by the Company prior to each Closing Date and to satisfy all conditions precedent to the delivery of the Firm Units and the Optional Units.
(s) Private Units Funds. No later than the Initial Closing Date, to cause the Private Unit Subscribers to wire to the Trust Account and/or the Company’s operating account, as directed by the Company, the purchase price for the Private Units to be purchased by them on the Initial Closing Date, and to direct the trustee to hold such funds in escrow therein, such that upon payment for the Public Units pursuant to this Agreement, the amount of cash in the Trust Account (without giving effect to any income earned thereon) will equal $10.05 per Public Unit outstanding as of the Initial Closing Date.
(t) Other Prospectuses. At any time at or after the executing of this Agreement, not to, directly or indirectly, offer or sell any Public Units, Public Shares or Public Warrants by means of any “prospectus” (within the meaning of the Securities Act), or use any “prospectus” (within the meaning of the Securities Act) in connection with the offer or sale of any Public Units, Public Shares or Public Warrants, in each case other than the Prospectus.
17
(u) No Stabilization or Manipulation. Not to take, directly or indirectly, any action designed, or which will constitute, or has constituted, or might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any securities of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Public Units, the Public Shares or the Public Warrants.
(v) Exchange Act Registration. For a period of time commencing at the Effective Time and ending at least five (5) years from the date of the consummation of the Business Combination, or until such earlier time at which Liquidation (as defined below) occurs, to use its reasonable best efforts to maintain the registration of the Public Units (and the Public Shares and the Public Warrants underlying them) under the provisions of the Exchange Act, except, in the case of the Public Units, after the completion of a Business Combination; the Company will not deregister the Public Units, the Public Shares or the Public Warrants under the Exchange Act, except, in the case of the Public Units, after the completion of a Business Combination, without the prior written consent of the Representative; “Liquidation” means the distribution of all of the funds in the Trust Account to the shareholders holding Public Shares (the “Public Shareholders”) in connection with the redemption of the Class A Ordinary Shares held by such Public Shareholders pursuant to the terms of the Memorandum and Articles.
(w) Audited Balance Sheet. To retain, as of the date hereof, its independent registered public accounting firm to audit the balance sheet of the Company (the “Audited Balance Sheet”) as of the time at which payment and delivery of the Firm Units have been made (the “Time of Purchase”) reflecting the receipt by the Company of the proceeds of the Offering at the Time of Purchase; as soon as the Audited Balance Sheet becomes available, to promptly, but not later than four business days after the Time of Purchase, file a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Commission, which report shall contain the Company’s Audited Balance Sheet; additionally, upon the Company’s receipt of the proceeds from the exercise of all or any portion of the Over-Allotment Option provided for in Section 2 hereof, to promptly, but not later than four business days after the receipt of such proceeds, file a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Commission, which report shall disclose the Company’s sale of Optional Units and its receipt of the proceeds therefrom.
(x) Review of Financial Statements. For a period commencing on the Effective Time and ending at least five (5) years from the date of the consummation of the Business Combination or until such earlier time at which the Liquidation occurs or the Class A Ordinary Shares and the Public Warrants cease to be publicly traded, to, at its expense, cause its regularly engaged independent registered public accounting firm to review the Company’s financial statements for each of the first three fiscal quarters prior to the announcement of quarterly financial information, the filing of the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and the mailing, if any, of quarterly financial information to shareholders.
(y) Intentionally Omitted.
(z) Intentionally Omitted.
(aa) Transfer Agent and Warrant Agent. For a period of five (5) years following the Effective Date or until such earlier time upon which the Company is required to be liquidated, the Company shall retain a transfer agent and warrant agent acceptable to the Representative. Odyssey is acceptable to the Representative.
(bb) Transactions with Insiders. Not to consummate a Business Combination with any entity that is affiliated with any of the Company’s officers, directors or initial shareholders unless it obtains an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly provides fairness opinions that such Business Combination is fair to the Company’s shareholders from a financial point of view; other than as set forth in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company shall not pay any of the Company’s officers, directors, initial shareholders or any of their respective affiliates any fees or compensation for services rendered to the Company prior to, or in connection with, the consummation of a Business Combination.
18
(cc) FINRA Notification. For a period of sixty (60) days following the Effective Time, in the event any person (regardless of any FINRA affiliation or association) is engaged to assist the Company in its search for a merger candidate or to provide any other merger and acquisition services, or has provided or will provide any investment banking, financial, advisory and/or consulting services to the Company, to promptly provide to the Representative and counsel for the Underwriters a notification prior to entering into the agreement or transaction relating to a potential Business Combination: (i) the identity of the person providing any such services; (ii) complete details of all such services and copies of all agreements governing such services prior to entering into the agreement or transaction; and (iii) justification as to why the value received by any person for such services is not underwriting compensation for the Offering; the Company also agrees that proper disclosure of such arrangement or potential arrangement will be made in the tender offer materials or proxy statement, as applicable, which the Company may file in connection with the Business Combination for purposes of offering redemption of shares held by its shareholders for soliciting shareholder approval; as applicable. The Company shall advise the Representative and counsel for the Underwriters if the Company is aware that any 10% or greater shareholder of the Company becomes an affiliate or associated person of a FINRA Member participating in the distribution of the Company’s securities (other than the Representative).
(dd) Proceeds to be Held in Trust. To cause the proceeds of the Offering and the sale of the Private Units held in the Trust Account to be used in accordance with the Trust Agreement.
(ee) Reservation of Shares. To reserve and keep available the maximum number of its authorized but unissued securities that are issuable upon the exercise of the Warrants outstanding from time to time.
(ff) Rule 419. To use its reasonable best efforts to prevent the Company from becoming subject to Rule 419 under the Securities Act prior to the consummation of any Business Combination, including using its reasonable best efforts to prevent any of the Company’s outstanding securities from being deemed to be a “penny stock” as defined in Rule 3a51-1 under the Exchange Act during such period.
(gg) Controls. To the extent required by Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act, to maintain “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined under Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) and a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary in order to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP and to maintain accountability for assets, (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.
(hh) Sarbanes-Oxley. As soon as legally required to do so, to take all actions, and to use its reasonable best efforts to cause its directors and officers, in their capacities as such, to take all actions, necessary to comply with any provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended, including Section 402 related to loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to certifications, and to comply with the rules of the Commission and the Exchange promulgated thereunder and relating thereto.
(ii) Intentionally Omitted.
(jj) Insider Letter Amendments. To not take any action or omit to take any action which would cause a breach of any Insider Letter and to not allow any amendments to, or waivers of, any Insider Letter without the prior written consent of the Representative.
(kk) Trust Account Waivers. To use its reasonable best efforts to have all vendors, service providers (other than the Company’s independent auditors), prospective target businesses, lenders or other third parties with which it does business enter into agreements waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account for the benefit of the Public Shareholders. Such agreements shall be substantially in the forms attached hereto as Exhibit I and Exhibit II.
19
(ll) Future Financings. The Company agrees that neither it, nor any successor of the Company, will consummate any public or private equity or debt financing prior to or in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination, unless all investors in such financing expressly waive, in writing, any Claim against the Trust Account.
(mm) Right of First Refusal. The Company further agrees that beginning from the consummation of the Offering and ending twelve (12) months after the date of the Business Combination, the Company will consider the Representative for participation as non-exclusive financial advisor, joint book runner, and/or joint placement agent, at the Representative’s sole discretion for each and every future public and private equity and debt offering, including all equity linked financings for the Company or any of the Company’s successors or subsidiaries. If the Company selects the Representative to provide such additional services, separate agreements will be executed containing customary terms and conditions, including appropriate provisions based on the prevailing market for similar services for global, full-service investment banks.
(nn) Public Announcement of Business Combination. In the event that the Company desires or is required by an applicable law or regulation to cause an announcement (“Business Combination Announcement”) to be placed in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times or any other news or media publication or outlet or to be made via a public filing or submission with the Commission announcing the consummation of the Business Combination that indicates that the Underwriters were the underwriters in the Offering, the Company shall supply the Representative with a draft of the Business Combination Announcement and provide the Representative with a reasonable advance opportunity to comment thereon, subject to the agreement of the Underwriters to keep confidential such draft announcement in accordance with such Underwriter’s standard policies regarding confidential information.
(oo) Target Fair Market Value. The Company agrees that the business(es) or entities that it acquires in its initial Business Combination (the “Target Business”) must have an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the Trust Account (excluding any taxes) at the time of signing the definitive agreement for the Business Combination with such Target Business. The fair market value of such business must be determined by the Board of Directors of the Company based upon standards generally accepted by the financial community, such as actual and potential sales, earnings, cash flow and book value. If the Board of Directors of the Company is not able to independently determine that the Target Business meets such fair market value requirement, the Company will obtain an opinion from an unaffiliated, independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions. The Company is not required to obtain such an opinion as to the fair market value if the Company’s Board of Directors independently determines that the Target Business does have sufficient fair market value.
(pp) Forfeiture of Shares. To the extent the Over-Allotment Option is not exercised in full, the Sponsor will forfeit such number of Insider Shares (up to 1,000,000) such that the Insider Shares then outstanding will comprise 25% of the issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares of the Company after giving effect to the Offering and exercise, if any, of the Over-Allotment Option.
(qq) Insurance. The Company will maintain directors’ and officers’ insurance (including, without limitation, insurance covering the Company, its directors and officers for liabilities or losses arising in connection with this Offering, including, without limitation, liabilities or losses arising under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, the Regulations and any applicable foreign securities laws) until the consummation of the Company’s Business Combination.
5. PAYMENT OF EXPENSES. The Company agrees to pay, or reimburse if paid by any Underwriter, whether or not the transactions contemplated hereby are consummated or this Agreement is terminated: (a) the costs incident to the authorization, issuance, sale, preparation and delivery of the Public Units, the Class A Ordinary Shares, the Warrants and the Private Units and any taxes payable in connection therewith; (b) the costs incident to the registration of the Public Units (and the Public Shares and the Public Warrants underlying them) under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act; (c) the costs incident to the preparation, printing and distribution of the Registration Statement, each Preliminary Prospectus, the General Disclosure Package, the Prospectus, any amendments, supplements and exhibits thereto and the costs of printing, reproducing and distributing all underwriting documents related to the Offering and any closing documents by mail or other means of communications; (d) any applicable listing or other fees; (e) the fees and expenses of qualifying the Public Units, the Public Shares, the Public Warrants and the Private Units under the securities laws of the several jurisdictions provided for in Section 4(h); (f) the cost of preparing and printing share certificates; (g) all fees and expenses of the Company’s registrar and transfer agent, trustee and warrant agent; (h) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with securing any required review by FINRA of the terms of the sale of the Public Units and making any filings with FINRA (including, without limitation, the fees and expenses of legal counsel to Roth in clearing the Offering with FINRA, up to $15,000 in fees and expenses of such legal counsel); (i) all additional reasonable expenses of the Representative, inclusive of investigations and background checks, incurred by the Representative on behalf of the Company in connection with the Offering (not to exceed $3,000 per person (in the case of searches in U.S. jurisdictions only) and $4,000 per person (in the case of searches involving non-US jurisdictions)); and (j) all other costs and expenses incident to the offering of the Public Units or the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Agreement (including the fees and expenses of the Company’s counsel and the Company’s independent accountants); provided that, the Company shall not be obligated to reimburse the underwriters for any expenses in excess of $50,000 in the aggregate (inclusive of the $15,000 FINRA legal counsel fee reimbursement described in clause (h) above); provided further, that, except to the extent otherwise provided in this Section 5 and in Sections 9 and 10, the Underwriters shall pay their own costs and expenses, including the fees and expenses of their counsel, any transfer taxes on the resale of any Public Units by them and the expenses of advertising any offering of the Public Units made by them.
20
6. CONDITIONS TO UNDERWRITERS’ OBLIGATIONS. The respective obligations of the several Underwriters hereunder are subject to the accuracy, when made and as of the Applicable Time and on each Closing Date, of the representations and warranties of the Company contained herein, to the accuracy of the statements made by or on behalf of the Company in any certificates pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder, and to each of the following additional terms and conditions:
(a) Registration Compliance; No Stop Orders. The Registration Statement has become effective under the Securities Act, and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any part thereof, or preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or any part thereof, shall have been issued and no proceedings for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A under the Securities Act shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission, and all requests for additional information on the part of the Commission (to be included in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or otherwise) shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of the Representative; the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, and the Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by, and in compliance with, the Securities Act Rules and in accordance with Section 4(a) of this Agreement, and the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, shall have become effective immediately upon its filing with the Commission; and FINRA shall have raised no unresolved objection to the fairness and reasonableness of the terms of this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.
(b) No Material Misstatements. None of the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement thereto shall contain an untrue statement of a fact which, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters, is material or omits to state any fact which, in the opinion of such counsel, is material and is required to be stated therein or is necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and none of the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto shall contain an untrue statement of fact which, in the opinion of such counsel, is material or omits to state any fact which, in the opinion of such counsel, is material and is necessary in order to make the statements, in the light of the circumstances in which they were made, not misleading.
(c) Corporate Proceedings. All corporate proceedings incident to the authorization, form and validity of each of this Agreement, the Other Transaction Agreements, the Units and the Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants included therein, the Private Units and the underlying securities, all Ordinary Shares outstanding prior to the date of the Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, and the transactions contemplated hereby, shall be reasonably satisfactory in all material respects to counsel for the Underwriters, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel all documents and information that they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters.
(d) Opinion and 10b-5 Statement of Counsel for the Company. DLA Piper LLP (US), counsel to the Company, shall have furnished to the Representative such counsel’s written opinion and 10b-5 statement, and Conyers Dill & Pearman LLP (as Cayman counsel to the Company) shall have furnished its written opinion, in each case, addressed to the Underwriters and dated each Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representative.
(e) Opinion and 10b-5 Statement of Counsel for the Underwriters. The Representative shall have received from Loeb & Loeb LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, such counsel’s written opinion and 10b-5 statement addressed to the Underwriters and dated each Closing Date in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representative, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel all documents and information that they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters.
(f) Comfort Letter. At the time of the execution of this Agreement, the Representative shall have received from CBIZ a letter, addressed to the Underwriters, executed and dated such date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representative (i) confirming that they are an independent registered accounting firm with respect to the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act, the Securities Act Rules and the rules and standards of the PCAOB and (ii) stating the conclusions and findings of such firm, of the type ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters, with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
21
(g) Bring-Down Comfort. On the effective date of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement and on each Closing Date, the Representative shall have received a letter (the “bring-down letter”) from CBIZ addressed to the Underwriters and dated such Closing Date confirming, as of the date of the bring-down letter (or, with respect to matters involving changes or developments since the respective dates as of which specified financial information is given in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, as the case may be, as of a date not more than two (2) business days prior to the date of the bring-down letter), the conclusions and findings of such firm, of the type ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters, with respect to the financial information and other matters covered by its letter delivered to the Representative concurrently with the execution of this Agreement pursuant to paragraph (f) of this Section 6.
(h) Officers’ Certificate. The Company shall have furnished to the Representative a certificate, dated as of each Closing Date, of its Chief Executive Officer and its Chief Financial Officer stating in their respective capacities as officers of the Company on behalf of the Company that (i) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement (including, for avoidance of doubt, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement), or any post-effective amendment thereto, shall be in effect and no proceedings for such purpose shall have been instituted or, to their knowledge, threatened by the Commission, (ii) for the period from and including the date of this Agreement through and including such Closing Date, there has not occurred any Material Adverse Effect, (iii) to their knowledge, as of such Closing Date, the representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct and the Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder at or prior to such Closing Date and (iv) there has not been, subsequent to the date of the most recent audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the General Disclosure Package, any change or development in the financial position or results of operations of the Company that, singularly or in the aggregate, would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, except as set forth in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(i) No Material Adverse Effect. Since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the General Disclosure Package, (i) the Company shall not have sustained any loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, otherwise than as set forth in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and (ii) there shall not have been any change in the authorized share capital or long-term debt of the Company, or any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in or affecting the business, properties, general affairs, management, financial position, shareholders’ equity, results of operations or prospects of the Company, otherwise than as set forth in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the effect of which, in any such case described in clause (i) or (ii) of this paragraph is, in the judgment of the Representative, so material and adverse as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the sale or delivery of the Public Units on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(j) No Legal Impediment to Issuance. No action shall have been taken and no law, statute, rule, regulation or order shall have been enacted, adopted or issued by any governmental or regulatory agency or body which would prevent the issuance or sale of the Public Units; and no injunction, restraining order or order of any other nature by any federal or state court of competent jurisdiction shall have been issued which would prevent the issuance or sale of the Public Units or materially and adversely affect or potentially materially and adversely affect the business or operations of the Company.
(k) Market Conditions. Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement there shall not have occurred any of the following: (i) trading in any of the Company’s securities shall have been suspended or materially limited by the Commission or the Exchange, or trading in securities generally on the New York Stock Exchange, the NYSE American, the Nasdaq Global Select Market, the Nasdaq Global Market or the Nasdaq Capital Market, or in the over-the-counter market, or in any securities of the Company on any exchange or in the over-the-counter market, shall have been suspended or materially limited, or minimum or maximum prices or a maximum range for prices shall have been established on any such exchange or in any such market by the Commission, by such exchange or market or by any other regulatory body or governmental authority having jurisdiction, (ii) a banking moratorium shall have been declared by Federal or state authorities or a material disruption shall have occurred in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States, (iii) the United States shall have become engaged in hostilities or the subject of an act of terrorism or there shall have been an outbreak of or escalation in hostilities involving the United States, or there shall have been a declaration of a national emergency or war by the United States or (iv) there shall have occurred such a material adverse change in general economic, political or financial conditions (or the effect of international conditions on the financial markets in the United States shall be such) as to make it, in the judgment of the Representative, impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the sale or delivery of the Public Units on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(l) Exchange Listing. The Exchange shall have approved the Public Units, the Class A Ordinary Shares and the Public Warrants for listing thereon, subject only to official notice of issuance.
22
(m) Good Standing. The Representative shall have received on each Closing Date satisfactory evidence of the good standing of the Company in its jurisdiction of incorporation and its good standing as a foreign entity in such other jurisdictions as the Representative may reasonably request, in each case in writing or any standard form of telecommunication from the appropriate governmental authorities of such jurisdictions.
(n) Other Transaction Agreements. The Representative shall have received duly executed copies of the Other Transaction Agreements.
(o) Secretary’s Certificate. The Company shall have furnished to the Representative a Secretary’s Certificate of the Company, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters and customary for the type of offering contemplated by this Agreement.
(p) Additional Documents. On or prior to each Closing Date, the Company shall have furnished to the Representative such further certificates and documents as the Representative may reasonably request.
(q) Private Units. Each of the Private Unit Subscribers shall have caused the purchase price for the number of Private Units to be purchased by it on the Initial Closing Date to be wired to the Trust Account and/or the Company’s operating account, as directed by the Company.
All opinions, letters, evidence and certificates mentioned above or elsewhere in this Agreement shall be deemed to be in compliance with the provisions hereof only if they are in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters.
7. INDEMNIFICATION AND CONTRIBUTION.
(a) Indemnification of Underwriters by the Company.
(i) The Company shall indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its affiliates, directors, officers, members, employees, and agents and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act (collectively, the “Underwriter Indemnified Parties” and each an “Underwriter Indemnified Party”) against any loss, claim, damage, expense or liability whatsoever (or any action, investigation or proceeding in respect thereof), joint or several, to which such Underwriter Indemnified Party may become subject, under the Securities Act or otherwise, insofar as such loss, claim, damage, expense, liability, action, investigation or proceeding arises out of or is based upon (A) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, or in any amendment or supplement thereto or in any materials or information provided to investors by, or with the approval of, the Company in connection with the marketing of the offering of the Public Units, including any roadshow or investor presentations made to investors by the Company (whether in person or electronically) (“Marketing Materials”) or (B) the omission or alleged omission to state in any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or in any amendment or supplement thereto or in any Marketing Materials, a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and shall reimburse each Underwriter Indemnified Party promptly upon demand for any legal fees or other expenses reasonably incurred by that Underwriter Indemnified Party in connection with investigating, or preparing to defend, or defending against, or appearing as a third party witness in respect of, or otherwise incurred in connection with, any such loss, claim, damage, expense, liability, action, investigation or proceeding, as such fees and expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage, expense or liability arises out of or is based upon an (x) untrue statement or alleged untrue statement in, or omission or alleged omission from any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or any such amendment or supplement thereto, or any Marketing Materials made in reliance upon, and in conformity with, written information furnished to the Company through the Representative by or on behalf of any Underwriter specifically for use therein, which information the parties hereto agree is limited to the Underwriters’ Information, (y) the use of the Sale Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus in violation of any stop order or other notice received by the Underwriters indicating the then current Prospectus is not to be used in connection with the sale of any Securities or (z) the Underwriters otherwise failing in its prospectus delivery obligations; and
(ii) Each indemnity agreement in this Section 7(a) is not exclusive and is in addition to each other indemnity agreement in this Section 7(a) and each other liability which the Company might have under this Agreement or otherwise, and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available under this Agreement, at law or in equity to any Underwriter Indemnified Party.
23
(b) Indemnification of Company by the Underwriters. Each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, shall indemnify and hold harmless the Company and its directors, its officers who signed the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act (collectively, the “Company Indemnified Parties” and each a “Company Indemnified Party”) against any loss, claim, damage, expense or liability whatsoever (or any action, investigation or proceeding in respect thereof), joint or several, to which such Company Indemnified Party may become subject, under the Securities Act or otherwise, insofar as such loss, claim, damage, expense, liability, action, investigation or proceeding arises out of or is based upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or in any amendment or supplement thereto or (ii) the omission or alleged omission to state in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or in any amendment or supplement thereto, a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, but in each case only to the extent that the untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in reliance upon, and in conformity with, written information furnished to the Company through the Representative by or on behalf of that Underwriter specifically for use therein, which information the parties hereto agree is limited to the Underwriters’ Information, and shall reimburse the Company Indemnified Parties promptly upon demand for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such party in connection with investigating or preparing to defend or defending against or appearing as third party witness in connection with any such loss, claim, damage, liability, action, investigation or proceeding, as such fees and expenses are incurred. This indemnity agreement is not exclusive and is in addition to any liability which the Underwriters might otherwise have and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available under this Agreement, at law or in equity to the Company Indemnified Parties.
(c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 7 of notice of the commencement of any action, the indemnified party shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against an indemnifying party under this Section 7, notify such indemnifying party in writing of the commencement of that action; provided, however, that the failure to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have under this Section 7 except to the extent it has been materially prejudiced by such failure; and, provided, further, that the failure to notify an indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have to an indemnified party otherwise than under this Section 7. If any such action shall be brought against an indemnified party, and it shall notify the indemnifying party thereof, the indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it wishes, jointly with any other similarly notified indemnifying party, to assume the defense of such action with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party (which counsel shall not, except with the written consent of the indemnified party, be counsel to the indemnifying party). After notice from the indemnifying party to the indemnified party of its election to assume the defense of such action, except as provided herein, the indemnifying party shall not be liable to the indemnified party under Section 7 for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by the indemnified party in connection with the defense of such action other than reasonable costs of investigation; provided, however, that any indemnified party shall have the right to employ separate counsel in any such action and to participate in the defense of such action but the fees and expenses of such counsel (other than reasonable costs of investigation) shall be at the expense of such indemnified party unless (i) the employment thereof has been specifically authorized in writing by the Company in the case of a claim for indemnification under Section 7(a) or the Representative in the case of a claim for indemnification under Section 7(b), (ii) such indemnified party shall have been advised by its counsel that there may be one or more actual or potential legal defenses available to it which are different from or additional to those available to the indemnifying party, or (iii) the indemnifying party has failed to assume the defense of such action and employ counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party within a reasonable period of time after notice of the commencement of the action, in which case, if such indemnified party notifies the indemnifying party in writing that it elects to employ separate counsel at the expense of the indemnifying party, the indemnifying party shall not have the right to assume the defense of (or, in the case of a failure to diligently defend the action after assumption of the defense, to continue to defend) such action on behalf of such indemnified party and the indemnifying party shall be responsible for legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by such indemnified party in connection with the defense of such action; provided, however, that except in the circumstances described in clauses (iii) of this Section 7(c), the indemnifying party shall not, in connection with any one such action or separate but substantially similar or related actions in the same jurisdiction arising out of the same general allegations or circumstances, be liable for the reasonable and documented fees and expenses of more than one separate firm of attorneys at any time for all such indemnified parties (in addition to one local counsel), which firm shall be designated in writing by the Representative if the indemnified parties under this Section 7 consist of any Underwriter Indemnified Party or by the Company if the indemnified parties under this Section 7 consist of any Company Indemnified Parties. Subject to this Section 7(c), the amount payable by an indemnifying party under Section 7 shall include, but not be limited to, (x) reasonable and documented legal fees and expenses of counsel to the indemnified party and any other expenses in investigating, or preparing to defend or defending against, or appearing as a third party witness in respect of, or otherwise incurred in connection with, any action, investigation, proceeding or claim and (y) all amounts paid in settlement of any of the foregoing. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of judgment with respect to any pending or threatened action or any claim whatsoever, in respect of which indemnification or contribution could be sought under this Section 7 (whether or not the indemnified parties are actual or potential parties thereto), unless such settlement, compromise or consent (i) includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party from all liability arising out of such action or claim and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any indemnified party. Subject to the provisions of the following sentence, no indemnifying party shall be liable for settlement of any pending or threatened action or any claim whatsoever that is effected without its written consent (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed), but if settled with its written consent, if its consent has been unreasonably withheld or delayed or if there be a judgment for the plaintiff in any such matter, the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify and hold harmless any indemnified party from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment. In addition, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested that an indemnifying party reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel, such indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of the nature contemplated by Section 7(a) effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than forty-five (45) days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the request for reimbursement, (ii) such indemnifying party shall have received notice of the terms of such settlement at least forty-five (45) days prior to such settlement being entered into and (iii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed such indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement.
24
(d) If the indemnification provided for in this Section 7 is unavailable or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under Section 7(a) or 7(b), then each indemnifying party shall, in lieu of indemnifying such indemnified party, contribute to the amount paid, payable or otherwise incurred by such indemnified party as a result of such loss, claim, damage, expense or liability (or any action, investigation or proceeding in respect thereof), as incurred, (i) in such proportion as shall be appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other from the offering of the Public Units or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) of this Section 7(d) is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to it in clause (i) of this Section 7(d) but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other with respect to the statements, omissions, acts or failures to act which resulted in such loss, claim, damage, expense or liability (or any action, investigation or proceeding in respect thereof) as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other with respect to such offering shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the offering of the Public Units purchased under this Agreement received by the Company bear to the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters with respect to the Public Units purchased under this Agreement, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover page of the Prospectus. The relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company on the one hand or the Underwriters on the other, the intent of the parties and their relative knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such untrue statement, omission, act or failure to act; provided that the parties hereto agree that the written information furnished to the Company through the Representative by or on behalf of the Underwriters for use in the Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or in any amendment or supplement thereto, consists solely of the Underwriters’ Information.
(e) The parties hereto agree that it would not be just and equitable if contributions pursuant to Section 7(d) above were to be determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation which does not take into account the equitable considerations referred to Section 7(d) above. The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the loss, claim, damage, expense, liability, action, investigation or proceeding referred to in Section 7(d) above shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth above, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating, preparing to defend or defending against or appearing as a third party witness in respect of, or otherwise incurred in connection with, any such loss, claim, damage, expense, liability, action, investigation or proceeding. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7, none of the Underwriters shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total underwriting discounts and commissions or other fee received by such person with respect to the Offering exceeds the amount of any damages which the person has otherwise paid or become liable to pay by reason of any untrue or alleged untrue statement, omission or alleged omission, act or alleged act or failure to act. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters’ obligations to contribute as provided in this Section 7 are several in proportion to their respective underwriting obligations and not joint.
8. TERMINATION. The obligations of the Underwriters hereunder may be terminated by the Representative, in its absolute discretion, by notice given to the Company prior to delivery of and payment for the Firm Units if, prior to that time, any of the events described in Sections 6(i) or 6(k) have occurred or if the Underwriters shall decline to purchase the Firm Units for any reason permitted under this Agreement.
9. REIMBURSEMENT OF UNDERWRITERS’ EXPENSES. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, if (a) this Agreement shall have been terminated pursuant to Sections 8 or 10, (b) the Company shall fail to tender the Firm Units for delivery to the Underwriters for any reason not permitted under this Agreement, (c) the Underwriters shall decline to purchase the Firm Units for any reason permitted under this Agreement or (d) the sale of the Firm Units is not consummated because any condition to the obligations of the Underwriters set forth herein is not satisfied or because of the refusal, inability or failure on the part of the Company to perform any agreement herein or to satisfy any condition or to comply with the provisions hereof, then in addition to the payment of amounts in accordance with Section 5, the Company shall reimburse the Underwriters, pro rata based on the number of Firm Units each Underwriter agreed to sell hereunder, for all fees and expenses of Underwriters’ counsel and for such other out-of-pocket expenses as shall have been reasonably incurred by them in connection with this Agreement and the proposed purchase of the Firm Units, including travel and lodging expenses of the Underwriters, and upon demand the Company shall pay the full amount thereof to the Representative; provided that if this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 10 by reason of the default of one or more Underwriters, the Company shall not be obligated to reimburse any defaulting Underwriter on account of expenses to the extent incurred by such defaulting Underwriter, and provided further that the foregoing shall not limit any reimbursement obligation of the Company to any non-defaulting Underwriter under this Section 9.
25
10. SUBSTITUTION OF UNDERWRITERS. If any Underwriter or Underwriters shall default in its or their obligations to purchase Public Units hereunder on any Closing Date and the aggregate number of shares which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase does not exceed ten percent (10%) of the total number of Public Units to be purchased by all Underwriters on such Closing Date, the other Underwriters shall be obligated severally, in proportion to their respective commitments hereunder, to purchase the Public Units which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase on such Closing Date. If any Underwriter or Underwriters shall so default and the aggregate number of Public Units with respect to which such default or defaults occur is more than ten percent (10%) of the total number of Public Units to be purchased by all Underwriters on such Closing Date and arrangements satisfactory to the Representative and the Company for the purchase of such Public Units by other persons are not made within forty-eight (48) hours after such default, this Agreement shall terminate.
If the remaining Underwriters or substituted Underwriters are required hereby or agree to take up all or part of the Public Units of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters on such Closing Date as provided in this Section 10, (i) the Company shall have the right to postpone such Closing Date for a period of not more than five (5) full business days in order that the Company may effect whatever changes may thereby be made necessary in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or in any other documents or arrangements, and the Company agrees promptly to file any amendments to the Registration Statement or supplements to the Prospectus which may thereby be made necessary and (ii) the respective numbers of Public Units to be purchased by the remaining Underwriters or substituted Underwriters shall be taken as the basis of their underwriting obligation for all purposes of this Agreement. Nothing herein contained shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter of its liability to the Company or the other Underwriters for damages occasioned by its default hereunder. Any termination of this Agreement pursuant to this Section 10 shall be without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company, except that the representations, warranties, covenants, indemnities, agreements and other statements set forth in Section 2, the obligations with respect to expenses to be paid or reimbursed pursuant to Sections 5 and 9 and the provisions of Section 7 and Sections 11 through 21, inclusive, shall not terminate and shall remain in full force and effect.
11. ABSENCE OF FIDUCIARY RELATIONSHIP. The Company acknowledges and agrees that:
(a) each Underwriter’s responsibility to the Company is solely contractual in nature, the Representative have been retained solely to act as underwriter in connection with the sale of the Public Units and no fiduciary, advisory or agency duty or relationship between the Representative, any other Underwriter, on the one hand, and the Company or any other party, on the other hand, has been created as a result of this Agreement or in respect of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, irrespective of whether the Representative, any other Underwriter has advised or is advising the Company on other matters;
(b) the price of the Public Units set forth in this Agreement was established by the Company following discussions and arm’s-length negotiations with the Representative, and the Company is capable of evaluating and understanding, and understands and accepts, the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement;
(c) it has been advised that the Representative and their affiliates are engaged in a broad range of transactions which may involve interests that differ from those of the Company and that the Representative have no obligation to disclose such interests and transactions to the Company by virtue of any fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship; and
(d) it waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims it may have against the Representative for breach of fiduciary duty or alleged breach of fiduciary duty and agrees that each of the Representative shall have no liability (whether direct or indirect) to the Company in respect of such a fiduciary duty claim or to any person asserting a fiduciary duty claim on behalf of or in right of the Company, including shareholders, employees or creditors of the Company.
26
12. SUCCESSORS; PERSONS ENTITLED TO BENEFIT OF AGREEMENT. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the several Underwriters, the Company and their respective successors and assigns. Nothing expressed or mentioned in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any person, other than the persons mentioned in the preceding sentence, any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement, or any provisions herein contained, this Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof being intended to be and being for the sole and exclusive benefit of such persons and for the benefit of no other person; except that the representations, warranties, covenants, agreements and indemnities of the Company contained in this Agreement shall also be for the benefit of the Underwriter Indemnified Parties, and the indemnities of the several Underwriters shall be for the benefit of the Company Indemnified Parties. No purchaser of any of the Public Units from any Underwriter shall be deemed to be a successor or assign by reason merely of such purchase.
13. SURVIVAL OF INDEMNITIES, REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES, ETC. The respective indemnities, covenants, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company and the several Underwriters, as set forth in this Agreement or made by them, respectively, pursuant to this Agreement, shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, the Company or any person controlling any of them and shall survive delivery of and payment for the Public Units. Notwithstanding any termination of this Agreement, including any termination pursuant to Sections 8 or 10, the indemnities, covenants, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements set forth in Sections 2, 5, 7 and 9 and Sections 11 through 21, inclusive, of this Agreement shall not terminate and shall remain in full force and effect at all times until the expiration of applicable statutes of limitations, at which time the representations, warranties and agreements shall terminate and be of no further force and effect.
14. NOTICES. All statements, requests, notices and agreements hereunder shall be in writing, and:
(a) if to the Underwriters, shall be delivered or sent by mail, facsimile transmission or email to Roth Capital Partners, LLC at 888 San Clemente Drive, Newport Beach, California 92660, Attn: Lou Ellis, email: lellis@roth.com, with a copy to with a copy to Mitchell S. Nussbaum, Esq. and Alexandria Kane, Esq., Loeb & Loeb LLP, 345 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10154; and
(b) if to the Company, shall be delivered or sent by mail, facsimile transmission or email to ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp., 3131 Eastside Street, Houston, Texas 77098, Attn: Andrew Mallozi, with a copy to Stephen P. Alicanti, Esq., DLA Piper LLP (US), 1251 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10105;
provided, however, that any notice to an Underwriter pursuant to Section 7 shall be delivered or sent by mail, facsimile transmission or email to such Underwriter at its address set forth in its acceptance notice to the Representative, which address will be supplied to any other party hereto by the Representative upon request. Any such statements, requests, notices or agreements shall take effect at the time of receipt thereof.
15. DEFINITION OF CERTAIN TERMS. For purposes of this Agreement, unless the context requires otherwise, (a) “affiliate” has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act, (b) “business day” means any day on which the Exchange is open for trading, (c) “person” means a natural person or a legal entity, (d) “subsidiary” has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act and (e) “including” means including without limitation.
16. GOVERNING LAW, SUBMISSION TO JURISDICTION. This Agreement and any claim, counterclaim or dispute of any kind or nature whatsoever arising out of or in any way relating to this Agreement (each a “Claim”), directly or indirectly, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York. Except as set forth below, no Claim may be commenced, prosecuted or continued in any court other than the courts of the State of New York located in the City and County of New York or in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, which courts shall have jurisdiction over the adjudication of such matters; and in respect of each such matter each of the Underwriters and the Company consents to the personal jurisdiction over it of such courts, the laying of venue in such courts and the validity of service of process upon it made in any manner by which notice is permitted to be made to it under Section 14 hereof at the address(es) for it set forth therein (and in the case of any Underwriter, the address to be used for any notice pursuant to Section 7). Each of the Underwriters and the Company hereby consents to personal jurisdiction, venue and the validity of service of process in any manner permitted by applicable law at such address(es) in any court in which any Claim arising out of or in any way relating to this Agreement is brought by any third party against any Underwriter or any indemnified party. EACH OF THE UNDERWRITERS AND THE COMPANY (ON ITS BEHALF AND, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ON BEHALF OF ITS SHAREHOLDERS AND AFFILIATES) WAIVES ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY ACTION, PROCEEDING OR COUNTERCLAIM (WHETHER BASED UPON CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE) IN ANY WAY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT. Each of the Underwriters and the Company agrees that a final, non-appealable judgment in any such action, proceeding or counterclaim brought in any such court shall be conclusive and binding upon each of the Underwriters and the Company, respectively, and may be enforced in any other courts to the jurisdiction of which each of the Underwriters and the Company, respectively, is or may be subject, by suit upon such final, non-appealable judgment.
27
17. WAIVER OF IMMUNITY. To the extent the Company may be entitled, in any jurisdiction in which judicial proceedings may at any time be commenced in connection with this Agreement or with any of the transactions contemplated hereunder, to claim for itself, its revenues or its assets any immunity, including sovereign immunity, from suit, jurisdiction, attachment, execution of a judgment or any other legal process, and to the extent that in any such jurisdiction such immunity may be attributed to the Company (whether or not claimed), the Company hereby irrevocably agrees not to claim, and irrevocably waives, such immunity to the maximum extent permitted by law.
18. UNDERWRITERS’ INFORMATION. The parties hereto acknowledge and agree that, for all purposes under this Agreement, the Underwriters’ Information consists solely of the names of the Underwriters, the information with respect to dealers’ concessions and reallowances contained in the section entitled “Underwriting,” the information with respect to short positions and stabilizing transactions contained in the section entitled “Underwriting” and the identity of counsel to the Underwriters contained in the section entitled “Legal Matters.”
19. AUTHORITY OF THE REPRESENTATIVE. In connection with this Agreement, the Representative will act for and on behalf of the several Underwriters, and any action taken under this Agreement by the Representative will be binding on all the Underwriters.
20. PARTIAL UNENFORCEABILITY. The invalidity or unenforceability of any section, paragraph, clause or provision of this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other section, paragraph, clause or provision hereof. If any section, paragraph, clause or provision of this Agreement is for any reason determined to be invalid or unenforceable, there shall be deemed to be made such minor changes (and only such minor changes) as are necessary to make it valid and enforceable.
21. GENERAL. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement of the parties to this Agreement and supersedes all prior written or oral and all contemporaneous oral agreements, understandings and negotiations with respect to the subject matter hereof. In this Agreement, the masculine, feminine and neuter genders and the singular and the plural include one another. The section headings in this Agreement are for the convenience of the parties only and will not affect the construction or interpretation of this Agreement. This Agreement may be amended or modified, and the observance of any term of this Agreement may be waived, only by a writing signed by the Company and the Representative.
22. COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement may be signed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be an original, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument and shall become effective when one or more counterparts has been signed by each of the parties hereto and delivered to each of the other parties hereto. Delivery of a signed counterpart of this Agreement by facsimile or email/pdf transmission shall constitute valid and sufficient delivery thereof.
[Signatures follow]
28
If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding please indicate your acceptance of this Agreement by signing in the space provided for that purpose below.
| Very truly yours, | ||
| ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP. | ||
| By: | /s/ | |
| Name: | Andrew Mallozzi | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer and Chairman | |
| Accepted and agreed to as of the date first above | ||
| written, on behalf of themselves and the other | ||
| several Underwriters named in Schedule A hereto. | ||
| ROTH CAPITAL PARTNERS, LLC | ||
| By: | /s/ [●] | |
| Name: | [●] | |
| Title: | [●] | |
[Underwriting Agreement Signature Page]
29
SCHEDULE A
| Name | Number of Firm Units to be Purchased | |||
| Roth Capital Partners, LLC | [●] | |||
| [●] | [●] | |||
| Total | 20,000,000 | |||
30
SCHEDULE B
Written Testing-the-Waters Communications
None.
31
Exhibit I
Form of Target Business Letter
ROTH CAPITAL PARTNERS, LLC
888 San Clemente Dr.
Newport Beach CA, 92660
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Reference is made to the Final Prospectus of ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”), dated [ ], 2026 (the “Prospectus”). Capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Prospectus.
We have read the Prospectus and understand that the Company has established the Trust Account, initially in an amount of at least $201,000,000, for the benefit of the Public Shareholders and that, except for the interest earned on the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Company may disburse monies from the Trust Account only: (i) to the Public Shareholders in the event of the redemptions of their Class A ordinary shares in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination, (ii) to the Public Shareholders upon an amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association as described in the Prospectus, (iii) to the Public Shareholders in connection with the Company’s liquidation in the event the Company is unable to consummate a Business Combination within the required time period or (iv) to the Company concurrently with, or after it consummates a Business Combination.
For and in consideration of the Company agreeing to evaluate the undersigned for purposes of consummating a Business Combination with it, the undersigned hereby agrees that it does not have any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the Trust Account (each, a “Claim”) and hereby waives any Claim it may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with the Company and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever.
| Print Name of Target Business | |
| Authorized Signature of Target Business |
32
Exhibit II
Form of Vendor Letter
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
3131 Eastside Street,
Houston, Texas 77098
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Reference is made to the Final Prospectus of ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”), dated [ ], 2026 (the “Prospectus”). Capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Prospectus.
We have read the Prospectus and understand that the Company has established the Trust Account, initially in an amount of at least $201,000,000, for the benefit of the Public Shareholders and that, except for a portion of the interest earned on the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Company may disburse monies from the Trust Account only: (i) to the Public Shareholders in the event of the redemptions of their shares in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination, (ii) to the Public Shareholders upon an amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association as described in the Prospectus, (iii) to the Public Shareholders in connection with the Company’s liquidation in the event the Company is unable to consummate a Business Combination within the required time period or (iv) to the Company concurrently with, or after it consummates a Business Combination.
For and in consideration of the Company agreeing to use the services of the undersigned, the undersigned hereby agrees that it does not have any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the Trust Account (each, a “Claim”) and hereby waives any Claim it may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to the Company and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever.
| Print Name of Vendor | |
| Authorized Signature of Vendor |
33
Exhibit 3.2

Amended and Restated Memorandum of Association of
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
Grand Cayman
Cayman Islands
conyers.com
THE COMPANIES ACT (AS REVISED)
OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS
COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES
AMENDED AND RESTATED
MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION
OF
ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.
(ADOPTED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION DATED 19 MARCH 2026 AND EFFECTIVE ON [INSERT] MARCH 2026)
| 1. | The name of the Company is ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.. |
| 2. | The registered office of the Company shall be at the offices of Conyers Trust Company (Cayman) Limited, Cricket Square, Hutchins Drive, PO Box 2681, Grand Cayman, KY1-1111, Cayman Islands, or at such other place within the Cayman Islands as the Directors may decide. |
| 3. | The objects for which the Company is established are unrestricted and the Company shall have full power and authority to carry out any object not prohibited by the laws of the Cayman Islands. |
| 4. | The liability of each Member is limited to the amount unpaid on such Member's shares. |
| 5. | The share capital of the Company is US$55,500 divided into 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each, 50,000,000 Class B ordinary shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each and 5,000,000 preference shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each. |
| 6. | The Company has power to register by way of continuation as a body corporate limited by shares under the laws of any jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands and to be deregistered in the Cayman Islands. |
| 7. | Capitalised terms that are not defined in this Amended and Restated Memorandum of Association bear the respective meanings given to them in the Amended and Restated Articles of Association of the Company. |
Amended and Restated Articles of Association of
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
Grand Cayman
Cayman Islands
conyers.com
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| 1. | Interpretation | 1 |
| 2. | Commencement of Business | 7 |
| 3. | Issue of Shares | 7 |
| 4. | Register of Members | 8 |
| 5. | Closing Register of Members or Fixing Record Date | 8 |
| 6. | Certificates for Shares | 8 |
| 7. | Transfer of Shares | 9 |
| 8. | Redemption, Repurchase and Surrender of Shares | 10 |
| 9. | Treasury Shares | 10 |
| 10. | Variation of Rights of Shares | 11 |
| 11. | Commission on Sale of Shares | 11 |
| 12. | Non Recognition of Trusts | 12 |
| 13. | Lien on Shares | 12 |
| 14. | Call on Shares | 12 |
| 15. | Forfeiture of Shares | 13 |
| 16. | Transmission of Shares | 14 |
| 17. | Class B Share Conversion | 15 |
| 18. | Amendments of Memorandum and Articles of Association and Alteration of Capital | 16 |
| 19. | Offices and Places of Business | 17 |
| 20. | General Meetings | 17 |
| 21. | Notice of General Meetings | 18 |
| 22. | Advance Notice for Business | 18 |
| 23. | Proceedings at General Meetings | 22 |
| 24. | Votes of Members | 24 |
| 25. | Proxies | 25 |
| 26. | Corporate Members | 26 |
| 27. | Shares that May Not be Voted | 26 |
| 28. | Directors | 26 |
| 29. | Nomination of Directors | 26 |
| 30. | Powers of Directors | 30 |
| 31. | Appointment and Removal of Directors | 31 |
| 32. | Vacation of Office of Director | 32 |
i
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 33. | Proceedings of Directors | 32 |
| 34. | Presumption of Assent | 34 |
| 35. | Directors’ Interests | 34 |
| 36. | Minutes | 35 |
| 37. | Delegation of Directors’ Powers | 35 |
| 38. | No Minimum Shareholding | 36 |
| 39. | Remuneration of Directors | 36 |
| 40. | Seal | 36 |
| 41. | Dividends, Distributions and Reserve | 37 |
| 42. | Capitalisation | 38 |
| 43. | Books of Account | 38 |
| 44. | Audit | 39 |
| 45. | Notices | 40 |
| 46. | Winding Up | 41 |
| 47. | Indemnity and Insurance | 42 |
| 48. | Financial Year | 42 |
| 49. | Transfer by WAy of Continuation | 43 |
| 50. | Mergers and Consolidations | 43 |
| 51. | Business Combination | 43 |
| 52. | Certain Tax Filings | 46 |
| 53. | Business Opportunities | 46 |
| 54. | Exclusive Jurisdiction | 47 |
ii
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
THE COMPANIES ACT (AS REVISED)
OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS
COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES
AMENDED AND RESTATED
ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
OF
ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.
(ADOPTED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION DATED 19 MARCH 2026 AND EFFECTIVE ON [INSERT] MARCH 2026)
| 1. | Interpretation |
| 1.1. | In the Articles Table A in the First Schedule to the Statute does not apply and, unless there is something in the subject or context inconsistent therewith: |
|
Affiliate |
in respect of a person, means any other person that, directly or indirectly, through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, such person, and (a) in the case of a natural person, shall include, without limitation, such person’s spouse, parents, children, siblings, mother-in-law and father-in-law and brothers and sisters-in-law, whether by blood, marriage or adoption or anyone residing in such person’s home, a trust for the benefit of any of the foregoing, a company, partnership or any natural person or entity wholly or jointly owned by any of the foregoing and (b) in the case of an entity, shall include a partnership, a corporation or any natural person or entity which directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, such entity. | |
| Applicable Law | means, with respect to any person, all provisions of laws, statutes, ordinances, rules, regulations, permits, certificates, judgments, decisions, decrees or orders of any governmental authority applicable to such person. |
1
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| Articles | means these amended and restated articles of association of the Company. | |
| Audit Committee | means the audit committee of the board of directors of the Company established pursuant to the Articles, or any successor committee. | |
| Auditor | means the person for the time being performing the duties of auditor of the Company (if any). | |
| Business Combination | means a merger, amalgamation, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganisation or similar business combination involving the Company, with one or more businesses or entities (the “target business”), which Business Combination: (a) must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80 per cent 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 such Business Combination and (b) must only be effectuated if the post-business combination company in which the holders of the Public Shares will own or acquire fifty per cent (50%) or more of the issued and outstanding voting securities of the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the United States Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. | |
| Business Day | means any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a legal holiday or a day on which banking institutions or trust companies are authorised or obligated by law to close in New York City. | |
| Cause | means a conviction for a criminal offence involving dishonesty or engaging in conduct which brings a Director or the Company into disrepute or which results in a material financial detriment to the Company. | |
| Clearing House | means a clearing house recognised by the laws of the jurisdiction in which the Shares (or depositary receipts therefor) are listed or quoted on a stock exchange or interdealer quotation system in such jurisdiction. |
2
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| Class A Share | means a class A ordinary share of a par value of US$0.0001 in the share capital of the Company. | |
| Class B Share | means a class B ordinary share of a par value of US$0.0001 in the share capital of the Company. | |
| Company | means the above named company. | |
| Company’s Website | means the website of the Company and/or its web-address or domain name, if any. | |
| Compensation Committee | means the compensation committee of the board of directors of the Company established pursuant to the Articles, or any successor committee. | |
| Designated Stock Exchange | means any securities exchange on which the securities of the Company are listed for trading, including the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Global Market. | |
| Directors | means the directors for the time being of the Company. | |
| Dividend | means any dividend (whether interim or final) resolved to be paid on Shares pursuant to the Articles. | |
| Electronic Communication | means a communication sent by electronic means, including electronic posting to the Company’s Website, transmission to any number, address or internet website (including the website of the Securities and Exchange Commission) or other electronic delivery methods as otherwise decided and approved by the Directors. | |
| Electronic Record | has the same meaning as in the Electronic Transactions Act. | |
| Electronic Transactions Act | means the Electronic Transactions Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands. | |
| Equity-linked Securities | means any debt or equity securities that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for Class A Shares issued in a financing transaction in connection with a Business Combination, including but not limited to a private placement of equity or debt. | |
| Exchange Act | means the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or any similar U.S. federal statute and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder, all as the same shall be in effect at the time. |
3
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| Excise Tax | means the 1 per cent U.S. federal excise tax implemented by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. | |
| Founders | means all Members immediately prior to the consummation of the IPO. | |
| Independent Director | has the same meaning as in the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange or in Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act, as the case may be. | |
| IPO | means the Company’s initial public offering of securities. | |
| Member | has the same meaning as in the Statute. | |
| Memorandum | means the amended and restated memorandum of association of the Company. | |
| Minimum Member | means a Member meeting the minimum requirements set forth for eligible members to submit proposals under Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act or any applicable rules thereunder as may be amended or promulgated thereunder from time to time. | |
| Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee | means any nominating and corporate governance committee of the board of directors of the Company established pursuant to the Articles, or any successor committee. | |
| Officer | means a person appointed to hold an office in the Company. | |
| Ordinary Resolution | means a resolution passed by a simple majority of the Members as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at a general meeting, and includes a unanimous written resolution. In computing the majority when a poll is demanded regard shall be had to the number of votes to which each Member is entitled by the Articles. | |
| Over-Allotment Option | means the option of the Underwriters to purchase up to an additional 15 per cent of the units (as described in the Articles) sold in the IPO at a price equal to US$10 per unit, less, underwriting discounts and commissions. |
4
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| Preference Share | means a preference share of a par value of US$0.0001 in the share capital of the Company. | |
| Public Share | means a Class A Share issued as part of the units (as described in the Articles) issued in the IPO. | |
| Redemption Notice | means a notice in a form approved by the Directors by which a holder of Public Shares is entitled to require the Company to redeem its Public Shares. | |
| Register of Members | means the Register of Members maintained in accordance with the Statute and includes (except where otherwise stated) any branch or duplicate Register of Members. | |
| Registered Office | means the registered office for the time being of the Company. | |
| Representative | means a representative of the Underwriters. | |
| Seal | means the common seal of the Company and includes every duplicate seal. | |
| Securities and Exchange Commission | means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. | |
| Share | means a Class A Share, a Class B Share or a Preference Share and includes a fraction of a share in the Company. | |
| Special Resolution | subject to Article 31.4 and 49.2(b), has the same meaning as in the Statute, and includes a unanimous written resolution. | |
| Sponsor | means Union Street Sponsor, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and its successors or assigns. | |
| Statute | means the Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands. | |
| Tax
Filing Authorised Person |
means such person as any Director shall designate from time to time, acting severally. | |
| Treasury Share | means a Share held in the name of the Company as a treasury share in accordance with the Statute. | |
| Trust Account | means the trust account established by the Company upon the consummation of its IPO and into which a certain amount of the net proceeds of the IPO, together with a certain amount of the proceeds of a private placement of units simultaneously with the closing date of the IPO, will be deposited, the balance of which, including any interest accrued thereupon, shall be applied and distributed in accordance with these Articles and the terms as set out in the trust agreement governing the Trust Account (as may be amended from time to time). | |
| Underwriter | means an underwriter of the IPO from time to time and any successor underwriter. |
5
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 1.2. | In the Articles: |
| (a) | words importing the singular number include the plural number and vice versa; |
| (b) | words importing the masculine gender include the feminine gender; |
| (c) | words importing persons include corporations as well as any other legal or natural person; |
| (d) | “written” and “in writing” include all modes of representing or reproducing words in visible form, including in the form of an Electronic Record; |
| (e) | “shall” shall be construed as imperative and “may” shall be construed as permissive; |
| (f) | references to provisions of any law or regulation shall be construed as references to those provisions as amended, modified, re-enacted or replaced; |
| (g) | any phrase introduced by the terms “including”, “include”, “in particular” or any similar expression shall be construed as illustrative and shall not limit the sense of the words preceding those terms; |
| (h) | the term “and/or” is used herein to mean both “and” as well as “or.” The use of “and/or” in certain contexts in no respects qualifies or modifies the use of the terms “and” or “or” in others. The term “or” shall not be interpreted to be exclusive and the term “and” shall not be interpreted to require the conjunctive (in each case, unless the context otherwise requires); |
| (i) | headings are inserted for reference only and shall be ignored in construing the Articles; |
| (j) | any requirements as to delivery under the Articles include delivery in the form of an Electronic Record; |
| (k) | any requirements as to execution or signature under the Articles including the execution of the Articles themselves can be satisfied in the form of an electronic signature as defined in the Electronic Transactions Act; |
6
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| (l) | sections 8 and 19(3) of the Electronic Transactions Act shall not apply; |
| (m) | the term “clear days” in relation to the period of a notice means that period excluding the day when the notice is received or deemed to be received and the day for which it is given or on which it is to take effect; and |
| (n) | the term “holder” in relation to a Share means a person whose name is entered in the Register of Members as the holder of such Share. |
| 2. | Commencement of Business |
| 2.1. | The business of the Company may be commenced as soon after incorporation of the Company as the Directors shall see fit. |
| 2.2. | The Directors may pay, out of the capital or any other monies of the Company, all expenses incurred in or about the formation and establishment of the Company, including the expenses of registration. |
| 3. | Issue of Shares |
| 3.1. | Subject to the provisions, if any, in the Memorandum (and to any direction that may be given by the Company in general meeting) and, where applicable, the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange, the Securities and Exchange Commission and/or any other competent regulatory authority or otherwise under Applicable Law, and without prejudice to any rights attached to any existing Shares, the Directors may allot, issue, grant options over or otherwise dispose of Shares (including fractions of a Share) with or without preferred, deferred or other rights or restrictions, whether in regard to Dividends or other distributions, voting, return of capital or otherwise and to such persons, at such times and on such other terms as they think proper, and may also (subject to the Statute and the Articles) vary such rights, save that the Directors shall not allot, issue, grant options over or otherwise dispose of Shares (including fractions of a Share) to the extent that it may affect the ability of the Company to carry out a Class B Share Conversion set out in the Articles. |
| 3.2. | The Company may issue rights, options, warrants or convertible securities or securities of similar nature conferring the right upon the holders thereof to subscribe for, purchase or receive any class of Shares or other securities in the Company on such terms as the Directors may from time to time determine. |
| 3.3. | The Company may issue units of securities in the Company, which may be comprised of whole or fractional Shares, rights, options, warrants or convertible securities or securities of similar nature conferring the right upon the holders thereof to subscribe for, purchase or receive any class of Shares or other securities in the Company, upon such terms as the Directors may from time to time determine. |
| 3.4. | The Company shall not issue Shares to bearer. |
7
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 4. | Register of Members |
| 4.1. | The Company shall maintain or cause to be maintained the Register of Members in accordance with the Statute. |
| 4.2. | The Directors may determine that the Company shall maintain one or more branch registers of Members in accordance with the Statute. The Directors may also determine which register of Members shall constitute the principal register and which shall constitute the branch register or registers, and to vary such determination from time to time. |
| 5. | Closing Register of Members or Fixing Record Date |
| 5.1. | For the purpose of determining Members entitled to notice of, or to vote at any meeting of Members or any adjournment thereof, or Members entitled to receive payment of any Dividend or other distribution, or in order to make a determination of Members for any other purpose, the Directors may, after notice has been given by advertisement in an appointed newspaper or any other newspaper or by any other means in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange, the Securities and Exchange Commission and/or any other competent regulatory authority or otherwise under Applicable Law, provide that the Register of Members shall be closed for transfers for a stated period which shall not in any case exceed forty days. |
| 5.2. | In lieu of, or apart from, closing the Register of Members, the Directors may fix in advance or arrears a date as the record date for any such determination of Members entitled to notice of, or to vote at any meeting of the Members or any adjournment thereof, or for the purpose of determining the Members entitled to receive payment of any Dividend or other distribution, or in order to make a determination of Members for any other purpose. |
| 5.3. | If the Register of Members is not so closed and no record date is fixed for the determination of Members entitled to notice of, or to vote at, a meeting of Members or Members entitled to receive payment of a Dividend or other distribution, the date on which notice of the meeting is sent or the date on which the resolution of the Directors resolving to pay such Dividend or other distribution is passed, as the case may be, shall be the record date for such determination of Members. When a determination of Members entitled to vote at any meeting of Members has been made as provided in this Article, such determination shall apply to any adjournment thereof. |
| 6. | Certificates for Shares |
| 6.1. | A Member shall only be entitled to a share certificate if the Directors resolve that share certificates shall be issued. Share certificates representing Shares, if any, shall be in such form as the Directors may determine. Share certificates shall be signed by one or more Directors or other person authorised by the Directors. The Directors may authorise certificates to be issued with the authorised signature(s) affixed by mechanical process. All certificates for Shares shall be consecutively numbered or otherwise identified and shall specify the Shares to which they relate. All certificates surrendered to the Company for transfer shall be cancelled and, subject to the Articles, no new certificate shall be issued until the former certificate representing a like number of relevant Shares shall have been surrendered and cancelled. |
8
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 6.2. | The Company shall not be bound to issue more than one certificate for Shares held jointly by more than one person and delivery of a certificate to one joint holder shall be a sufficient delivery to all of them. |
| 6.3. | If a share certificate is defaced, worn out, lost or destroyed, it may be renewed on such terms (if any) as to evidence and indemnity and on the payment of such expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in investigating evidence, as the Directors may prescribe, and (in the case of defacement or wearing out) upon delivery of the old certificate. |
| 6.4. | Every share certificate sent in accordance with the Articles will be sent at the risk of the Member or other person entitled to the certificate. The Company will not be responsible for any share certificate lost or delayed in the course of delivery. |
| 6.5. | Share certificates shall be issued within the relevant time limit as prescribed by the Statute, if applicable, or as the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange, the Securities and Exchange Commission and/or any other competent regulatory authority or otherwise under Applicable Law may from time to time determine, whichever is shorter, after the allotment or, except in the case of a Share transfer which the Company is for the time being entitled to refuse to register and does not register, after lodgement of a Share transfer with the Company. |
| 7. | Transfer of Shares |
| 7.1. | Subject to the terms of the Articles, any Member may transfer all or any of his Shares by an instrument of transfer provided that such transfer complies with the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange, the Securities and Exchange Commission and/or any other competent regulatory authority or otherwise under Applicable Law. If the Shares in question were issued in conjunction with rights, options or warrants issued pursuant to the Articles on terms that one cannot be transferred without the other, the Directors shall refuse to register the transfer of any such Share without evidence satisfactory to them of the like transfer of such option or warrant. |
| 7.2. | The instrument of transfer of any Share shall be in writing in the usual or common form or in a form prescribed by the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange, the Securities and Exchange Commission and/or any other competent regulatory authority or otherwise under Applicable Law or in any other form approved by the Directors and shall be executed by or on behalf of the transferor (and if the Directors so require, signed by or on behalf of the transferee) and may be under hand or, if the transferor or transferee is a Clearing House or its nominee(s), by hand or by machine imprinted signature or by such other manner of execution as the Directors may approve from time to time. The transferor shall be deemed to remain the holder of a Share until the name of the transferee is entered in the Register of Members. |
9
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 8. | Redemption, Repurchase and Surrender of Shares |
| 8.1. | Subject to the provisions of the Statute, and, where applicable, the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange, the Securities and Exchange Commission and/or any other competent regulatory authority or otherwise under Applicable Law, the Company may issue Shares that are to be redeemed or are liable to be redeemed at the option of the Member or the Company. The redemption of such Shares, except Public Shares, shall be effected in such manner and upon such other terms as the Company may, by Special Resolution, determine before the issue of such Shares. With respect to redeeming or repurchasing the Shares: |
| (a) | Members who hold Public Shares are entitled to request the redemption of such Shares in the circumstances described in the Business Combination Article hereof; |
| (b) | Class B Shares held by the Founders shall be surrendered by the Founders on a pro rata basis for no consideration to the extent that the Over-Allotment Option is not exercised in full so that the Founders will own 25 per cent of the Company’s issued Shares after the IPO (exclusive of any securities purchased in a private placement simultaneously with the IPO); and |
| (c) | Public Shares shall be repurchased by way of tender offer in the circumstances set out in the Business Combination Article hereof. |
| 8.2. | Subject to the provisions of the Statute, and, where applicable, the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange, the Securities and Exchange Commission and/or any other competent regulatory authority or otherwise under Applicable Law, the Company may purchase its own Shares (including any redeemable Shares) in such manner and on such other terms as the Directors may agree with the relevant Member. For the avoidance of doubt, redemptions, repurchases and surrenders of Shares in the circumstances described in the Article above shall not require further approval of the Members. |
| 8.3. | The Company may make a payment in respect of the redemption or purchase of its own Shares in any manner permitted by the Statute, including out of capital. |
| 8.4. | The Directors may accept the surrender for no consideration of any fully paid Share. |
| 9. | Treasury Shares |
| 9.1. | The Directors may, prior to the purchase, redemption or surrender of any Share, determine that such Share shall be held as a Treasury Share. |
| 9.2. | The Directors may determine to cancel a Treasury Share or transfer a Treasury Share on such terms as they think proper (including, without limitation, for nil consideration). |
10
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 10. | Variation of Rights of Shares |
| 10.1. | Subject to Article 3.1, if at any time the share capital of the Company is divided into different classes of Shares, all or any of the rights attached to any class (unless otherwise provided by the terms of issue of the Shares of that class) may, whether or not the Company is being wound up, be varied without the consent of the holders of the issued Shares of that class where such variation is considered by the Directors not to have a material adverse effect upon such rights; otherwise, any such variation shall be made only with the consent in writing of the holders of not less than two thirds of the issued Shares of that class (other than with respect to a waiver of the provisions of the Class B Share Conversion Article hereof, which as stated therein shall only require the consent in writing of the holders of a majority of the issued Shares of that class), or with the approval of a resolution passed by a majority of not less than two thirds of the votes cast at a separate meeting of the holders of the Shares of that class. For the avoidance of doubt, the Directors reserve the right, notwithstanding that any such variation may not have a material adverse effect, to obtain consent from the holders of Shares of the relevant class. To any such meeting all the provisions of the Articles relating to general meetings shall apply mutatis mutandis, except that the necessary quorum shall be one person holding or representing by proxy at least one third of the issued Shares of the class and that any holder of Shares of the class present in person or by proxy may demand a poll. |
| 10.2. | For the purposes of a separate class meeting, the Directors may treat two or more or all the classes of Shares as forming one class of Shares if the Directors consider that such class of Shares would be affected in the same way by the proposals under consideration, but in any other case shall treat them as separate classes of Shares. |
| 10.3. | The rights conferred upon the holders of the Shares of any class issued with preferred or other rights shall not, unless otherwise expressly provided by the terms of issue of the Shares of that class, be deemed to be varied: (i) by the creation or issue of further Shares ranking pari passu therewith or Shares issued with preferred or other rights; or (ii) where the constitutional documents of the Company are amended or new constitutional documents of the Company are adopted, in each case, as a result of the Company undertaking a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands. |
| 11. | Commission on Sale of Shares |
The Company may, in so far as the Statute permits, pay a commission to any person in consideration of his subscribing or agreeing to subscribe (whether absolutely or conditionally) or agreeing to procure subscriptions (whether absolutely or conditionally) for any Shares. Such commissions may be satisfied by the payment of cash and/or the issue of fully or partly paid up Shares. The Company may also on any issue of Shares pay such brokerage as may be lawful.
11
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 12. | Non Recognition of Trusts |
The Company shall not be bound by or compelled to recognise in any way (even when notified) any equitable, contingent, future or partial interest in any Share, or (except only as is otherwise provided by the Articles or the Statute) any other rights in respect of any Share other than an absolute right to the entirety thereof in the holder.
| 13. | Lien on Shares |
| 13.1. | The Company shall have a first and paramount lien on all Shares (whether fully paid-up or not) registered in the name of a Member (whether solely or jointly with others) for all debts, liabilities or engagements to or with the Company (whether presently payable or not) by such Member or his estate, either alone or jointly with any other person, whether a Member or not, but the Directors may at any time declare any Share to be wholly or in part exempt from the provisions of this Article. The registration of a transfer of any such Share shall operate as a waiver of the Company’s lien thereon. The Company’s lien on a Share shall also extend to any amount payable in respect of that Share. |
| 13.2. | The Company may sell, in such manner as the Directors think fit, any Shares on which the Company has a lien, if a sum in respect of which the lien exists is presently payable, and is not paid within fourteen clear days after notice has been received or deemed to have been received by the holder of the Shares, or to the person entitled to it in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of the holder, demanding payment and stating that if the notice is not complied with the Shares may be sold. |
| 13.3. | To give effect to any such sale the Directors may authorise any person to execute an instrument of transfer of the Shares sold to, or in accordance with the directions of, the purchaser. The purchaser or his nominee shall be registered as the holder of the Shares comprised in any such transfer, and he shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money, nor shall his title to the Shares be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the sale or the exercise of the Company’s power of sale under the Articles. |
| 13.4. | The net proceeds of such sale after payment of costs, shall be applied in payment of such part of the amount in respect of which the lien exists as is presently payable and any balance shall (subject to a like lien for sums not presently payable as existed upon the Shares before the sale) be paid to the person entitled to the Shares at the date of the sale. |
| 14. | Call on Shares |
| 14.1. | Subject to the terms of the allotment and issue of any Shares, the Directors may make calls upon the Members in respect of any monies unpaid on their Shares (whether in respect of par value or premium), and each Member shall (subject to receiving at least fourteen clear days’ notice specifying the time or times of payment) pay to the Company at the time or times so specified the amount called on the Shares. A call may be revoked or postponed, in whole or in part, as the Directors may determine. A call may be required to be paid by instalments. A person upon whom a call is made shall remain liable for calls made upon him notwithstanding the subsequent transfer of the Shares in respect of which the call was made. |
| 14.2. | A call shall be deemed to have been made at the time when the resolution of the Directors authorising such call was passed. |
12
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 14.3. | The joint holders of a Share shall be jointly and severally liable to pay all calls in respect thereof. |
| 14.4. | If a call remains unpaid after it has become due and payable, the person from whom it is due shall pay interest on the amount unpaid from the day it became due and payable until it is paid at such rate as the Directors may determine (and in addition all expenses that have been incurred by the Company by reason of such non-payment), but the Directors may waive payment of the interest or expenses wholly or in part. |
| 14.5. | An amount payable in respect of a Share on issue or allotment or at any fixed date, whether on account of the par value of the Share or premium or otherwise, shall be deemed to be a call and if it is not paid all the provisions of the Articles shall apply as if that amount had become due and payable by virtue of a call. |
| 14.6. | The Directors may issue Shares with different terms as to the amount and times of payment of calls, or the interest to be paid. |
| 14.7. | The Directors may, if they think fit, receive an amount from any Member willing to advance all or any part of the monies uncalled and unpaid upon any Shares held by him, and may (until the amount would otherwise become payable) pay interest at such rate as may be agreed upon between the Directors and the Member paying such amount in advance. |
| 14.8. | No such amount paid in advance of calls shall entitle the Member paying such amount to any portion of a Dividend or other distribution payable in respect of any period prior to the date upon which such amount would, but for such payment, become payable. |
| 15. | Forfeiture of Shares |
| 15.1. | If a call or instalment of a call remains unpaid after it has become due and payable the Directors may give to the person from whom it is due not less than fourteen clear days’ notice requiring payment of the amount unpaid together with any interest which may have accrued and any expenses incurred by the Company by reason of such non-payment. The notice shall specify where payment is to be made and shall state that if the notice is not complied with the Shares in respect of which the call was made will be liable to be forfeited. |
| 15.2. | If the notice is not complied with, any Share in respect of which it was given may, before the payment required by the notice has been made, be forfeited by a resolution of the Directors. Such forfeiture shall include all Dividends, other distributions or other monies payable in respect of the forfeited Share and not paid before the forfeiture. |
13
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 15.3. | A forfeited Share may be sold, re-allotted or otherwise disposed of on such terms and in such manner as the Directors think fit and at any time before a sale, re-allotment or disposition the forfeiture may be cancelled on such terms as the Directors think fit. Where for the purposes of its disposal a forfeited Share is to be transferred to any person the Directors may authorise some person to execute an instrument of transfer of the Share in favour of that person. |
| 15.4. | A person any of whose Shares have been forfeited shall cease to be a Member in respect of them and shall surrender to the Company for cancellation the certificate for the Shares forfeited and shall remain liable to pay to the Company all monies which at the date of forfeiture were payable by him to the Company in respect of those Shares together with interest at such rate as the Directors may determine, but his liability shall cease if and when the Company shall have received payment in full of all monies due and payable by him in respect of those Shares. |
| 15.5. | A certificate in writing under the hand of one Director or Officer that a Share has been forfeited on a specified date shall be conclusive evidence of the facts stated in it as against all persons claiming to be entitled to the Share. The certificate shall (subject to the execution of an instrument of transfer) constitute a good title to the Share and the person to whom the Share is sold or otherwise disposed of shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money, if any, nor shall his title to the Share be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings in reference to the forfeiture, sale or disposal of the Share. |
| 15.6. | The provisions of the Articles as to forfeiture shall apply in the case of non-payment of any sum which, by the terms of issue of a Share, becomes payable at a fixed time, whether on account of the par value of the Share or by way of premium as if it had been payable by virtue of a call duly made and notified. |
| 16. | Transmission of Shares |
| 16.1. | If a Member dies, the survivor or survivors (where he was a joint holder), or his legal personal representatives (where he was a sole holder), shall be the only persons recognised by the Company as having any title to his Shares. The estate of a deceased Member is not thereby released from any liability in respect of any Share, for which he was a joint or sole holder. |
| 16.2. | Any person becoming entitled to a Share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy or liquidation or dissolution of a Member (or in any other way than by transfer) may, upon such evidence being produced as may be required by the Directors, elect, by a notice in writing sent by him to the Company, either to become the holder of such Share or to have some person nominated by him registered as the holder of such Share. If he elects to have another person registered as the holder of such Share he shall sign an instrument of transfer of that Share to that person. The Directors shall, in either case, have the same right to decline or suspend registration as they would have had in the case of a transfer of the Share by the relevant Member before his death or bankruptcy or liquidation or dissolution, as the case may be. |
14
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 16.3. | A person becoming entitled to a Share by reason of the death or bankruptcy or liquidation or dissolution of a Member (or in any other case than by transfer) shall be entitled to the same Dividends, other distributions and other advantages to which he would be entitled if he were the holder of such Share. However, he shall not, before becoming a Member in respect of a Share, be entitled in respect of it to exercise any right conferred by membership in relation to general meetings of the Company and the Directors may at any time give notice requiring any such person to elect either to be registered himself or to have some person nominated by him be registered as the holder of the Share (but the Directors shall, in either case, have the same right to decline or suspend registration as they would have had in the case of a transfer of the Share by the relevant Member before his death or bankruptcy or liquidation or dissolution or any other case than by transfer, as the case may be). If the notice is not complied with within ninety days of being received or deemed to be received (as determined pursuant to the Articles), the Directors may thereafter withhold payment of all Dividends, other distributions, bonuses or other monies payable in respect of the Share until the requirements of the notice have been complied with. |
| 17. | Class B Share Conversion |
| 17.1. | The rights attaching to all Shares shall rank pari passu in all respects, and the Class A Shares and Class B Shares shall vote together as a single class on all matters (subject to the Variation of Rights of Shares Article, the Appointment and Removal of Directors Article and the Transfer by Way of Continuation Article) with the exception that the holder of a Class B Share shall have the Conversion Rights referred to in this Article. |
| 17.2. | Class B Shares shall automatically convert into Class A Shares on a one-for-one basis (the “Initial Conversion Ratio”) at any time and from time to time at the option of the holders thereof and / or immediately prior to, concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of a Business Combination. |
| 17.3. | Notwithstanding the Initial Conversion Ratio, in the case that additional Class A Shares or any other Equity-linked Securities are issued or deemed issued in connection with the closing of a Business Combination, all Class B Shares in issue shall automatically convert into Class A Shares at the time of the closing of a Business Combination, the ratio for which the Class B Shares shall convert into Class A Shares will be adjusted so that the number of Class A Shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B Shares will equal, in the aggregate, 25 per cent of the sum of: (a) the total number of all Class A Shares in issue (excluding the Class A Shares comprising part of the private placement units and the Class A Shares underlying the private placement warrants after such conversion); plus (b) all Class A Shares issued or deemed issue or issuable upon conversion of any Equity-linked Securities issued or deemed issued by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of a Business Combination, excluding any Shares or Equity-linked Securities issued, deemed issued or to be issued, to any seller in a Business Combination and any private placement-equivalent Shares issued to the Sponsor, members of the Company’s management team or any of their Affiliates upon the conversion of working capital loans made to the Company; minus (c) the number of Public Shares redeemed in connection with a Business Combination and the number of Public Shares redeemed in connection with an Amendment Redemption, provided that such conversion of Class B Shares into Class A Shares shall never be less than the Initial Conversion Ratio. |
15
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 17.4. | Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the foregoing adjustment to the Initial Conversion Ratio may be waived as to any particular issuance or deemed issuance of additional Class A Shares or Equity-linked Securities by the written consent or agreement of holders of a majority of the Class B Shares then in issue consenting or agreeing separately as a separate class in the manner provided in the Variation of Rights of Shares Article hereof. |
| 17.5. | The foregoing conversion ratio shall also be adjusted to account for any subdivision (by share split, subdivision, exchange, capitalisation, rights issue, reclassification, recapitalisation or otherwise) or combination (by reverse share split, share consolidation, exchange, reclassification, recapitalisation or otherwise) or similar reclassification or recapitalisation of the Class A Shares in issue into a greater or lesser number of shares occurring after the original filing of the Articles without a proportionate and corresponding subdivision, combination or similar reclassification or recapitalisation of the Class B Shares in issue. |
| 17.6. | Each Class B Share shall convert into its pro-rata number of Class A Shares pursuant to this Article. The pro-rata share for each holder of Class B Shares will be determined as follows: each Class B Share shall convert into such number of Class A Shares as is equal to the product of 1 multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the total number of Class A Shares into which all of the Class B Shares in issue shall be converted pursuant to this Article and the denominator of which shall be the total number of Class B Shares in issue at the time of conversion. |
| 17.7. | References in this Article to “converted”, “conversion” or “exchange” shall mean the compulsory redemption without notice of Class B Shares of any Member and, on behalf of such Members, automatic application of such redemption proceeds in paying for such new Class A Shares into which the Class B Shares have been converted or exchanged at a price per Class B Share necessary to give effect to a conversion or exchange calculated on the basis that the Class A Shares to be issued as part of the conversion or exchange will be issued at par. The Class A Shares to be issued on an exchange or conversion shall be registered in the name of such Member or in such name as the Member may direct. |
| 17.8. | Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Article, in no event shall any Class B Share convert into a Class A Share at a ratio that is less than one for one. |
| 18. | Amendments of Memorandum and Articles of Association and Alteration of Capital |
| 18.1. | The Company may by Ordinary Resolution: |
| (a) | increase its share capital by such sum as the Ordinary Resolution shall prescribe and with such rights, priorities and privileges annexed thereto, as the Company in general meeting may determine; |
| (b) | consolidate and divide all or any of its share capital into Shares of larger amount than its existing Shares; |
16
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| (c) | convert all or any of its paid-up Shares into stock, and reconvert that stock into paid-up Shares of any denomination; |
| (d) | by subdivision of its existing Shares or any of them divide the whole or any part of its share capital into Shares of smaller amount than is fixed by the Memorandum or into Shares without par value; and |
| (e) | cancel any Shares that at the date of the passing of the Ordinary Resolution have not been taken or agreed to be taken by any person and diminish the amount of its share capital by the amount of the Shares so cancelled. |
| 18.2. | All new Shares created in accordance with the provisions of the preceding Article shall be subject to the same provisions of the Articles with reference to the payment of calls, liens, transfer, transmission, forfeiture and otherwise as the Shares in the original share capital. |
| 18.3. | Subject to the provisions of the Statute, the provisions of the Articles as regards the matters to be dealt with by Ordinary Resolution, Article 31.4 and Article 49.2, the Company may by Special Resolution: |
| (a) | change its name; |
| (b) | alter or add to the Articles (subject to Article 31.4 and Article 49.2); |
| (c) | alter or add to the Memorandum with respect to any objects, powers or other matters specified therein; and |
| (d) | reduce its share capital or any capital redemption reserve fund. |
| 19. | Offices and Places of Business |
Subject to the provisions of the Statute, the Company may by resolution of the Directors change the location of its Registered Office. The Company may, in addition to its Registered Office, maintain such other offices or places of business as the Directors determine.
| 20. | General Meetings |
| 20.1. | All general meetings other than annual general meetings shall be called extraordinary general meetings. |
17
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 20.2. | The Company may, but shall not (unless required by the Statute) be obliged to, in each year hold a general meeting as its annual general meeting, and shall specify the meeting as such in the notices calling it. Any annual general meeting shall be held at such time and place as the Directors shall appoint and if no other time and place is prescribed by them, it shall be held at the Registered Office on the second Wednesday in December of each year (beginning in 2025) at ten o’clock in the morning. At these meetings the report of the Directors (if any) shall be presented. |
| 20.3. | The Directors, the chief executive officer or the chairman of the board of Directors may call general meetings. |
| 21. | Notice of General Meetings |
| 21.1. | At least five clear days’ notice shall be given of any general meeting. Every notice shall specify the place, the day and the hour of the meeting and the general nature of the business to be conducted at the general meeting and shall be given in the manner hereinafter mentioned or in such other manner if any as may be prescribed by the Company, provided that a general meeting of the Company shall, whether or not the notice specified in this Article has been given and whether or not the provisions of the Articles regarding general meetings have been complied with, be deemed to have been duly convened if it is so agreed: |
| (a) | in the case of an annual general meeting, by all of the Members entitled to attend and vote thereat; and |
| (b) | in the case of an extraordinary general meeting, by a majority in number of the Members having a right to attend and vote at the meeting, together holding not less than ninety-five per cent in par value of the Shares giving that right. |
| 21.2. | The accidental omission to give notice of a general meeting to, or the non-receipt of notice of a general meeting by, any person entitled to receive such notice shall not invalidate the proceedings of that general meeting. |
| 22. | Advance Notice for Business |
| 22.1. | At each annual general meeting, the Members shall appoint the Directors then subject to appointment in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Articles and subject to Applicable Law and the rules of the Designated Stock Exchange or quotation system on which Shares may be then listed or quoted. At any such annual general meeting any other business properly brought before the annual general meeting may be transacted. |
| 22.2. | To be properly brought before an annual general meeting, business (other than nominations of Directors, which must be made in compliance with, and shall be exclusively governed by, Article 29) must be: |
| (a) | specified in the notice of the annual general meeting (or any supplement thereto) given to Members by or at the direction of the Directors in accordance with the Articles; |
18
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| (b) | otherwise properly brought before the annual general meeting by or at the direction of the Directors; or |
| (c) | otherwise properly brought before the annual general meeting by a Member who: |
| (i) | is a Minimum Member at the time of giving of the notice provided for in this Article and at the time of the annual general meeting; |
| (ii) | is entitled to vote at such annual general meeting; and |
| (iii) | complies with the notice procedures set forth in this Article. |
| 22.3. | For any such business to be properly brought before any annual general meeting pursuant to Article 22.2(c), the Member must have given timely notice thereof in writing, either by personal delivery or express or registered mail (postage prepaid), to the Company not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day and not later than the close of business on the 90th day prior to the one-year anniversary of the date of the annual general meeting for the immediately preceding year. However, in the event that the date of the annual general meeting is more than 30 days before or after such anniversary date, in order to be timely, a Member’s notice must be received by the Company not later than the later of: (x) the close of business 90 days prior to the date of such annual general meeting; and (y) if the first public announcement of the date of such advanced or delayed annual general meeting is less than 100 days prior to such date, 10 days following the date of the first public announcement of the annual general meeting date. In no event shall the public announcement of an adjournment or postponement of an annual general meeting, or such adjournment or postponement, commence a new time period or otherwise extend any time period for the giving of a Member’s notice as described herein. |
| 22.4. | For such notice of other business shall set forth as to each matter the Member proposes to bring before the annual general meeting: |
| (a) | a brief description of the business desired to be brought before the annual general meeting, the reasons for conducting such business at the annual general meeting and the text of any proposal regarding such business (including the text of any resolutions proposed for consideration and, if such business includes a proposal to amend the Articles, the text of the proposed amendment), which shall not exceed 1,000 words; |
| (b) | as to the Member giving notice and any beneficial owner on whose behalf the proposal is made: |
| (i) | the name and address of such Member (as it appears in the Register of Members) and such beneficial owner on whose behalf the proposal is made; |
19
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| (ii) | the class and number of Shares which are, directly or indirectly, owned beneficially or of record by any such Member and by such beneficial owner, respectively, or their respective Affiliates (naming such Affiliates), as at the date of such notice; |
| (iii) | a description of any agreement, arrangement or understanding (including, without limitation, any swap or other derivative or short positions, profit interests, options, hedging transactions, and securities lending or borrowing arrangement) to which such Member or any such beneficial owner or their respective Affiliates is, directly or indirectly, a party as at the date of such notice: (x) with respect to any Shares; or (y) the effect or intent of which is to mitigate loss to, manage the potential risk or benefit of share price changes (increases or decreases) for, or increase or decrease the voting power of such Member or beneficial owner or any of their Affiliates with respect to Shares or which may have payments based in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, on the value (or change in value) of any Shares (any agreement, arrangement or understanding of a type described in this Article 22.4(b)(iii), a “Covered Arrangement”); and |
| (iv) | a representation that the Member is a holder of record of Shares entitled to vote at such annual general meeting and intends to appear in person or by proxy at the annual general meeting to propose such business; |
| (c) | a description of any direct or indirect material interest by security holdings or otherwise of the Member and of any beneficial owner on whose behalf the proposal is made, or their respective Affiliates, in such business (whether by holdings of securities, or by virtue of being a creditor or contractual counterparty of the Company or of a third party, or otherwise) and all agreements, arrangements and understandings between such Member or any such beneficial owner or their respective Affiliates and any other person or persons (naming such person or persons) in connection with the proposal of such business by such Member; |
| (d) | a representation whether the Member or the beneficial owner intends or is part of a Group which intends: |
| (i) | to deliver a proxy statement and/or form of proxy to holders of at least the percentage of the Ordinary Shares (or other Shares) required to approve or adopt the proposal; and/or |
| (ii) | otherwise to solicit proxies from Members in support of such proposal; |
| (e) | an undertaking by the Member and any beneficial owner on whose behalf the proposal is made to: |
| (i) | notify the Company in writing of the information set forth in Articles 22.4(b)(ii), (b)(iii) and (c) above as at the record date for the annual general meeting promptly (and, in any event, within five (5) Business Days) following the later of the record date or the date notice of the record date is first disclosed by public announcement; and |
| (ii) | update such information thereafter within two (2) Business Days of any change in such information and, in any event, as at close of business on the day preceding the meeting date; and |
20
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| (f) | any other information relating to such Member, any such beneficial owner and their respective Affiliates that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filings required to be made in connection with solicitations of proxies for, as applicable, such proposal pursuant to section 14 of the Exchange Act, to the same extent as if the Shares were registered under the Exchange Act. |
| 22.5. | Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, the notice requirements set forth herein with respect to the proposal of any business pursuant to this Article, other than nominations for Directors which must be made in compliance with, and shall be exclusively governed by Article 29, shall be deemed satisfied by a Member if such Member has submitted a proposal to the Company in compliance with Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act and such Member’s proposal has been included in a proxy statement that has been prepared by the Company to solicit proxies for the annual general meeting; provided, that such Member shall have provided the information required by Article 22.4 provided, further, that the information required by Article 22.4(b) may be satisfied by providing the information to the Company required pursuant to Rule 14a-8(b) of the Exchange Act. |
| 22.6. | Notwithstanding anything in the Articles to the contrary: |
| (a) | no other business brought by a Member (other than the nominations of Directors, which must be made in compliance with, and shall be exclusively governed by Article 29) shall be conducted at any annual general meeting except in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Article; and |
| (b) | unless otherwise required by Applicable Law and the rules of any applicable stock exchange or quotation system on which Shares may be then listed or quoted, if a Member intending to bring business before an annual general meeting in accordance with this Article does not: (x) timely provide the notifications contemplated by Article 22.4(e) above; or (y) timely appear in person or by proxy at the annual general meeting to present the proposed business, such business shall not be transacted, notwithstanding that proxies in respect of such business may have been received by the Company or any other person or entity. |
| 22.7. | Except as otherwise provided by Applicable Law or the Articles, the chairman or co-chairman of any annual general meeting shall have the power and duty to determine whether any business proposed to be brought before an annual general meeting was proposed in accordance with the foregoing procedures (including whether the Member solicited or did not so solicit, as the case may be, proxies in support of such Member’s proposal in compliance with such Member’s representation as required by Article 22.4(d)) and if any business is not proposed in compliance with this Article, to declare that such defective proposal shall be disregarded. The requirements of this Article shall apply to any business to be brought before an annual general meeting by a Member other than nominations of Directors (which must be made in compliance with, and shall be exclusively governed by Article 29) and other than matters properly brought under Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act. For purposes of the Articles, “public announcement” shall mean: |
| (a) | prior to the IPO, notice of the annual general meeting given to Members by or at the direction of the Directors in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Articles; and |
21
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| (b) | on and after the IPO, disclosure in a press release of the Company reported by the Dow Jones News Service, Associated Press or comparable news service or in a document publicly filed or furnished by the Company with or to the United States Securities Exchange Commission pursuant to section 13, 14 or 15(b) of the Exchange Act. |
| 22.8. | Nothing in this Article shall be deemed to affect any rights of: |
| (a) | Members to request inclusion of proposals in the Company’s proxy statement pursuant to applicable rules and regulations under the Exchange Act; or |
| (b) | the holders of any class of Preferred Shares, or any other class of Shares authorised to be issued by the Company, to make proposals pursuant to any applicable provisions thereof. |
| 22.9. | Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Article, a Member shall also comply with all applicable requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder with respect to the matters set forth in this Article, if applicable. |
| 23. | Proceedings at General Meetings |
| 23.1. | No business shall be transacted at any general meeting unless a quorum is present. The holders of one-third of the Shares being individuals present in person or by proxy or if a corporation or other non-natural person by its duly authorised representative or proxy shall be a quorum. |
| 23.2. | A person may participate at a general meeting by conference telephone or other communications equipment by means of which all the persons participating in the meeting can communicate with each other. Participation by a person in a general meeting in this manner is treated as presence in person at that meeting. |
| 23.3. | A resolution (including a Special Resolution) in writing (in one or more counterparts) signed by or on behalf of all of the Members for the time being entitled to receive notice of and to attend and vote at general meetings (or, being corporations or other non-natural persons, signed by their duly authorised representatives) shall be as valid and effective as if the resolution had been passed at a general meeting of the Company duly convened and held. |
22
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 23.4. | If a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting to commence or if during such a meeting a quorum ceases to be present, the meeting, if convened upon a Members’ requisition, shall be dissolved and in any other case it shall stand adjourned to the same day in the next week at the same time and/or place or to such other day, time and/or place as the Directors may determine, and if at the adjourned meeting a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting to commence, the Members present shall be a quorum. |
| 23.5. | The Directors may, at any time prior to the time appointed for the meeting to commence, appoint any person to act as chairman of a general meeting of the Company or, if the Directors do not make any such appointment, the chairman, if any, of the board of Directors shall preside as chairman at such general meeting. If there is no such chairman, or if he shall not be present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for the meeting to commence, or is unwilling to act, the Directors present shall elect one of their number to be chairman of the meeting. |
| 23.6. | If no Director is willing to act as chairman or if no Director is present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for the meeting to commence, the Members present shall choose one of their number to be chairman of the meeting. |
| 23.7. | The chairman may, with the consent of a meeting at which a quorum is present (and shall if so directed by the meeting) adjourn the meeting from time to time and from place to place, but no business shall be transacted at any adjourned meeting other than the business left unfinished at the meeting from which the adjournment took place. |
| 23.8. | When a general meeting is adjourned for thirty days or more, notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given as in the case of an original meeting. Otherwise it shall not be necessary to give any such notice of an adjourned meeting. |
| 23.9. | If, prior to a Business Combination, a notice is issued in respect of a general meeting and the Directors, in their absolute discretion, consider that it is impractical or undesirable for any reason to hold that general meeting at the place, the day and the hour specified in the notice calling such general meeting, the Directors may postpone the general meeting to another place, day and/or hour provided that notice of the place, the day and the hour of the rearranged general meeting is promptly given to all Members. No business shall be transacted at any postponed meeting other than the business specified in the notice of the original meeting. |
| 23.10. | When a general meeting is postponed for thirty days or more, notice of the postponed meeting shall be given as in the case of an original meeting. Otherwise it shall not be necessary to give any such notice of a postponed meeting. All proxy forms submitted for the original general meeting shall remain valid for the postponed meeting. The Directors may postpone a general meeting which has already been postponed. |
23
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 23.11. | A resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided on a poll. |
| 23.12. | A poll shall be taken as the chairman directs, and the result of the poll shall be deemed to be the resolution of the general meeting at which the poll was demanded. |
| 23.13. | A poll demanded on the election of a chairman or on a question of adjournment shall be taken forthwith. A poll demanded on any other question shall be taken at such date, time and place as the chairman of the general meeting directs, and any business other than that upon which a poll has been demanded or is contingent thereon may proceed pending the taking of the poll. |
| 23.14. | In the case of an equality of votes the chairman shall be entitled to a second or casting vote. |
| 24. | Votes of Members |
| 24.1. | Subject to any rights or restrictions attached to any Shares, including as set out at Article 29.1, 31.4 and 49.2, every Member present in any such manner shall have one vote for every Share of which he is the holder. |
| 24.2. | In the case of joint holders the vote of the senior holder who tenders a vote, whether in person or by proxy (or, in the case of a corporation or other non-natural person, by its duly authorised representative or proxy), shall be accepted to the exclusion of the votes of the other joint holders, and seniority shall be determined by the order in which the names of the holders stand in the Register of Members. |
| 24.3. | A Member of unsound mind, or in respect of whom an order has been made by any court, having jurisdiction in lunacy, may vote by his committee, receiver, curator bonis, or other person on such Member’s behalf appointed by that court, and any such committee, receiver, curator bonis or other person may vote by proxy. |
| 24.4. | No person shall be entitled to vote at any general meeting unless he is registered as a Member on the record date for such meeting nor unless all calls or other monies then payable by him in respect of Shares have been paid. |
| 24.5. | No objection shall be raised as to the qualification of any voter except at the general meeting or adjourned general meeting at which the vote objected to is given or tendered and every vote not disallowed at the meeting shall be valid. Any objection made in due time in accordance with this Article shall be referred to the chairman whose decision shall be final and conclusive. |
| 24.6. | Votes may be cast either personally or by proxy (or in the case of a corporation or other non-natural person by its duly authorised representative or proxy). A Member may appoint more than one proxy or the same proxy under one or more instruments to attend and vote at a meeting. Where a Member appoints more than one proxy the instrument of proxy shall specify the number of Shares in respect of which each proxy is entitled to exercise the related votes. |
24
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 24.7. | A Member holding more than one Share need not cast the votes in respect of his Shares in the same way on any resolution and therefore may vote a Share or some or all such Shares either for or against a resolution and/or abstain from voting a Share or some or all of the Shares and, subject to the terms of the instrument appointing him, a proxy appointed under one or more instruments may vote a Share or some or all of the Shares in respect of which he is appointed either for or against a resolution and/or abstain from voting a Share or some or all of the Shares in respect of which he is appointed. |
| 25. | Proxies |
| 25.1. | The instrument appointing a proxy shall be in writing and shall be executed under the hand of the appointor or of his attorney duly authorised in writing, or, if the appointor is a corporation or other non natural person, under the hand of its duly authorised representative. A proxy need not be a Member. |
| 25.2. | The Directors may, in the notice convening any meeting or adjourned meeting, or in an instrument of proxy sent out by the Company, specify the manner by which the instrument appointing a proxy shall be deposited and the place and the time (being not later than the time appointed for the commencement of the meeting or adjourned meeting to which the proxy relates) at which the instrument appointing a proxy shall be deposited. In the absence of any such direction from the Directors in the notice convening any meeting or adjourned meeting or in an instrument of proxy sent out by the Company, the instrument appointing a proxy shall be deposited physically at the Registered Office not less than 48 hours before the time appointed for the meeting or adjourned meeting to commence at which the person named in the instrument proposes to vote. |
| 25.3. | The chairman may in any event at his discretion declare that an instrument of proxy shall be deemed to have been duly deposited. An instrument of proxy that is not deposited in the manner permitted, or which has not been declared to have been duly deposited by the chairman, shall be invalid. |
| 25.4. | The instrument appointing a proxy may be in any usual or common form (or such other form as the Directors may approve) and may be expressed to be for a particular meeting or any adjournment thereof or generally until revoked. An instrument appointing a proxy shall be deemed to include the power to demand or join or concur in demanding a poll. |
| 25.5. | Votes given in accordance with the terms of an instrument of proxy shall be valid notwithstanding the previous death or insanity of the principal or revocation of the proxy or of the authority under which the proxy was executed, or the transfer of the Share in respect of which the proxy is given unless notice in writing of such death, insanity, revocation or transfer was received by the Company at the Registered Office before the commencement of the general meeting, or adjourned meeting at which it is sought to use the proxy. |
25
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 26. | Corporate Members |
| 26.1. | Any corporation or other non-natural person which is a Member may in accordance with its constitutional documents, or in the absence of such provision by resolution of its directors or other governing body, authorise such person as it thinks fit to act as its representative at any meeting of the Company or of any class of Members, and the person so authorised shall be entitled to exercise the same powers on behalf of the corporation which he represents as the corporation could exercise if it were an individual Member. |
| 26.2. | If a Clearing House (or its nominee(s)), being a corporation, is a Member, it may authorise such persons as it sees fit to act as its representative at any meeting of the Company or at any meeting of any class of Members provided that the authorisation shall specify the number and class of Shares in respect of which each such representative is so authorised. Each person so authorised under the provisions of this Article shall be deemed to have been duly authorised without further evidence of the facts and be entitled to exercise the same rights and powers on behalf of the Clearing House (or its nominee(s)) as if such person was the registered holder of such Shares held by the Clearing House (or its nominee(s)). |
| 27. | Shares that May Not be Voted |
Shares in the Company that are beneficially owned by the Company shall not be voted, directly or indirectly, at any meeting and shall not be counted in determining the total number of outstanding Shares at any given time.
| 28. | Directors |
There shall be a board of Directors consisting of not less than one person provided however that, subject to Article 31.1, the Company may by Ordinary Resolution increase or reduce the limits in the number of Directors.
| 29. | Nomination of Directors |
| 29.1. | Subject to Article 31.1, nominations of persons for election as Directors may be made at an annual general meeting only by: |
| (a) | the Directors; or |
| (b) | by any Member who: |
| (i) | is a Minimum Member at the time of giving of the notice provided for in this Article and at the time of the annual general meeting; |
| (ii) | is entitled to vote for the appointments at such annual general meeting; and |
| (iii) | complies with the notice procedures set forth in this Article (notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in the Articles, this Article 29.1(b) shall be the exclusive means for a Member to make nominations of persons for election of Directors at an annual general meeting). |
26
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 29.2. | Any Member entitled to vote for the elections may nominate a person or persons for election as Directors only if written notice of such Member’s intent to make such nomination is given in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Article, either by personal delivery or express or registered mail (postage prepaid), to the Company not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day and not later than the close of business on the 90th day prior to the one-year anniversary of the date of the annual general meeting for the immediately preceding year. However, in the event that the date of the annual general meeting is more than 30 days before or after such anniversary date, in order to be timely, a Member’s notice must be received by the Company not later than the later of: (x) the close of business 90 days prior to the date of such annual general meeting; and (y) if the first public announcement of the date of such advanced or delayed annual general meeting is less than 100 days prior to such date, 10 days following the date of the first public announcement of the annual general meeting date. In no event shall the public announcement of an adjournment or postponement of an annual general meeting, or such adjournment or postponement, commence a new time period or otherwise extend any time period for the giving of a Member’s notice as described herein. Members may nominate a person or persons (as the case may be) for election to the Directors only as provided in this Article and only for such class(es) as are specified in the notice of annual general meeting as being up for election at such annual general meeting. |
| 29.3. | Each such notice of a Member’s intent to make a nomination of a Director shall set forth: |
| (a) | as to the Member giving notice and any beneficial owner on whose behalf the nomination is made: |
| (i) | the name and address of such Member (as it appears in the Register of Members) and any such beneficial owner on whose behalf the nomination is made; |
| (ii) | the class and number of Shares which are, directly or indirectly, owned beneficially and of record by such Member and any such beneficial owner, respectively, or their respective Affiliates (naming such Affiliates), as at the date of such notice; |
| (iii) | a description of any Covered Arrangement to which such Member or beneficial owner, or their respective Affiliates, directly or indirectly, is a party as at the date of such notice; |
| (iv) | any other information relating to such Member and any such beneficial owner that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement in connection with a solicitation of proxies for the election of Directors in a contested election pursuant to section 14 of the Exchange Act; and |
| (v) | a representation that the Member is a holder of record of Shares entitled to vote at such annual general meeting and intends to appear in person or by proxy at the meeting to nominate the person or persons specified in such Member’s notice; |
27
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| (b) | a description of all arrangements or understandings between the Member or any beneficial owner, or their respective Affiliates, and each nominee or any other person or persons (naming such person or persons) pursuant to which the nomination or nominations are to be made by the Member; |
| (c) | a representation whether the Member or the beneficial owner is or intends to be part of a Group which intends: |
| (i) | to deliver a proxy statement and/or form of proxy to holders of at least the percentage of the Ordinary Shares (or other Shares) required to elect the Director or Directors nominated; and/or |
| (ii) | otherwise to solicit proxies from Members in support of such nomination or nominations; |
| (d) | as to each person whom the Member proposes to nominate for election or re-election as a Director: |
| (i) | all information relating to such person as would have been required to be included in a proxy statement filed in connection with a solicitation of proxies for the election of Directors in a contested election pursuant to section 14 of the Exchange Act; |
| (ii) | a description of any Covered Arrangement to which such nominee or any of his Affiliates is a party as at the date of such notice |
| (iii) | the written consent of each nominee to being named in the proxy statement as a nominee and to serving as a Director if so elected; and |
| (iv) | whether, if elected, the nominee intends to tender any advance resignation notice(s) requested by the Directors in connection with subsequent elections, such advance resignation to be contingent upon the nominee’s failure to receive a majority vote and acceptance of such resignation by the Directors; and |
| (e) | an undertaking by the Member of record and each beneficial owner, if any, to (i) notify the Company in writing of the information set forth in Articles 29.3(a)(ii), (a)(iii), (b) and (d) above as at the record date for the annual general meeting promptly (and, in any event, within five (5) Business Days) following the later of the record date or the date notice of the record date is first disclosed by public announcement and (ii) update such information thereafter within two (2) Business Days of any change in such information and, in any event, as at close of business on the day preceding the meeting date. |
28
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 29.4. | No person shall be eligible for election as a Director unless nominated in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Articles. Except as otherwise provided by Applicable Law or the Articles, the chairman or co-chairman of any annual general meeting to elect Directors or the Directors may, if the facts warrant, determine that a nomination was not made in compliance with the foregoing procedure or if the Member solicits proxies in support of such Member’s nominee(s) without such Member having made the representation required by Article 29.3(c); and if the chairman, co-chairman or the Directors should so determine, it shall be so declared to the annual general meeting, and the defective nomination shall be disregarded. Notwithstanding anything in the Articles to the contrary, unless otherwise required by Applicable Law or the rules of the Designated Stock Exchange or quotation system on which Shares may be then listed or quoted, if a Member intending to make a nomination at an annual general meeting in accordance with this Article does not: |
| (a) | timely provide the notifications contemplated by of Article 29.3(e); or |
| (b) | timely appear in person or by proxy at the annual general meeting to present the nomination, such nomination shall be disregarded, notwithstanding that proxies in respect of such nomination may have been received by the Company or any other person or entity. |
| 29.5. | Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Article, any Member intending to make a nomination at an annual general meeting in accordance with this Article, and each related beneficial owner, if any, shall also comply with all requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder applicable to the same extent as if the Shares were registered under the Exchange Act with respect to the matters set forth in the Articles; provided, however, that any references in the Articles to the Exchange Act are not intended to and shall not limit the requirements applicable to nominations made or intended to be made in accordance with Article 29.1(b). |
| 29.6. | Nothing in this Article shall be deemed to affect any rights of the holders of any class of Preferred Shares, or any other class of Shares authorised to be issued by the Company, to appoint Directors pursuant to the terms thereof. |
| 29.7. | To be eligible to be a nominee for election or re-election as a Director pursuant to Article 29.1(b), a person must deliver (not later than the deadline prescribed for delivery of notice) to the Company a written questionnaire prepared by the Company with respect to the background and qualification of such person and the background of any other person or entity on whose behalf the nomination is being made (which questionnaire shall be provided by the Company upon written request) and a written representation and agreement (in the form provided by the Company upon written request) that such person: |
| (a) | is not and will not become a party to: |
| (i) | any agreement, arrangement or understanding with, and has not given any commitment or assurance to, any person or entity as to how such person, if elected as a Director, will act or vote on any issue or question (a “Voting Commitment”) that has not been disclosed to the Company; or |
| (ii) | any Voting Commitment that could limit or interfere with such person’s ability to comply, if elected as a Director, with such person’s duties under Applicable Law; |
29
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| (b) | is not and will not become a party to any agreement, arrangement or understanding with any person or entity other than the Company with respect to any direct or indirect compensation, reimbursement or indemnification in connection with service or action as a Director that has not been disclosed therein; |
| (c) | in such person’s individual capacity and on behalf of any person or entity on whose behalf the nomination is being made, would be in compliance, if elected as a Director, and will comply with, Applicable Law and corporate governance, conflict of interest, confidentiality and share ownership and trading policies and guidelines of the Company that are applicable to Directors generally; and |
| (d) | if elected as a Director, will act in the best interests of the Company and not in the interest of any individual constituency. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, if established, shall review all such information submitted by the Member with respect to the proposed nominee and determine whether such nominee is eligible to act as a Director. The Company and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, if established, may require any proposed nominee to furnish such other information as may reasonably be required by the Company to determine the eligibility of such proposed nominee to serve as an independent Director or that could be material to a reasonable Member’s understanding of the independence, or lack thereof, of such nominee. |
| 29.8. | At the request of the Directors, any person nominated for election as a Director shall furnish to the Company the information that is required to be set forth in a Members’ notice of nomination pursuant to this Article. |
| 29.9. | Any Member proposing to nominate a person or persons for election as Director shall be responsible for, and bear the costs associated with, soliciting votes from any other voting Member and distributing materials to such Members prior to the annual general meeting in accordance with the Articles and applicable rules of the United States Securities Exchange Commission. A Member shall include any person or persons such Member intends to nominate for election as Director in its own proxy statement and proxy card. |
| 30. | Powers of Directors |
| 30.1. | Subject to the provisions of the Statute, the Memorandum and the Articles and to any directions given by Special Resolution, the business of the Company shall be managed by the Directors who may exercise all the powers of the Company. No alteration of the Memorandum or Articles and no such direction shall invalidate any prior act of the Directors which would have been valid if that alteration had not been made or that direction had not been given. A duly convened meeting of Directors at which a quorum is present may exercise all powers exercisable by the Directors. |
30
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 30.2. | All cheques, promissory notes, drafts, bills of exchange and other negotiable or transferable instruments and all receipts for monies paid to the Company shall be signed, drawn, accepted, endorsed or otherwise executed as the case may be in such manner as the Directors shall determine by resolution. |
| 30.3. | The Directors on behalf of the Company may pay a gratuity or pension or allowance on retirement to any Director who has held any other salaried office or place of profit with the Company or to his widow or dependants and may make contributions to any fund and pay premiums for the purchase or provision of any such gratuity, pension or allowance. |
| 30.4. | The Directors may exercise all the powers of the Company to borrow money and to mortgage or charge its undertaking, property and assets (present and future) and uncalled capital or any part thereof and to issue debentures, debenture stock, mortgages, bonds and other such securities whether outright or as security for any debt, liability or obligation of the Company or of any third party. |
| 31. | Appointment and Removal of Directors |
| 31.1. | Prior to the consummation of a Business Combination, the Company may by Ordinary Resolution of the holders of the Class B Shares appoint any person to be a Director or may by Ordinary Resolution of the holders of the Class B Shares remove any Director. For the avoidance of doubt, prior to the consummation of a Business Combination, holders of Class A Shares shall have no right to vote on the appointment or removal of any Director. |
| 31.2. | The Directors may appoint any person to be a Director, either to fill a vacancy or as an additional Director provided that the appointment does not cause the number of Directors to exceed any number fixed by or in accordance with the Articles as the maximum number of Directors. |
| 31.3. | After the consummation of a Business Combination, the Company may by Ordinary Resolution increase and decrease the number of Directors and appoint any person to be a Director or may by Ordinary Resolution remove any Director. |
| 31.4. | Prior to the consummation of a Business Combination, Article 31.1 may only be amended by a Special Resolution passed by at least 90 per cent of holders of Class B Shares as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at a general meeting of which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution has been given, or by way of unanimous written resolution of all of the holders of Class B Shares. |
31
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 31.5. | The Directors shall be divided into three (3) classes designated as Class I, Class II and Class III, respectively. Directors shall be assigned to each class in accordance with a resolution or resolutions adopted by the board of Directors. At the first annual general meeting of the Company, the term of office of the Class I Directors shall expire and Class I Directors shall be elected for a full term of three (3) years. At the second annual general meeting of the Company, the term of office of the Class II Directors shall expire and Class II Directors shall be elected for a full term of three (3) years. At the third annual general meeting of the Company, the term of office of the Class III Directors shall expire and Class III Directors shall be elected for a full term of three (3) years. At each succeeding annual general meeting of the Company, Directors shall be elected for a full term of three (3) years to succeed the Directors of the class whose terms expire at such annual general meeting. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Article, each Director shall hold office until the expiration of his term, until his successor shall have been duly elected and qualified or until his earlier death, resignation or removal. No decrease in the number of Directors constituting the board of Directors shall shorten the term of any incumbent Director. |
| 32. | Vacation of Office of Director |
The office of a Director shall be vacated if:
| (a) | the Director gives notice in writing to the Company that he resigns the office of Director; |
| (b) | the Director absents himself (for the avoidance of doubt, without being represented by proxy) from three consecutive meetings of the board of Directors without special leave of absence from the Directors, and the Directors pass a resolution that he has by reason of such absence vacated office; or |
| (c) | the Director dies, becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors generally; or |
| (d) | the Director is found to be or becomes of unsound mind; or |
| (e) | all of the other Directors (being not less than two in number) determine that he should be removed as a Director for Cause (and not otherwise), either by a resolution passed by all of the other Directors at a meeting of the Directors duly convened and held in accordance with the Articles or by a resolution in writing signed by all of the other Directors. |
| 33. | Proceedings of Directors |
| 33.1. | The quorum for the transaction of the business of the Directors may be fixed by the Directors, and unless so fixed shall be two if there are two or more Directors, and shall be one if there is only one Director. |
| 33.2. | Subject to the provisions of the Articles, the Directors may regulate their proceedings as they think fit. Questions arising at any meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes. In the case of an equality of votes, the chairman shall have a second or casting vote. |
32
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 33.3. | A person may participate in a meeting of the Directors or any committee of Directors by conference telephone or other communications equipment by means of which all the persons participating in the meeting can communicate with each other at the same time. Participation by a person in a meeting in this manner is treated as presence in person at that meeting. Unless otherwise determined by the Directors, the meeting shall be deemed to be held at the place where the chairman is located at the start of the meeting. |
| 33.4. | A resolution in writing (in one or more counterparts) signed by all the Directors or all the members of a committee of the Directors or, in the case of a resolution in writing relating to the removal of any Director or the vacation of office by any Director, all of the Directors other than the Director who is the subject of such resolution shall be as valid and effectual as if it had been passed at a meeting of the Directors, or committee of Directors as the case may be, duly convened and held. |
| 33.5. | A Director may, or other Officer on the direction of a Director shall, call a meeting of the Directors by at least two days’ notice in writing to every Director which notice shall set forth the general nature of the business to be considered unless notice is waived by all the Directors either at, before or after the meeting is held. To any such notice of a meeting of the Directors all the provisions of the Articles relating to the giving of notices by the Company to the Members shall apply mutatis mutandis. |
| 33.6. | The continuing Directors (or a sole continuing Director, as the case may be) may act notwithstanding any vacancy in their body, but if and so long as their number is reduced below the number fixed by or pursuant to the Articles as the necessary quorum of Directors the continuing Directors or Director may act for the purpose of increasing the number of Directors to be equal to such fixed number, or of summoning a general meeting of the Company, but for no other purpose. |
| 33.7. | The Directors may elect a chairman of their board and determine the period for which he is to hold office; but if no such chairman is elected, or if at any meeting the chairman is not present within five minutes after the time appointed for the meeting to commence, the Directors present may choose one of their number to be chairman of the meeting. |
| 33.8. | All acts done by any meeting of the Directors or of a committee of the Directors shall, notwithstanding that it is afterwards discovered that there was some defect in the appointment of any Director, and/or that they or any of them were disqualified, and/or had vacated their office and/or were not entitled to vote, be as valid as if every such person had been duly appointed and/or not disqualified to be a Director and/or had not vacated their office and/or had been entitled to vote, as the case may be. |
| 33.9. | A Director may be represented at any meetings of the board of Directors by a proxy appointed in writing by him. The proxy shall count towards the quorum and the vote of the proxy shall for all purposes be deemed to be that of the appointing Director. |
33
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 34. | Presumption of Assent |
A Director who is present at a meeting of the board of Directors at which action on any Company matter is taken shall be presumed to have assented to the action taken unless his dissent shall be entered in the minutes of the meeting or unless he shall file his written dissent from such action with the person acting as the chairman or secretary of the meeting before the adjournment thereof or shall forward such dissent by registered post to such person immediately after the adjournment of the meeting. Such right to dissent shall not apply to a Director who voted in favour of such action.
| 35. | Directors’ Interests |
| 35.1. | A Director may hold any other office or place of profit under the Company (other than the office of Auditor) in conjunction with his office of Director for such period and on such terms as to remuneration and otherwise as the Directors may determine. |
| 35.2. | A Director may act by himself or by, through or on behalf of his firm in a professional capacity for the Company and he or his firm shall be entitled to remuneration for professional services as if he were not a Director. |
| 35.3. | A Director may be or become a director or other officer of or otherwise interested in any company promoted by the Company or in which the Company may be interested as a shareholder, a contracting party or otherwise, and no such Director shall be accountable to the Company for any remuneration or other benefits received by him as a director or officer of, or from his interest in, such other company. |
| 35.4. | No person shall be disqualified from the office of Director or prevented by such office from contracting with the Company, either as vendor, purchaser or otherwise, nor shall any such contract or any contract or transaction entered into by or on behalf of the Company in which any Director shall be in any way interested be or be liable to be avoided, nor shall any Director so contracting or being so interested be liable to account to the Company for any profit realised by or arising in connection with any such contract or transaction by reason of such Director holding office or of the fiduciary relationship thereby established. A Director shall be at liberty to vote in respect of any contract or transaction in which he is interested provided that the nature of the interest of any Director in any such contract or transaction shall be disclosed by him at or prior to its consideration and any vote thereon. |
| 35.5. | A general notice that a Director is a shareholder, director, officer or employee of any specified firm or company and is to be regarded as interested in any transaction with such firm or company shall be sufficient disclosure for the purposes of voting on a resolution in respect of a contract or transaction in which he has an interest, and after such general notice it shall not be necessary to give special notice relating to any particular transaction. |
34
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 36. | Minutes |
The Directors shall cause minutes to be made in books kept for the purpose of recording all appointments of Officers made by the Directors, all proceedings at meetings of the Company or the holders of any class of Shares and of the Directors, and of committees of the Directors, including the names of the Directors present at each meeting.
| 37. | Delegation of Directors’ Powers |
| 37.1. | The Directors may delegate any of their powers, authorities and discretions, including the power to sub-delegate, to any committee consisting of one or more Directors (including, without limitation and as applicable, the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee). Any such delegation may be made subject to any conditions the Directors may impose and either collaterally with or to the exclusion of their own powers and any such delegation may be revoked or altered by the Directors. Subject to any such conditions, the proceedings of a committee of Directors shall be governed by the Articles regulating the proceedings of Directors, so far as they are capable of applying. |
| 37.2. | The Directors may establish any committees, local boards or agencies or appoint any person to be a manager or agent for managing the affairs of the Company and may appoint any person to be a member of such committees, local boards or agencies. Any such appointment may be made subject to any conditions the Directors may impose, and either collaterally with or to the exclusion of their own powers and any such appointment may be revoked or altered by the Directors. Subject to any such conditions, the proceedings of any such committee, local board or agency shall be governed by the Articles regulating the proceedings of Directors, so far as they are capable of applying. |
| 37.3. | The Directors may by power of attorney or otherwise appoint any person to be the agent of the Company on such conditions as the Directors may determine, provided that the delegation is not to the exclusion of their own powers and may be revoked by the Directors at any time. |
| 37.4. | The Directors may by power of attorney or otherwise appoint any company, firm, person or body of persons, whether nominated directly or indirectly by the Directors, to be the attorney or authorised signatory of the Company for such purpose and with such powers, authorities and discretions (not exceeding those vested in or exercisable by the Directors under the Articles) and for such period and subject to such conditions as they may think fit, and any such powers of attorney or other appointment may contain such provisions for the protection and convenience of persons dealing with any such attorneys or authorised signatories as the Directors may think fit and may also authorise any such attorney or authorised signatory to delegate all or any of the powers, authorities and discretions vested in him. |
| 37.5. | The Directors may appoint such Officers as they consider necessary on such terms, at such remuneration and to perform such duties, and subject to such provisions as to disqualification and removal as the Directors may think fit. Unless otherwise specified in the terms of his appointment an Officer may be removed by resolution of the Directors or Members. An Officer may vacate his office at any time if he gives notice in writing to the Company that he resigns his office. |
35
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 38. | No Minimum Shareholding |
The Company in general meeting may fix a minimum shareholding required to be held by a Director, but unless and until such a shareholding qualification is fixed a Director is not required to hold Shares.
| 39. | Remuneration of Directors |
| 39.1. | The remuneration to be paid to the Directors, if any, shall be such remuneration as the Directors shall determine, provided that no remuneration shall be paid to any Director by the Company prior to the consummation of a Business Combination. The Directors shall also, whether prior to or after the consummation of a Business Combination, be entitled to be paid all travelling, hotel and other expenses properly incurred by them in connection with their attendance at meetings of Directors or committees of Directors, or general meetings of the Company, or separate meetings of the holders of any class of Shares or debentures of the Company, or otherwise in connection with the business of the Company or the discharge of their duties as a Director, or to receive a fixed allowance in respect thereof as may be determined by the Directors, or a combination partly of one such method and partly the other. |
| 39.2. | The Directors may by resolution approve additional remuneration to any Director for any services which in the opinion of the Directors go beyond his ordinary routine work as a Director. Any fees paid to a Director who is also counsel, attorney or solicitor to the Company, or otherwise serves it in a professional capacity shall be in addition to his remuneration as a Director. |
| 40. | Seal |
| 40.1. | The Company may, if the Directors so determine, have a Seal. The Seal shall only be used by the authority of the Directors or of a committee of the Directors authorised by the Directors. Every instrument to which the Seal has been affixed shall be signed by at least one person who shall be either a Director or some Officer or other person appointed by the Directors for the purpose. |
| 40.2. | The Company may have for use in any place or places outside the Cayman Islands a duplicate Seal or Seals each of which shall be a facsimile of the common Seal of the Company and, if the Directors so determine, with the addition on its face of the name of every place where it is to be used. |
| 40.3. | A Director or Officer, representative or attorney of the Company may without further authority of the Directors affix the Seal over his signature alone to any document of the Company required to be authenticated by him under seal or to be filed with the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere wheresoever. |
36
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 41. | Dividends, Distributions and Reserve |
| 41.1. | Subject to the Statute and this Article and except as otherwise provided by the rights attached to any Shares, the Directors may resolve to pay Dividends and other distributions on Shares in issue and authorise payment of the Dividends or other distributions out of the funds of the Company lawfully available therefor. A Dividend shall be deemed to be an interim Dividend unless the terms of the resolution pursuant to which the Directors resolve to pay such Dividend specifically state that such Dividend shall be a final Dividend. No Dividend or other distribution shall be paid except out of the realised or unrealised profits of the Company, out of the share premium account or as otherwise permitted by law. |
| 41.2. | Except as otherwise provided by the rights attached to any Shares, all Dividends and other distributions shall be paid according to the par value of the Shares that a Member holds. If any Share is issued on terms providing that it shall rank for Dividend as from a particular date, that Share shall rank for Dividend accordingly. |
| 41.3. | The Directors may deduct from any Dividend or other distribution payable to any Member all sums of money (if any) then payable by him to the Company on account of calls or otherwise. |
| 41.4. | The Directors may resolve that any Dividend or other distribution be paid wholly or partly by the distribution of specific assets and in particular (but without limitation) by the distribution of shares, debentures, or securities of any other company or in any one or more of such ways and where any difficulty arises in regard to such distribution, the Directors may settle the same as they think expedient and in particular may issue fractional Shares and may fix the value for distribution of such specific assets or any part thereof and may determine that cash payments shall be made to any Members upon the basis of the value so fixed in order to adjust the rights of all Members and may vest any such specific assets in trustees in such manner as may seem expedient to the Directors. |
| 41.5. | Except as otherwise provided by the rights attached to any Shares, Dividends and other distributions may be paid in any currency. The Directors may determine the basis of conversion for any currency conversions that may be required and how any costs involved are to be met. |
| 41.6. | The Directors may, before resolving to pay any Dividend or other distribution, set aside such sums as they think proper as a reserve or reserves which shall, at the discretion of the Directors, be applicable for any purpose of the Company and pending such application may, at the discretion of the Directors, be employed in the business of the Company. |
| 41.7. | Any Dividend, other distribution, interest or other monies payable in cash in respect of Shares may be paid by wire transfer to the holder or by cheque or warrant sent through the post directed to the registered address of the holder or, in the case of joint holders, to the registered address of the holder who is first named on the Register of Members or to such person and to such address as such holder or joint holders may in writing direct. Every such cheque or warrant shall be made payable to the order of the person to whom it is sent. Any one of two or more joint holders may give effectual receipts for any Dividends, other distributions, bonuses, or other monies payable in respect of the Share held by them as joint holders. |
37
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 41.8. | No Dividend or other distribution shall bear interest against the Company. |
| 41.9. | Any Dividend or other distribution which cannot be paid to a Member and/or which remains unclaimed after six months from the date on which such Dividend or other distribution becomes payable may, in the discretion of the Directors, be paid into a separate account in the Company’s name, provided that the Company shall not be constituted as a trustee in respect of that account and the Dividend or other distribution shall remain as a debt due to the Member. Any Dividend or other distribution which remains unclaimed after a period of six years from the date on which such Dividend or other distribution becomes payable shall be forfeited and shall revert to the Company. |
| 42. | Capitalisation |
The Directors may at any time capitalise any sum standing to the credit of any of the Company’s reserve accounts or funds (including the share premium account and capital redemption reserve fund) or any sum standing to the credit of the profit and loss account or otherwise available for distribution; appropriate such sum to Members in the proportions in which such sum would have been divisible amongst such Members had the same been a distribution of profits by way of Dividend or other distribution; and apply such sum on their behalf in paying up in full unissued Shares for allotment and distribution credited as fully paid-up to and amongst them in the proportion aforesaid. In such event the Directors shall do all acts and things required to give effect to such capitalisation, with full power given to the Directors to make such provisions as they think fit in the case of Shares becoming distributable in fractions (including provisions whereby the benefit of fractional entitlements accrue to the Company rather than to the Members concerned). The Directors may authorise any person to enter on behalf of all of the Members interested into an agreement with the Company providing for such capitalisation and matters incidental or relating thereto and any agreement made under such authority shall be effective and binding on all such Members and the Company.
| 43. | Books of Account |
| 43.1. | The Directors shall cause proper books of account (including, where applicable, material underlying documentation including contracts and invoices) to be kept with respect to all sums of money received and expended by the Company and the matters in respect of which the receipt or expenditure takes place, all sales and purchases of goods by the Company and the assets and liabilities of the Company. Such books of account must be retained for a minimum period of five years from the date on which they are prepared. Proper books shall not be deemed to be kept if there are not kept such books of account as are necessary to give a true and fair view of the state of the Company’s affairs and to explain its transactions. |
38
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 43.2. | The Directors shall determine whether and to what extent and at what times and places and under what conditions or regulations the accounts and books of the Company or any of them shall be open to the inspection of Members not being Directors and no Member (not being a Director) shall have any right of inspecting any account or book or document of the Company except as conferred by Statute or authorised by the Directors or by the Company in general meeting. |
| 43.3. | The Directors may cause to be prepared and to be laid before the Company in general meeting profit and loss accounts, balance sheets, group accounts (if any) and such other reports and accounts as may be required by law. |
| 44. | Audit |
| 44.1. | The Directors may appoint an Auditor of the Company who shall hold office on such terms as the Directors determine. |
| 44.2. | Without prejudice to the freedom of the Directors to establish any other committee, if the Shares (or depositary receipts therefor) are listed or quoted on the Designated Stock Exchange, and if required by the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange, the Securities and Exchange Commission and/or any other competent regulatory authority or otherwise under Applicable Law, the Directors shall establish and maintain an Audit Committee as a committee of the Directors and shall adopt a formal written Audit Committee charter and review and assess the adequacy of the formal written charter on an annual basis. The composition and responsibilities of the Audit Committee shall comply with the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange, the Securities and Exchange Commission and/or any other competent regulatory authority or otherwise under Applicable Law. The Audit Committee shall meet at least once every financial quarter, or more frequently as circumstances dictate. |
| 44.3. | If the Shares (or depositary receipts therefor) are listed or quoted on the Designated Stock Exchange, the Company shall conduct an appropriate review of all related party transactions on an ongoing basis and shall utilise the Audit Committee for the review and approval of potential conflicts of interest. |
| 44.4. | The remuneration of the Auditor shall be fixed by the Audit Committee (if one exists). |
| 44.5. | If the office of Auditor becomes vacant by resignation or death of the Auditor, or by his becoming incapable of acting by reason of illness or other disability at a time when his services are required, the Directors shall fill the vacancy and determine the remuneration of such Auditor. |
| 44.6. | Every Auditor of the Company shall have a right of access at all times to the books and accounts and vouchers of the Company and shall be entitled to require from the Directors and Officers such information and explanation as may be necessary for the performance of the duties of the Auditor. |
39
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 44.7. | Auditors shall, if so required by the Directors, make a report on the accounts of the Company during their tenure of office at the next annual general meeting following their appointment in the case of a company which is registered with the Registrar of Companies as an ordinary company, and at the next extraordinary general meeting following their appointment in the case of a company which is registered with the Registrar of Companies as an exempted company, and at any other time during their term of office, upon request of the Directors or any general meeting of the Members. |
| 45. | Notices |
| 45.1. | Notices shall be in writing and may be given by the Company to any Member either personally or by sending it by courier, post, cable, telex, fax or e-mail to him or to his address as shown in the Register of Members (or where the notice is given by e-mail by sending it to the e-mail address provided by such Member). Notice may also be served by Electronic Communication in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange, the Securities and Exchange Commission and/or any other competent regulatory authority or by placing it on the Company’s Website. |
| 45.2. | Where a notice is sent by: |
| (a) | courier; service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected by delivery of the notice to a courier company, and shall be deemed to have been received on the third day (not including Saturdays or Sundays or public holidays) following the day on which the notice was delivered to the courier; |
| (b) | post; service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected by properly addressing, pre paying and posting a letter containing the notice, and shall be deemed to have been received on the fifth day (not including Saturdays or Sundays or public holidays in the Cayman Islands) following the day on which the notice was posted; |
| (c) | cable, telex or fax; service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected by properly addressing and sending such notice and shall be deemed to have been received on the same day that it was transmitted; |
| (d) | e-mail or other Electronic Communication; service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected by transmitting the e-mail to the e-mail address provided by the intended recipient and shall be deemed to have been received on the same day that it was sent, and it shall not be necessary for the receipt of the e-mail to be acknowledged by the recipient; and |
| (e) | placing it on the Company’s Website; service of the notice shall be deemed to have been effected one hour after the notice or document was placed on the Company’s Website. |
40
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 45.3. | A notice may be given by the Company to the person or persons which the Company has been advised are entitled to a Share or Shares in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a Member in the same manner as other notices which are required to be given under the Articles and shall be addressed to them by name, or by the title of representatives of the deceased, or trustee of the bankrupt, or by any like description at the address supplied for that purpose by the persons claiming to be so entitled, or at the option of the Company by giving the notice in any manner in which the same might have been given if the death or bankruptcy had not occurred. |
| 45.4. | Notice of every general meeting shall be given in any manner authorised by the Articles to every holder of Shares carrying an entitlement to receive such notice on the record date for such meeting except that in the case of joint holders the notice shall be sufficient if given to the joint holder first named in the Register of Members and every person upon whom the ownership of a Share devolves by reason of his being a legal personal representative or a trustee in bankruptcy of a Member where the Member but for his death or bankruptcy would be entitled to receive notice of the meeting, and no other person shall be entitled to receive notices of general meetings. |
| 46. | Winding Up |
| 46.1. | If the Company shall be wound up, the liquidator shall apply the assets of the Company in satisfaction of creditors’ claims in such manner and order as such liquidator thinks fit. Subject to the rights attaching to any Shares, in a winding up: |
| (a) | if the assets available for distribution amongst the Members shall be insufficient to repay the whole of the Company’s issued share capital, such assets shall be distributed so that, as nearly as may be, the losses shall be borne by the Members in proportion to the par value of the Shares held by them; or |
| (b) | if the assets available for distribution amongst the Members shall be more than sufficient to repay the whole of the Company’s issued share capital at the commencement of the winding up, the surplus shall be distributed amongst the Members in proportion to the par value of the Shares held by them at the commencement of the winding up subject to a deduction from those Shares in respect of which there are monies due, of all monies payable to the Company for unpaid calls or otherwise. |
| 46.2. | If the Company shall be wound up the liquidator may, subject to the rights attaching to any Shares and with the approval of a Special Resolution of the Company and any other approval required by the Statute, divide amongst the Members in kind the whole or any part of the assets of the Company (whether such assets shall consist of property of the same kind or not) and may for that purpose value any assets and determine how the division shall be carried out as between the Members or different classes of Members. The liquidator may, with the like approval, vest the whole or any part of such assets in trustees upon such trusts for the benefit of the Members as the liquidator, with the like approval, shall think fit, but so that no Member shall be compelled to accept any asset upon which there is a liability. |
41
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 47. | Indemnity and Insurance |
| 47.1. | Every Director and Officer (which for the avoidance of doubt, shall not include auditors of the Company), together with every former Director and former Officer (each an “Indemnified Person”) shall be indemnified out of the assets of the Company against any liability, action, proceeding, claim, demand, costs, damages or expenses, including legal expenses, whatsoever which they or any of them may incur as a result of any act or failure to act in carrying out their functions other than such liability (if any) that they may incur by reason of their own actual fraud, wilful neglect or wilful default. No Indemnified Person shall be liable to the Company for any loss or damage incurred by the Company as a result (whether direct or indirect) of the carrying out of their functions unless that liability arises through the actual fraud, wilful neglect or wilful default of such Indemnified Person. No person shall be found to have committed actual fraud, wilful neglect or wilful default under this Article unless or until a court of competent jurisdiction shall have made a finding to that effect. |
| 47.2. | Each Member specifically agrees to waive any claim or right of action such Member might have, whether individually or by, or in, the right of the Company, against any Director or Officer in connection with new or competing merger bids or proposals which are proffered to the Board at any time after the execution of a definitive agreement concerning a Business Combination PROVIDED THAT such waiver shall not extend to any matter in respect of any fraud or dishonesty in relation to the Company which may attach to such Director or Officer. |
| 47.3. | The Company shall advance to each Indemnified Person reasonable attorneys’ fees and other costs and expenses incurred in connection with the defence of any action, suit, proceeding or investigation involving such Indemnified Person for which indemnity will or could be sought. In connection with any advance of any expenses hereunder, the Indemnified Person shall execute an undertaking to repay the advanced amount to the Company if it shall be determined by final judgment or other final adjudication that such Indemnified Person was not entitled to indemnification pursuant to this Article. If it shall be determined by a final judgment or other final adjudication that such Indemnified Person was not entitled to indemnification with respect to such judgment, costs or expenses, then such party shall not be indemnified with respect to such judgment, costs or expenses and any advancement shall be returned to the Company (without interest) by the Indemnified Person. |
| 47.4. | The Directors, on behalf of the Company, may purchase and maintain insurance for the benefit of any Director or other Officer against any liability which, by virtue of any rule of law, would otherwise attach to such person in respect of any negligence, default, breach of duty or breach of trust of which such person may be guilty in relation to the Company. |
| 48. | Financial Year |
Unless the Directors otherwise prescribe, the financial year of the Company shall end on 31st December in each year and, following the year of incorporation, shall begin on 1st January in each year.
42
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 49. | Transfer by WAy of Continuation |
| 49.1. | If the Company is exempted as defined in the Statute, it shall, subject to the provisions of the Statute and with the approval of a Special Resolution, have the power to register by way of continuation as a body corporate under the laws of any jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands and to be deregistered in the Cayman Islands. |
| 49.2. | Prior to the closing of a Business Combination: |
| (a) | while any Class B Shares are issued and outstanding, only the Class B Shares shall carry the right to vote on any resolution of the shareholders to approve any transfer by way of continuation pursuant to this Article (including any Special Resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the Company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the Company, in each case, as a result of the Company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands); and |
| (b) | this Article 49.2 may only be amended by a Special Resolution passed by at least 90 per cent of such Members as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at a general meeting of which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution has been given, or by way of unanimous written resolution. |
| 50. | Mergers and Consolidations |
The Company shall have the power to merge or consolidate with one or more other constituent companies (as defined in the Statute) upon such terms as the Directors may determine and (to the extent required by the Statute) with the approval of a Special Resolution.
| 51. | Business Combination |
| 51.1. | Notwithstanding any other provision of the Articles, this Article shall apply during the period commencing upon the adoption of the Articles and terminating upon the first to occur of the consummation of a Business Combination and the full distribution of the Trust Account pursuant to this Article. In the event of a conflict between this Article and any other Articles, the provisions of this Article shall prevail. |
| 51.2. | Prior to the consummation of a Business Combination, the Company shall either: |
| (a) | submit such Business Combination to its Members for approval; or |
| (b) | provide each holder of Public Shares who is not the Sponsor, a Founder, an Officer or a Director, with the opportunity to have their Public Shares repurchased by means of a tender offer for a per-Share repurchase price payable in cash (“Tender Offer Redemption”), equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, calculated as of two Business Days prior to the consummation of such Business Combination, inclusive of any interest earned on the Trust Account (which interest shall be net of taxes payable (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on the Company)), divided by the number of then issued Public Shares. Such obligation to repurchase Shares is subject to the completion of the proposed Business Combination to which it relates. |
43
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 51.3. | If the Company initiates any tender offer in accordance with Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act in connection with a Business Combination, it shall file tender offer documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission prior to completing such Business Combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about such Business Combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act. If, alternatively, the Company holds a general meeting to approve a Business Combination, the Company will conduct any redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules, and file proxy materials with the Securities and Exchange Commission. |
| 51.4. | At a general meeting called for the purposes of approving a Business Combination pursuant to this Article, in the event that such Business Combination is approved by Ordinary Resolution, the Company shall be authorised to consummate such Business Combination. |
| 51.5. | Any Member holding Public Shares who is not the Sponsor, a Founder, Officer or Director may, in connection with any vote on a Business Combination or at an earlier time in connection with the commencement of the procedures to consummate a Business Combination if the Directors determine it is desirable to facilitate the consummation of such Business Combination, elect to have their Public Shares redeemed for cash (“IPO Redemption”), provided that no such Member acting together with any Affiliate or any other person with whom such Member is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under section 13 of the Exchange Act) may exercise this redemption right with respect to more than 15 per cent of the then issued Public Shares in the aggregate without the prior consent of the Company. If so demanded, the Company shall pay any such redeeming Member, regardless of whether he is voting for or against such proposed Business Combination, a per-Share redemption price payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account calculated as of two Business Days prior to the consummation of the Business Combination, inclusive of any interest earned on the Trust Account (which interest shall be net of taxes payable (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on the Company)), divided by the number of then issued Public Shares, but only in the event that the applicable proposed Business Combination is approved. |
| 51.6. | A Member may not withdraw a Redemption Notice once submitted to the Company unless the Directors determine (in their sole discretion) to permit the withdrawal of such redemption request (which they may do in whole or in part). |
44
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 51.7. | In the event that the Company does not consummate a Business Combination within 18 months from the date of the consummation of the IPO, or such earlier time as the Directors may approve or such later time as the Members may approve in accordance with the Articles, the Company shall (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible, but not more than ten (10) business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per- Share price, payable in cash (“Automatic Redemption”), equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, inclusive of any interest earned on the Trust Account (which interest shall be net of taxes payable (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on the Company) and less up to US$100,000 to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then issued Public Shares, which redemption will constitute full and complete payment for such Public Shares and completely extinguish public Members' rights as Members (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions or other distributions, if any), subject always to any obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and in all cases subject to the other requirements of Applicable Law. |
| 51.8. | In the event that any amendment is made to the Articles: |
| (a) | to modify the substance or timing of the Company's obligation to allow redemption in connection with a Business Combination or to redeem 100 per cent of the Public Shares if the Company has not consummated a Business Combination within 18 months from the date of the consummation of the IPO, such earlier time as the Directors may approve or such later time as the Members may approve in accordance with the Articles; or |
| (b) | with respect to any other material provisions relating to Members’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity, |
each holder of Public Shares who is not the Sponsor, a Founder, Officer or Director shall be provided with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares upon the effectiveness of any such amendment at a per-Share price, payable in cash (“Amendment Redemption”), equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, inclusive of any interest earned on the Trust Account (which interest shall be net of taxes payable (excluding any Excise Tax, or similar tax, imposed on the Company)), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares subject to any obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and in all cases subject to the other requirements of Applicable Law.
| 51.9. | A holder of Public Shares shall be entitled to receive distributions from the Trust Account only in the event of a Tender Offer Redemption, an IPO Redemption, an Automatic Redemption or an Amendment Redemption, in each case, pursuant to this Article. In no other circumstance shall a holder of Public Shares have any right or interest of any kind in the Trust Account. |
| 51.10. | After the issue of Public Shares, and prior to the consummation of a Business Combination, the Directors shall not issue additional Shares or any other securities that would entitle the holders thereof to: |
| (a) | receive funds from the Trust Account; or |
| (b) | vote as a class with Public Shares on a Business Combination. |
45
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 51.11. | A Director may vote in respect of a Business Combination in which such Director has a conflict of interest with respect to the evaluation of such Business Combination. Such Director must disclose such interest or conflict to the other Directors. |
| 51.12. | The Company shall not enter into an initial Business Combination solely with another blank cheque company or a similar company with nominal operations. |
| 51.13. | The Company may enter into a Business Combination with a target business that is an Affiliate of the Sponsor, an Officer or a Director. In the event the Company seeks to complete a Business Combination with a target business that is an Affiliate of the Sponsor, an Officer or a Director, the Company, or a committee of Independent Directors, shall obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of the United States Financial Industry Regulatory Authority or a valuation or appraisal firm stating that the consideration to be paid by the Company in such a Business Combination is fair to the Company from a financial point of view. |
| 52. | Certain Tax Filings |
Each Tax Filing Authorised Person and any such other person, acting alone, as any Director shall designate from time to time, are authorised to file tax forms SS-4, W-8 BEN, W-8 IMY, W-9, 8832 and 2553 and such other similar tax forms as are customary to file with any US state or federal governmental authorities or foreign governmental authorities in connection with the formation, activities and/or elections of the Company and such other tax forms as may be approved from time to time by any Director or Officer. The Company further ratifies and approves any such filing made by any Tax Filing Authorised Person or such other person prior to the date of the Articles.
| 53. | Business Opportunities |
| 53.1. | To the fullest extent permitted by Applicable Law, no individual serving as a Director or an Officer (“Management”) shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as the Company. To the fullest extent permitted by Applicable Law, the Company renounces any interest or expectancy of the Company in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for Management, on the one hand, and the Company, on the other. Except to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to the fullest extent permitted by Applicable Law, Management shall have no duty to communicate or offer any such corporate opportunity to the Company and shall not be liable to the Company or its Members for breach of any fiduciary duty as a Member, Director and/or Officer solely by reason of the fact that such party pursues or acquires such corporate opportunity for itself, himself or herself, directs such corporate opportunity to another person, or does not communicate information regarding such corporate opportunity to the Company. |
46
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
| 53.2. | To the extent a court might hold that the conduct of any activity related to a corporate opportunity that is renounced in this Article to be a breach of duty to the Company or its Members, the Company hereby waives, to the fullest extent permitted by Applicable Law, any and all claims and causes of action that the Company may have for such activities. To the fullest extent permitted by Applicable Law, the provisions of this Article apply equally to activities conducted in the future and that have been conducted in the past. |
| 53.3. | Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Article, such renouncement shall not apply to any business opportunity that is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a Director or Officer of the Company and it is an opportunity the Company is able to complete on a reasonable basis. |
| 54. | Exclusive Jurisdiction |
| 54.1. | Unless the Company consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the courts of the Cayman Islands shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any claim or dispute arising out of or in connection with the Memorandum, the Articles or otherwise related in any way to each Member’s shareholding in the Company, including but not limited to: |
| (a) | any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company; |
| (b) | any action asserting a claim of breach of any fiduciary or other duty owed by any current or former Director, Officer or other employee of the Company to the Company or the Members; |
| (c) | any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Statute, the Memorandum or the Articles; or |
| (d) | any action asserting a claim against the Company governed by the “Internal Affairs Doctrine” (as such concept is recognised under the laws of the United States of America). |
| 54.2. | Each Member irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Cayman Islands over all such claims or disputes. |
| 54.3. | Without prejudice to any other rights or remedies that the Company may have, each Member acknowledges that damages alone would not be an adequate remedy for any breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum and that accordingly the Company shall be entitled, without proof of special damages, to the remedies of injunction, specific performance or other equitable relief for any threatened or actual breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum. |
| 54.4. | This Article 54 shall not apply to any action or suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or any claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are, as a matter of the laws of the United States, the sole and exclusive forum for determination of such a claim. |
47
Exhibit 4.1
|
NUMBER
U-__________ |
UNITS | |||
| SEE REVERSE FOR CERTAIN DEFINITIONS |
ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP. | |||
CUSIP [●]
UNITS CONSISTING OF ONE ORDINARY SHARE AND ONE-HALF OF
ONE REDEEMABLE WARRANT, EACH WHOLE WARRANT ENTITLING
THE HOLDER TO PURCHASE ONE CLASS A ORDINARY SHARE
THIS CERTIFIES THAT____________________________________________________________________ is the owner of_____________________________________________________________________ Units.
Each Unit (“Unit”) consists of one (1) Class A ordinary share, par value $0.0001 per share (“Ordinary Share”), of ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”) and one-half (1/2) of one redeemable warrant (each whole warrant, a “Warrant”). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Ordinary Share (subject to adjustment) for $11.50 per share (subject to adjustment). Each Warrant will become exercisable thirty (30) days after the Company’s completion of an initial business combination (“Business Combination”), and will expire unless exercised before 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, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. The Ordinary Shares and Warrants comprising the Units represented by this certificate are not transferable separately prior to [●], 2026, unless Roth Capital Partners, LLC elects to allow separate trading earlier, subject to the Company’s filing of a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission containing an audited balance sheet reflecting the Company’s receipt of the gross proceeds of the Company’s initial public offering and issuing a press release announcing when separate trading will begin. No fractional Warrants will be issued upon separation of the Units. The terms of the Warrants are governed by a Warrant Agreement, dated as of [●], 2026 (the “Warrant Agreement”), between the Company and Odyssey Transfer and Trust Company, as Warrant Agent, and are subject to the terms and provisions contained therein, all of which terms and provisions the holder of this certificate consents to by acceptance hereof. Copies of the Warrant Agreement shall be available at all reasonable times at the office of the Warrant Agent in the United States of America, for inspection by the Registered Holder of any Warrant on written request and without cost.
This certificate is not valid unless countersigned by the Transfer Agent and Registrar of the Company.
Witness the facsimile signature of a director of the Company.
| By: |
|
| |
| Chief Executive Officer | Chief Financial Officer |
ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.
The Company will furnish without charge to each unitholder who so requests, a statement of the powers, designations, preferences, and relative, participating, optional, or other special rights of each class of equity or series thereof of the Company and the qualifications, limitations, or restrictions of such preferences and/or rights.
The following abbreviations, when used in the inscription on the face of this certificate, shall be construed as though they were written out in full according to applicable laws or regulations:
| TEN COM - | as tenants in common | UNIF GIFT MIN ACT - |
Custodian |
|||||||
| TEN ENT - | as tenants by the entireties | (Cust) | (Minor) | |||||||
| JT TEN - | as joint tenants with right of survivorship | under Uniform Gifts to Minors | ||||||||
| and not as tenants in common | Act | |||||||||
| (State) | ||||||||||
Additional abbreviations may also be used though not in the above list.
For value received, ___________________________ hereby sells, assigns, and transfers unto
PLEASE INSERT SOCIAL SECURITY OR OTHER
IDENTIFYING NUMBER OF ASSIGNEE
|
| (PLEASE PRINT OR TYPEWRITE NAME AND ADDRESS, INCLUDING ZIP CODE, OF ASSIGNEE) |
| Units represented by the within Certificate, and hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint |
| Attorney to transfer the said Units on the books of the within named Company with full power of substitution in the premises. |
| Dated |
| Notice: The signature to this assignment must correspond with the name as written upon the face of the certificate in every particular, without alteration or enlargement or any change whatever. |
Signature(s) 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 S.E.C. RULE 17Ad-15). |
2
In each case, as more fully described in the Company’s final prospectus dated [●], 2026, the holder(s) of this certificate shall be entitled to receive a pro-rata portion of certain funds held in the trust account established in connection with the Company’s initial public offering only in the event that (i) the Company redeems the Ordinary Shares sold in its initial public offering and liquidates because it does not consummate an initial business combination within the period of time set forth in, or such later time as the shareholders of the Company may approve in accordance with, the Company’s Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, as the same may be amended from time to time, (ii) the Company redeems the Ordinary Shares sold in its initial public offering in connection with a shareholder vote to amend the Company’s Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association that would affect the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to provide for the redemption of Ordinary Shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of the Ordinary Shares if it does not consummate an initial business combination within the time period set forth therein (or such later time as the shareholders of the Company may approve), or (iii) if the holder(s) seek(s) to redeem for cash his, her or its respective Ordinary Shares included in the Units represented by this certificate in connection with a tender offer (or proxy solicitation, solely in the event the Company seeks shareholder approval of the proposed initial business combination) setting forth the details of a proposed initial business combination. In no other circumstances shall the holder(s) have any right or interest of any kind in or to the trust account.
3
Exhibit 4.4
WARRANT AGREEMENT
THIS WARRANT AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”), dated as of [•], 2026, is by and between ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), and Odyssey Transfer and Trust Company, a Minnesota corporation, as warrant agent (in such capacity, the “Warrant Agent,” and 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 Class A ordinary share of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (“Class A Shares”) and one-half of one redeemable Public Warrant (as defined below) (the “Units”) and, in connection therewith, has determined to issue and deliver up to 10,000,000 warrants (or up to 11,500,000 warrants if the Over-allotment Option (as defined below) is exercised in full) to public investors in the Offering (the “Public Warrants”);
WHEREAS, the Company entered into that certain Private Placement Units Purchase Agreement with Union Street Sponsor, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”), pursuant to which the Sponsor agreed to purchase an aggregate of 435,000 private placement units, each such unit comprised of one Class A Share and one-half of one redeemable Private Placement Warrant (as defined below), simultaneously with the closing of the Offering (the “Sponsor Private Placement Units”) at a purchase price of $10.00 per unit (and, in connection therewith, has determined to issue and deliver up to 217,500 warrants) comprising part of the Sponsor Private Placement Units to the Sponsor (the “Sponsor Private Placement Warrants”), each bearing the legend set forth in Exhibit A hereto;
WHEREAS, the Company entered into that certain Private Placement Units Purchase Agreement with Roth Capital Partners, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Underwriter”), pursuant to which the Underwriter agreed to purchase an aggregate of 50,000 private placement units simultaneously with the closing of the Offering (the “Underwriter Private Placement Units” and together with the Sponsor Private Placement Units, the “Private Placement Units”) at the purchase price of $10.00 per unit (and, in connection therewith, has determined to issue and deliver up to 25,000 warrants) comprising part of the Underwriter Private Placement Units to the Underwriter (the “Underwriter Private Placement Warrants” and, together with the Sponsor Private Placement Warrants, the “Private Placement Warrants”), each bearing the legend set forth in Exhibit A hereto;
WHEREAS, the Company was incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (a “Business Combination”);
WHEREAS, in order to finance the Company’s transaction costs in connection with an intended initial Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor or the Company’s officers and directors (collectively, the “Initial Purchasers”) may, but are not obligated to, loan to 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 150,000 private placement units at a price of $10.00 per unit (the “Working Capital Units”), which will be identical to the Private Placement Units, comprising of up to 75,000 warrants, which will be identical to the Private Placement Warrants (the “Working Capital Warrants”);
WHEREAS, following consummation of the Offering, the Company may issue additional warrants (“Post-IPO Warrants” and together with the Public Warrants, Private Placement Warrants and Working Capital Warrants, the “Warrants”) in connection with, or following the consummation by the Company of, a Business Combination;
WHEREAS, each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A Share at a price of $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”) registration statements on Form S-1, File No. 333-294120, as amended (the “Registration Statement”), and a prospectus (the “Prospectus”), for the registration, under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), of the Units, the Public Warrants and the Class A Shares 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, 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 terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement. |
| 2. | Warrants. |
| 2.1 | Form of Warrant. Each Warrant shall be issued in registered form only, and, if a physical certificate is issued, shall be in substantially the form of Exhibit B hereto, the provisions of which are incorporated herein and shall be signed by, or bear the facsimile signature of, the Chairperson of the Company’s board of directors (the “Board”), Chief Executive Officer, President, Chief Financial Officer, 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. All of the Public Warrants shall initially be represented by one or more book-entry certificates (each, a “Book-Entry Warrant Certificate”). |
| 2.2 | Effect of Countersignature. If a physical certificate is issued, unless and until countersigned by the Warrant Agent pursuant to this Agreement, a Warrant certificate 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 original issuance and the registration of transfer of the Warrants. Upon the initial issuance of the Warrants, 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. All of the Public Warrants shall initially be represented by one or more Book-Entry Warrant Certificates deposited with The Depository Trust Company (the “Depositary”) and registered in the name of Cede & Co., as nominee of the Depositary. Ownership of beneficial interests in the Public Warrants shall be shown on, and the transfer of such ownership shall be effected through, records maintained by (i) the Depositary or its nominee for each Book-Entry Warrant Certificate, or (ii) institutions that have accounts with the Depositary (each such institution, with respect to a Warrant in its account, a “Participant”). |
If the Depositary subsequently ceases to make its book-entry settlement system available for the Public Warrants, the Company may instruct the Warrant Agent regarding making other arrangements for book-entry settlement. In the event that the Public Warrants are not eligible for, or it is no longer necessary to have the Public Warrants available in, book-entry form, the Warrant Agent shall provide written instructions to the Depositary to deliver to the Warrant Agent for cancellation each Book-Entry Warrant Certificate, and the Company shall instruct the Warrant Agent to deliver to the Depositary definitive certificates in physical form evidencing such Warrants (“Definitive Warrant Certificate”). Such Definitive Warrant Certificate shall be in the form annexed hereto as Exhibit B, with appropriate insertions, modifications and omissions, as provided above.
| 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 a Definitive Warrant 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
| 2.4 | Detachability of Warrants. The Class A Shares and Public Warrants comprising the Units shall begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of the Prospectus or, if such 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 the Underwriter, but in no event shall the Class A Shares and the Public Warrants comprising the Units be separately traded until 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. The Private Placement Units shall be eligible to be separated into their component Class A Shares and Warrants on the Detachment Date. Holders of Warrants shall contact the Transfer Agent in order to effect such separation. |
| 2.5 | No Fractional Warrants Other Than as Part of Units or Private Placement Units. The Company shall not issue fractional Warrants other than as part of the Units or Private Placement Units, each of which is comprised of one Class A Share and one-half of one Public Warrant. If, upon the detachment of Public Warrants from the 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. |
| 2.6 | Private Placement Warrants and Working Capital Warrants. The Private Placement Warrants and Working Capital Warrants shall be identical to the Public Warrants, except that until the date that is thirty (30) days after the completion by the Company of an initial Business Combination the Private Placement Warrants and the Working Capital Warrants may not be transferred, assigned or sold by the holders thereof, other than: |
| 2.6.1 | to the Company’s or Underwriter’s officers, directors, advisors or consultants, any affiliate or family member of any of the Company’s or Underwriter’s officers, directors, advisors or consultants, any members or partners of the sponsor or their affiliates and funds and accounts advised by such members or partners, any affiliates of the Sponsor, the Underwriter, or any employees of such affiliates; |
| 2.6.2 | in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of such individual’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of such individual’s immediate family, an affiliate of such individual or to a charitable organization; |
| 2.6.3 | in the case of an individual, by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death of such person; |
| 2.6.4 | in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; |
| 2.6.5 | by private sales or transfers made in connection with any forward purchase agreement or similar arrangement, in connection with an extension of the timeframe for the Company to consummate a Business Combination or in connection with the consummation of an initial Business Combination at prices no greater than the price at which the Warrants were originally purchased; |
| 2.6.6 | by pro rata distributions from the Sponsor or Underwriter to its respective members, partners or stockholders pursuant to the Sponsor’s or Underwriter’s limited liability company agreement or other charter documents; |
| 2.6.7 | by virtue of the laws of the Cayman Islands or the limited liability company agreement of the Sponsor upon dissolution of the Sponsor or upon dissolution of the Underwriter; |
| 2.6.8 | in the event of the Company’s liquidation prior to the consummation of a Business Combination; |
| 2.6.9 | to a nominee or custodian of a person or entity to whom a disposition or transfer would be permissible under clauses 2.6.1 through 2.6.7 above; |
3
| 2.6.10 | to the Company for no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of an initial Business Combination; and |
| 2.6.11 | in the event that, subsequent to the consummation of an initial Business Combination, the Company completes a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of its shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A Shares for cash, securities or other property; provided, however, that, in the case of clauses 2.6.1 through 2.6.7, and 2.6.9 these transferees (the “Permitted Transferees”) enter into a written agreement with the Company agreeing to be bound by the transfer restrictions in this Agreement and the other restrictions contained in the letter agreement, dated as of the date hereof, by and among the Company, the Sponsor, the Underwriter, and the Company’s officers and directors. |
The Private Placement Warrants and the Working Capital Warrants shall not become Public Warrants as a result of any transfer of the Private Placement Warrants, regardless of the transferee.
| 2.7 | Working Capital Warrants. Each of the Working Capital Warrants shall be identical to the Private Placement Warrants. |
| 2.8 | Post-IPO Warrants. The Post-IPO Warrants may only be issued in connection with, or following the consummation by the Company of, a Business Combination. Each Post-IPO Warrant, when and if issued, shall have the same terms and be in the same form as the Public Warrants except as may be agreed upon by the Company. |
| 3. | Terms and Exercise of Warrants. |
| 3.1 | Warrant Price. Each Warrant shall entitle the Registered Holder thereof, subject to the provisions of such Warrant and of this Agreement, including without limitation, subsection 3.3.5, to purchase from the Company the number of Class A Shares 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 (including in cash or by payment of Warrants pursuant to a “cashless exercise,” to the extent permitted hereunder) described in the prior sentence at which the Class A Shares 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 (unless otherwise required by the Commission, any national securities exchange on which the Warrants are listed or applicable law), provided, that the Company shall provide at least three (3) 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.
4
| 3.2 | Duration of Warrants. A Warrant may be exercised only during the period (the “Exercise Period”) commencing on the date that is thirty (30) days after the Company completes a Business Combination, and terminating on the earliest to occur of: (A) 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, (B) the liquidation of the Company, and (C) with respect to a redemption pursuant to Section 6.1 hereof, 5:00 p.m., New York City time on 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 on Form S-1, Form S-3, Form F-1, or Form F-3, as applicable, or a valid exemption therefrom being available. Each outstanding Warrant not exercised on or before the Expiration Date shall become 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, 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, including without limitation, subsection 3.3.5, a Warrant 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 Book-Entry Warrant Certificate, the Warrants to be exercised (the “Book-Entry Warrants”) on the records of the Depositary to an account of the Warrant Agent at the Depositary designated for such purposes in writing by the Warrant Agent to the Depositary from time to time, (ii) an election to purchase (“Election to Purchase”) Class A Shares 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 Certificate, properly delivered by the Participant in accordance with the Depositary’s procedures, and (iii) payment in full of the Warrant Price for each Class A Share 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 Class A Shares and the issuance of such Class A Shares, as follows: |
| (a) | in lawful money of the United States, in good bank draft or good certified check payable to the order of the Warrant Agent or by wire transfer of immediately available funds; |
| (b) | in the event of a redemption pursuant to Section 6 hereof in which the Company’s board of directors (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 Class A Shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A Shares underlying the Warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “Fair Market Value”, as defined in this subsection 3.3.1(b), over the Warrant Price by (y) the Fair Market Value. Solely for purposes of this subsection 3.3.1(b) and Section 6.3, the “Fair Market Value” shall mean the average reported closing price of the Class A Shares 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 hereof; or |
| (c) | on a cashless basis as provided in Section 7.4 hereof. |
| 3.3.2 | Issuance of Class A Shares 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)), the Company shall issue to the Registered Holder of such Warrant a book-entry position or certificate, as applicable, for the number of Class A Shares 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 Class A Shares as to which such Warrant shall not have been exercised. If fewer than all the Warrants evidenced by a Book-Entry Warrant Certificate are exercised, a notation shall be made to the records maintained by the Depositary, its nominee for each Book-Entry Warrant Certificate, or a Participant, as appropriate, evidencing the balance of the Warrants remaining after such exercise. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not be obligated to deliver any Class A Shares pursuant to the exercise of a Warrant and shall have no obligation to settle such Warrant exercise unless a registration statement on Form S-1, Form S-3, Form F-1, or Form F-3, as applicable, under the Securities Act with respect to the Class A Shares underlying the Public Warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to the Company’s satisfying its obligations under Section 7.4 or a valid exemption from registration is available. No Warrant shall be exercisable and the Company shall not be obligated to issue Class A Shares upon exercise of a Warrant unless the Class A Shares 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. In no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the Warrant exercise. The Company may require holders of Public Warrants to settle the Warrant on a “cashless basis” pursuant to Section 7.4. 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 Class A Share, the Company shall round down to the nearest whole number, the number of Class A Shares to be issued to such holder. |
5
| 3.3.3 | Valid Issuance. All Class A Shares 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 Class A Shares is issued shall for all purposes be deemed to have become the holder of record of such Class A Shares 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 Class A Shares at the close of business on the next succeeding date on which the share transfer books or book-entry system 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; provided, 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) or any “group” of which the holder or its affiliate is a member, would beneficially own in excess of 4.9% or 9.8% (or such other amount as a holder may specify)(the “Maximum Percentage”) of the Class A Shares outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise. For purposes of the foregoing sentence, the aggregate number of Class A Shares beneficially owned by such person and its affiliates, or any group of which such person and its affiliates is a member, shall include the number of Class A Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrant with respect to which the determination of such sentence is being made, but shall exclude Class A Shares that would be issuable upon (x) exercise of the remaining, unexercised portion of the Warrant beneficially owned by such person and its affiliates, or any group of which any such person or its affiliates is a member, 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, or any group of which such person or its affiliates is a member (including, without limitation, any convertible notes or convertible preferred shares 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”), and the applicable regulations of the Commission. For purposes hereof, “group” has the meaning set forth in Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and applicable regulations of the Commission, and the percentage held by the holder shall be determined in a manner consistent with the provisions of Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act. To the extent that a holder makes the election described in this subsection 3.3.5, 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 unless it provides to the Warrant Agent in its Election to Purchase, a certification that, upon after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates) or any “group” of which such holder or its affiliates is a member, would not beneficially own in excess of the Maximum Percentage of the Class A Shares outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise as determined in accordance with this subsection 3.3.5. For purposes of the Warrant, in determining the number of outstanding Class A Shares, the holder may rely on the number of outstanding Class A Shares 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 Class A Shares 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 Class A Shares then outstanding. In any case, the number of outstanding Class A Shares 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 outstanding Class A Shares 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. |
6
| 4. | Adjustments. |
| 4.1 | Share Capitalizations. |
| 4.1.1 | Sub-division. If after the date hereof, and subject to the provisions of Section 4.6 below, the number of outstanding Class A Shares is increased by a share capitalization payable in Class A Shares, or by a sub-division of Class A Shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such share capitalization, sub-division or similar event, the number of Class A Shares issuable on exercise of each Warrant shall be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding Class A Shares. A rights offering made to all or substantially all holders of the Class A Shares entitling holders to purchase Class A Shares at a price less than the “Historical Fair Market Value” (as defined below) shall be deemed a share capitalization of a number of Class A Shares equal to the product of (i) the number of Class A Shares actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for Class A Shares) and (ii) one (1) minus the quotient of (x) the price per Class A Share paid in such rights offering divided by (y) the Historical Fair Market Value. For purposes of this subsection 4.1.1, (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for Class A Shares, in determining the price payable for Class A Shares, 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) “Historical Fair Market Value” means the volume weighted average price of the Class A Shares as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the Class A Shares trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights. No Class A Shares 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 all or substantially all of the holders of Class A Shares on account of such Class A Shares (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 Class A Shares in connection with a proposed initial Business Combination, (d) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A Shares in connection with a shareholder vote to amend the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (as amended from time to time, the “Charter”) (A) 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 the Class A Shares included in the Units sold in the Offering (the “Public Shares”) if the Company does not complete the Business Combination within the period set forth in the Charter or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity or (e) in connection with the redemption of Public Shares upon the failure of the Company to complete its initial Business Combination and any subsequent distribution of its assets upon its liquidation (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 Class A Share 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 Class A Shares 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 Class A Shares issuable on exercise of each Warrant) does not exceed $0.50 (being 5% of the offering price of the Units in the Offering) but only with respect to the amount of the aggregate cash dividends or cash distributions equal to or less than $0.50. Solely for purposes of illustration, if the Company, at a time while the Warrants are outstanding and unexpired, pays a cash dividend of $0.35 and previously paid an aggregate of $0.40 of cash dividends and cash distributions on the Class A Shares during the 365-day period ending on the date of declaration of such $0.35 dividend, then the Warrant Price will be decreased, effectively immediately after the effective date of such $0.35 dividend, by $0.25 (the absolute value of the difference between $0.75 (the aggregate amount of all cash dividends and cash distributions paid or made in such 365-day period, including such $0.35 dividend) and $0.50 (the greater of (x) $0.50 and (y) the aggregate amount of all cash dividends and cash distributions paid or made in such 365-day period prior to such $0.35 dividend)). |
7
| 4.2 | Aggregation of Shares. If after the date hereof, and subject to the provisions of Section 4.6 hereof, the number of outstanding Class A Shares is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse share sub-division or reclassification of Class A Shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse share sub-division, reclassification or similar event, the number of Class A Shares issuable on exercise of each Warrant shall be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding Class A Shares. |
| 4.3 | Adjustments in Warrant Price. |
| 4.3.1 | Whenever the number of Class A Shares purchasable upon the exercise of the Warrants is adjusted, as provided in subsection 4.1.1 or Section 4.2 above, 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 Class A Shares purchasable upon the exercise of the Warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which shall be the number of Class A Shares so purchasable immediately thereafter. |
| 4.3.2 | If (x) the Company issues additional Class A Shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of the initial Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per Class A Share (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 initial shareholders (as defined in the Prospectus) or their affiliates, without taking into account any Class B Ordinary Shares (as defined below) held by such shareholders 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 funding the initial Business Combination on the date of the consummation of the initial Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of the Class A Shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company consummates the Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the Warrant Price shall be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described in Section 6.1 below shall be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price. |
8
| 4.4 | Replacement of Securities upon Reorganization, etc. In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares (other than a change covered by subsections 4.1.1, 4.1.2 or Section 4.2 hereof or that solely affects the par value of such outstanding shares), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another entity or conversion of the Company as another entity (other than a consolidation or merger in which the Company is the continuing corporation and is not a subsidiary of another entity whose shareholders did not own all or substantially all of the outstanding shares of the Company in substantially the same proportions immediately before such transaction and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another 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 outstanding shares of the Company immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares 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 outstanding shares 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 outstanding shares in such consolidation or merger that affirmatively make such election, and (ii) if a tender, exchange or redemption offer shall have been made to and accepted by the holders of the outstanding shares (other than a tender, exchange or redemption offer made by the Company in connection with redemption rights held by shareholders of the Company as provided for in the Charter or as a result of the redemption of the outstanding shares by the Company if a proposed initial Business Combination is presented to the shareholders 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 (or any successor rule)) 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 (or any successor rule)) 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 (or any successor rule)) more than 65% of the voting power of the Company’s outstanding equity securities, including the right to elect directors, the holder of a Warrant shall be entitled to receive as the Alternative Issuance, the weighted average of the amount of cash, securities or other property to which such holder would actually have been entitled as a shareholder if such Warrant holder had exercised the Warrant prior to the expiration of such tender or exchange offer, accepted such offer and participated in such tender or exchange offer on a pro rata basis with all other holders of outstanding shares, 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; provided further that if less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of the outstanding shares in the applicable event is payable in the form of capital stock or shares 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 (but in no event less than zero) of (i) the Warrant Price in effect prior to such reduction minus (ii) (A) the Per Share Consideration (as defined below) minus (B) the Black-Scholes Warrant Value (as defined below). 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 model 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. “Per Share Consideration” means (i) if the consideration paid to holders of the outstanding shares consists exclusively of cash, the amount of such cash per outstanding share, and (ii) in all other cases, the volume weighted average price of the outstanding shares 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 outstanding shares covered by subsection 4.1.1, then such adjustment shall be made pursuant to subsection 4.1.1 or Sections 4.2, 4.3 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. |
9
| 4.5 | Notices of Changes in Warrant. Upon every adjustment of the Warrant Price or the number of Class A Shares 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 Class A Shares 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. Upon the occurrence of any event specified in Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 or 4.4, 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 fractional Class A Shares 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 Class A Shares 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 Class A Shares 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. |
| 4.8 | Other Events. In case any event shall occur affecting the Company as to which none of the provisions of the preceding subsections of this Section 4 are strictly applicable, but which would require an adjustment to the terms of the Warrants in order to (i) avoid an adverse impact on the Warrants and (ii) effectuate the intent and purpose of this Section 4, then, in each such case, the Company shall appoint a firm of independent public accountants, investment banking or other appraisal firm of recognized national standing, which shall give its opinion as to whether or not any adjustment to the rights represented by the Warrants is necessary to effectuate the intent and purpose of this Section 4 and, if they determine that an adjustment is necessary, the terms of such adjustment. The Company shall adjust the terms of the Warrants in a manner that is consistent with any adjustment recommended in such opinion. For the avoidance of doubt, all adjustments made pursuant to this Section 4.8 shall be made equally to all outstanding Warrants. |
| 4.9 | No Adjustment. For the avoidance of doubt, no adjustment shall be made to the terms of the Warrants solely as a result of an adjustment to the conversion ratio of the Company’s Class B ordinary shares (the “Class B Ordinary Shares”) into Class A Shares or the conversion of the Class B Ordinary Shares into Class A Shares, in each case, pursuant to the Charter. |
| 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, in the case of a certificated Warrant, 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. |
10
| 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 in any Book-Entry Warrant Certificate or Definitive Warrant Certificate, each Book-Entry Warrant Certificate and Definitive Warrant Certificate may be transferred only in whole and only to the Depositary, to another nominee of the Depositary, to a successor depository, or to a nominee of a successor depository; provided further, however, that in the event that a Warrant surrendered for transfer bears a restrictive legend (as in the case of the Private Placement Warrants and the Working Capital Warrants), 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 | Fractional Warrants. The Warrant Agent shall not be required to effect any registration of transfer or exchange which shall 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 Public 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. |
| 6.1 | Redemption of Warrants for Cash. All, but not less than all, of the outstanding Warrants may be redeemed (in whole and not in part), 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 below, at a Redemption Price (as defined below) of $0.01 per Warrant; provided that (a) the Reference Value equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (subject to adjustment in compliance with Section 4 hereof) and (b) there is an effective registration statement covering the Class A Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, and a current prospectus relating thereto, available throughout the Measurement Period and the 30-day Redemption Period (each as defined in Section 6.2 below). |
| 6.2 | Date Fixed for, and Notice of, Redemption; Redemption Price; Reference Value. In the event that the Company elects to redeem the Warrants pursuant to Section 6.1, 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 (such period, the “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, (a) “Redemption Price” shall mean the price per Warrant at which any Warrants are redeemed pursuant to Sections 6.1 and (b) “Reference Value” shall mean the last reported sales price of the Class A Shares for any twenty (20) trading days within the thirty (30) trading-day period commencing at least 30 days after the completion of the initial Business Combination and ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which notice of the redemption is given (the “Measurement Period”). |
11
| 6.3 | Exercise After Notice of Redemption. The Warrants may be exercised, for cash (or, if the Company has elected to require exercise on a “cashless basis” in accordance with subsection 3.3.1(b) of this Agreement, on such “cashless basis”) 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 the Company determines to require all holders of Warrants to exercise their Warrants on a “cashless basis” pursuant to subsection 3.3.1(b), the notice of redemption will contain the information necessary to calculate the number of Class A Shares to be received upon exercise of the Warrants, including the “Fair Market Value” (as such term is defined in subsection 3.3.1(b) hereof) in such case. 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 Shareholder. A Warrant does not entitle the Registered Holder thereof to any of the rights of a shareholder 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 shareholders 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 Class A Shares. The Company shall at all times reserve and keep available a number of its authorized but unissued Class A Shares that shall be sufficient to permit the exercise in full of all outstanding Warrants issued pursuant to this Agreement. |
| 7.4 | Registration of Class A Shares; Cashless Exercise at Company’s Option. |
| 7.4.1 | Registration of the Class A Shares. 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 on Form S-1, Form S-3, Form F-1 or Form F-3, as applicable, for the registration under the Securities Act, of the issuance of the Class A Shares 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 post-effective amendment or 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 post-effective or registration statement has not been declared effective by the sixtieth (60th) Business Day following the closing of the 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 initial Business Combination and ending upon such post-effective amendment or 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 Class A Shares 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 rule) or another exemption) for that number of Class A Shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A Shares underlying the Warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “Fair Market Value” (as defined below) over the Warrant Price by (y) the Fair Market Value. Solely for purposes of this subsection 7.4.1, “Fair Market Value” shall mean the average reported closing price of the Class A Shares as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the third (3rd) 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 Public 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 Class A Shares 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, 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. |
12
| 7.4.2 | Cashless Exercise at Company’s Option. If the Class A Shares are at the time of any exercise of a Warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of “covered securities” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act (or any successor rule), the Company may, at its option, require holders of Warrants who exercise their Warrants to exercise such Public Warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act (or any successor rule) as described in subsection 7.4.1 and (i) in the event the Company so elects, the Company shall not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the Class A Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary or (ii) if the Company does not so file or maintain such registration statement, the Company agrees to use its commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify for sale the Class A Shares issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants under the applicable blue sky laws of the state of residence of the exercising Public 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 Class A Shares upon the exercise of the Warrants, but the Company shall not be obligated to pay any transfer taxes in respect of the Warrants or such Class A Shares. |
| 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 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 Class A Shares not later than the effective date of any such appointment. |
13
| 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 Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, President, Executive Vice President, Vice President, Secretary or Chairman of the Board 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 gross negligence, willful misconduct, fraud or bad faith. 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 gross negligence, willful misconduct, fraud or bad faith. |
| 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 Class A Shares to be issued pursuant to this Agreement or any Warrant or as to whether any Class A Shares 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 Class A Shares through the exercise of the Warrants. |
14
| 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 irrevocably waives any and all Claims against the Trust Account, including any monies therein or any distribution therefrom, 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: |
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
109 N. Post Oak Lane, Suite 212
Houston, Texas 77024
Attention: Chief Executive Officer
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:
Odyssey Transfer & Trust Company
860 Blue Gentian Rd, Suite 320
Eagan, MN 55121
Email: clientsus@odysseytrust.com
in each case, with copies to:
Loeb & Loeb LLP
345 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10154
Attn: Alexandria E. Kane
Email: akane@loeb.com
DLA Piper LLP (US)
1251 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020-1104
Attn: Stephen P. Alicanti
Email: stephen.alicanti@us.dlapiper.com
15
| 9.3 | Applicable Law and 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. The Company hereby agrees that any action, proceeding or claim against it arising out of or relating in any way to this Agreement, including under the Securities Act, 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 the 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 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 United States of America, 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. 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. |
| 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 (i) for the purpose of (x) curing any ambiguity or to correct any 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, (y) adjusting the definition of “Ordinary Cash Dividend” as contemplated by and in accordance with the second sentence of subsection 4.1.2 or (z) adding or changing any other 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 interest of the Registered Holders, and (ii) to provide for the delivery of an Alternative Issuance pursuant to Section 4.4. 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 50% of the number of the then outstanding Public Warrants and, solely with respect to any amendment to the terms of the Private Placement Warrants or Working Capital Warrants or any provision of this Agreement with respect to the Private Placement Warrants, or Working Capital Warrants (including, for the avoidance of doubt, the forfeiture or cancellation of any Private Placement Warrants or Working Capital Warrants), 50% of the number of then outstanding Private Placement Warrants (including the vote or written consent of the Underwriter) and Working Capital 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, respectively, without the consent of the Registered Holders. |
| 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. |
[Signature Page Follows]
16
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first above written.
| ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP. | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
| ODYSSEY TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY, as Warrant Agent | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
EXHIBIT A
PRIVATE PLACEMENT WARRANTS 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 AGREEMENTS BY AND AMONG ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP. (THE “COMPANY”), UNION STREET SPONSOR, LLC AND THE OTHER SIGNATORIES 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 WHO AGREES IN WRITING WITH THE COMPANY TO BE SUBJECT TO SUCH TRANSFER PROVISIONS.
SECURITIES EVIDENCED BY THIS CERTIFICATE AND ORDINARY SHARES 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 VOID IF NOT EXERCISED
PRIOR TO
THE EXPIRATION OF THE EXERCISE PERIOD PROVIDED FOR IN THE
WARRANT AGREEMENT DESCRIBED BELOW
ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.
Incorporated Under the Laws of the Cayman Islands
CUSIP G0113G 119
Warrant Certificate
This Warrant Certificate certifies that , or registered assigns, is the registered holder of warrants evidenced hereby (the “Warrants” and each, a “Warrant”) to purchase Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value per share (the “Ordinary Shares”), of ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (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 Ordinary Shares as set forth below, at the exercise price (the “Warrant Price”) as determined pursuant to the Warrant Agreement, payable in lawful money (or through “cashless exercise” as provided for in the Warrant Agreement) of the United States of America upon surrender of this Warrant Certificate and payment of the Warrant Price 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 Ordinary Share. 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 an Ordinary Share, the Company will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of Ordinary Shares to be issued to the Warrant holder. The number of Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events set forth in the Warrant Agreement.
The initial Warrant Price per Ordinary Share for any Warrant is equal to $11.50 per share. The Warrant Price is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events 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 void. The Warrants may be redeemed, subject to certain conditions, as set forth in the Warrant Agreement. In addition, and notwithstanding anything else in this Warrant Certificate or the Warrant Agreement, to the extent that the holder of a Warrant has delivered a notice contemplated by subsection 3.5.5 of the Warrant Agreement, neither the Company nor the Warrant Agent shall issue to Holder, and Holder may not acquire, any right it might have to acquire, a number of Ordinary Shares upon exercise of any Warrant to the extent that, upon such exercise, the number of Ordinary Shares then beneficially owned by Holder would exceed the Maximum Percentage of Ordinary Shares outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise as determined in accordance with subsection 3.3.5 of 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.
| ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP. | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | Andrew Mallozzi | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |
| ODYSSEY 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 Ordinary Shares and are issued or to be issued pursuant to a Warrant Agreement dated as of (the “Warrant Agreement”), duly executed and delivered by the Company to Odyssey Transfer & Trust Company, a Minnesota corporation, as warrant agent (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 on Form S-1, Form S-3, Form F-1, or Form F-3, as applicable, covering the Ordinary Shares to be issued upon exercise is effective under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and (ii) a prospectus thereunder relating to the Ordinary Shares 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 Ordinary Shares issuable upon the exercise of the Warrants 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 an Ordinary Share, the Company shall, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number of Ordinary Shares to be issued to the holder of the Warrant.
Warrant Certificates, 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 shareholder 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 Ordinary Shares and herewith tenders payment for such Ordinary Shares to the order of ACP Holdings
Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) in the amount of $ in accordance with the terms hereof. The undersigned
requests that a certificate for such Ordinary Shares be registered in the name of ,
whose address is
, and that such Ordinary Shares be delivered to ,
whose address
is . If said number of Ordinary Shares is less than all of the Ordinary Shares
purchasable hereunder, the undersigned requests that a new Warrant Certificate representing the remaining balance of such Ordinary Shares
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 has been called for redemption by the Company pursuant to Section 6.1 of the Warrant Agreement and the Company has required “cashless” exercise pursuant to Section 6.3 and Section 3.3.1(b) of the Warrant Agreement, the number of Ordinary Shares that this Warrant is exercisable for shall be determined in accordance with Section 6.3 and Section 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 Ordinary Shares 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 Ordinary Shares 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 Ordinary Shares. If said number of Ordinary Shares is less than all of the Ordinary Shares purchasable hereunder (after giving effect to the cashless exercise), the undersigned requests that a new Warrant Certificate representing the remaining balance of such Ordinary Shares be registered in the name of , whose address is and that such Warrant Certificate be delivered to , whose address is .
[To be included in any Election to Purchase of a holder who has provided the notice set forth in subsection 3.3.5 of the Warrant Agreement.
By signing this Election to Purchase, the undersigned hereby certifies that upon after giving effect to such exercise, the undersigned (together with such person’s affiliates) or any “group” of which holder or its affiliates is a member, would not beneficially own in excess of the Maximum Percentage of the Ordinary Shares outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise as determined in accordance with subsection 3.3.5 of the Warrant Agreement.]
[Signature Page Follows]
| Date: | (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 SEC RULE 17Ad-15 UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED (OR ANY SUCCESSOR RULE)).
Exhibit 5.1
![]() |
DLA Piper LLP (US) 1251 Avenue of the Americas 27th Floor New York, New York 10020-1104 www.dlapiper.com |
March 30, 2026
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
3131 Eastside Street
Houston, Texas 77098
| Re: | ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp. |
| Registration Statement on Form S-1 |
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as special United States counsel to ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), in connection with the initial public offering by the Company of (a) up to 23,000,000 units of the Company (the “Units”) (including up to 3,000,000 Units subject to an over-allotment option), each Unit consisting of one Class A ordinary share of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (each, a “Class A Ordinary Share”), and one-half of one redeemable warrant of the Company (each whole warrant, a “Warrant”), each Warrant exercisable for the purchase of one Class A Ordinary Share, and (b) all Class A Ordinary Shares and all Warrants to be issued as part of the Units. The Units and the Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants, in each case, included as part of the Units, are collectively referred to herein as the “Securities.”
This opinion is being furnished in accordance with the requirements of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).
In rendering the opinions stated herein, we have examined and relied upon the following:
| (a) | the registration statement on Form S-1 of the Company relating to the Securities, filed on March 30, 2026 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Act (the “Registration Statement”); |
| (b) | the form of Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) proposed to be entered into by and between the Company and Roth Capital Partners, LLC, as representative of the several underwriters (the “Underwriters”), relating to the sale by the Company to the underwriters of the Units, filed as Exhibit 1.1 to the Registration Statement; |
| (c) | the form of Unit certificate, filed as Exhibit 4.1 to the Registration Statement (the “Unit Certificate”); |
| (d) | the form of Warrant certificate, filed as Exhibit 4.3 to the Registration Statement (the “Warrant Certificate”); and |
| (e) | the form of Warrant Agreement proposed to be entered into by and between the Company and Odyssey Transfer & Trust Company, a Minnesota corporation (“Odyssey”), as warrant agent (the “Warrant Agreement”), filed as Exhibit 4.4 to the Registration Statement. |
We have also examined originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of such records of the Company and such agreements, certificates and receipts of public officials, certificates of officers or other representatives of the Company and others, and such other documents as we have deemed necessary or appropriate as a basis for the opinions stated below.
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
March 30, 2026
Page 2
In our examination, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, including electronic signatures, the legal capacity and competency of all natural persons, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as facsimile, electronic, certified or photocopied copies, and the authenticity of the originals of such copies. As to any facts relevant to the opinions stated herein that we did not independently establish or verify, we have relied upon statements and representations of officers and other representatives of the Company and others and of public officials.
We do not express any opinion with respect to the laws of any jurisdiction other than the laws of the State of New York (the “Opined-on Law”).
As used herein, “Transaction Documents” means the Underwriting Agreement, the Unit Certificate and the Warrant Agreement.
Based upon the foregoing and subject to the qualifications and assumptions stated herein, we are of the opinion that:
| (1) | When the Units are delivered by the Company in accordance with the Underwriting Agreement upon payment of the agreed upon consideration therefor, the Units will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms under the laws of the State of New York. |
| (2) | When the Units are delivered by the Company in accordance with the Underwriting Agreement upon payment of the agreed upon consideration therefor, the Warrants included in such Units will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms under the laws of the State of New York. |
The opinions stated herein are subject to the following qualifications:
(a) we do not express any opinion with respect to the effect on the opinions stated herein of any bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, fraudulent transfer, preference and other similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, and the opinions stated herein are limited by such laws and by general principles of equity (regardless of whether enforcement is sought in equity or at law);
(b) we do not express any opinion with respect to any law, rule or regulation that is applicable to any party to any of the Transaction Documents or the transactions contemplated thereby solely because such law, rule or regulation is part of a regulatory regime applicable to any such party or any of its affiliates as a result of the specific assets or business operations of such party or such affiliates;
(c) we do not express any opinion with respect to the enforceability of any provision contained in any Transaction Document relating to any indemnification, contribution, non-reliance, exculpation, release, limitation or exclusion of remedies, waiver or other provisions having similar effect that may be contrary to public policy or violative of federal or state securities laws, rules or regulations, or to the extent any such provision purports to, or has the effect of, waiving or altering any statute of limitations;
(d) we call to your attention that irrespective of the agreement of the parties to any Transaction Document, a court may decline to hear a case on grounds of forum non conveniens or other doctrine limiting the availability of such court as a forum for resolution of disputes; in addition, we call to your attention that we do not express any opinion with respect to the subject matter jurisdiction of the federal courts of the United States of America in any action arising out of or relating to any Transaction Document;
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
March 30, 2026
Page 3
(e) we have assumed that Odyssey has the power, corporate or other, to enter into and perform all obligations under the Warrant Agreement and have also assumed the due authorization by all requisite action, corporate or other, and the execution and delivery by Odyssey of the Warrant Agreement and that the Warrant Agreement constitutes the valid and binding obligation of Odyssey, enforceable against Odyssey in accordance with its terms; and
(f) to the extent that any opinion relates to the enforceability of the choice of New York law and choice of New York forum provisions contained in any of the Units or the Warrant Agreement, the opinions stated herein are subject to the qualification that such enforceability may be subject to, in each case, (i) the exceptions and limitations in New York General Obligations Law sections 5-1401 and 5-1402 and (ii) principles of comity and constitutionality.
In addition, in rendering the foregoing opinions we have assumed that:
(a) the Company (i) is duly incorporated and is validly existing and in good standing, (ii) has requisite legal status and legal capacity under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization and (iii) has complied and will comply with all aspects of the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization in connection with the transactions contemplated by, and the performance of its obligations under, the Transaction Documents;
(b) the Company has the corporate power and authority to execute, deliver and perform all its obligations under the Transaction Documents;
(c) each of the Transaction Documents has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by all requisite corporate action on part of the Company;
(d) neither the execution and delivery by the Company of the Transaction Documents nor the performance by the Company of its obligations thereunder, including the issuance and sale of the Securities, (i) conflicts or will conflict with the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association of the Company, (ii) constitutes or will constitute a violation of, or a default under, any lease, indenture, instrument or other agreement to which the Company or its property is subject, (iii) contravenes or will contravene any order or decree of any governmental authority to which the Company or its property is subject, or (iv) violates or will violate any law, rule or regulation to which the Company or its property is subject (except that we do not make the assumption set forth in this clause (iv) with respect to the Opined-on Law); and
(e) neither the execution and delivery by the Company of the Transaction Documents nor the performance by the Company of its obligations thereunder, including the issuance and sale of the Securities, requires or will require the consent, approval, licensing or authorization of, or any filing, recording or registration with, any governmental authority under any law, rule or regulation of any jurisdiction.
We hereby consent to the reference to our firm under the heading “Legal Matters” in the prospectus forming part of the Registration Statement. We also hereby consent to the filing of this opinion with the Commission as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. 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 Securities Act or the General Rules and Regulations under the Securities Act.
Very truly yours,
/s/ DLA PIPER LLP (US)
DLA PIPER LLP (US)
Exhibit 5.2
|
CONYERS DILL & PEARMAN LLP |
| Cricket Square, Hutchins Drive | |
| PO Box 2681, Grand Cayman KY1-1111 | |
| Cayman Islands | |
| T +1 345 945 3901 | |
| conyers.com |
30 March 2026
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
Cricket Square, Hutchins Drive
PO Box 2681, Grand Cayman
KY1-1111
Cayman Islands
Dear Sirs
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”)
We have acted as special legal counsel in the Cayman Islands to the Company in connection with the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1, including all amendments or supplements thereto, filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") (including its exhibits, the "Registration Statement") and the prospectus contained therein (the “Preliminary Prospectus”) in connection with the initial public offering of an aggregate of up to 23,000,000 units (including up to 3,000,000 units that may be purchased to cover over-allotments, if any) at an offering price of US$10.00 per unit, consisting of one Class A ordinary share of par value US$0.0001 each per share (a “Class A Ordinary Share”) and one half of one redeemable warrant, each whole warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one Class A Ordinary Share (a “Warrant” and together with a Class A Ordinary Share, a “Unit”) pursuant to an underwriting agreement (the "Underwriting Agreement") among the Company and Roth Capital Partners, LLC, the representative of the underwriters (the “Underwriters”) to the Underwriting Agreement.
| 1. | DOCUMENTS REVIEWED |
For the purposes of giving this opinion, we have examined and relied upon copies of the following documents:
| (i) | the Registration Statement; |
| (ii) | the Preliminary Prospectus; |
| (iii) | the form of Underwriting Agreement; |
| (iv) | the form of unit certificate representing the Units; |
| (v) | the form of warrant agreement; and |
| (vi) | the form of warrant certificate constituting a Warrant. |
The documents listed in items (iii) to (vi) above are collectively referred to as the “Documents” and together with the Registration Statement and the Preliminary Prospectus, are collectively referred to as the “Transaction Documents” (which terms do not include any other instrument or agreement whether or not specifically referred to therein or attached as an exhibit or schedule thereto).
We have also reviewed:
| (vii) | the certificate of incorporation of the Company dated 28 January 2026 from the Registrar of Companies of the Cayman Islands, the memorandum of association and the articles of association of the Company filed on 28 January 2026 and the form of Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company (attached as an exhibit to the Registration Statement) (together, the “Constitutional Documents”); |
| (viii) | a copy of the written resolutions of the directors of the Company dated 29 January 2026, 4 March 2026, 19 March 2026 and 29 March 2026 (the "Resolutions"); |
| (ix) | a certificate of good standing (the “COGS”) of the Company issued by the Registrar of Companies of the Cayman Islands and dated 27 March 2026 (the “Certificate Date”); |
| (x) | a certificate dated 29 March 2026 as to certain matters of fact signed by a director of the Company, having attached to it copies of the Resolutions (the “Director’s Certificate”); |
| (xi) | the results of our electronic searches against the Company at the Companies Registry conducted on 27 March 2026 and the Grand Court in the Cayman Islands conducted on 27 March 2026; and |
| (xii) | such other documents and made such enquiries as to questions of law as we have deemed necessary in order to render the opinion set forth below. |
The Constitutional Documents, Resolutions, COGS, Registration Statement and Preliminary Prospectus are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Corporate Documents”.
| 2. | ASSUMPTIONS |
We have assumed:
| (i) | the genuineness and authenticity of all signatures and the conformity to the originals of all copies (whether or not certified) examined by us and the authenticity and completeness of the originals from which such copies were taken; |
| (ii) | that where a document has been examined by us in draft form, it will be or has been executed and/or filed in the form of that draft, and where a number of drafts of a document have been examined by us all changes thereto have been marked or otherwise drawn to our attention; |
conyers.com | 2
| (iii) | that the Company will issue the Units in furtherance of its objects as set out in its Constitutional Documents; |
| (iv) | that, upon the issue of the Units to be sold by the Company, the Company will receive consideration for the full issue price thereof which shall not be less than the par value thereof; |
| (v) | the capacity, power and authority of each of the parties to the Documents, other than the Company, where a party, to enter into and perform its respective obligations under the Documents; |
| (vi) | the due execution of the Documents by each of the parties thereto, other than the Company, where a party, and the physical delivery thereof by each of the parties thereto with an intention to be bound thereby; |
| (vii) | that each of the documents reviewed by us are, or will be, legal, valid, binding and enforceable against all relevant parties in accordance with their terms under all relevant laws (other than, with respect to the Company, the laws of the Cayman Islands); |
| (viii) | the accuracy and completeness of all factual representations made in the Transaction Documents, Director’s Certificate and other documents reviewed by us; |
| (ix) | that there is no provision of the law of any jurisdiction, other than the Cayman Islands, which would have any implication in relation to the opinions expressed herein; |
| (x) | there is nothing underlying any law (other than the laws of the Cayman Islands) which would or might affect the opinions expressed herein; |
| (xi) | the legality, validity and binding effect under the laws of the State of New York (the “Foreign Laws”) of the Transaction Documents in accordance with their respective terms; |
| (xii) | the validity and binding effect under the Foreign Laws of the submission by the Company to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts of the United States of America located in the City of New York, Borough of Manhattan (the “Foreign Courts”), as applicable, pursuant to the Transaction Documents; |
| (xiii) | that there is no contractual or other prohibition or restriction (other than as arising under Cayman Islands law) binding on the Company prohibiting or restricting it from entering into and performing its obligations under the documents reviewed by us; |
conyers.com | 3
| (xiv) | no invitation has been or will be made by or on behalf of the Company to the public in the Cayman Islands to subscribe for any shares of the Company; |
| (xv) | that the Registration Statement has been declared effective by the SEC prior to, or concurrent with, the sale of the Units pursuant to the Registration Statement; |
| (xvi) | the offering of the Units and the transactions contemplated thereunder complies with the requirements of the applicable rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market and at the time of the issue or transfer of any Units, the Units will be listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market; |
| (xvii) | that on the date of entering into the Transaction Documents to which is it a party, the Company is and after entering into the Transaction Documents to which it is a party, will be able to pay its liabilities as they become due; and |
| (xviii) | the validity and binding effect under the laws of the United States of America of the Registration Statement and Preliminary Prospectus and that the Registration Statement and Preliminary Prospectus will or have been duly filed with and declared effective by the SEC. |
| 3. | QUALIFICATIONS |
| (i) | When used herein, the term “non-assessable” means that no further sums are required to be paid by the holder of Units in connection with the issue thereof. |
| (ii) | The term “enforceable” as used in this opinion letter means that an obligation is of a type which the courts of the Cayman Islands enforce. It does not mean that those obligations will be enforced in all circumstances in accordance with the terms of those documents. In particular, the obligations of the Company under the documents: |
| (a) | will be subject to the laws from time to time in effect relating to bankruptcy, insolvency, liquidation, possessory liens, rights of set off, reorganisation, amalgamation, merger, consolidation, moratorium, bribery, corruption, money laundering, terrorist financing, proliferation financing or any other laws or legal procedures, whether of a similar nature or otherwise, generally affecting the rights of creditors as well as applicable international sanctions; |
| (b) | will be subject to statutory limitation of the time within which proceedings may be brought; |
| (c) | will be subject to general principles of equity and, as such, specific performance and injunctive relief, being equitable remedies, may not be available; |
conyers.com | 4
| (d) | may not be given effect to by a Cayman Islands court, whether or not it was applying the Foreign Laws, if and to the extent they constitute the payment of an amount which is in the nature of a penalty; and |
| (e) | may not be given effect by a Cayman Islands court to the extent that they are to be performed in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands and such performance would be illegal under the laws of that jurisdiction. Notwithstanding any contractual submission to the exclusive or non-exclusive jurisdiction of specific courts, a Cayman Islands court has inherent discretion to stay or allow proceedings in the Cayman Islands against the Company if there are other proceedings simultaneously underway against the Company in another jurisdiction. |
| (iii) | We express no opinion as to the enforceability of any provision of the Underwriting Agreement which provides for the payment of a specified rate of interest on the amount of a judgment after the date of judgment or which purports to fetter the statutory powers of the Company. We express no view as to the commercial terms of the Underwriting Agreement or whether such terms represent the intentions of the parties and make no comment with regard to warranties or representations that may be made by the Company. We express no opinion in respect of the enforceability of any provision in the Transaction Documents which purports to fetter the statutory powers of the Company. |
| (iv) | We have made no investigation of and express no opinion in relation to the laws of any jurisdiction other than the Cayman Islands. |
| (v) | The opinions in this opinion letter are strictly limited to the matters contained in the opinions section below and do not extend to any other matters. We have not been asked to review and we therefore have not reviewed any of the ancillary documents relating to the Underwriting Agreement (other than documents referenced in this opinion letter) and express no opinion or observation upon the terms of any such documents. |
| (vi) | This opinion is to be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Cayman Islands and is limited to and is given on the basis of the current law and practice in the Cayman Islands. |
| (vii) | This opinion is issued solely for the purposes of the filing of the Registration Statement and the registration of the Units, Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants by the Company and is not to be relied upon in respect of any other matter. |
conyers.com | 5
| 4. | OPINIONS |
On the basis of and subject to the foregoing, we are of the opinion that:
| (i) | As of the Certificate Date, the Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing under the laws of the Cayman Islands and is validly existing as an exempted company and in good standing (meaning that it has not failed to make any filing with any Cayman Islands government authority or to pay any Cayman Islands government fee or tax which might make it liable to be struck off the Register of Companies and thereby cease to exist under the laws of the Cayman Islands). |
| (ii) | When issued and paid for in accordance with the terms of the offering described in the Transaction Documents and recorded in the register of members of the Company, the Units (and the Class A Ordinary Shares and the Warrants thereunder) will be validly issued fully-paid and non-assessable (which term when used herein means that no further sums are required to be paid by the holders thereof in connection with the issue thereof). |
| (iii) | When issued and paid for in accordance with the terms of the offering described in the applicable Transaction Documents, the Warrants and Units will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company in accordance with the terms thereof. |
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as exhibit 5.2 to the Registration Statement and to the references to our firm under the captions “Legal Matters” and elsewhere in the Preliminary Prospectus forming a part of the Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not hereby admit that we are experts within the meaning of Section 11 of the Securities Act or that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the Rules and Regulations of the SEC promulgated thereunder. It may not be used, circulated or otherwise referred to any other for any other purpose as set out herein.
Yours faithfully,

Conyers Dill & Pearman LLP
conyers.com | 6
Exhibit 10.1
[●], 2026
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
3131 Eastside Street
Houston, Texas 77098
| Re: | Initial Public Offering |
Ladies and Gentlemen:
This letter (this “Letter Agreement”) is being delivered to you in accordance with the Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) entered into by and among ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), and Roth Capital Partners, LLC as representative (the “Representative”) of the underwriters (the “Underwriters”), relating to an underwritten initial public offering (the “Public Offering”), of up to 23,000,000 of the Company’s units (including up to 3,000,000 units which may be purchased to cover over-allotments, if any) (the “Units”), each comprised of one Class A ordinary share, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company (the “Class A Ordinary Shares”) and one-half of one redeemable warrant (each whole warrant, a “Warrant”). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A Ordinary Share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. The Units shall be sold in the Public Offering pursuant to the registration statements on Form S-1 (File No. 333-294120), as amended, and prospectus (the “Prospectus”) filed by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) and the Company shall apply to have the Units listed on the Nasdaq Global Market. Certain capitalized terms used herein are defined in paragraph 11 hereof.
In order to induce the Company and the Underwriters to enter into the Underwriting Agreement and to proceed with the Public Offering and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, Union Street Sponsor, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”) and each of the undersigned individuals, each of whom is a member of the Company’s board of directors and/or management team (each an “Insider” and, collectively, the “Insiders”), hereby agree with the Company as follows:
1. The Sponsor and each Insider agree that if the Company seeks shareholder approval of a proposed Business Combination, then in connection with such proposed Business Combination, it, he or she shall (i) vote all Founder Shares and any shares acquired by it, him or her in the Public Offering or the secondary public market in favor of such proposed Business Combination, except that it, he or she shall not vote any Class A Ordinary Shares that it, he or she purchased after the Company publicly announces its intention to engage in such proposed Business Combination for or against such proposed Business Combination and (ii) not redeem any Class A Ordinary Shares owned by it, him or her in connection with such shareholder approval. If the Company seeks to consummate a proposed Business Combination by engaging in a tender offer, the Sponsor and each Insider agrees that it, he or she will not sell or tender any Ordinary Shares owned by it, him or her in connection herewith.
2. The Sponsor and each Insider agree that in the event that the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination by the date that is 18 months after the closing of the Public Offering, or such earlier date as Company’s board of directors may approve, or such later date as the Company’s shareholders may approve, in each case in accordance with the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, as may be amended from time to time (the “Completion Window” and the “Memorandum and Articles,” respectively), the Sponsor and each Insider shall take all reasonable steps to cause the Company to (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten (10) business days thereafter, subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of the Class A Ordinary Shares sold as part of the Units in the Public Offering (the “Offering 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable (but without deduction for any excise or similar tax that may be due or payable) and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of Offering Shares then in issue, which redemption will completely extinguish the Public Shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining shareholders and the Company’s board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and other requirements of applicable law. The Sponsor and the Insiders agree to not propose any amendment to the Memorandum and Articles not for the purposes of approving, or in conjunction with the consummation of, a Business Combination (A) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with a Business Combination or to redeem one hundred percent (100%) of the Offering Shares if the Company has not consummated a Business Combination within the Completion Window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to the rights of holders of Class A Ordinary Shares or pre-initial Business Combination activity, unless the Company provides its Public Shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Offering Shares upon effectiveness of any such amendment at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account including interest earned on the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its taxes (but without deduction for any excise or similar tax that may be due or payable), divided by the number of Offering Shares then in issue, subject to applicable law. The Sponsor and each Insider acknowledges that it, he or she will not be entitled to rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to any Founder Shares held by it, him or her if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Completion Window; although it, he or she will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to any Offering Shares it, he or she holds if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the prescribed time frame. The Sponsor and each Insider hereby further acknowledge that it, he or she will not be entitled to (a) redemption rights with respect to any Founder Shares and Offering Shares held by it, him or her, in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination, or (b) redemption rights with respect to Founder Shares and Offering Shares held by it, him or her in connection with a shareholder vote to amend the Memorandum and Articles in the manner described above.
3. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law and the Memorandum and Articles, the Company hereby agrees to defend, indemnify, hold harmless and exonerate (including the advancement of expenses to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law) the Sponsor and its members (present and former), managers and affiliates and their respective present and former officers and directors (each, a “Sponsor Indemnitee”) from any and all costs, fees, expenses, judgments, liabilities, fines, penalties, reasonable attorneys’ fees and amounts paid in settlement (including all interest, assessments and other charges paid or payable in connection with or in respect of such costs, fees, expenses, judgments, liabilities, fines, penalties and amounts paid in settlement) actually, and reasonably, incurred by a Sponsor Indemnitee or on a Sponsor Indemnitee’s behalf in connection with any threatened, pending or completed action, suit, arbitration, mediation, alternate dispute resolution mechanism, investigation, inquiry, hearing or any other actual, threatened or completed proceeding instituted by the Company or any third party, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative in nature, in respect of any investment opportunities sourced by a Sponsor Indemnitee for the Company or any liability arising with respect to a Sponsor Indemnitee’s activities in connection with the affairs of the Company (in each case to the extent that such indemnification, hold harmless and exoneration obligations with respect to such matters are not expressly covered by a separate written agreement between the Company and the applicable Sponsor Indemnitee); provided, that in no event shall a Sponsor Indemnitee be entitled to be indemnified or held harmless hereunder in respect of any costs, fees, expenses, judgments, liabilities, fines, penalties and amounts paid in settlement (if any) that a Sponsor Indemnitee may incur by reason of such person’s own actual fraud or intentional misconduct; provided, further, that, for the avoidance of doubt, under no circumstance shall a Sponsor Indemnitee have a claim to any monies or assets held in the Trust Account, and the Company shall not be permitted to procure monies or assets held in the Trust Account for the satisfaction of its obligations to any Sponsor Indemnitee in respect of the indemnification provided hereunder. The Sponsor Indemnitees shall be third party beneficiaries of this paragraph.
2
4. During the period commencing on the effective date of the Underwriting Agreement and ending 180 days after such date, the undersigned shall not, without the prior written consent of the Representative, (i) sell, offer to sell, contract or agree to sell, hypothecate, pledge, grant any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of or agree to dispose of, directly or indirectly, or establish or increase a put equivalent position or liquidate or decrease a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder, any Units, Class A Ordinary Shares, the Company’s Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Class B Ordinary Shares” and, together with the Class A Ordinary Shares, the “Ordinary Shares”), Warrants or any securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, Class A Ordinary Shares owned by him, her or it; provided, however, that the foregoing shall not apply to transfers to the Sponsor by the Insiders, (ii) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of any Units, Class A Ordinary Shares, Founder Shares, Warrants or any securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, Class A Ordinary Shares owned by him, her or it, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of such securities, in cash or otherwise or (iii) publicly announce any intention to effect any transaction specified in clause (i) or (ii). If the undersigned is an officer or director of the Company, the undersigned further agrees that the forgoing restrictions shall be equally applicable to any issuer-directed Units that the undersigned may purchase in the Public Offering.
5. In the event of the liquidation of the Trust Account, the Sponsor (which for purposes of clarification shall not extend to any officer, member or manager of the Sponsor) agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever (including, but not limited to, any and all legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, whether pending or threatened, or any claim whatsoever) to which the Company may become subject as a result of any claim by (i) any third party (other than the Company’s independent public accountants) for services rendered or products sold to the Company or (ii) a prospective target business with which the Company has entered into a letter of intent, confidentiality or other similar agreement or business combination agreement (a “Target”); provided, however, that such indemnification of the Company by the Sponsor shall apply only to the extent necessary to ensure that such claims by a third party for services rendered (other than the Company’s independent public accountants) or products sold to the Company or a Target do not reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below (A) $10.05 per share of the Offering Shares or (B) such lesser amount per share of the Offering Shares 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 including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and net of taxes payable (but without deduction for any excise or similar tax that may be due or payable), except as to any claims by a third party or Target that executed an agreement waiving claims against and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account whether or not such agreement is enforceable. In the event that any such executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against such third party, the Sponsor shall not be responsible for any liability as a result of any such third-party claims. Notwithstanding any of the foregoing, such indemnification of the Company by the Sponsor shall not apply as to any claims under the Company’s obligation to indemnify the Underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). The Sponsor shall have the right to defend against any such claim with counsel of its choice reasonably satisfactory to the Company if, within fifteen (15) days following written receipt of notice of the claim to the Sponsor, the Sponsor notifies the Company in writing that it shall undertake such defense.
6. To the extent that the Underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option to purchase an additional 3,000,000 Units (as described in the Prospectus), the Sponsor agrees, upon the expiration or waiver of such option, to forfeit and surrender for no consideration for cancellation, a number of Founder Shares equal to the product of 1,000,000 multiplied by a fraction, (i) the numerator of which is 3,000,000 minus the number of Units purchased by the Underwriters upon the exercise of their over-allotment option, and (ii) the denominator of which is 3,000,000. The forfeiture and surrender will be adjusted to the extent that the over-allotment option is not exercised in full by the Underwriters so that the Founder Shares will represent 25% of the Company’s issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares after the Public Offering (not including the Class A Ordinary Shares comprising part of the Private Placement Units and the Class A Ordinary Shares underlying the Warrants). The Sponsor further agrees that to the extent that the size of the Public Offering is increased or decreased and the Sponsor has either purchased or sold Ordinary Shares or an adjustment to the number of Founder Shares has been effected by way of a share dividend or share capitalization, or a surrender for no consideration or share contribution back to capital, or otherwise, in each case in connection with such increase or decrease in the size of the Public Offering, then (A) the references to 3,000,000 in the numerator and denominator of the formula in the first sentence of this paragraph 6 shall be changed to a number equal to 15% of the number of Class A Ordinary Shares included in the Units issued in the Public Offering and (B) the reference to 1,000,000 in the formula set forth in the first sentence of this paragraph 6 shall be adjusted to such number of Founder Shares that the Sponsor would have to collectively return to the Company in order for all holders of Founder Shares to hold an aggregate of 25% of the Company’s issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares after the Public Offering (not including the Class A Ordinary Shares comprising part of the Private Placement Units and the Class A Ordinary Shares underlying the Warrants).
3
7. The Sponsor and each Insider hereby agrees and acknowledges that: (i) each of the Underwriters and the Company would be irreparably injured in the event of a breach by the Sponsor of its obligations (as applicable) under paragraphs 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8(a) and 8(b) or by each Insider of its obligations under paragraphs 1, 2, 4, 8(a) and 8(b), (ii) monetary damages may not be an adequate remedy for such breach and (iii) the non-breaching party shall be entitled to injunctive relief, in addition to any other remedy that such party may have in law or in equity, in the event of such breach.
8. Transfer Restrictions.
(a) Subject to the exceptions set forth herein, the Sponsor and each Insider agree not to Transfer any Founder Shares or the Class A Ordinary Shares issuable upon conversion of the Founder Shares held by it, him or her until the earlier of (i) six months after the completion of a Business Combination or earlier if, subsequent to a Business Combination, the closing price of the Class A Ordinary Shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share consolidations, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 30 days after the Business Combination and (ii) subsequent to a Business Combination, the date on which the Company consummates a subsequent liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of the Company’s shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A Ordinary Shares for cash, securities or other property (the “Lock-up”).
(b) Subject to the exceptions set forth herein, the Sponsor and each Insider agree not to Transfer any Private Placement Units (including the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the Private Placement Units and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants comprising part of the Private Placement Units) held by it, he or she until thirty (30) days after the completion of a Business Combination.
(c) Notwithstanding the provisions set forth in paragraphs 8(a) and 8(b), transfers of the Founder Shares (including the Class A Ordinary Shares issued or issuable upon the conversion of the Founder Shares), Private Placement Units (including the Class A ordinary shares comprising part of the Private Placement Units and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants comprising part of the Private Placement Units) that are held by the Sponsor, any Insider or any of their permitted transferees, as applicable (that have complied with any applicable requirements of this paragraph 8(c)), are permitted (i) to the Company’s or the Representative’s officers, directors, advisors or consultants, any affiliate or family member of any of the Company’s or the Representative’s officers, directors, advisors or consultants, any members or partners of the Sponsor or their affiliates and funds and accounts advised by such members or partners, any affiliates of the Sponsor, or any employees of such affiliates, (ii) in the case of an individual, as a gift to such person’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of such person’s immediate family, an affiliate of such person or to a charitable organization; (iii) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of such person; (iv) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (v) by private sales or transfers made in connection with any forward purchase agreement or similar arrangement, in connection with an extension of the Completion Window or in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares or units were originally purchased; (vi) pro rata distributions from the Sponsor or the Representative to its respective members, partners or shareholders pursuant to the Sponsor’s or the Representative’s limited liability company agreement or other charter documents; (vii) by virtue of the laws of the Cayman Islands or the Sponsor’s limited liability company agreement upon dissolution of the Sponsor or upon dissolution of the Representative, (viii) in the event of the Company’s liquidation prior to consummation of a Business Combination; (ix) in the event that, subsequent to the consummation of a Business Combination, the Company completes a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of its shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property or (x) to a nominee or custodian of a person or entity to whom a transfer would be permissible under clauses (i) through (vii); provided, however, that, in the case of clauses (i) through (vii), these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions herein and the other restrictions contained in this Agreement (including provisions relating to voting, the Trust Account and liquidating distributions).
4
9. Each Insider’s biographical information furnished to the Company and the Representative that is included in the Prospectus is true and accurate in all respects and does not omit any material information with respect to such Insider’s background and contains all of the information required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 401 of Regulation S-K, promulgated under the Securities Act. Each Insider’s questionnaire furnished to the Company and the Representative including any such information that is included in the Prospectus is true and accurate in all respects. Each Insider represents and warrants that: (i) such Insider is not subject to or a respondent in any legal action for, any injunction, cease-and-desist order or order or stipulation to desist or refrain from any act or practice relating to the offering of securities in any jurisdiction; (ii) such Insider has never been convicted of, or pleaded guilty to, any crime (A) involving fraud, (B) relating to any financial transaction or handling of funds of another person or (C) pertaining to any dealings in any securities and such Insider is not currently a defendant in any such criminal proceeding; and (iii) none of the Sponsor or any such Insider has ever been suspended or expelled from membership in any securities or commodities exchange or association or had a securities or commodities license or registration denied, suspended or revoked.
10. The Sponsor and each Insider has full right and power, without violating any agreement to which it, he or she is bound (including, without limitation, any non-competition or non-solicitation agreement with any employer or former employer), to enter into this Letter Agreement and, as applicable, to serve as an officer of the Company or as a director on the board of directors of the Company and each Insider hereby consents to being named in the Prospectus as an officer and/or director of the Company, as applicable.
11. As used herein, (i) “Business Combination” shall mean a merger, amalgamation, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination, involving the Company and one or more businesses or entities; (ii) “Founder Shares” shall mean the Class B Ordinary Shares held by the Sponsor prior to the consummation of the Public Offering; (iii) “Private Placement Units” shall mean the aggregate of 485,000 units that the Representative and Sponsor have agreed to purchase for an aggregate purchase price of $4,850,000, or $10.00 per unit, in a private placement that shall occur simultaneously with the consummation of the Public Offering; (iv) “Public Shareholders” shall mean the holders of Offering Shares other than the Sponsor and the Insiders; (v) “Trust Account” shall mean the trust fund into which a portion of the net proceeds of the Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Units shall be deposited and (vi) “Transfer” shall mean the (a) sale of, offer to sell, contract or agreement to sell, hypothecate, pledge, grant of any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of or agreement to dispose of, directly or indirectly, or establishment or increase of a put equivalent position or liquidation with respect to or decrease of a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder with any respect to, any security, (b) entry into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of any security, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of such securities, in cash or otherwise, or (c) public announcement of any intention to effect any transaction specified in clause (a) or (b).
12. This Letter Agreement constitutes the entire agreement and understanding of the parties hereto in respect of the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior understandings, agreements or representations by or among the parties hereto, written or oral, to the extent they relate in any way to the subject matter hereof or the transactions contemplated hereby. This Letter Agreement may not be changed, amended, modified or waived (other than to correct a typographical error) as to any particular provision, except by a written instrument executed by all parties hereto. Each of the parties hereto hereby acknowledges and agrees that each Representative is a third-party beneficiary of this Letter Agreement.
13. No party hereto may assign either this Letter Agreement or any of its rights, interests or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of the other parties. Any purported assignment in violation of this paragraph 13 shall be void and ineffectual and shall not operate to transfer or assign any interest or title to the purported assignee. This Letter Agreement shall be binding on the Sponsor, each Insider and each of their respective successors, heirs and assigns and permitted transferees.
14. This Letter Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with 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. The parties hereto (i) all agree that any action, proceeding, claim or dispute arising out of, or relating in any way to, this Letter Agreement shall be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York located in the City and County of New York, Borough of Manhattan, and irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction and venue, which jurisdiction and venue shall be exclusive and (ii) waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and venue or that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.
5
15. Any notice, consent or request to be given in connection with any of the terms or provisions of this Letter Agreement shall be in writing and shall be sent by express mail or similar private courier service, by certified mail (return receipt requested), by hand delivery or facsimile transmission.
16. This Letter Agreement shall terminate on the earlier of (i) the expiration of the Lock-up or (ii) the liquidation of the Company; provided, however, that this Letter Agreement shall earlier terminate in the event that the Public Offering is not consummated and closed by [●], 2026; provided, further, that paragraph 5 of this Letter Agreement shall survive such liquidation.
Sincerely,
| UNION STREET SPONSOR, LLC | ||
| By: |
|
|
| Name: | Andrew Mallozzi | |
| Title: | Authorized Representative |
|
INSIDERS:
| Name | Andrew Mallozzi | |
| Name | Sean Wallace | |
| Name | August Roth | |
| Name | Jonathan Urfrig | |
| Name | Andrew Sung |
Acknowledged and Agreed:
| ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP. | ||
| By: |
|
|
| Name: | Andrew Mallozzi | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |
[SIGNATURE PAGE TO LETTER AGREEMENT]
6
Exhibit 10.2
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT TRUST AGREEMENT
This Investment Management Trust Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made effective as of [●], 2026, by and between ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”) Odyssey Transfer and Trust Company, a New York corporation (the “Trustee”).
WHEREAS, the Company’s registration statement on Form S-1, File No. 333-294120 (the “Registration Statement”) for its initial public offering of securities (“IPO”) has been declared effective as of the date hereof (the “Effective Date”) by the Securities and Exchange Commission (capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings set forth in the Registration Statement); and
WHEREAS, Roth Capital Partners, LLC is acting as the representative (the “Representative”) of the underwriters in the IPO; and
WHEREAS, as described in the Registration Statement, and in accordance with the Company’s Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, as the same may be amended from time to time (the “MAA”), $201,000,000 ($231,150,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of the proceeds from the IPO and a simultaneous private placement of units will be delivered to the Trustee to be deposited and held in a segregated trust account located at all times in the United States (the “Trust Account”) for the benefit of the Company and the holders of the Company’s Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share (“Ordinary Shares”), issued in the IPO as hereinafter provided (the proceeds to be delivered to the Trustee will be referred to herein as the “Property”; the shareholders for whose benefit the Trustee shall hold the Property will be referred to as the “Public Shareholders,” and the Public Shareholders and the Company will be referred to together as the “Beneficiaries”); and
WHEREAS, the Company and the Trustee desire to enter into this Agreement to set forth the terms and conditions pursuant to which the Trustee shall hold the Property;
IT IS AGREED:
1. Agreements and Covenants of Trustee. The Trustee hereby agrees and covenants to:
(a) Hold the Property in trust for the Beneficiaries in accordance with the terms of this Agreement in the Trust Account established by the Trustee initially at Citibank, N.A. (or at another U.S. chartered commercial bank with consolidated assets of $100 billion or more) in the United States, maintained by Trustee, and at a brokerage institution selected by the Trustee that is reasonably satisfactory to the Company;
(b) Manage, supervise, and administer the Trust Account subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein;
(c) In a timely manner, upon the written instruction of the Company, (i) invest and reinvest the Property solely in United States government securities within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), having a maturity of 185 days or less, or in money market funds meeting the conditions of paragraphs (d)(1), (d)(2), (d)(3) and (d)(4) of Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act (or any successor rule), which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations or (ii) deposit the Property into an interest bearing or non-interest bearing bank demand deposit account at a U.S. chartered commercial bank with consolidated assets of $100 billion or more selected by the Trustee that is reasonably satisfactory to the Company; it being understood that the Trust Account will earn no interest while account funds are uninvested awaiting the Company’s instructions hereunder and while the account funds are invested or uninvested, the Trustee may earn bank credits or other consideration during such periods;
(d) Collect and receive, when due, all principal, interest or other income arising from the Property, which shall become part of the “Property,” as such term is used herein;
(e) Promptly notify the Company and the Representative of all communications received by the Trustee with respect to any Property requiring action by the Company;
(f) Supply any necessary information or documents as may be requested by the Company (or its authorized agents) in connection with the Company’s preparation of the tax returns relating to assets held in the Trust Account;
(g) Participate in any plan or proceeding for protecting or enforcing any right or interest arising from the Property if, as, and when instructed by the Company to do so;
(h) Render to the Company monthly written statements of the activities of and amounts in the Trust Account reflecting all receipts and disbursements of the Trust Account;
(i) Commence liquidation of the Trust Account only after and promptly after receipt of, and only in accordance with, the terms of a letter from the Company (“Termination Letter”), in a form substantially similar to that attached hereto as either Exhibit A or Exhibit B, as applicable, signed on behalf of the Company by its Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer or other authorized persons and, complete the liquidation of the Trust Account and distribute the Property in the Trust Account, including interest earned not previously released to the Company to pay its taxes payable or owed (excluding any Excise Tax) (and, in the case of Exhibit B, less up to $100,000 of interest that may be released to the Company to pay dissolution expenses), only as directed in the Termination Letter and the other documents referred to therein; provided, however, that (i) in the event that a Termination Letter has not been received by the Trustee within the period of time provided in the Company’s MAA, including all available extensions provided therein or as may be approved by the Company’s shareholders (such later date being referred to as the “Last Date”), or (ii) upon the end of a 30-day cure period after the date any additional amount of funds was required to be deposited in the Trust Account as a condition of any extension of the Last Date approved by the Company’s shareholders, the Trust Account shall be liquidated by the Trustee in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Termination Letter attached as Exhibit B or similar hereto (net of taxes payable or owed (excluding any Excise Tax) and less up to $100,000 of interest that may be released to the Company to pay dissolution expenses) and distributed to the Public Stockholders as of the Last Date; and
(j) Upon receipt of a letter (an “Shareholder Redemption Withdrawal Instruction”) in the form of Exhibit C, signed on behalf of the Company by an authorized officer, distribute to Public Shareholders who exercised their redemption rights in connection with an amendment to the Company’s MAA (A) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligations with respect to redemption rights as described in the Registration Statement or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination (as defined below) activity (an “Amendment”) an amount equal to the pro rata portion of the Property relating to the Ordinary Shares for which such Public Shareholders have exercised redemption rights in connection with such Amendment.
2. Limited Distributions of Income from Trust Account.
(a) Upon written request from the Company, which may be given from time to time in a form substantially similar to that attached hereto as Exhibit D, the Trustee shall distribute to the Company the amount of interest income earned on the Trust Account requested by the Company to cover any income or other tax obligation owed by the Company (excluding any Excise Tax).
(b) The limited distributions referred to in Section 2(a) above shall be made only from income collected on the Property. Except as provided in Section 2(a) above, no other distributions from the Trust Account shall be permitted except in accordance with Sections 1(i) or 1(j) hereof.
3. Agreements and Covenants of the Company. The Company agrees and covenants to:
(a) Give all instructions to the Trustee hereunder in writing, signed by any one of the Company’s authorized officers. In addition, except with respect to its duties under Sections 1(i), 1(j), and 2(a) above, the Trustee shall be entitled to rely on, and shall be protected in relying on, any verbal or telephonic advice or instruction which it, in good faith and with reasonable care, believes to be given by any one of the persons authorized above to give written instructions, provided that the Company shall promptly confirm such instructions in writing;
2
(b) Subject to the provisions of Section 5 of this Agreement, hold the Trustee harmless and indemnify the Trustee from and against any and all expenses, including reasonable counsel fees and disbursements, or losses suffered by the Trustee in connection with any claim, potential claim, action, suit, or other proceeding brought against the Trustee which in any way arises out of or relates to this Agreement, the services of the Trustee hereunder, or the Property or any income earned from investment of the Property, except for expenses and losses resulting from the Trustee’s gross negligence or willful misconduct. Promptly after the receipt by the Trustee of notice of demand or claim or the commencement of any action, suit, or proceeding, pursuant to which the Trustee intends to seek indemnification under this paragraph, it shall notify the Company in writing of such claim (hereinafter referred to as the “Indemnified Claim”). The Trustee shall have the right to conduct and manage the defense against such Indemnified Claim, provided, that the Trustee shall obtain the consent of the Company with respect to the selection of counsel, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. The Trustee may not agree to settle any Indemnified Claim without the prior written consent of the Company, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. The Company may participate in such action with its own counsel;
(c) Pay the Trustee an initial acceptance fee, an annual fee, and a transaction processing fee for each disbursement made pursuant to Section 2(a) as set forth on Schedule A hereto, which fees shall be subject to modification by the parties from time to time. It is expressly understood that the Property shall not be used to pay such fees and further agreed that any fees owed to the Trustee shall be deducted by the Trustee from the disbursements made to the Company pursuant to Section 1(i) solely in connection with the consummation of a business combination (a “Business Combination”). The Company shall pay the Trustee the initial acceptance fee and first annual fee at the consummation of the IPO and thereafter on the anniversary of the Effective Date;
(d) In connection with any vote of the Company’s shareholders regarding a Business Combination, provide to the Trustee an affidavit or certificate of a firm regularly engaged in the business of soliciting proxies and/or tabulating shareholder votes verifying the vote of the Company’s shareholders regarding such Business Combination;
(e) In the event that the Company directs the Trustee to commence liquidation of the Trust Account pursuant to Section 1(i), the Company agrees that it will not direct the Trustee to make any payments that are not specifically authorized by this Agreement;
(f) If the Company has an Amendment approved by its shareholders, provide the Trustee with a Shareholder Redemption Withdrawal Instruction in the form of Exhibit C providing instructions for the distribution of funds to Public Shareholders who exercise their redemption rights in connection with such Instruction; and
(g) Provide the Representative with a copy of any Termination Letter, Shareholder Redemption Withdrawal Instruction, and/or any other correspondence that it issues to the Trustee with respect to any proposed withdrawal from the Trust Account promptly after such issuance.
4. Limitations of Liability. The Trustee shall have no responsibility or liability to:
(a) Take any action with respect to the Property, other than as directed in Sections 1 and 2 hereof, and the Trustee shall have no liability to any party except for liability arising out of the Trustee’s gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct;
(b) Institute any proceeding for the collection of any principal and income arising from, or institute, appear in, or defend any proceeding of any kind with respect to, any of the Property unless and until the Trustee shall have received instructions from the Company given as provided herein to do so and the Company shall have advanced or guaranteed to it funds sufficient to pay any expenses incident thereto;
(c) Change the investment of any Property, other than in compliance with Section 1(c);
(d) Refund any depreciation in principal of any Property;
3
(e) Assume that the authority of any person designated by the Company to give instructions hereunder shall not be continuing unless provided otherwise in such designation, or unless the Company shall have delivered a written revocation of such authority to the Trustee;
(f) The other parties hereto or to anyone else for any action taken or omitted by the Trustee, or any action suffered by the Trustee to be taken or omitted, in good faith and in the exercise of the Trustee’s best judgment, except for the Trustee’s gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct. The Trustee may rely conclusively and shall be protected in acting upon any order, notice, demand, certificate, opinion, or advice of counsel (including counsel chosen by the Trustee), statement, instrument, report, or other paper or document (not only as to its due execution and the validity and effectiveness of its provisions, but also as to the truth and acceptability of any information therein contained) which is believed by the Trustee, in good faith and with reasonable care, to be genuine and to be signed or presented by the proper person or persons. The Trustee shall not be bound by any notice or demand, or any waiver, modification, termination, or rescission of this Agreement or any of the terms hereof, unless evidenced by a written instrument delivered to the Trustee signed by the proper party or parties and, if the duties or rights of the Trustee are affected, unless it shall give its prior written consent thereto;
(g) Verify the correctness of the information set forth in the Registration Statement or to confirm or assure that any Business Combination consummated by the Company or any other action taken by it is as contemplated by the Registration Statement;
(h) File local, state, and/or federal tax returns or information returns with any taxing authority on behalf of the Trust Account or deliver payee statements to the Company documenting the taxes, if any, payable by the Company or the Trust Account, relating to the income earned on the Property;
(i) Pay any taxes on behalf of the Trust Account (it being expressly understood that the Property shall not be used to pay any such taxes and that such taxes, if any, shall be paid by the Company from funds not held in the Trust Account or released to it under Section 2(a) hereof);
(j) Imply obligations, perform duties, inquire, or otherwise be subject to the provisions of any agreement or document other than this agreement and that which is expressly set forth herein; or
(k) Verify calculations, qualify, or otherwise approve Company requests for distributions pursuant to Sections 1(i), 1(j), or 2(a) above.
5. Trust Account Waiver. The Trustee has no right of set-off or any right, title, interest or claim of any kind (“Claim”) to, or to any monies in, the Trust Account, and hereby irrevocably waives any Claim to, or to any monies in, the Trust Account that it may have now or in the future. In the event the Trustee has any Claim against the Company under this Agreement, including, without limitation, under Section 3(b) or Section 3(c) hereof, the Trustee shall pursue such Claim solely against the Company and its assets outside the Trust Account and not against the Property or any monies in the Trust Account.
6. Termination. This Agreement shall terminate as follows:
(a) If the Trustee gives written notice to the Company that it desires to resign under this Agreement, the Company shall use its reasonable efforts to locate a successor trustee during which time the Trustee shall act in accordance with this Agreement. At such time that the Company notifies the Trustee that a successor trustee has been appointed by the Company and has agreed to become subject to the terms of this Agreement, the Trustee shall transfer the management of the Trust Account to the successor trustee, including but not limited to the transfer of copies of the reports and statements relating to the Trust Account, whereupon this Agreement shall terminate; provided, however, that, in the event that the Company does not locate a successor trustee within ninety (90) days of receipt of the resignation notice from the Trustee, the Trustee may submit an application to have the Property deposited with any court in the State of New York or with the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and upon such deposit, the Trustee shall be immune from any liability whatsoever; or
4
(b) At such time that the Trustee has completed the liquidation of the Trust Account in accordance with the provisions of Section 1(i) hereof, and distributed the Property in accordance with the provisions of the Termination Letter, this Agreement shall terminate except with respect to Section 3(b) and Section 5.
7. Miscellaneous.
(a) The Company and the Trustee will each restrict access to confidential information relating to funds being transferred to or from the Trust Account to authorized persons. Each party must notify the other party immediately if it has reason to believe unauthorized persons may have obtained access to such information, or of any change in its authorized personnel. In executing funds transfers, the Trustee will rely upon all information supplied to it by the Company, including account names, account numbers, and all other identifying information relating to a beneficiary, beneficiary’s bank, or intermediary bank. Except for any liability arising out of the Trustee’s gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct, the Trustee shall not be liable for any loss, liability, or expense resulting from any error in the information supplied to it or funds transferred based on such information.
(b) This Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with 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. The parties hereto consent to the jurisdiction and venue of any state or federal court located in the City of New York, Borough of Manhattan, for purposes of resolving any disputes hereunder. As to any claim, cross-claim, or counterclaim in any way relating to this Agreement, each party waives the right to trial by jury.
(c) This Agreement may be executed in several original or facsimile counterparts, each one of which shall constitute an original, and together shall constitute but one instrument.
(d) This Agreement contains the entire agreement and understanding of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof. Except for Sections 1(i) and 1(j) (which sections may not be modified, amended or deleted without the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two thirds of the then outstanding Ordinary Shares in respect of which votes are cast at a duly convened general meeting of the Company; provided that no such amendment will affect any Public Shareholder who has otherwise indicated his, her or its election to redeem his, her or its Ordinary Shares in connection with a shareholder vote sought to amend this Agreement, including a corresponding change to the Company’s MAA), this Agreement or any provision hereof may only be changed, amended or modified by a writing signed by each of the parties hereto; provided, however, that no such change, amendment or modification may be made without the prior written consent of the Representative. The Trustee may require from Company counsel an opinion as to the propriety of any proposed amendment.
(e) Any notice, consent or request to be given in connection with any of the terms or provisions of this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be sent by express mail or similar private courier service, by certified mail (return receipt requested), by hand delivery, by email or by facsimile transmission:
if to the Trustee, to:
Odyssey Transfer & Trust Company
860 Blue Gentian Rd, Suite 320
Eagan, MN 55121
Attn: Bob Winterle
Email: clientsus@odysseytrust.com
if to the Company, to:
ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp.
3131 Eastside Street
Houston, Texas 77098
Attn: Andrew Mallozzi
Email: dmallozzi@atlascreditpartners.com
5
in either case with a copy (which copy shall not constitute notice) to:
DLA Piper LLP (US)
1251 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020-1104
Attn: Stephen P. Alicanti, Esq.
Email: stephen.alicanti@us.dlapiper.com
and
Loeb & Loeb LLP
345 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10154
Attn: Alexandria E. Kane
Email: akane@loeb.com
(f) This Agreement may not be assigned by the Trustee without the prior consent of the Company.
(g) Each of the Trustee and the Company hereby represents that it has the full right and power and has been duly authorized to enter into this Agreement and to perform its respective obligations as contemplated hereunder.
(h) Each of the Company and the Trustee hereby acknowledge that the Representative is a third party beneficiary of this Agreement.
[Signature Page Follows]
6
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have duly executed this Investment Management Trust Agreement as of the date first written above.
ODYSSEY TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY, as Trustee | |||
| By: | |||
| Name: | Bob Winterle | ||
| Title: | Senior Director | ||
| ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP. | |||
| By: | |||
| Name: | Andrew Mallozzi | ||
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | ||
[Signature Page to Investment Management Trust Agreement]
SCHEDULE A
| Fee Item | Time and method of payment | Amount | ||||
| Initial acceptance fee | Initial closing of IPO by wire transfer | $ | Waived | |||
| Annual fee | First year, initial closing of IPO by wire transfer; thereafter on the anniversary of the effective date of the IPO by wire transfer or check | $ | 5,000 | |||
| Transaction processing fee for disbursements to Company under Section 2 | Billed to Company following disbursement made to Company under Section 2 | $ | 200 | |||
| Paying Agent services as required pursuant to Sections 1(i) and 1(j) | Billed to Company upon delivery of service pursuant to Section 1(i) and 1(j) | Prevailing rates | ||||
EXHIBIT A
[Letterhead of Company]
[Insert date]
Odyssey Transfer & Trust Company
860 Blue Gentian Rd, Suite 320
Eagan, MN 55121
Attn: Bob Winterle
Re: Trust Account - Termination Letter
Dear Mr. Winterle:
Pursuant to Section 1(i) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement between ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) and Odyssey Transfer & Trust Company , dated as of [ ], 2026 (“Trust Agreement”), this is to advise you that the Company has entered into an agreement with [ ] (the “Target Business”) to consummate a business combination with the Target Business (“Business Combination”) on or about [insert date]. The Company shall notify you at least (72) hours in advance (or such shorter time as you may agree) of the actual date of the consummation of the Business Combination (the “Consummation Date”). Capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust Agreement.
In accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, we hereby authorize you to commence to liquidate all of the assets of the Trust Account and transfer the proceeds to a segregated account held by you on behalf of the Beneficiaries to the effect that, on the Consummation Date, all of the funds held in the trust operating account at Citibank NA (the “Trust Operating Account”) will be immediately available for transfer to the account or accounts that the Company shall direct on the Consummation Date. It is acknowledged and agreed that while the funds are on deposit in the Trust Operating Account awaiting distribution, the Company will not earn any interest or dividends.
On the Consummation Date (i) counsel for the Company shall deliver to you written notification that the Business Combination has been consummated (the “Notification”) and (ii) the Company shall deliver to you (a) [an affidavit] [a certificate] by the Chief Executive Officer, which verifies that the Business Combination has been approved by a vote of the Company’s shareholders, if a vote is held and (b) joint written instructions from the Company and the Representative with respect to the transfer of the funds held in the Trust Account, including payment of amounts owed to Public Shareholders who have properly exercised their redemption rights (“Instruction Letter”). You are hereby directed and authorized to transfer the funds held in the Trust Account immediately upon your receipt of the Notification and the Instruction Letter, in accordance with the terms of the Instruction Letter. In the event that certain deposits held in the Trust Account may not be liquidated by the Consummation Date without penalty, you will notify the Company in writing of the same and the Company shall direct you as to whether such funds should remain in the Trust Account and be distributed after the Consummation Date to the Company. Upon the distribution of all the funds in the Trust Account, your obligations under the Trust Agreement shall be terminated.
In the event that the Business Combination is not consummated on the Consummation Date described in the notice thereof and we have not notified you on or before the original Consummation Date of a new Consummation Date, then upon receipt by the you of written instructions from the Company, the funds held in the Trust Account shall be reinvested as provided in the Trust Agreement on the business day immediately following the Consummation Date as set forth in such notice as soon thereafter as possible.
[Signature Page Follows]
| Very truly yours, | |||
| ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP. | |||
| By: | |||
| Name: | |||
| Title: | |||
| AGREED TO AND ACKNOWLEDGED BY: | ||
| ROTH CAPITAL PARTNERS, LLC | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
EXHIBIT B
[Letterhead of Company]
[Insert date]
Odyssey Transfer & Trust Company
860 Blue Gentian Rd, Suite 320
Eagan, MN 55121
Attn: Bob Winterle
| Re: | Trust Account - Termination Letter |
Dear Mr. Winterle:
Pursuant to Section 1(i) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement between ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) and Odyssey Transfer & Trust Company, dated as of [ ], 2026 (the “Trust Agreement”), this is to advise you that the Company has been unable to effect a Business Combination with a target business within the time frame specified in the Company’s MAA, as described in the Company’s prospectus relating to its IPO. Capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust Agreement.
In accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, we hereby authorize you to liquidate all of the assets in the Trust Account and transfer the total proceeds into a segregated account held by you on behalf of the Beneficiaries to await distribution to the Public Shareholders, less taxes payable and up to $100,000 to cover dissolution expenses of the Company. In accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, you are hereby directed and authorized to transfer (via wire transfer) such $ promptly upon your receipt of this letter to the Company’s operating account at:
[WIRE INSTRUCTION INFORMATION]
The Company has selected [●] as the effective date for the purpose of determining when the Public Shareholders will be entitled to receive their share of the liquidation proceeds. You agree to be the Paying Agent of record and in your separate capacity as Paying Agent, agree to distribute said funds directly to the Public Shareholders in accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement and the Company’s MAA. Upon the distribution of all the funds in the Trust Account, your obligations under the Trust Agreement shall be terminated.
| Very truly yours, | ||
| ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP. | ||
| By: |
|
|
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
| cc: | ROTH CAPITAL PARTNERS, LLC |
EXHIBIT C
[Letterhead of Company]
[Insert date]
Odyssey Transfer & Trust Company
860 Blue Gentian Rd, Suite 320
Eagan, MN 55121
Attn: Bob Winterle
| Re: | Trust Account - Shareholder Redemption Withdrawal Instruction |
Dear Mr. Winterle:
Pursuant to Section 1(j) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement between ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) and Odyssey Transfer & Trust Company, dated as of [ ], 2026 (the “Trust Agreement”), this is to inform you that in connection with the shareholder vote to approve an Amendment to the Company’s MAA, Public Shareholders holding [ ] Ordinary Shares have properly requested redemption of such shares for their pro rata portion of the Property held in the Trust Account. Capitalized words used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Trust Agreement.
In accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, we hereby authorize you to liquidate such investments in the Trust Account on [ , 20 ], as required to pay an aggregate of $[ ], or $[ ] per share, to the Public Shareholders that have properly requested redemption of their Ordinary Shares for their pro rata portion of the Property held in Trust Account and to transfer the total proceeds into the trust operating account at [●] to await distribution to such Public Shareholders. You agree to be the Paying Agent of record and, in your separate capacity as Paying Agent, agree to distribute said funds directly to the Public Shareholders that have properly requested redemption of their Ordinary Shares in accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement and the Company’s MAA.
| Very truly yours, | ||
| ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP. | ||
| By: |
|
|
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
| cc: | ROTH CAPITAL PARTNERS, LLC |
EXHIBIT D
[Letterhead of Company]
[Insert date]
Odyssey Transfer & Trust Company
860 Blue Gentian Rd, Suite 320
Eagan, MN 55121
Attn: Bob Winterle
| Re: | Trust Account - Tax Withdrawal Instruction |
Dear Mr. Winterle:
Pursuant to Section 2(a) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement between ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) and Odyssey Transfer & Trust Company, dated as of [ ], 2026 (“Trust Agreement”), the Company hereby requests that you deliver to the Company $[ ] of the interest income earned on the Property as of the date hereof. Capitalized words used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Trust Agreement.
The Company needs such funds to pay for the tax obligations as set forth on the attached tax return or tax statement. In accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, you are hereby directed and authorized to transfer (via wire transfer) such funds promptly upon your receipt of this letter to the Company’s operating account at:
[WIRE INSTRUCTION INFORMATION]
| Very truly yours, | ||
| ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP. | ||
| By: |
|
|
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
| cc: | ROTH CAPITAL PARTNERS, LLC |
Exhibit 10.3
REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT
THIS REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”), dated as of [●], 2026, is made and entered into by and among ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), Union Street Sponsor, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”) and the other parties listed on the signature page hereto under the heading “Holder” (each such party, together with the Sponsor and any person or entity who hereafter becomes a party to this Agreement pursuant to Section 5.2 of this Agreement, a “Holder” and collectively, the “Holders”).
RECITALS
WHEREAS, the Company has 7,666,667 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Founder Shares”), issued and outstanding, up to 1,000,000 of which will be surrendered to the Company for no consideration depending on the extent to which the underwriters of the Company’s initial public offering (“IPO”) exercise their over-allotment option;
WHEREAS, the Founder Shares are convertible into Class A ordinary shares of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Ordinary Shares”), on the terms and conditions provided in the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association;
WHEREAS, on the date hereof, the Company and the Sponsor entered into that certain Sponsor Private Placement Units Purchase Agreement (the “Sponsor Private Placement Units Purchase Agreement”), pursuant to which the Sponsor agreed to purchase an aggregate of 435,000 private placement units at a price of $10.00 per unit in a private placement transaction occurring simultaneously with the closing of the Company’s IPO; each such unit (a “Private Placement Unit”) comprises of one Ordinary Share and one-half of one redeemable warrant, with each whole warrant exercisable to purchase one Ordinary Share at $11.50 per share;
WHEREAS, on the date hereof, the Company and the Representative entered into that certain Representative Private Placement Units Purchase Agreement (the “Representative Private Placement Units Purchase Agreement” and together with the Sponsor Private Placement Units Purchase Agreement, the “Private Placement Units Purchase Agreements”), pursuant to which the Representative or its designees agreed to purchase an aggregate of 50,000 Private Placement Units at a price of $10.00 per unit in a private placement transaction occurring simultaneously with the closing of the Company’s IPO;
WHEREAS, in order to finance the Company’s transaction costs in connection with its search for and consummation of an initial Business Combination (as defined below), the Sponsor, its affiliates or any of the Company’s officers and directors may loan to the Company funds as the Company may require, of which up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into additional units (“Working Capital Units”) at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender, which will be identical to the Private Placement Units and their constituent securities; and
WHEREAS, the Company and the Holders desire to enter into this Agreement, pursuant to which the Company shall grant the Holders certain registration rights with respect to certain securities of the Company, as set forth in this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the representations, covenants and agreements contained herein, and certain other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, hereby agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
| 1.1 | Definitions. The terms defined in this ARTICLE I shall, for all purposes of this Agreement, have the respective meanings set forth below: |
“Adverse Disclosure” shall mean any public disclosure of material non-public information, which disclosure, in the good faith judgment of the principal executive officer or principal financial officer of the Company, after consultation with counsel to the Company, (i) would be required to be made in any Registration Statement or Prospectus in order for the applicable Registration Statement or Prospectus not to contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements contained therein (in the case of any prospectus and any preliminary prospectus, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading, (ii) would not be required to be made at such time if the Registration Statement were not being filed, and (iii) the Company has a bona fide business purpose for not making such information public.
“Agreement” shall have the meaning given in the Preamble.
“Board” shall mean the Board of Directors of the Company.
“Business Combination” shall mean any merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or other similar business combination involving the Company and one or more businesses or entities.
“Commission” shall mean the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Company” shall have the meaning given in the Preamble.
“Demand Registration” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.1.
“Demanding Holder” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.1.
“Exchange Act” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as it may be amended from time to time.
“Form S-1” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.1.
“Form S-3” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.3.
2
“Founder Shares” shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto and shall be deemed to include the Ordinary Shares issuable upon conversion thereof.
“Founder Shares Lock-up Period” shall mean, with respect to the Founder Shares and any Ordinary Shares issuable upon conversion thereof, the period ending on the earlier of (i) six months after the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination or earlier if, subsequent to the completion of the Business Combination, the closing price of the Ordinary Shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share consolidations, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 30 days after the Company’s initial Business Combination and (ii) subsequent to the initial Business Combination, the date on which the Company completes a subsequent liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of the Company’s shareholders having the right to exchange their Ordinary Shares for cash, securities or other property.
“Holders” shall have the meaning given in the Preamble.
“Insider Letter” shall mean that certain letter agreement, dated as of the date hereof, by and among the Company, the Sponsor and each of the Company’s officers and directors.
“Maximum Number of Securities” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.4.
“Misstatement” shall mean an untrue statement of a material fact or an omission to state a material fact required to be stated in a Registration Statement or Prospectus, or necessary to make the statements in a Registration Statement or Prospectus (in the case of a Prospectus, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading.
“Ordinary Shares” shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.
“Permitted Transferees” shall mean any person or entity to whom a Holder of Registrable Securities is permitted to transfer such Registrable Securities prior to the expiration of the Founder Shares Lock-up Period, the Private Placement Lock-up Period or any other lock-up period, as the case may be, under the Insider Letter, the Private Placement Units Purchase Agreements and any other applicable agreement between such Holder and the Company, and to any transferee thereafter.
“Piggyback Registration” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.2.1.
“Private Placement Lock-up Period” shall mean, with respect to Private Placement Units (including the securities comprising such units and the Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants), that are held by the initial purchasers of such Private Placement Units or their Permitted Transferees, the period ending 30 days after the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination.
“Private Placement Units” shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.
“Pro Rata” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.4.
3
“Prospectus” shall mean the prospectus included in any Registration Statement, as supplemented by any and all prospectus supplements and as amended by any and all post-effective amendments and including all material incorporated by reference in such prospectus.
“Registrable Security” shall mean (a) the Founder Shares (including any Ordinary Shares or other equivalent equity security issued or issuable upon the conversion of any of the Founder Shares or exercisable for Ordinary Shares), (b) the Private Placement Units (including the securities comprising such units and the Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants comprising part of such units), (c) any outstanding Ordinary Shares or any other equity security (including the Ordinary Shares issued or issuable upon the exercise of any other equity security) of the Company held by a Holder as of the date of this Agreement or acquired by a Holder prior to the consummation of the Business Combination, (d) any equity securities (including the Ordinary Shares issued or issuable upon the exercise of any such equity security) of the Company issuable upon conversion of any working capital loans in an amount up to $1,500,000 made to the Company by a Holder (including the Working Capital Units (including the securities comprising such units and the Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants comprising such units)), (e) any equity securities (including the Ordinary Shares issued or issuable upon the exercise of any such equity security) of the Company held by a Holder on or after the date of the Business Combination to the extent that such securities are “restricted securities” (as defined in Rule 144) or are otherwise held by an “affiliate” (as defined in Rule 144) of the Company and (f) any other equity security of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or any successor, issued or issuable with respect to any such Ordinary Share by way of a share capitalization or share sub-division or in connection with a combination of shares, recapitalization, merger, consolidation or reorganization; provided, however, that, as to any particular Registrable Security, such securities shall cease to be Registrable Securities when: (A) a Registration Statement with respect to the sale of such securities shall have become effective under the Securities Act and such securities shall have been sold, transferred, disposed of or exchanged in accordance with such Registration Statement; (B) such securities shall have been otherwise transferred, new certificates for such securities not bearing a legend restricting further transfer shall have been delivered by the Company and subsequent public distribution of such securities shall not require registration under the Securities Act; (C) such securities shall have ceased to be outstanding; (D) such securities have been sold without registration pursuant to Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act (or any successor rule promulgated thereafter by the Commission) (but with no volume or other restrictions or limitations including as to manner or timing of sale or current public information requirements); or (E) such securities have been sold to, or through, a broker, dealer or underwriter in a public distribution or other public securities transaction.
“Registration” shall mean a registration effected by preparing and filing a registration statement or similar document in compliance with the requirements of the Securities Act, and the applicable rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, and such registration statement becoming effective.
“Registration Expenses” shall mean the out-of-pocket expenses of a Registration, including, without limitation, the following:
4
(A) all registration and filing fees (including fees with respect to filings required to be made with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. and any securities exchange on which the Ordinary Shares are then listed);
(B) fees and expenses of compliance with securities or blue sky laws (including reasonable fees and disbursements of outside counsel for the Underwriters in connection with blue sky qualifications of Registrable Securities);
(C) printing, messenger, telephone and delivery expenses;
(D) reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Company;
(E) reasonable fees and disbursements of all independent registered public accountants of the Company incurred specifically in connection with such Registration; and
(F) reasonable fees and expenses of one (1) legal counsel selected by the majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders initiating a Demand Registration to be registered for offer and sale in the applicable Registration.
“Registration Statement” shall mean any registration statement that covers the Registrable Securities pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement, including the Prospectus included in such registration statement, amendments (including post-effective amendments) and supplements to such registration statement, and all exhibits to and all material incorporated by reference in such registration statement.
“Representative” shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.
“Representative Private Placement Units Purchase Agreement” shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.
“Requesting Holder” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.1.
“Securities Act” shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time.
“Shelf” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.3.1.
“Sponsor” shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.
“Sponsor Private Placement Units Purchase Agreement” shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.
“Subsequent Shelf Registration” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.3.2.
“Takedown Requesting Holder” shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.3.3.
“Underwriter” shall mean a securities dealer who purchases any Registrable Securities as principal in an Underwritten Offering and not as part of such dealer’s market-making activities.
5
“Underwritten Registration” or “Underwritten Offering” shall mean a Registration in which securities of the Company are sold to an Underwriter in a firm commitment underwriting for distribution to the public.
ARTICLE II
REGISTRATIONS
| 2.1 | Demand Registration. |
| 2.1.1 | Request for Registration. Subject to the provisions of subsection 2.1.4 and Section 2.4 hereof, at any time and from time to time on or after the date the Company consummates the Business Combination, (i) the Holders of at least a majority of the then-outstanding number of Registrable Securities or (ii) the Representative or its designees or Permitted Transferees (the “Demanding Holders”) may make a written demand for Registration of all or part of their Registrable Securities, which written demand shall describe the amount and type of securities to be included in such Registration and the intended method(s) of distribution thereof (such written demand a “Demand Registration”). The Company shall, within ten (10) days of the Company’s receipt of the Demand Registration, notify, in writing, all other Holders of Registrable Securities of such demand, and each Holder of Registrable Securities who thereafter wishes to include all or a portion of such Holder’s Registrable Securities in a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration (each such Holder that includes all or a portion of such Holder’s Registrable Securities in such Registration, a “Requesting Holder”) shall so notify the Company, in writing, within five (5) days after the receipt by the Holder of the notice from the Company. Upon receipt by the Company of any such written notification from a Requesting Holder(s) to the Company, such Requesting Holder(s) shall be entitled to have their Registrable Securities included in a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration and the Company shall effect, as soon thereafter as practicable, but not more than forty-five (45) days immediately after the Company’s receipt of the Demand Registration, the Registration of all Registrable Securities requested by the Demanding Holders and Requesting Holders pursuant to such Demand Registration. Under no circumstances shall the Company be obligated to effect more than an aggregate of three (3) Registrations pursuant to a Demand Registration under this subsection 2.1.1 with respect to any or all Registrable Securities, including one (1) Demand Registration on behalf of the Representative or its designees or Permitted Transferees; provided, however, that a Registration shall not be counted for such purposes unless a Form S-1 or any similar long-form registration statement that may be available at such time (“Form S-1”) has become effective and all of the Registrable Securities requested by the Requesting Holders to be registered on behalf of the Requesting Holders in such Form S-1 Registration have been sold, in accordance with Section 3.1 of this Agreement; provided, further, that an Underwritten Shelf Takedown shall not count as a Demand Registration. |
| 2.1.2 | Effective Registration. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection 2.1.1 above or any other part of this Agreement, a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration shall not count as a Registration unless and until (i) the Registration Statement filed with the Commission with respect to a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration has been declared effective by the Commission and (ii) the Company has complied with all of its obligations under this Agreement with respect thereto; provided, further, that if, after such Registration Statement has been declared effective, an offering of Registrable Securities in a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration is subsequently interfered with by any stop order or injunction of the Commission, federal or state court or any other governmental agency the Registration Statement with respect to such Registration shall be deemed not to have been declared effective, unless and until, (i) such stop order or injunction is removed, rescinded or otherwise terminated, and (ii) a majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders initiating such Demand Registration thereafter affirmatively elect to continue with such Registration and accordingly notify the Company in writing, but in no event later than five (5) days, of such election; and provided, further, that the Company shall not be obligated or required to file another Registration Statement until the Registration Statement that has been previously filed with respect to a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration becomes effective or is subsequently terminated. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Representative may not exercise its demand registration rights after five (5) years from the commencement of sales in the Company’s IPO, and may not exercise its demand rights on more than one occasion. |
6
| 2.1.3 | Underwritten Offering. Subject to the provisions of subsection 2.1.4 and Section 2.4 hereof, if a majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders so advise the Company as part of their Demand Registration that the offering of the Registrable Securities pursuant to such Demand Registration shall be in the form of an Underwritten Offering, then the right of such Demanding Holder or Requesting Holder (if any) to include its Registrable Securities in such Registration shall be conditioned upon such Holder’s participation in such Underwritten Offering and the inclusion of such Holder’s Registrable Securities in such Underwritten Offering to the extent provided herein. All such Holders proposing to distribute their Registrable Securities through an Underwritten Offering under this subsection 2.1.3 shall enter into an underwriting agreement in customary form with the Underwriter(s) selected for such Underwritten Offering by the majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders initiating the Demand Registration. |
| 2.1.4 | Reduction of Underwritten Offering. If the managing Underwriter or Underwriters in an Underwritten Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration, in good faith, advises the Company, the Demanding Holders and the Requesting Holders (if any) in writing that the dollar amount or number of Registrable Securities that the Demanding Holders and the Requesting Holders (if any) desire to sell, taken together with all other Ordinary Shares or other equity securities that the Company desires to sell and the Ordinary Shares, if any, as to which a Registration has been requested pursuant to separate written contractual piggy-back registration rights held by any other shareholders who desire to sell, exceeds the maximum dollar amount or maximum number of equity securities that can be sold in the Underwritten Offering without adversely affecting the proposed offering price, the timing, the distribution method, or the probability of success of such offering (such maximum dollar amount or maximum number of such securities, as applicable, the “Maximum Number of Securities”), then the Company shall include in such Underwritten Offering, as follows: (i) first, the Registrable Securities of the Demanding Holders and the Requesting Holders (if any) (pro rata based on the respective number of Registrable Securities that each Demanding Holder and Requesting Holder (if any) has requested be included in such Underwritten Registration and the aggregate number of Registrable Securities that the Demanding Holders and Requesting Holders have requested be included in such Underwritten Registration (such proportion is referred to herein as “Pro Rata”)) that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; (ii) second, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clause (i), the Registrable Securities of Holders (Pro Rata based on the respective number of Registrable Securities that each Holder has so requested) exercising their rights to register their Registrable Securities pursuant to subsection 2.2.1 hereof, without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; and (iii) third, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (i) and (ii), the Ordinary Shares or other equity securities that the Company desires to sell, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; and (iv) fourth, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (i), (ii) and (iii), the Ordinary Shares or other equity securities of other persons or entities that the Company is obligated to register in a Registration pursuant to separate written contractual arrangements with such persons and that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities. |
7
| 2.1.5 | Demand Registration Withdrawal. A majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders initiating a Demand Registration or a majority-in-interest of the Requesting Holders (if any), pursuant to a Registration under subsection 2.1.1 shall have the right to withdraw from a Registration pursuant to such Demand Registration for any or no reason whatsoever upon written notification to the Company and the Underwriter or Underwriters (if any) of their intention to withdraw from such Registration prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement filed with the Commission with respect to the Registration of their Registrable Securities pursuant to such Demand Registration. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the Company shall be responsible for the Registration Expenses incurred in connection with a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration prior to its withdrawal under this subsection 2.1.5. |
| 2.2 | Piggyback Registration. |
| 2.2.1 | Piggyback Rights. If, at any time on or after the date the Company consummates a Business Combination, the Company proposes to file a Registration Statement under the Securities Act with respect to an offering of equity securities, or securities or other obligations exercisable or exchangeable for, or convertible into equity securities, for its own account or for the account of shareholders of the Company (or by the Company and by the shareholders of the Company including, without limitation, pursuant to Section 2.1 hereof), other than a Registration Statement (i) filed in connection with any employee share option or other benefit plan, (ii) for an exchange offer or offering of securities solely to the Company’s existing shareholders, (iii) for an offering of debt that is convertible into equity securities of the Company or (iv) for a dividend reinvestment plan, then the Company shall give written notice of such proposed filing to all of the Holders of Registrable Securities as soon as practicable but not less than ten (10) days before the anticipated filing date of such Registration Statement, which notice shall (A) describe the amount and type of securities to be included in such offering, the intended method(s) of distribution, and the name of the proposed managing Underwriter or Underwriters, if any, in such offering, and (B) offer to all of the Holders of Registrable Securities the opportunity to register the sale of such number of Registrable Securities as such Holders may request in writing within five (5) days after receipt of such written notice (such Registration a “Piggyback Registration”). The Company shall, in good faith, cause such Registrable Securities to be included in such Piggyback Registration and shall use its best efforts to cause the managing Underwriter or Underwriters of a proposed Underwritten Offering to permit the Registrable Securities requested by the Holders pursuant to this subsection 2.2.1 to be included in a Piggyback Registration on the same terms and conditions as any similar securities of the Company included in such Registration and to permit the sale or other disposition of such Registrable Securities in accordance with the intended method(s) of distribution thereof. All such Holders proposing to distribute their Registrable Securities through an Underwritten Offering under this subsection 2.2.1 shall enter into an underwriting agreement in customary form with the Underwriter(s) selected for such Underwritten Offering by the Company. The notice periods set forth in this subsection 2.2.1 shall not apply to an Underwritten Shelf Takedown conducted in accordance with subsection 2.3.3. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Representative may not exercise its “piggyback” registration rights after seven (7) years from the commencement of sales in the Company’s IPO. |
8
| 2.2.2 | Reduction of Piggyback Registration. If the managing Underwriter or Underwriters in an Underwritten Registration that is to be a Piggyback Registration (other than an Underwritten Shelf Takedown), in good faith, advises the Company and the Holders of Registrable Securities participating in the Piggyback Registration in writing that the dollar amount or number of Ordinary Shares that the Company desires to sell, taken together with (i) the Ordinary Shares, if any, as to which Registration has been demanded pursuant to separate written contractual arrangements with persons or entities other than the Holders of Registrable Securities hereunder, (ii) the Registrable Securities as to which registration has been requested pursuant to Section 2.2 hereof, and (iii) the Ordinary Shares, if any, as to which Registration has been requested pursuant to separate written contractual piggy-back registration rights of other shareholders of the Company, exceeds the Maximum Number of Securities, then: |
| (a) | If the Registration is undertaken for the Company’s account, the Company shall include in any such Registration (A) first, the Ordinary Shares or other equity securities that the Company desires to sell, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; (B) second, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clause (A), the Registrable Securities of Holders exercising their rights to register their Registrable Securities pursuant to subsection 2.2.1 hereof (Pro Rata based on the respective number of Registrable Securities that such Holder has requested be included in such Registration), which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; and (C) third, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (A) and (B), the Ordinary Shares, if any, as to which Registration has been requested pursuant to written contractual piggy-back registration rights of other shareholders of the Company, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; |
| (b) | If the Registration is pursuant to a request by persons or entities other than the Holders of Registrable Securities, then the Company shall include in any such Registration (A) first, the Ordinary Shares or other equity securities, if any, of such requesting persons or entities, other than the Holders of Registrable Securities, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; (B) second, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clause (A), the Registrable Securities of Holders exercising their rights to register their Registrable Securities pursuant to subsection 2.2.1, Pro Rata based on the respective number of Registrable Securities that each Holder has requested be included in such Registration and the aggregate number of Registrable Securities that the Holders have requested to be included in such Registration, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; (C) third, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (A) and (B), the Ordinary Shares or other equity securities that the Company desires to sell, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; and (D) fourth, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (A), (B) and (C), the Ordinary Shares or other equity securities for the account of other persons or entities that the Company is obligated to register pursuant to separate written contractual arrangements with such persons or entities, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities. |
9
| 2.2.3 | Piggyback Registration Withdrawal. Any Holder of Registrable Securities shall have the right to withdraw from a Piggyback Registration for any or no reason whatsoever upon written notification to the Company and the Underwriter or Underwriters (if any) of his, her or its intention to withdraw from such Piggyback Registration prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement filed with the Commission with respect to such Piggyback Registration. The Company (whether on its own good faith determination or as the result of a request for withdrawal by persons pursuant to separate written contractual obligations) may withdraw a Registration Statement filed with the Commission in connection with a Piggyback Registration at any time prior to the effectiveness of such Registration Statement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the Company shall be responsible for the Registration Expenses incurred in connection with the Piggyback Registration prior to its withdrawal under this subsection 2.2.3. |
| 2.2.4 | Unlimited Piggyback Registration Rights. For purposes of clarity, any Registration effected pursuant to Section 2.2 hereof shall not be counted as a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration effected under Section 2.1 hereof. |
| 2.3 | Shelf Registration. |
| 2.3.1 | The Holders of Registrable Securities may at any time, and from time to time, request in writing that the Company, pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act (or any successor rule promulgated thereafter by the Commission), register the resale of any or all of their Registrable Securities on Form S-3 or any similar short form registration statement that may be available at such time (“Form S-3”), or if the Company is ineligible to use Form S-3, on Form S-1; a registration statement filed pursuant to this subsection 2.3.1 (a “Shelf”) shall provide for the resale of the Registrable Securities included therein pursuant to any method or combination of methods legally available to, and requested by, any Holder. Within five (5) days of the Company’s receipt of a written request from a Holder or Holders of Registrable Securities for a Registration on a Shelf, the Company shall promptly give written notice of the proposed Registration to all other Holders of Registrable Securities, and each Holder of Registrable Securities who thereafter wishes to include all or a portion of such Holder’s Registrable Securities in such Registration shall so notify the Company, in writing, within ten (10) days after the receipt by the Holder of the notice from the Company. As soon as practicable thereafter, but not more than twelve (12) days after the Company’s initial receipt of such written request for a Registration on a Shelf, the Company shall register all or such portion of such Holder’s Registrable Securities as are specified in such written request, together with all or such portion of Registrable Securities of any other Holder or Holders joining in such request as are specified in the written notification given by such Holder or Holders; provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to effect any such Registration pursuant to this subsection 2.3.1 if the Holders of Registrable Securities, together with the Holders of any other equity securities of the Company entitled to inclusion in such Registration, propose to sell the Registrable Securities and such other equity securities (if any) at any aggregate price to the public of less than $5,000,000. The Company shall maintain each Shelf in accordance with the terms hereof, and shall prepare and file with the Commission such amendments, including post-effective amendments, and supplements as may be necessary to keep such Shelf continuously effective, available for use and in compliance with the provisions of the Securities Act until such time as there are no longer any Registrable Securities included on such Shelf. In the event the Company files a Shelf on Form S-1, the Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to convert the Form S-1 to a Form S-3 as soon as practicable after the Company is eligible to use Form S-3. |
10
| 2.3.2 | If any Shelf ceases to be effective under the Securities Act for any reason at any time while Registrable Securities included thereon are still outstanding, the Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to as promptly as is reasonably practicable cause such Shelf to again become effective under the Securities Act (including obtaining the prompt withdrawal of any order suspending the effectiveness of such Shelf), and shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to as promptly as is reasonably practicable amend such Shelf in a manner reasonably expected to result in the withdrawal of any order suspending the effectiveness of such Shelf or file an additional registration statement (a “Subsequent Shelf Registration”) registering the resale of all Registrable Securities including on such Shelf, and pursuant to any method or combination of methods legally available to, and requested by, any Holder. If a Subsequent Shelf Registration is filed, the Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to (i) cause such Subsequent Shelf Registration to become effective under the Securities Act as promptly as is reasonably practicable after the filing thereof and (ii) keep such Subsequent Shelf Registration continuously effective, available for use and in compliance with the provisions of the Securities Act until such time as there are no longer any Registrable Securities included thereon. Any such Subsequent Shelf Registration shall be on Form S-3 to the extent that the Company is eligible to use such form. Otherwise, such Subsequent Shelf Registration shall be on another appropriate form. In the event that any Holder holds Registrable Securities that are not registered for resale on a delayed or continuous basis, the Company, upon request of a Holder shall promptly use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the resale of such Registrable Securities to be covered by either, at the Company’s option, a Shelf (including by means of a post-effective amendment) or a Subsequent Shelf Registration and cause the same to become effective as soon as practicable after such filing and such Shelf or Subsequent Shelf Registration shall be subject to the terms hereof; provided, however, the Company shall only be required to cause such Registrable Securities to be so covered once annually after inquiry of the Holders. |
| 2.3.3 | At any time and from time to time after a Shelf has been declared effective by the Commission, each of the Sponsor and the Representative may request to sell all or any portion of its Registrable Securities in an underwritten offering that is registered pursuant to the Shelf (each, an “Underwritten Shelf Takedown”); provided that the Company shall only be obligated to effect an Underwritten Shelf Takedown if such offering shall include securities with a total offering price (including piggyback securities and before deduction of underwriting discounts) reasonably expected to exceed, in the aggregate, $5,000,000. All requests for Underwritten Shelf Takedowns shall be made by giving written notice to the Company at least 48 hours prior to the public announcement of such Underwritten Shelf Takedown, which shall specify the approximate number of Registrable Securities proposed to be sold in the Underwritten Shelf Takedown and the expected price range (net of underwriting discounts and commissions) of such Underwritten Shelf Takedown. The Company shall include in any Underwritten Shelf Takedown the securities requested to be included by any holder (each a “Takedown Requesting Holder”) at least 24 hours prior to the public announcement of such Underwritten Shelf Takedown pursuant to written contractual piggyback registration rights of such holder (including to those set forth herein). The Sponsor shall have the right to select the underwriter(s) for such offering (which shall consist of one or more reputable nationally recognized investment banks), subject to the Company’s prior approval which shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed. For purposes of clarity, any Registration effected pursuant to this subsection 2.3.3 shall not be counted as a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration effected under Section 2.1 hereof. |
| 2.3.4 | If the managing Underwriter or Underwriters in an Underwritten Shelf Takedown, in good faith, advises the Company, the Sponsor, the Representative and the Takedown Requesting Holders (if any) in writing that the dollar amount or number of Registrable Securities that the Sponsor, the Representative and the Takedown Requesting Holders (if any) desire to sell, taken together with all other Ordinary Shares or other equity securities that the Company desires to sell, exceeds the Maximum Number of Securities, then the Company shall include in such Underwritten Shelf Takedown, as follows: (i) first, the Registrable Securities of the Sponsor and the Representative that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities, determined Pro Rata based on the respective number of Registrable Securities that each such Holder has so requested to be included in such Underwritten Shelf Takedown; (ii) second, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clause (i), the Ordinary Shares or other equity securities that the Company desires to sell, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; and (iii) third, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (i) and (ii), the Ordinary Shares or other equity securities of the Takedown Requesting Holders, if any, that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities, determined Pro Rata based on the respective number of Registrable Securities that each Takedown Requesting Holder has so requested to be included in such Underwritten Shelf Takedown. |
11
| 2.3.5 | The Sponsor and Representative shall have the right to withdraw from an Underwritten Shelf Takedown for any or no reason whatsoever upon written notification to the Company and the Underwriter or Underwriters (if any) of its intention to withdraw from such Underwritten Shelf Takedown prior to the public announcement of such Underwritten Shelf Takedown. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the Company shall be responsible for the Registration Expenses incurred in connection with an Underwritten Shelf Takedown prior to a withdrawal under this subsection 2.3.5. |
| 2.4 | Restrictions on Registration Rights. If (A) during the period starting with the date sixty (60) days prior to the Company’s good faith estimate of the date of the filing of, and ending on a date one hundred and twenty (120) days after the effective date of, a Company initiated Registration and provided that the Company has delivered written notice to the Holders prior to receipt of a Demand Registration pursuant to subsection 2.1.1 and it continues to actively employ, in good faith, all reasonable efforts to cause the applicable Registration Statement to become effective; (B) the Holders have requested an Underwritten Registration and the Company and the Holders are unable to obtain the commitment of underwriters to firmly underwrite the offer; or (C) in the good faith judgment of the Board such Registration would be seriously detrimental to the Company and the Board concludes as a result that it is essential to defer the filing of such Registration Statement at such time, then in each case the Company shall furnish to such Holders a certificate signed by the Chairperson of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer or the Chief Financial Officer stating that in the good faith judgment of the Board it would be seriously detrimental to the Company for such Registration Statement to be filed in the near future and that it is therefore essential to defer the filing of such Registration Statement. In such event, the Company shall have the right to defer such filing for a period of not more than thirty (30) days; provided, however, that the Company shall not defer its obligation in this manner more than once in any 12-month period. |
| 2.5 | Legends. In connection with any sale or other disposition of the Registrable Securities by a Holder pursuant to Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act (or any successor rule promulgated thereafter by the Commission) and upon compliance by the Holder with the requirements of this Section 2.5, if requested by the Holder, the Company shall cause the transfer agent for the Registrable Securities (the “Transfer Agent”) to remove any restrictive legends related to the book entry account holding such Registrable Securities and make a new, unlegended entry for such book entry shares sold or disposed of without restrictive legends within two (2) trading days of any such request therefor from the Holder; provided that the Company and the Transfer Agent have timely received from the Holder customary representations and other documentation reasonably acceptable to the Company and the Transfer Agent in connection therewith. Subject to receipt from the Holder by the Company and the Transfer Agent of customary representations and other documentation reasonably acceptable to the Company and the Transfer Agent in connection therewith, the Holder may request that the Company remove any legend from the book entry position evidencing its Registrable Securities and the Company will, if required by the Transfer Agent, use its commercially reasonable efforts cause an opinion of the Company’s counsel be provided, in a form reasonably acceptable to the Transfer Agent, to the effect that the removal of such restrictive legends in such circumstances may be effected under the Securities Act, following the earliest of such time as such Registrable Securities (i) are subject to or have been or are about to be sold pursuant to an effective registration statement or (ii) have been or are about to be sold pursuant to Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act (or any successor rule promulgated thereafter by the Commission). If restrictive legends are no longer required for such Registrable Securities pursuant to the foregoing, the Company shall, in accordance with the provisions of this section and within two (2) trading days of any request therefor from the Holder accompanied by such customary and reasonably acceptable representations and other documentation referred to above establishing that restrictive legends are no longer required, deliver to the Transfer Agent irrevocable instructions that the Transfer Agent shall make a new, unlegended entry for such book entry shares. The Company shall be responsible for the fees of its Transfer Agent, its legal counsel and all DTC fees associated with such issuance. |
12
ARTICLE III
COMPANY PROCEDURES
| 3.1 | General Procedures. If at any time on or after the date the Company consummates a Business Combination the Company is required to effect the Registration of Registrable Securities, the Company shall use its best efforts to effect such Registration to permit the sale of such Registrable Securities in accordance with the intended plan of distribution thereof, and pursuant thereto the Company shall, as expeditiously as possible: |
| 3.1.1 | prepare and file with the Commission as soon as practicable a Registration Statement with respect to such Registrable Securities and use its reasonable best efforts to cause such Registration Statement to become effective and remain effective until all Registrable Securities covered by such Registration Statement have been sold; |
| 3.1.2 | prepare and file with the Commission such amendments and post-effective amendments to the Registration Statement, and such supplements to the Prospectus, as may be requested by the Holders with Registrable Securities registered on such Registration Statement or any Underwriter of Registrable Securities or as may be required by the rules, regulations or instructions applicable to the registration form used by the Company or by the Securities Act or rules and regulations thereunder to keep the Registration Statement effective until all Registrable Securities covered by such Registration Statement are sold in accordance with the intended plan of distribution set forth in such Registration Statement or supplement to the Prospectus; |
| 3.1.3 | prior to filing a Registration Statement or prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, furnish without charge to the Underwriters, if any, and the Holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration, and such Holders’ and Underwriters’ legal counsel, copies of such Registration Statement as proposed to be filed, each amendment and supplement to such Registration Statement (in each case including all exhibits thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein), the Prospectus included in such Registration Statement (including each preliminary Prospectus), and such other documents as the Underwriters and the Holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration or the legal counsel for any such Holders and Underwriters may request in order to facilitate the disposition of the Registrable Securities owned by such Holders; |
13
| 3.1.4 | prior to any public offering of Registrable Securities, use its best efforts to (i) register or qualify the Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement under such securities or “blue sky” laws of such jurisdictions in the United States as the Holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement (in light of their intended plan of distribution) may request and (ii) take such action necessary to cause such Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement to be registered with or approved by such other governmental authorities as may be necessary by virtue of the business and operations of the Company and do any and all other acts and things that may be necessary or advisable to enable the Holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement to consummate the disposition of such Registrable Securities in such jurisdictions; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to qualify generally to do business in any jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to qualify or take any action to which it would be subject to general service of process or taxation in any such jurisdiction where it is not then otherwise so subject; |
| 3.1.5 | cause all such Registrable Securities to be listed on each securities exchange or automated quotation system on which similar securities issued by the Company are then listed; |
| 3.1.6 | provide a transfer agent or warrant agent, as applicable, and registrar for all such Registrable Securities no later than the effective date of such Registration Statement; |
| 3.1.7 | advise each seller of such Registrable Securities, promptly after it shall receive notice or obtain knowledge thereof, of the issuance of any stop order by the Commission suspending the effectiveness of such Registration Statement or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose and promptly use its reasonable best efforts to prevent the issuance of any stop order or to obtain its withdrawal if such stop order should be issued; |
| 3.1.8 | at least five (5) days prior to the filing of any Registration Statement or Prospectus or any amendment or supplement to such Registration Statement or Prospectus, furnish a copy thereof to each seller of such Registrable Securities and its counsel, including, without limitation, providing copies promptly upon receipt of any comment letters received with respect to any such Registration Statement or Prospectus; |
| 3.1.9 | notify the Holders at any time when a Prospectus relating to such Registration Statement is required to be delivered under the Securities Act, of the happening of any event as a result of which the Prospectus included in such Registration Statement, as then in effect, includes a Misstatement, and then to correct such Misstatement as set forth in Section 3.4 hereof; |
| 3.1.10 | permit a representative of the Holders (such representative to be selected by a majority of the participating Holders), the Underwriters, if any, and any attorney or accountant retained by such Holders or Underwriter to participate, at each such person’s own expense, in the preparation of the Registration Statement, and cause the Company’s officers, directors and employees to supply all information reasonably requested by any such representative, Underwriter, attorney or accountant in connection with the Registration; provided, however, that such representatives or Underwriters enter into a confidentiality agreement, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Company, prior to the release or disclosure of any such information; and provided further, the Company may not include the name of any Holder or Underwriter or any information regarding any Holder or Underwriter in any Registration Statement or Prospectus, any amendment or supplement to such Registration Statement or Prospectus, any document that is to be incorporated by reference into such Registration Statement or Prospectus, or any response to any comment letter, without the prior written consent of such Holder or Underwriter and providing each such Holder or Underwriter a reasonable amount of time to review and comment on such applicable document, which comments the Company shall include unless contrary to applicable law; |
14
| 3.1.11 | obtain a “cold comfort” letter from the Company’s independent registered public accountants in the event of an Underwritten Registration which the participating Holders may rely on, in customary form and covering such matters of the type customarily covered by “cold comfort” letters as the managing Underwriter may reasonably request, and reasonably satisfactory to a majority-in-interest of the participating Holders; |
| 3.1.12 | on the date the Registrable Securities are delivered for sale pursuant to such Registration, obtain an opinion, dated such date, of counsel representing the Company for the purposes of such Registration, addressed to the Holders, the placement agent or sales agent, if any, and the Underwriters, if any, covering such legal matters with respect to the Registration in respect of which such opinion is being given as the Holders, placement agent, sales agent, or Underwriter may reasonably request and as are customarily included in such opinions and negative assurance letters, and reasonably satisfactory to a majority in interest of the participating Holders; |
| 3.1.13 | in the event of any Underwritten Offering, enter into and perform its obligations under an underwriting agreement, in usual and customary form, with the managing Underwriter of such offering; |
| 3.1.14 | make available to its security holders, as soon as reasonably practicable, an earnings statement covering the period of at least twelve (12) months beginning with the first day of the Company’s first full calendar quarter after the effective date of the Registration Statement which satisfies the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and Rule 158 thereunder (or any successor rule promulgated thereafter by the Commission); |
| 3.1.15 | if the Registration involves the Registration of Registrable Securities involving gross proceeds in excess of $25,000,000, use its reasonable efforts to make available senior executives of the Company to participate in customary “road show” presentations that may be reasonably requested by the Underwriter in any Underwritten Offering; and |
| 3.1.16 | otherwise, in good faith, cooperate reasonably with, and take such customary actions as may reasonably be requested by the Holders, in connection with such Registration. |
| 3.2 | Registration Expenses. The Registration Expenses of all Registrations shall be borne by the Company. It is acknowledged by the Holders that the Holders shall bear all incremental selling expenses relating to the sale of Registrable Securities, such as Underwriters’ commissions and discounts, brokerage fees, Underwriter marketing costs and, other than as set forth in the definition of “Registration Expenses,” all reasonable fees and expenses of any legal counsel representing the Holders. |
15
| 3.3 | Requirements for Participation in Underwritten Offerings. No person may participate in any Underwritten Offering for equity securities of the Company pursuant to a Registration initiated by the Company hereunder unless such person (i) agrees to sell such person’s securities on the basis provided in any underwriting arrangements approved by the Company and (ii) completes and executes all customary questionnaires, powers of attorney, indemnities, lock-up agreements, underwriting agreements and other customary documents as may be reasonably required under the terms of such underwriting arrangements. |
| 3.4 | Suspension of Sales; Adverse Disclosure. Upon receipt of written notice from the Company that a Registration Statement or Prospectus contains a Misstatement, each of the Holders shall forthwith discontinue disposition of Registrable Securities until he, she or it has received copies of a supplemented or amended Prospectus correcting the Misstatement (it being understood that the Company hereby covenants to prepare and file such supplement or amendment as soon as practicable after the time of such notice), or until he, she or it is advised in writing by the Company that the use of the Prospectus may be resumed. If the filing, initial effectiveness or continued use of a Registration Statement in respect of any Registration at any time would require the Company to make an Adverse Disclosure or would require the inclusion in such Registration Statement of financial statements that are unavailable to the Company for reasons beyond the Company’s control, the Company may, upon giving prompt written notice of such action to the Holders, delay the filing or initial effectiveness of, or suspend use of, such Registration Statement for the shortest period of time, but in no event more than thirty (30) days in any 12-month period, determined in good faith by the Company to be necessary for such purpose. In the event the Company exercises its rights under the preceding sentence, the Holders agree to suspend, immediately upon their receipt of the notice referred to above, their use of the Prospectus relating to any Registration in connection with any sale or offer to sell Registrable Securities. The Company shall immediately notify the Holders of the expiration of any period during which it exercised its rights under this Section 3.4. |
| 3.5 | Reporting Obligations. As long as any Holder shall own Registrable Securities, the Company, at all times while it shall be a reporting company under the Exchange Act, covenants to file timely (or obtain extensions in respect thereof and file within the applicable grace period) all reports required to be filed by the Company after the date hereof pursuant to Sections 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act and to promptly furnish the Holders with true and complete copies of all such filings. The Company further covenants that it shall take such further action as any Holder may reasonably request, all to the extent required from time to time to enable such Holder to sell Ordinary Shares held by such Holder without registration under the Securities Act within the limitation of the exemptions provided by Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act (or any successor rule promulgated thereafter by the Commission), including providing any legal opinions. Upon the request of any Holder, the Company shall deliver to such Holder a written certification of a duly authorized officer as to whether it has complied with such requirements. |
| 3.6 | Limitations on Registration Rights. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Representative or its designees or Permitted Transferees may not exercise their rights under Sections 2.1 and 2.2 hereunder after five (5) and seven (7) years, respectively, from the commencement of sales in the Company’s IPO, respectively. |
16
ARTICLE IV
INDEMNIFICATION AND CONTRIBUTION
| 4.1 | Indemnification. |
| 4.1.1 | The Company agrees to indemnify, to the extent permitted by law and the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, each Holder of Registrable Securities, its officers, employees, affiliates, directors, partners, members, attorneys and agents and each person who controls such Holder (within the meaning of the Securities Act) against all losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) caused by any untrue or alleged untrue statement of material fact contained in any Registration Statement, Prospectus or preliminary Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto or any omission or alleged omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein (in the case of any prospectus and any preliminary prospectus, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading or any violation by the Company of the Securities Act or any rule or regulation promulgated thereunder applicable to the Company and relating to action or inaction required of the Company in connection with any such registration; and the Company shall promptly reimburse the indemnified party for any legal and any other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating and defending any such loss, claim, damage, liability or expense whether or not any such person is a party to any such claim or action and including any and all legal and other expenses incurred in giving testimony or furnishing documents in response to a subpoena or otherwise, except insofar as the same are caused by or contained in any information furnished in writing to the Company by such Holder expressly for use therein. The Company shall indemnify the Underwriters, their officers and directors and each person who controls such Underwriters (within the meaning of the Securities Act) to the same extent as provided in the foregoing with respect to the indemnification of the Holder. |
| 4.1.2 | In connection with any Registration Statement in which a Holder of Registrable Securities is participating, such Holder shall furnish to the Company in writing such information and affidavits as the Company reasonably requests for use in connection with any such Registration Statement or Prospectus and, to the extent permitted by law, shall indemnify the Company, its directors, officers and agents and each person who controls the Company (within the meaning of the Securities Act) against any losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses (including, without limitation, reasonable outside attorneys’ fees) resulting from any untrue statement of material fact contained in the Registration Statement, Prospectus or preliminary Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto or any omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, but only to the extent that such untrue statement or omission is contained in any information or affidavit so furnished in writing by such Holder expressly for use therein; provided, however, that the obligation to indemnify shall be several, not joint and several, among such Holders of Registrable Securities, and the liability of each such Holder of Registrable Securities shall be in proportion to and limited to the net proceeds received by such Holder from the sale of Registrable Securities pursuant to such Registration Statement. The Holders of Registrable Securities shall indemnify the Underwriters, their officers, directors and each person who controls such Underwriters (within the meaning of the Securities Act) to the same extent as provided in the foregoing with respect to indemnification of the Company. |
17
| 4.1.3 | Any person entitled to indemnification herein shall (i) give prompt written notice to the indemnifying party of any claim with respect to which it seeks indemnification (provided that the failure to give prompt notice shall not impair any person’s right to indemnification hereunder to the extent such failure has not materially prejudiced the indemnifying party) and (ii) unless in such indemnified party’s reasonable judgment a conflict of interest between such indemnified and indemnifying parties may exist with respect to such claim, permit such indemnifying party to assume the defense of such claim with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party. If such defense is assumed, the indemnifying party shall not be subject to any liability for any settlement made by the indemnified party without its consent (but such consent shall not be unreasonably withheld). An indemnifying party who is not entitled to, or elects not to, assume the defense of a claim shall not be obligated to pay the fees and expenses of more than one counsel (plus local counsel) for all parties indemnified by such indemnifying party with respect to such claim, unless in the reasonable judgment of any indemnified party a conflict of interest may exist between such indemnified party and any other of such indemnified parties with respect to such claim. No indemnifying party shall, without the consent of the indemnified party, consent to the entry of any judgment or enter into any settlement which cannot be settled in all respects by the payment of money (and such money is so paid by the indemnifying party pursuant to the terms of such settlement) or which settlement does not include as an unconditional term thereof the giving by the claimant or plaintiff to such indemnified party of a release from all liability in respect to such claim or litigation. |
| 4.1.4 | The indemnification provided for under this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the indemnified party or any officer, director or controlling person of such indemnified party and shall survive the transfer of securities. The Company and each Holder of Registrable Securities participating in an offering also agrees to make such provisions as are reasonably requested by any indemnified party for contribution to such party in the event the Company’s or such Holder’s indemnification is unavailable for any reason. |
| 4.1.5 | If the indemnification provided under Section 4.1 hereof from the indemnifying party is unavailable or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses referred to herein, then the indemnifying party, in lieu of indemnifying the indemnified party, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by the indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative fault of the indemnifying party and the indemnified party, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative fault of the indemnifying party and indemnified party shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any action in question, including any untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact, was made by, or relates to information supplied by, such indemnifying party or indemnified party, and the indemnifying party’s and indemnified party’s relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such action; provided, however, that the liability of any Holder under this subsection 4.1.5 shall be limited to the amount of the net proceeds received by such Holder in such offering giving rise to such liability. The amount paid or payable by a party as a result of the losses or other liabilities referred to above shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth in subsections 4.1.1, 4.1.2 and 4.1.3 above, any legal or other fees, charges or expenses reasonably incurred by such party in connection with any investigation or proceeding. The parties hereto agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this subsection 4.1.5 were determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation, which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in this subsection 4.1.5. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution pursuant to this subsection 4.1.5 from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. |
| 4.2 | Waiver of Medallion Guaranty. The Company agrees to use commercially reasonable efforts to enter into an indemnification agreement in customary form, in favor of Odyssey Transfer and Trust Company (or any successor transfer agent or warrant agent of the Company) in connection with the waiver of any requirement to provide a medallion guarantee in connection with any Transfer of any equity securities of the Company by the Sponsor, the Representative or any of their Permitted Transferees. |
18
ARTICLE V
MISCELLANEOUS
| 5.1 | Notices. Any notice or communication under this Agreement must be in writing and given by (i) deposit in the United States mail, addressed to the party to be notified, postage prepaid and registered or certified with return receipt requested, (ii) delivery in person or by courier service providing evidence of delivery, or (iii) transmission by hand delivery, electronic mail, telecopy, telegram or facsimile. Each notice or communication that is mailed, delivered, or transmitted in the manner described above shall be deemed sufficiently given, served, sent, and received, in the case of mailed notices, on the third business day following the date on which it is mailed and, in the case of notices delivered by courier service, hand delivery, electronic mail, telecopy, telegram or facsimile, at such time as it is delivered to the addressee (with the delivery receipt or the affidavit of messenger) or at such time as delivery is refused by the addressee upon presentation. Any notice or communication under this Agreement must be addressed, if to the Company, to: ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp., 3131 Eastside, Houston, TX 77098, and, if to any Holder, at such Holder’s address or contact information as set forth in the Company’s books and records. Any party may change its address for notice at any time and from time to time by written notice to the other parties hereto, and such change of address shall become effective thirty (30) days after delivery of such notice as provided in this Section 5.1. |
| 5.2 | Assignment; No Third Party Beneficiaries. |
| 5.2.1 | This Agreement and the rights, duties and obligations of the Company hereunder may not be assigned or delegated by the Company in whole or in part, except in connection with a Business Combination and with the consent of each Holder party hereto. This Agreement and the rights, duties and obligations of the holders of Registrable Securities hereunder may be freely assigned or delegated by such holder of Registrable Securities in conjunction with and to the extent of any transfer of Registrable Securities by any such holder. |
| 5.2.2 | Prior to the expiration of the Founder Shares Lock-up Period or the Private Placement Lock-up Period, as the case may be, no Holder may assign or delegate such Holder’s rights, duties or obligations under this Agreement, in whole or in part, except in connection with a transfer of Registrable Securities by such Holder to a Permitted Transferee but only if such Permitted Transferee agrees to become bound by the transfer restrictions set forth in this Agreement. |
| 5.2.3 | This Agreement and the provisions hereof shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of each of the parties and its successors and the permitted assigns of the Holders, which shall include Permitted Transferees. |
| 5.2.4 | This Agreement shall not confer any rights or benefits on any persons that are not parties hereto, other than as expressly set forth in this Agreement and Section 5.2 hereof. |
| 5.2.5 | No assignment by any party hereto of such party’s rights, duties and obligations hereunder shall be binding upon or obligate the Company unless and until the Company shall have received (i) written notice of such assignment as provided in Section 5.1 hereof and (ii) the written agreement of the assignee, in a form reasonably satisfactory to the Company, to be bound by the terms and provisions of this Agreement (which may be accomplished by an addendum or certificate of joinder to this Agreement). Any transfer or assignment made other than as provided in this Section 5.2 shall be null and void. |
| 5.3 | Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in multiple counterparts (including facsimile or PDF counterparts), each of which shall be deemed an original, and all of which together shall constitute the same instrument, but only one of which need be produced. |
| 5.4 | Governing Law; Venue. NOTWITHSTANDING THE PLACE WHERE THIS AGREEMENT MAY BE EXECUTED BY ANY OF THE PARTIES HERETO, THE PARTIES EXPRESSLY AGREE THAT THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK AS APPLIED TO AGREEMENTS AMONG NEW YORK RESIDENTS ENTERED INTO AND TO BE PERFORMED ENTIRELY WITHIN NEW YORK, WITHOUT REGARD TO THE CONFLICT OF LAW PROVISIONS OF SUCH JURISDICTION. SUBJECT TO APPLICABLE LAW, ANY LEGAL SUIT, ACTION OR PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR BASED UPON THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY MAY BE INSTITUTED IN THE FEDERAL COURTS OF THE UNITED STATES OR THE COURTS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK IN EACH CASE LOCATED IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, AND EACH PARTY IRREVOCABLY SUBMITS TO THE EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION OF SUCH COURTS IN ANY SUCH SUIT, ACTION OR PROCEEDING. |
19
| 5.5 | Amendments and Modifications. Upon the written consent of the Company and the Holders of at least a majority in interest of the Registrable Securities at the time in question (which majority must include the Representative if such amendment or modification is material and adverse to the Representative), compliance with any of the provisions, covenants and conditions set forth in this Agreement may be waived, or any of such provisions, covenants or conditions may be amended or modified; provided, however, that notwithstanding the foregoing, any amendment hereto or waiver hereof that adversely affects one Holder, solely in his, her or its capacity as a holder of the capital shares of the Company, in a manner that is materially different from the other Holders (in such capacity) shall require the consent of the Holder so affected. No course of dealing between any Holder or the Company and any other party hereto or any failure or delay on the part of a Holder or the Company in exercising any rights or remedies under this Agreement shall operate as a waiver of any rights or remedies of any Holder or the Company. No single or partial exercise of any rights or remedies under this Agreement by a party shall operate as a waiver or preclude the exercise of any other rights or remedies hereunder or thereunder by such party. |
| 5.6 | Other Registration Rights. The Company represents and warrants that no person, other than a Holder of Registrable Securities, has any right to require the Company to register any securities of the Company for sale or to include such securities of the Company in any Registration filed by the Company for the sale of securities for its own account or for the account of any other person. Further, the Company represents and warrants that this Agreement supersedes any other registration rights agreement or agreement with similar terms and conditions and in the event of a conflict between any such agreement or agreements and this Agreement, the terms of this Agreement shall prevail. |
| 5.7 | Term. This Agreement shall terminate with respect to any Holder on the date as of which (A) all of the Registrable Securities of such Holder have been sold pursuant to a Registration Statement (but in no event prior to the applicable period referred to in Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act and Rule 174 thereunder (or any successor rule promulgated thereafter by the Commission)) or (B) all Registrable Securities of such Holder have been sold without registration pursuant to Rule 144 (or any similar provision) under the Securities Act with no volume or other restrictions or limitations. The provisions of Section 3.5 and ARTICLE IV shall survive any termination. |
[Signature Page Follows]
20
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the date first written above.
| COMPANY: ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP. | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | Andrew Mallozzi | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |
| HOLDERS: | ||
| UNION STREET SPONSOR, LLC | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | Andrew Mallozzi | |
| Title: | Managing Member | |
| ROTH CAPITAL PARTNERS, LLC | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
[Signature Page to Registration Rights Agreement]
Exhibit 10.8
PRIVATE PLACEMENT UNITS PURCHASE AGREEMENT
THIS PRIVATE PLACEMENT UNITS PURCHASE AGREEMENT, dated as of [●], 2026 (as it may from time to time be amended, this “Agreement”), is entered into by and between ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), and Union Street Sponsor, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Purchaser”).
WHEREAS, the Company intends to consummate an initial public offering of the Company’s units (the “Public Offering”), each unit consisting of one Class A Ordinary Share, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company (an “Ordinary Share”), and one-half of one redeemable warrant (a “Warrant”) to purchase Ordinary Share (a “Warrant Share”) to be governed by the Warrant Agreement to be entered into between the Company and Odyssey Transfer and Trust Company, as warrant agent (the “Warrant Agreement”). Each whole Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Ordinary Share at an exercise price of $11.50 per Ordinary Share. The Purchaser has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 435,000 private placement units (the “Private Placement Units”), each Private Placement Unit comprised of one Ordinary Share (the “Private Placement Shares”) and one-half of one redeemable Warrant (the “Private Placement Warrants”) to purchase one Ordinary Shares (the “Private Placement Warrant Shares”), as provided in the registration statement in connection with the Public Offering, for a purchase price of $4,350,000, or $10.00 per unit.
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual promises contained in this Agreement and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties to this Agreement hereby, intending legally to be bound, agree as follows:
AGREEMENT
Section 1. Authorization, Purchase and Sale; Terms of the Private Placement Units.
A. Authorization of the Private Placement Units. The Company has duly authorized the issuance and sale of the Private Placement Units to the Purchaser.
B. Purchase and Sale of the Private Placement Units.
(i) On the date of the consummation of the Public Offering or on such earlier time and date as may be mutually agreed by the Purchaser and the Company (the “Closing Date”), the Company shall issue and sell to the Purchaser, and the Purchaser shall purchase from the Company, an aggregate of 435,000 Private Placement Units at a price of $10.00 per unit for an aggregate purchase price of $4,350,000 (the “Purchase Price”), which shall be paid by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the Company at least one business day prior to the Closing Date in accordance with the Company’s wiring instructions. On the Closing Date, upon the payment by the Purchaser of the Purchase Price, the Company, at its option, shall deliver a certificate evidencing the Private Placement Units purchased by the Purchaser on such date duly registered in the Purchaser’s name to the Purchaser, or effect such delivery in book-entry form.
C. Terms of the Private Placement Units and Private Placement Warrants.
(i) Each Private Placement Unit shall have the terms set forth herein.
(ii) Each Private Placement Warrant shall have the terms set forth in the Warrant Agreement.
(iii) At the time of the closing of the Public Offering, the Company and the Purchaser shall enter into a registration rights agreement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”) pursuant to which the Company will grant certain registration rights to the Purchaser relating to the Private Placement Units, the Private Placement Shares, the Private Placement Warrants and the Private Placement Warrant Shares (together, the “Securities”).
Section 2. Representations and Warranties of the Company. As a material inducement to the Purchaser to enter into this Agreement and purchase the Private Placement Units, the Company hereby represents and warrants to the Purchaser (which representations and warranties shall survive the Closing Date) that:
A. Incorporation and Corporate Power. The Company is an exempted company duly incorporated, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the Cayman Islands 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 and the Warrant Agreement.
B. Authorization; No Breach.
(i) The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the Private Placement Units have been duly authorized by the Company as of the Closing Date. This Agreement constitutes the valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equitable principles (whether considered in a proceeding in equity or law). Upon issuance in accordance with, and payment pursuant to, the terms of the Warrant Agreement and this Agreement, the Private Placement Units, the Private Placement Shares and Private Placement Warrants comprising such units, and Private Placement Warrant Shares will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with their terms as of the Closing Date.
(ii) The execution and delivery by the Company of this Agreement and the Private Placement Units, the issuance and sale of the Private Placement Units, the issuance of the Private Placement Shares and Private Placement Warrant comprising the Private Placement Units, the issuance of the Private Placement Warrant Shares and the fulfillment of, and compliance with, the respective terms hereof and thereof by the Company, do not and will not as of the Closing Date (a) conflict with or result in a breach of the terms, conditions or provisions of, (b) constitute a default under, (c) result in the creation of any lien, security interest, charge or encumbrance upon the Company’s equity or assets under, (d) result in a violation of, or (e) require any authorization, consent, approval, exemption or other action by or notice or declaration to, or filing with, any court or administrative or governmental body or agency pursuant to the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company in effect on the date hereof or as may be amended at or prior to completion of the contemplated Public Offering, or any material law, statute, rule or regulation to which the Company is subject, or any agreement, order, judgment or decree to which the Company is subject, except for any filings required after the date hereof under federal or state securities laws.
C. Title to Securities. Upon issuance in accordance with, and payment pursuant to, the terms hereof, the Warrant Agreement and the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company, as the case may be, each of the Securities will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. On the date of issuance of the Private Placement Units, the Private Placement Shares, the Private Placement Warrants and the Warrant Shares shall have been reserved for issuance. Upon issuance in accordance with the terms hereof and the Warrant Agreement, the Purchaser will have or receive good title to the Private Placement Units, the Private Placement Shares, the Private Placement Warrants and the Warrant Shares, free and clear of all liens, claims and encumbrances of any kind other than (i) transfer restrictions hereunder and pursuant to the insider letter to be entered into on or prior to the closing of the Public Offering and (ii) transfer restrictions under federal and state securities laws.
D. Governmental Consents. No permit, consent, approval or authorization of, or declaration to or filing with, any governmental authority is required in connection with the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement or the consummation by the Company of any other transactions contemplated hereby.
E. Regulation D Qualification. Neither the Company nor, to its knowledge, any of its affiliates, members, officers, directors or beneficial shareholders of 20% or more of its outstanding securities, has experienced a disqualifying event as enumerated pursuant to Rule 506(d) of Regulation D under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).
2
Section 3. Representations and Warranties of the Purchaser. As a material inducement to the Company to enter into this Agreement and issue and sell the Private Placement Units to the Purchaser, the Purchaser hereby represents and warrants to the Company (which representations and warranties shall survive each Closing Date) that:
A. Organization and Requisite Authority. The Purchaser possesses all requisite power and authority necessary to carry out the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
B. Authorization; No Breach.
(i) This Agreement constitutes a valid and binding obligation of the Purchaser, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equitable principles (whether considered in a proceeding in equity or law).
(ii) The execution and delivery by the Purchaser of this Agreement and the fulfillment of and compliance with the terms hereof by the Purchaser does not and shall not as of each Closing Date conflict with or result in a breach by the Purchaser of the terms, conditions or provisions of any agreement, instrument, order, judgment or decree to which the Purchaser is subject.
C. Investment Representations.
(i) The Purchaser is acquiring the Securities, for the Purchaser’s own account, for investment purposes only and not with a view towards, or for resale in connection with, any public sale or distribution thereof.
(ii) The Purchaser is an “accredited investor” as such term is defined in Rule 501(a)(3) of Regulation D, and the Purchaser has not experienced a disqualifying event as enumerated pursuant to Rule 506(d) of Regulation D under the Securities Act.
(iii) The Purchaser understands that the Securities are being offered and will be sold to it in reliance on specific exemptions from the registration requirements of the United States federal and state securities laws and that the Company is relying upon the truth and accuracy of, and the Purchaser’s compliance with, the representations and warranties of the Purchaser set forth herein in order to determine the availability of such exemptions and the eligibility of the Purchaser to acquire such Securities.
(iv) The Purchaser did not decide to enter into this Agreement as a result of any general solicitation or general advertising within the meaning of Rule 502(c) under the Securities Act.
(v) The Purchaser has been furnished with all materials relating to the business, finances and operations of the Company and materials relating to the offer and sale of the Securities which have been requested by the Purchaser. The Purchaser has been afforded the opportunity to ask questions of the executive officers and directors of the Company. The Purchaser understands that its investment in the Securities involves a high degree of risk and it has sought such accounting, legal and tax advice as it has considered necessary to make an informed investment decision with respect to the acquisition of the Securities.
(vi) The Purchaser understands that no United States federal or state agency or any other government or governmental agency has passed on or made any recommendation or endorsement of the Securities or the fairness or suitability of the investment in the Securities by the Purchaser nor have such authorities passed upon or endorsed the merits of the offering of the Securities.
3
(vii) The Purchaser understands that: (a) the Securities have not been and are not being registered under the Securities Act or any state securities laws, and may not be offered for sale, sold, assigned or transferred unless (1) subsequently registered thereunder or (2) sold in reliance on an exemption therefrom; and (b) except as specifically set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement, neither the Company nor any other person is under any obligation to register the Securities under the Securities Act or any state securities laws or to comply with the terms and conditions of any exemption thereunder. While the Purchaser understands that Rule 144 under the Securities Act 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, the Purchaser understands that Rule 144 includes an exception to this prohibition if the following conditions are met: (i) the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company; (ii) the issuer of the securities is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”); (iii) the issuer of the securities has filed all Exchange Act reports and material required to be filed, as applicable, during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than Form 8-K reports; and (iv) 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.
(viii) The Purchaser has such knowledge and experience in financial and business matters, knows of the high degree of risk associated with investments in the securities of companies in the development stage such as the Company, is capable of evaluating the merits and risks of an investment in the Securities and is able to bear the economic risk of an investment in the Securities in the amount contemplated hereunder for an indefinite period of time. The Purchaser has adequate means of providing for its current financial needs and contingencies and will have no current or anticipated future needs for liquidity which would be jeopardized by the investment in the Securities. The Purchaser can afford a complete loss of its investment in the Securities.
Section 4. Conditions of the Purchaser’s Obligations. The obligation of the Purchaser to purchase and pay for the Private Placement Units is subject to the fulfillment, on or before each Closing Date, of each of the following conditions:
A. Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Company contained in Section 2 shall be true and correct at and as of such Closing Date as though then made.
B. Performance. The Company shall have performed and complied with all agreements, obligations and conditions contained in this Agreement that are required to be performed or complied with by it on or before such Closing Date.
C. No Injunction. No litigation, statute, rule, regulation, executive order, decree, ruling or injunction shall have been enacted, entered, promulgated or endorsed by or in any court or governmental authority of competent jurisdiction or any self-regulatory organization having authority over the matters contemplated hereby, which prohibits the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Warrant Agreement.
D. Warrant Agreement. The Company shall have entered into the Warrant Agreement on terms satisfactory to the Purchaser.
Section 5. Conditions of the Company’s Obligations. The obligations of the Company to the Purchaser under this Agreement are subject to the fulfillment, on or before each Closing Date, of each of the following conditions:
A. Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Purchaser contained in Section 3 shall be true and correct at and as of such Closing Date as though then made.
B. Performance. The Purchaser shall have performed and complied with all agreements, obligations and conditions contained in this Agreement that are required to be performed or complied with by the Purchaser on or before such Closing Date.
C. Corporate Consents. The Company shall have obtained the consent of its Board of Directors authorizing the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the Warrant Agreement and the issuance and sale of the Private Placement Units hereunder.
D. No Injunction. No litigation, statute, rule, regulation, executive order, decree, ruling or injunction shall have been enacted, entered, promulgated or endorsed by or in any court or governmental authority of competent jurisdiction or any self-regulatory organization having authority over the matters contemplated hereby, which prohibits the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
4
E. Warrant Agreement. The Company shall have entered into the Warrant Agreement on terms satisfactory to the Company.
Section 6. Termination. This Agreement may be terminated at any time after [*] upon the election by either the Company or the Purchaser upon written notice to the other party if the closing of the Public Offering does not occur prior to such date.
Section 7. Survival of Representations and Warranties. All of the representations and warranties contained herein shall survive each Closing Date.
Section 8. Definitions. Terms used but not otherwise defined in this Agreement shall have the meaning assigned to such terms in the registration statement on Form S-1 the Company has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, under the Securities Act.
Section 9. Miscellaneous.
A. Successors and Assigns. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, all covenants and agreements contained in this Agreement by or on behalf of any of the parties hereto shall bind and inure to the benefit of the respective successors of the parties hereto whether so expressed or not. Notwithstanding the foregoing or anything to the contrary herein, the parties may not assign this Agreement, other than assignments by the Purchaser to affiliates thereof (including, without limitation one or more of its members).
B. Severability. Whenever possible, each provision of this Agreement shall be interpreted in such manner as to be effective and valid under applicable law, but if any provision of this Agreement is held to be prohibited by or invalid under applicable law, such provision shall be ineffective only to the extent of such prohibition or invalidity, without invalidating the remainder of this Agreement.
C. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed simultaneously in two or more counterparts, none of which need contain the signatures of more than one party, but all such counterparts taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement.
D. Descriptive Headings; Interpretation. The descriptive headings of this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and do not constitute a substantive part of this Agreement. The use of the word “including” in this Agreement shall be by way of example rather than by limitation.
E. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be deemed to be a contract made under the laws of the State of New York and for all purposes shall be construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York.
F. Amendments. This Agreement may not be amended, modified or waived as to any particular provision, except by a written instrument executed by all parties hereto.
[Signature Page Follows]
5
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement to be effective as of the date first set forth above.
| COMPANY: | ||
| ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP. | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | Andrew Mallozzi | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |
| PURCHASER: | ||
| UNION STREET SPONSOR, LLC, | ||
| a Delaware limited liability company | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | Andrew Mallozzi | |
| Title: | Authorized Representative | |
[Signature Page to Private Placement Units Purchase Agreement]
Exhibit 10.9
PRIVATE PLACEMENT UNITS PURCHASE AGREEMENT
This PRIVATE PLACEMENT UNITS PURCHASE AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is made as of [●], 2026, by and between ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”) and Roth Capital Partners, LLC (“Roth” or the “Subscriber”).
WHEREAS, the Company intends to consummate an initial public offering (the “Public Offering”) of the Company’s units (the “Units”), each Unit consisting of one Class A ordinary share, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Class A Ordinary Shares”), of the Company, and one-half of one redeemable warrant (a “Public Warrant”) to be governed by the Warrant Agreement to be entered into between the Company and Odyssey Transfer and Trust Company, as warrant agent (the “Warrant Agreement”). Each whole Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A Ordinary Share at an exercise price of $11.50 per Class A Ordinary Share;
WHEREAS, the Company desires to sell to the Subscriber on a private placement basis (the “Offering”) an aggregate of 50,000 private placement units (each, a “Placement Unit” and, collectively, the “Placement Units”) of the Company for a purchase price of $10.00 per Placement Unit. Each Placement Unit is comprised of one Class A Ordinary Share (a “Placement Share”) and one-half of one Warrant (a “Placement Warrant” and together with the Public Warrants, the “Warrants”) to be governed by the Warrant Agreement. Each whole Placement Warrant is exercisable to purchase one Class A Ordinary Share (a “Warrant Share”) at an exercise price of $11.50. The Placement Units, the Placement Shares and Placement Warrants comprising part of the Placement Units, and the Warrant Shares underlying the Placement Warrants collectively, are hereinafter referred to as the “Securities.” As provided in the registration statement in connection with the Public Offering of the Company’s Units, as amended at the time it becomes effective (the “Registration Statement”), the Warrants are exercisable during the period commencing 30 days following the consummation of the Company’s initial business combination (the “Business Combination”) and will expire on the fifth anniversary of the consummation of the Business Combination (provided that so long as the Private Warrants are held by the Subscriber or its designees, the Subscriber or its designees will not be permitted to exercise such Warrants after the five year anniversary of the commencement of sales in the Public Offering in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8)); and
WHEREAS, the Subscriber wishes to purchase an aggregate of 50,000 Placement Units, and the Company wishes to accept such subscription from the Subscriber, for a for a purchase price of $500,000, or $10.00 per unit.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual covenants hereinafter set forth and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Company and the Subscriber hereby agree as follows:
1. Agreement to Subscribe.
1.1 Purchase and Issuance of the Placement Units. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of this Agreement, on the date of the consummation of the Public Offering or on such earlier time and date as may be mutually agreed by the Subscriber and the Company (the “Closing Date”), the Subscriber hereby agrees to purchase from the Company, and the Company hereby agrees to sell to the Subscriber 50,000 Placement Units at a price per unit of $10.00 for an aggregate purchase price of $500,000 (the “Purchase Price”). On the Closing Date, the Company shall, at its option, deliver to the Subscriber the certificates representing the Placement Units purchased or effect such delivery in book-entry form.
1.2 Purchase Price. The Purchase Price shall be paid by wire transfer of immediately available funds, or by such other method as may be reasonably acceptable to the Company, to the trust account (the “Trust Account”) at a financial institution to be chosen by the Company, maintained by Odyssey Transfer and Trust Company, acting as trustee (“Odyssey”), on or prior to the Closing Date.
1.3 Closings. The Closing shall take place at the offices of DLA Piper LLP (US), 1251 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020, or such other place as may be agreed upon by the parties hereto.
1.4 Termination. This Agreement and each of the obligations of the undersigned shall be null and void and without effect if a Closing does not occur prior to [●], 2026.
2. Representations and Warranties of the Subscriber. As a material inducement to the Company to enter into this Agreement and issue and sell the Placement Units to the Subscriber, the Subscriber represents and warrants to the Company that:
2.1 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 Company, the merits of the Offering of the Securities or the suitability of the investment in the Securities by the Subscriber.
2.2 Accredited Investor. The Subscriber represents that it is an “accredited investor” as such term is defined in Rule 501(a) of Regulation D under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and acknowledges that the sale contemplated hereby is being made in reliance, among other things, on a private placement exemption to “accredited investors” under the Securities Act and similar exemptions under state law. The Subscriber has not experienced a disqualifying event as enumerated pursuant to Rule 506(d) of Regulation D under the Securities Act.
2.3 Intent. The Subscriber is purchasing the Securities solely for investment purposes, for the Subscriber’s own account (and/or for the account or benefit of its members or affiliates, as permitted, pursuant to the terms hereof), and not with a view towards, or for resale in connection with, any public sale or distribution thereof.
2.4 Restrictions on Transfer. The Subscriber acknowledges and understands the Placement Units are being offered in a transaction not involving a public offering in the United States within the meaning of the Securities Act. The Securities have not been registered under the Securities Act and, if in the future the Subscriber decides to offer, resell, pledge or otherwise transfer the Securities, such Securities may be offered, resold, pledged or otherwise transferred only (A) pursuant to an effective registration statement filed under the Securities Act, (B) pursuant to an exemption from registration under Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act, if available, or (C) pursuant to any other available exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act, and in each case in accordance with any applicable securities laws of any state or any other jurisdiction. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Subscriber acknowledges and understands the Securities are subject to transfer restrictions as described in Section 7 hereof. The Subscriber agrees that if any transfer of its Securities or any interest therein is proposed to be made, as a condition precedent to any such transfer, the Subscriber may be required to deliver to the Company an opinion of counsel satisfactory to the Company with respect to such transfer. Absent registration or another available exemption from registration, the Subscriber agrees it will not resell the Securities (unless otherwise permitted pursuant to the terms hereof). The 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 Securities until the following conditions are met: (i) the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company; (ii) the issuer of the securities is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”); (iii) the issuer of the securities has filed all Exchange Act reports and material required to be filed, as applicable, during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than Form 8-K reports; and (iv) 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, despite technical compliance with the requirements of Rule 144 and the release or waiver of any contractual transfer restrictions.
2.5 Sophisticated Investor.
(i) The Subscriber is sophisticated in financial matters and is able to evaluate the risks and benefits of the investment in the Securities. The Subscriber has adequate means of providing for its current financial needs and contingencies and will have no current or anticipated future needs for liquidity which would be jeopardized by the investment in the Securities.
2
(ii) The Subscriber has been furnished with all materials relating to the business, finances and operations of the Company and materials relating to the offer and sale of the Securities which have been requested by the Subscriber. The Subscriber has been afforded the opportunity to ask questions of the executive officers and directors of the Company.
(iii) The Subscriber is aware that an investment in the Securities is highly speculative and subject to substantial risks because, among other things, (a) the Securities are subject to transfer restrictions and have not been registered under the Securities Act and therefore cannot be sold unless subsequently registered under the Securities Act or an exemption from such registration is available, (b) except as specifically set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement (as defined below) pursuant to which the Company will grant certain registration rights to the Subscriber relating to the Securities, neither the Company nor any other person is under any obligation to register the Securities under the Securities Act or any state securities laws or to comply with the terms and conditions of any exemption thereunder and (c) the Subscriber has waived its redemption rights with respect to the Securities as set forth in Section 5 hereof, and the Securities held by the Subscriber are not entitled to, and have no right, interest or claim to any monies held in the Trust Account, and accordingly the Subscriber may suffer a loss of a portion or all of its investment in the Securities. The Subscriber is able to bear the economic risk of its investment in the Securities for an indefinite period of time. The Subscriber has sought such accounting, legal and tax advice as it has considered necessary to make an informed investment decision with respect to the acquisition of the Securities.
2.6 Organization and Authority. The Subscriber is duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of its state of incorporation or formation and it possesses all requisite power and authority necessary to carry out the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
2.7 Authority. This Agreement has been validly authorized, executed and delivered by the Subscriber and is a valid and binding agreement of the Subscriber enforceable against the Subscriber in accordance with its terms, subject to the general principles of equity and to bankruptcy or other laws affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights generally.
2.8 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 Subscriber’s organizational documents, (ii) any agreement 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.
2.9 No Legal Advice from Company. The Subscriber acknowledges it has had the opportunity to review this Agreement and the transactions contemplated by this Agreement with the Subscriber’s own legal counsel and investment and tax advisors. Except for any statements or representations of the Company made in this Agreement and the other agreements entered into between the parties hereto, the Subscriber is relying solely on such counsel and advisors and not on any statements or representations of the Company or any of its representatives or agents for legal, tax or investment advice with respect to this investment, the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the securities laws of any jurisdiction.
2.10 Reliance on Representations and Warranties. The Subscriber understands the Placement Units are being offered and sold to the Subscriber in reliance on exemptions from the registration requirements under the Securities Act, and analogous provisions in the laws and regulations of various states, and that the Company is relying upon the truth and accuracy of the representations, warranties, agreements, acknowledgments and understandings of the Subscriber set forth in this Agreement in order to determine the applicability of such provisions.
2.11 No General Solicitation. The Subscriber is not subscribing for the Placement Units as a result of or subsequent to any general solicitation or general advertising, including but not limited to any advertisement, article, notice or other communication published in any newspaper, magazine, or similar media or broadcast over television or radio, or presented at any seminar or meeting or in a registration statement with respect to the Public Offering filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
3
2.12 Legend. The Subscriber acknowledges and agrees the certificates evidencing each of the Securities shall bear a restrictive legend (the “Legend”), in form and substance substantially as set forth in Section 4 hereof.
3. Representations, Warranties and Covenants of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, the Subscriber that:
3.1 Valid Issuance. The Company is authorized to issue 500,000,000 Class A Ordinary Shares, 50,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share (“Class B Ordinary Shares”) and 5,000,000 preference shares, par value $0.0001 per share (“Preference Shares”). As of the date hereof, the Company has issued and outstanding 7,666,667 Class B Ordinary Shares (of which up to 1,000,000 shares are subject to forfeiture as described in the Registration Statement) and no Preference Shares. All of the issued Class B Ordinary Shares of the Company have been duly authorized, validly issued, and are fully paid and non-assessable.
3.2 Title to Securities. Upon issuance in accordance with, and payment pursuant to, the terms hereof and the Warrant Agreement and the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company (as applicable), as the case may be, each of the Securities will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. On the date of issuance of the Securities shall have been reserved for issuance. Upon issuance in accordance with, and payment pursuant to, the terms hereof and the Warrant Agreement, as the case may be, the Subscriber will have or receive good title to the Securities, free and clear of all liens, claims and encumbrances of any kind, other than (i) transfer restrictions hereunder, (ii) transfer restrictions under federal and state securities laws and (iii) liens, claims or encumbrances imposed due to the actions of the Subscriber.
3.3 Organization and Qualification. The Company is an exempted company duly incorporated, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the Cayman Islands and has the requisite corporate power to own its properties and assets and to carry on its business as now being conducted.
3.4 Authorization; Enforcement. (i) The Company has the requisite corporate power and authority to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement and to issue the Securities in accordance with the terms hereof, (ii) the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Company and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action, and no further consent or authorization of the Company or its Board of Directors or shareholders is required, and (iii) this Agreement constitutes valid and binding obligations of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, moratorium, reorganization, or similar laws relating to, or affecting generally the enforcement of, creditors’ rights and remedies or by equitable principles of general application and except as enforcement of rights to indemnity and contribution may be limited by federal and state securities laws or principles of public policy.
3.5 No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereby do not (i) result in a violation of the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, (ii) conflict with, or constitute a default under any agreement 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. Other than any SEC or state securities filings which may be required to be made by the Company subsequent to the Closing, and any registration statement which may be filed pursuant thereto, the Company is not required under federal, state or local law, rule or regulation to obtain any consent, authorization or order of, or make any filing or registration with, any court or governmental agency or self-regulatory entity in order for it to perform any of its obligations under this Agreement or issue the Securities in accordance with the terms hereof.
4. Legends.
4.1 Legend. The Company will issue the Placement Units, Placement Shares, and Placement Warrants, and when issued, the Warrant Shares, purchased by the Subscriber in the name of the Subscriber. The Securities will bear the following Legend and appropriate “stop transfer” instructions:
4
“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 AGREEMENTS BY AND AMONG ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP. (THE “COMPANY”), UNION STREET SPONSOR, LLC AND THE OTHER SIGNATORIES 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 A BUSINESS COMBINATION EXCEPT TO A PERMITTED TRANSFEREE WHO AGREES IN WRITING WITH THE COMPANY TO BE SUBJECT TO SUCH TRANSFER PROVISIONS.
SECURITIES EVIDENCED BY THIS CERTIFICATE AND ORDINARY SHARES 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.”
4.2 Subscriber’s Compliance. Nothing in this Section 4 shall affect in any way the Subscriber’s obligation and agreement to comply with all applicable securities laws upon resale of the Securities.
4.3 Company’s Refusal to Register Transfer of the Securities. The Company shall refuse to register any transfer of the Securities, if in the sole judgment of the Company such purported transfer would not be made (i) pursuant to an effective registration statement filed under the Securities Act, or pursuant to an available exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and (ii) in compliance herewith.
4.4 Registration Rights. The Subscriber will be entitled to certain registration rights which will be governed by a registration rights agreement (“Registration Rights Agreement”) to be entered into between, among others, the Subscriber and the Company, on or prior to the effective date of the Registration Statement. Pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement, the Subscriber may not exercise its demand and “piggyback” registration rights after five (5) and seven (7) years respectively from the commencement of sales in the Public Offering and may not exercise its demand rights on more than one occasion.
5. Waiver of Liquidation Distributions. In connection with the Securities 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 of the amounts in the Trust Account with respect to the Securities, whether (i) in connection with the exercise of redemption rights if the Company consummates the Business Combination, (ii) in connection with any tender offer conducted by the Company prior to a Business Combination, (iii) upon the Company’s redemption of Class A Ordinary Shares included in the Units sold in the Company’s Public Offering upon the Company’s failure to complete the Business Combination within the period provided for in the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or (iv) in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association not for the purposes of approving, or in conjunction with the consummation of, a Business Combination (A) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with a Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the Class A Ordinary Shares included in the Units sold in the Company’s Public Offering if the Company has not consummated a Business Combination within the period provided for in the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to the right of holders of Class A Ordinary Shares or pre-Business Combination activity. In the event that the Subscriber purchases Class A Ordinary Shares as part of the Units in the Public Offering or in the aftermarket, any additional Class A Ordinary Shares so purchased shall be eligible to receive the redemption value of such Class A Ordinary Shares upon the same terms offered to all other purchasers of Class A Ordinary Shares included as part of the Units in the Public Offering. Nothing herein shall preclude the Subscriber from making any claim or seeking recourse against the Company’s funds held outside of the Trust Account or seeking to enforce the terms of the Underwriting Agreement.
5
6. Terms of Placement Warrants. Each Placement Warrant shall have the terms set forth in the Warrant Agreement.
7. Lock-Up Period.
7.1 The Subscriber agrees that they shall not Transfer any Securities until 30 days following the consummation of the Business Combination; provided, however, that Transfers of Securities are permitted (a) to the Company’s or the Subscriber’s officers or directors, any affiliates or family members of any of the Company’s or the Subscriber’s officers or directors, any members of the Company’s sponsor, or any affiliates of the Company’s sponsor, (b) in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of the individual’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of the individual’s immediate family or an affiliate of such person, or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of the individual; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) by virtue of the laws of the State of New York or the Subscriber’s partnership agreement in the event of the Subscriber’s liquidation; (f) in the event of the Company’s liquidation prior to the consummation of a Business Combination; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (f) these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions and by the same agreements entered into by the Company’s sponsor and the Subscriber with respect to such securities.
7.2 For purposes of Section 7.1, the term “Transfer” shall mean the (a) sale of, offer to sell, contract or agreement to sell, hypothecate, pledge, grant of any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of or agreement to dispose of, directly or indirectly, or establishment or increase of a put equivalent position or liquidation with respect to or decrease of a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the SEC promulgated thereunder with respect to, any of the Securities, (b) entry into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of any of the Securities, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of such Securities, in cash or otherwise, or (c) public announcement of any intention to effect any transaction specified in clause (a) or (b).
7.3 In addition to the restrictions on transfer described in Section 7.1, the Subscriber acknowledges and agrees that the Placement Units and their component parts and the related registration rights will be deemed compensation by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) and will therefore, pursuant to Rule 5110(e) of the FINRA Manual, be subject to lock-up for a period of 180 days immediately following the commencement of sales in the Public Offering, subject to FINRA Rule 5110(e)(2). Additionally, the Placement Units and their component parts and the related registration rights may not be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated during the foregoing 180 day period except to any underwriter or selected dealer participating in the Public Offering and the officers or partners, registered persons or affiliates of the Subscriber and any such participating underwriter or selected dealer. Additionally, the Placement Units and their component parts and the related registration rights will not be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the economic disposition of such securities by any person for a period of 180 days immediately following the commencement of sales in the Public Offering.
8. Terms of the Placement Units. The Placement Units shall be substantially identical to the Units offered in the Public Offering except that the Placement Units (including the Placement Shares and Placement Warrants comprising such units and the Warrant Shares) (i) will be subject to the transfer restrictions described in Section 7 hereof; (ii) will be entitled to registration rights and (iii) with respect to the Placement Warrants, may not be exercisable more than five years from the commencement of sales in the Public Offering in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8).
9. Conditions of the Subscriber’s Obligations. The obligation of the Subscriber to purchase and pay for the Private Placement Units is subject to the fulfillment, on or before the Closing Date, of each of the following conditions:
9.1 Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Company contained in Section 3 hereof shall be true and correct at and as of the Closing Date as though then made.
6
9.2 Performance. The Company shall have performed and complied with all agreements, obligations and conditions contained in this Agreement that are required to be performed or complied with by it on or before the Closing Date.
9.3 No Injunction. No litigation, statute, rule, regulation, executive order, decree, ruling or injunction shall have been enacted, entered, promulgated or endorsed by or in any court or governmental authority of competent jurisdiction or any self-regulatory organization having authority over the matters contemplated hereby, which prohibits the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Warrant Agreement.
9.4 Warrant Agreement. The Company shall have entered into the Warrant Agreement with a warrant agent on terms satisfactory to the Subscriber.
10. Conditions of the Company’s Obligations.
10.1 Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Subscriber contained in Section 2 hereof shall be true and correct at and as of the Closing Date as though then made.
10.2 Performance. The Subscriber shall have performed and complied with all agreements, obligations and conditions contained in this Agreement that are required to be performed or complied with by the Subscriber on or before the Closing Date.
10.3 No Injunction. No litigation, statute, rule, regulation, executive order, decree, ruling or injunction shall have been enacted, entered, promulgated or endorsed by or in any court or governmental authority of competent jurisdiction or any self-regulatory organization having authority over the matters contemplated hereby, which prohibits the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Warrant Agreement.
10.4 Warrant Agreement. The Company shall have entered into the Warrant Agreement with a warrant agent on terms satisfactory to the Subscriber.
11. Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Waiver of Jury Trial. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York for agreements made and to be wholly performed within such state. The parties hereto hereby waive any right to a jury trial in connection with any litigation pursuant to this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby.
12. Assignment; Entire Agreement; Amendment.
12.1 Assignment. Neither this Agreement nor any rights hereunder may be assigned by any party to any other person other than by the Subscriber to a person agreeing to be bound by the terms hereof, including the transfer restrictions contained in Section 7 hereof.
12.2 Entire Agreement. This Agreement sets forth the entire agreement and understanding between the parties as to the subject matter thereof and merges and supersedes all prior discussions, agreements and understandings of any and every nature among them.
12.3 Amendment. Except as expressly provided in this Agreement, neither this Agreement nor any term hereof may be amended, waived, discharged or terminated other than by a written instrument signed by all of the parties hereto. Any amendment to the terms of the Placement Warrants (including, for the avoidance of doubt, the forfeiture or cancellation thereof) shall require the prior written consent of Roth. Each of the parties hereto shall receive notice of any proposed amendment to the terms of the Placement Warrants at least two business days prior to the effective date of such amendment.
12.4 Binding upon Successors. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and to their respective heirs, legal representatives, successors and permitted assigns.
7
13. Notices.
13.1 Notices. Unless otherwise provided herein, any notice or other communication to a party hereunder shall be sufficiently given if in writing and personally delivered or sent by facsimile or other electronic transmission with copy sent in another manner herein provided or sent by courier (which for all purposes of this Agreement shall include Federal Express or other recognized overnight courier) or mailed to said party by certified mail, return receipt requested, at its address provided for herein or such other address as either may designate for itself in such notice to the other. Communications shall be deemed to have been received when delivered personally, on the scheduled arrival date when sent by next day or 2nd-day courier service, or if sent by facsimile upon receipt of confirmation of transmittal or, if sent by mail, then three days after deposit in the mail. If given by electronic transmission, such notice shall be deemed to be delivered (a) if by electronic mail, when directed to an electronic mail address at which the recipient has consented to receive notice; (b) if by a posting on an electronic network together with separate notice to the recipient of such specific posting, upon the later of (1) such posting and (2) the giving of such separate notice; and (c) if by any other form of electronic transmission, when directed to the recipient.
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 by e-mail delivery of a “pdf” format data file, 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 facsimile or “.pdf” signature page were an original thereof.
15. Survival; Severability.
15.1 Survival. The representations, warranties, covenants and agreements of the parties hereto shall survive the Closing Date.
15.2 Severability. In the event that any provision of this Agreement becomes or is declared by a court of competent jurisdiction to be illegal, unenforceable or void, this Agreement shall continue in full force and effect without said provision; provided that no such severability shall be effective if it materially changes the economic benefit of this Agreement to any party.
16. Headings. The titles and subtitles used in this Agreement are used for convenience only and are not to be considered in construing or interpreting this Agreement.
[remainder of page intentionally left blank]
8
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement to be effective as of the date first set forth above.
| COMPANY: | ||
| ACP HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP. | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | Andrew Mallozzi | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |
| SUBSCRIBER: | ||
| ROTH CAPITAL PARTNERS, LLC | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
[Signature Page - Private Placement Units Purchase Agreement]
9
Exhibit 23.1
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We consent to the inclusion in this Registration Statement on Form S-1 of our report dated March 6, 2026, with respect to the financial statements of ACP Holdings Acquisition Corp. included in this Registration Statement. We also consent to the reference to us under the heading “Experts” in such Registration Statement.
/s/ CBIZ CPAs P.C.
New York, NY
March 30, 2026