AirJoule Technologies Corp 10-K for FY2023
AirJoule Technologies Corp. (AIRJ)
About this 10-K
AirJoule Technologies Corp filed this 10-K on March 11, 2024, covering the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 (FY2023).
Headline figures
Fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, as reported in this filing, compared with the same period a year earlier where the filing states it.
- Net income
- $1.24M
- down 39.1% from net income of $2.04M a year earlier
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
For the fiscal year ended
For the period from to
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| (State or other jurisdiction
of incorporation or organization) | (Commission File Number) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of Each Class | Trading Symbol | Name of Each Exchange On Which Registered | ||
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer,
as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports
pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports
required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter
period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically
every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the
preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).
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 13(a) of the Exchange Act.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant
has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial
reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or
issued its audit report.
If the securities are registered pursuant to Section
12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction
of an error to previously issued financial statements.
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant
is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes
The aggregate market value of the common stock outstanding, other than
shares held by persons who may be deemed affiliates of the registrant, computed by reference to the closing sales price for the Class
A common stock on June 30, 2023, as reported on the NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) was approximately $
As of March 11, 2024, there were
Documents Incorporated by Reference:
Table of Contents
i
CERTAIN TERMS
Unless otherwise stated in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Report”), or the context otherwise requires, references to:
| ● | “amended and restated certificate of incorporation” are to the amended and restated certificate of incorporation of the company, which was adopted in connection with the closing of our initial public offering; |
| ● | “anchor investors” are to certain funds and accounts managed by subsidiaries of BlackRock, Inc.; |
| ● | “Class A common stock” are to our Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share; |
| ● | “Class B common stock” are to our Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share; |
| ● | “common stock” are to our Class A common stock and our Class B common stock; |
| ● | “equity-linked securities” are to any debt or equity securities that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for shares of our Class A common stock issued in connection with our initial business combination including, but not limited to, a private placement of equity or debt; |
| ● | “founder shares” are to shares of our Class B common stock initially issued to our sponsor in a private placement prior to our initial public offering and the shares of our Class A common stock that will be issued upon the automatic conversion of the shares of our Class B common stock at the time of our initial business combination (for the avoidance of doubt, such shares of our Class A common stock will not be “public shares”); |
| ● | “IPO” are to the initial public offering of the company completed on December 14, 2021; |
| ● | “initial stockholders” are to holders of our founder shares prior to our initial public offering and include our sponsor and independent directors; |
| ● | “management” or our “management team” are to our executive officers and directors, and “directors” are to our current directors; |
| ● | “Nasdaq” are to the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC; |
| ● | “private placement warrants” are to the warrants of the company to purchase one share of common stock, which warrants were initially purchased by the sponsor and the anchor investors in a private placement that closed simultaneously with the IPO and upon conversion of working capital loans, if any; |
| ● | “public shares” are to shares of our Class A common stock sold as part of the units in our initial public offering (whether they were purchased in our initial public offering or thereafter in the open market); |
ii
| ● | “public stockholders” are to the holders of our public shares, including our sponsor and management team to the extent our sponsor and/or members of our management team purchase public shares, provided that our sponsor’s and each member of our management team’s status as a “public stockholder” will only exist with respect to such public shares; |
| ● | “public warrants” are to the publicly traded warrants of the company to purchase one share of common stock issued as part of each unit in our initial public offering and which began trading separately on January 31, 2022; |
| ● | “sponsor” are to XPDI Sponsor II LLC, a Delaware limited liability company formed by individuals affiliated with TEP and XMS. References to the experience of our sponsor include the experience of TEP, XMS and their respective affiliated investment professionals; |
| ● | “TEP” are to Transition Equity Partners, LLC, a private equity fund focused on renewable and transition energy infrastructure in North America; |
| ● | “trust account” are to the trust account set up following our initial public offering with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee; |
| ● | “unit” are to our units issued in our initial public offering, each consisting of one share of Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, and one-half of one redeemable warrant; |
| ● | “warrants” are to the private placement warrants, public warrants and any warrants we issue to our sponsor upon conversion of loans; |
| ● | “we,” “us,” “our,” “company” or “our company” are to Power & Digital Acquisition II Corp., a Delaware corporation; and |
| ● | “XMS” are to XMS XPDI Sponsor Holdings II LLC, an entity owned by professionals of XMS Capital Partners, LLC, a global independent financial services firm, primarily providing strategic and financial advisory services. |
| ● | “XMS Capital” are to XMS Capital Partners, LLC, an entity experienced in providing strategic and financial advisory services, inducing advising clients on mergers and acquisitions, capital structure, financings, takeover and activist preparation, and restructurings. |
iii
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Report, including, without limitation, statements under the heading “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (the “Exchange Act”). 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,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this Report 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 a prospective target business or businesses; |
| ● | our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination; |
| ● | our officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination; |
| ● | our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination; |
| ● | our pool of prospective target businesses; |
| ● | our ability to consummate an initial business combination due to the uncertainty resulting from the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and resulting sanctions, ongoing conflict in the Middle East and other events (such as terrorist attacks, geopolitical unrest, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases); |
| ● | the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential investment 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 our initial public offering. |
The forward-looking statements contained in this Report 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. These risks and others described under “Risk Factors” may not be exhaustive.
iv
Summary of Risk Factors
Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties. These risks include, but are not limited to:
| ● | We have no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective. | |
| ● | 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.” | |
| ● | Our public stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our 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 stockholders do not support such initial business combination. | |
| ● | If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public stockholders vote, and depending on the number of stockholders who vote, our sponsor, officers and directors may have almost enough votes to approve our initial business combination based on the shares held by them. | |
| ● | Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding our initial business combination will be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your public shares from us for cash, unless we seek stockholder approval of such initial business combination. | |
| ● | The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our public shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure. | |
| ● | The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our public 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 public shares. | |
| ● | The requirement that we complete our initial business combination by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension), may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may limit the time we have in which to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets, in particular as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our stockholders. | |
| ● | We may not be able to complete our initial business combination by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension), in which case we would cease all operations, except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public stockholders may receive only $10.80 per public share, based on the balance of the trust account as of December 29, 2023, and our warrants will expire worthless. |
v
| ● | Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by conflict between Ukraine and Russia, ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the status of debt and equity markets. | |
| ● | If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may elect to purchase public shares or public warrants from the public, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our common stock. | |
| ● | If a stockholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our initial business combination despite our compliance with the tender offer rules or proxy rules, or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed. | |
| ● | You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. To liquidate your investment, therefore, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss. | |
| ● | The 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. | |
| ● | You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of certain other blank check companies. | |
| ● | If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of stockholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our public shares, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our public shares. | |
| ● | Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.80 per public share, based on the balance of the trust account as of December 29, 2023, on the liquidation of the trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless. | |
| ● | If the funds not being held in the trust account are insufficient, 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 management team or our sponsor or any of their respective affiliates to fund our search, to pay our taxes and to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to obtain such loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination. | |
| ● | If we have not completed our initial business combination by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension), our public stockholders may be forced to wait beyond such prescribed time period before redemption from the trust account. | |
| ● | If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per share redemption amount received by our public stockholders may be less than the $10.10 per share initially deposited in the trust account. | |
| ● | We identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting and may identify additional material weaknesses in the future, or fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, which may result in material misstatements of our financial statements or cause us to fail to meet our periodic reporting obligations. |
vi
PART I
Item 1. Business.
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated as a Delaware corporation and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to throughout this Report as our initial business combination.
Our intention is to acquire a business or entity that could benefit from our expertise across the power and digital infrastructure landscape.
| ● | TEP is a private equity fund focused on renewable and transition energy infrastructure. Its leadership team has over 20 years of investment experience and has invested in ~$1.1 billion, including ~$900 million directly, in the renewable and transition power verticals. |
| ● | XMS is an entity owned by professionals of XMS Capital. |
In March 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000 to cover for certain offering costs on behalf of us in exchange for issuance of 5,750,000 shares of our Class B common stock. In November 2021, we effected a stock dividend of 1,437,500 shares of our Class B common stock, resulting in there being an aggregate of 7,187,500 shares of our Class B common stock outstanding. We have agreed to sell to the anchor investors 1,078,125 founder shares, and the anchor investors agreed to purchase from us on the date of the initial business combination an aggregate of 1,078,125 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $3,750, or approximately $0.004 per share. Our sponsor has also agreed that in the event of such purchase by the anchor investors, our sponsor will forfeit to us for no consideration a number of founder shares equal to the number of founder shares purchased by the anchor investors.
In July 2021, our sponsor transferred 30,000 shares of Class B common stock to each of the four independent director nominees, a total of 120,000 shares of Class B common stock. In November 2021, our sponsor repurchased 30,000 shares of Class B common stock from a former independent director nominee.
On December 14, 2021 the company consummated its IPO of 28,750,000 units, which included the exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase an additional 3,750,000 units at the initial public offering price to cover over-allotments. Each unit consists of one share of Class A common stock and one-half of one warrant, each whole public warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. The units were sold at an offering price of $10.00 per unit, generating gross proceeds of $287,500,000.
Simultaneously with the closing of our IPO and the issuance and sale of the units, we completed the private placement of an aggregate of 11,125,000 private placement warrants at a price of $1.00 per private placement warrant, generating total proceeds of $11,125,000. The private placement warrants, which were purchased by the sponsor and the anchor investors, are substantially similar to the public warrants, except that if held by the sponsor, the anchor investors or their respective permitted transferees, they (i) may be exercised on a cashless basis, (ii) are not redeemable and (iii) subject to certain limited exceptions, will be subject to transfer restrictions until 30 days following the consummation of our initial business combination. If the private placement warrants are held by holders other than the sponsor, the anchor investors or their respective permitted transferees, the private placement warrants will be redeemable by the company under all redemption scenarios and exercisable by holders on the same basis as the public warrants.
On May 15, 2023, we filed a definitive proxy statement for the solicitation of proxies in connection with that certain special meeting in lieu of annual meeting of stockholders of the company held on June 9, 2023 (the “Extension Special Meeting”) to consider and vote on, among other proposals, the extension of the date by which the company must consummate an initial business combination from June 14, 2023 to December 14, 2023, and to allow the company, without another stockholder vote, by resolution of the company’s board of directors (the “Board”) to elect to further extend such date in one-month increments up to three additional times until March 14, 2024, unless the closing of a an initial business combination shall have occurred prior thereto, or such earlier date as determined by the Board to be in the best interests of the company (such proposal, the “Extension Amendment Proposal”), and the amendment of the company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation to remove the limitation that the company may not redeem public shares to the extent that such redemption would result in the company having net tangible assets (as determined in accordance with Rule 3a51-1(g)(1) of the Exchange Act (or any successor rule)) of less than $5,000,001 (such proposal, the “Redemption Limitation Amendment Proposal”).
1
At the Extension Special Meeting on June 9, 2023, the company’s stockholders approved the Extension Amendment Proposal and the Redemption Limitation Amendment Proposal. In connection with the stockholders’ vote at the Extension Special Meeting, the stockholders elected to redeem 18,141,822 shares of XPDB Class A Common Stock at a redemption price of approximately $10.37 per share, for an aggregate redemption amount of approximately $188,132,132 (the “June Redemptions”). After the satisfaction of the June Redemptions, the balance in the trust account as of December 31, 2023 was approximately $114,641,527. Upon completion of the June Redemptions, 10,608,178 shares of Class A common stock and 7,187,500 shares of Class B common stock remained issued and outstanding.
In connection with the approval of the Extension Amendment Proposal, the company deposited $300,000 in the trust account on June 15, 2023, July 10, 2023 and August 10, 2023 and the sponsor deposited $300,000 in the trust account on September 8, 2023, October 10, 2023, and November 9, 2023.On December 12, 2023, the Board approved an extension of the date by which the company must consummate an initial business combination from December 14, 2023 to January 14, 2024.
On January 10, 2024, the Board approved an extension of the date by which the company must consummate an initial business combination from January 14, 2024 to February 14, 2024.
On February 8, 2024, the Board approved an extension of the date by which the company must consummate an initial business combination from February 14, 2024 to March 14, 2024.
On February 20, 2024, we filed a definitive proxy statement for the solicitation of proxies in connection with a special meeting of stockholders of the company to consider and vote on, among other proposals, the extension of the date by which the company must consummate an initial business combination from March 14, 2024 to April 14, 2024, and to allow the company, without another stockholder vote, by resolution of the Board, to elect to further extend such date in one-month increments up to three additional times until July 14, 2024 (the “2024 Extension”), unless the closing of a an initial business combination shall have occurred prior thereto, or such earlier date as determined by the Board to be in the best interests of the company.
Competitive Strengths
We believe the sourcing, valuation, diligence and execution capabilities of our management team will provide us with a significant pipeline of opportunities from which to evaluate and select a target for an initial business combination that will benefit from our extensive experience. Our competitive strengths include the following:
| ● | TEP’s leadership has 20 years of experience and decades-long relationships across the energy & power industry to facilitate proprietary and relationship-based opportunities for sourcing and improving investments; |
| ● | TEP’s deep experience as an investor in carbon credits and businesses that generate carbon credits; |
| ● | TEP’s leadership drives value at the investment level by leveraging industry relationships, employing rigorous underwriting and risk management acumen, and macroeconomic and financial insight; |
| ● | Senior leadership has more than 20 years of energy & power investing experience through multiple commodity/economic cycles; |
| ● | XMS’ partners average over 25 years of investment banking experience; |
| ● | XMS has the expertise to advise across the entire range of strategic and financial alternatives - M&A, capital structure, financings, takeover and activist preparation, dividend policy, restructuring; |
| ● | XMS Capital has world class execution with expertise navigating all potential process dynamics and nuances, and has executed transactions in virtually every industry, sector, and vertical; and |
| ● | The XMS and TEP teams have decades of combined experience in sourcing deals with a demonstrated track record of successfully executing transactions. |
2
Business Strategy
Our business strategy is to identify and complete an initial business combination that creates substantial long-term value for our stockholders. We will seek North American targets operating as leaders in the power and digital infrastructure areas and adjacent industries to capitalize on co-optimization opportunities, where they exist. We believe the network of proprietary and relationship-based opportunities of the management, combined with its rigorous underwriting and risk management acumen, and macroeconomic and financial insight, will allow us to effectively and efficiently identify and evaluate potential opportunities for our initial business combination. In addition to our network and expertise, we plan to leverage XMS’ world class execution with expertise navigating all potential process dynamics and nuances, to extend our access to opportunities. We will seek to:
| ● | Bridge the gap between renewable energy and storage assets with high-density energy consumers in the digital infrastructure industry with a co-optimization strategy, where it’s present and actionable; |
| ● | Optimize renewable energy resource integration into the transmission and distribution grid using power technology, equipment and services; |
| ● | Utilize more sustainable power to satisfy the energy demands of the ever-increasing data center and blockchain digital infrastructure industries; |
| ● | Provide a public currency to facilitate rapid growth through acquisition as the electrical grid transitions in these high-growth renewable energy supply and digital infrastructure demand markets; |
| ● | Leverage the management team’s and Board’s deep expertise and deal flow across both the power and digital infrastructure industries which will provide a large opportunity set for XPDI II to pursue both as the initial target for the SPAC, as well as for follow-on acquisitions; and |
| ● | Capitalize on TEP’s long-standing relationships across the energy & power industry to facilitate proprietary and relationship-based opportunities for sourcing and improving investments. |
Our company is supported by a full management team with deep expertise and deal flow across both the intermittent renewable and dispatchable power and digital infrastructure industries. Our operations are overseen by an experienced Board of Directors with deep knowledge developed through extensive M&A, financing transactions, and entrepreneurial ventures. Our management team brings extensive knowledge and a developed network.
We believe that the evolving transition taking place in the electrical power and digital infrastructure landscape has created and will continue to create significant opportunity for co-optimization from renewable energy resources, expanding their integration into the transmission and distribution grid, and utilizing the more sustainable power to satisfy the demands of the ever-increasing high-density electrical needs of data centers and blockchain infrastructure.
Acquisition Criteria
The following general criteria and guidelines were developed to evaluate prospective target businesses, consistent with our Business Strategy.
3
These criteria and guidelines will be used in evaluating acquisition opportunities, but the target business that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with may not meet all of the criteria and guidelines listed below. We may also consider other criteria and/or guidelines not listed below. We intend to acquire a business or an entity that we believe:
| ● | Has demonstrated, or has the potential to develop, fundamentally sound financial performance, with visibility into revenue and cash flow growth and relatively predictable future financial performance; |
| ● | Exhibits unique business attributes and/or product offerings that provide us confidence on the long-term profitability and outlook of the company; |
| ● | Is directed by an exemplary and accomplished management team with a proven track record and complementary capabilities, or is open to augmenting the existing leadership team’s capabilities with additional talent through our network; and |
| ● | Embraces the potential to maximize the value to our stockholders, through utilizing our industry experience, as well as our operating, strategic, financing and M&A capabilities. |
The list of criteria and guidelines are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation of the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based on the above criteria and guidelines as well as other factors and considerations that our management and our sponsors may deem appropriate. Should we elect to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, it will be disclosed in any stockholder communications related to our initial business combination that the target business does not meet the above criteria.
Initial Business Combination
In accordance with the rules of the Nasdaq, our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts held in trust and taxes payable by us on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. If our Board is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or an independent valuation or appraisal firm with respect to satisfaction of such criteria. Our stockholders may not be provided with a copy of such opinion nor will they be able to rely on such opinion. We do not intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination. Subject to this requirement, our management has virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting one or more prospective businesses, although we are not permitted to effectuate our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations. We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-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 prior owners of the target business, the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock, 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 stockholders 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 valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. If the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking stockholder approval, as applicable.
To the extent we effect our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors. In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review which will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us.
4
The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which our 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.
Potential Conflicts of Interest
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors. or any of their affiliates. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers, or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another valuation or appraisal firm that commonly renders fairness opinions that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Our sponsor and directors directly or indirectly own founder shares, Class A common stock and/or private placement warrants following our IPO and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. In particular, because the founder shares were purchased at approximately $0.004 per share, the holders of our founder shares (including members of our management team that directly or indirectly own founder shares) could make a substantial profit after our initial business combination even if our public stockholders lose money on their investment as a result of a decrease in the post-combination value of their shares of common stock (after accounting for any adjustments in connection with an exchange or other transaction contemplated by the business combination). Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities, including as described above. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then current fiduciary or contractual obligations, including one or more other blank check companies, 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 Delaware law.
Certain of our directors and officers have invested, directly or indirectly, in Montana Technologies LLC (“Montana Technologies”).
Status as a Public Company
We believe our structure will make us an attractive business combination partner to target businesses. As an existing public company, we offer a target business an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger or other business combination with us. In a business combination transaction with us, the owners of the target business may, for example, exchange their shares of stock, shares or other equity interests in the target business for our Class A common stock (or shares of a new holding company) or for a combination of our Class A common stock and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. We believe target businesses will find this method a more expeditious and cost effective method to becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering. The typical initial public offering process takes a significantly longer period of time than the typical business combination transaction process, and there are significant expenses in the initial public offering process, including underwriting discounts and commissions, that may not be present to the same extent in connection with a business combination with us.
5
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, an additional means of providing management incentives consistent with stockholders’ interests and the ability to use its shares as currency for acquisitions. Being a public company can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees.
While we believe that our structure and our management team’s backgrounds will make us an attractive business partner, some potential target businesses may view our status as a blank check company, such as our lack of an operating history and our ability to seek stockholder approval of any proposed initial business combination, negatively.
Financial Position
With funds available for a business combination from our IPO and the sale of the private placement warrants, after the satisfaction of the June Redemptions, the balance in the trust account as of December 31, 2023 was approximately $114,641,527. After payment of approximately $6 million of deferred underwriting fees, 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 leverage ratio. Because we are able to complete our initial business combination using our cash, debt or equity securities, or a combination of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to use the most efficient combination that will allow us to tailor the consideration to be paid to the target business to fit its needs and desires. However, we have not taken any steps to secure third party financing and there can be no assurance it will be available to us.
Effecting our Initial Business Combination
Our entire activity since inception up to December 31, 2023 has been related to our formation, preparation for the IPO, and since the closing of the IPO, the search for a prospective initial business combination. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of our IPO, the private placements of the private placement warrants, our equity, debt or a combination of these as the consideration to be paid in our initial business combination. We may seek to complete our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.
If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt 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 common stock, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.
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.
6
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. There are no prohibitions on our ability to issue securities or incur debt in connection with our initial business combination. We are not currently a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities, the incurrence of debt or otherwise.
Sources of Target Businesses
Our process of identifying acquisition targets will leverage XMS, TEP, our sponsor and our management team’s industry experiences, proven deal sourcing capabilities and broad and deep network of relationships in numerous industries, including executives and management teams, private equity groups and other institutional investors, large business enterprises, lenders, investment bankers and other investment market participants, restructuring advisers, consultants, attorneys and accountants, which we believe should provide us with a number of business combination opportunities. We expect that the collective experience, capability and network of XMS, TEP, our directors and officers, combined with their individual and collective reputations in the investment community, will help to create prospective business combination opportunities. In addition, we anticipate that target business candidates may be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers and private investment funds. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being solicited by us through calls or mailings. These sources may also introduce us to target businesses in which they think we may be interested on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read this Report and know what types of businesses we are targeting. Our officers and directors, as well as their affiliates, may also bring to our attention target business candidates of which they become aware through their business contacts as a result of formal or informal inquiries or discussions they may have, as well as attending trade shows or conventions.
We also expect to receive a number of proprietary deal flow opportunities that would not otherwise necessarily be available to us as a result of the business relationships of our officers and directors. While we do not presently anticipate engaging the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on any formal basis, we may engage these firms or other individuals in the future, in which event we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. We will engage a finder only to the extent our management determines that the use of a finder may bring opportunities to us that may not otherwise be available to us or if finders approach us on an unsolicited basis with a potential transaction that our management determines is in our best interest to pursue. Payment of finder’s fees is customarily tied to completion of a transaction, in which case any such fee will be paid out of the funds held in the trust account. In no event, however, will either of our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any entity with which they are affiliated, be paid any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation by the company prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the completion of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, these individuals will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors or from making the acquisition through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or an independent accounting firm, that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context.
7
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities, including entities that are affiliates of our sponsor, pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity.
Accordingly, if our sponsor or its affiliates or our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, subject to their fiduciary duties under Delaware law.
Evaluation of a Target Business and Structuring of our Initial Business Combination
Our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of our assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable by us on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. The fair market value of the target or targets will be determined by our Board based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community, such as discounted cash flow valuation or value of comparable businesses. If our Board is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or from an independent accounting firm, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We do not intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination. Subject to this requirement, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting one or more prospective target businesses, although we will not be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.
In any case, we will only complete an initial business combination in which we own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquire a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. If we own or acquire less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses, the portion of such business or businesses that are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. There is no basis for investors in our IPO to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any target business with which we may ultimately complete our business combination.
To the extent we effect our business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review, which will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us. If we determine to move forward with a particular target, we will proceed to structure and negotiate the terms of the business combination transaction.
The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of, and negotiation with, a prospective target business with which our initial business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination. The company will not pay any consulting fees to members of our management team, or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered to or in connection with our initial business combination.
8
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 (as defined below) 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.
Stockholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve our Initial Business Combination
We may conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC subject to the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. However, we will seek stockholder approval if it is required by law or applicable stock exchange rule, or we may decide to seek stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons.
Under the Nasdaq’s listing rules, stockholder approval would be required for our initial business combination if, for example:
| ● | we issue shares of common stock that will be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of our shares of common stock then outstanding (other than in a public offering); |
| ● | any of our directors, officers or substantial stockholders (as defined by the Nasdaq rules) has a 5% or greater interest (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 common stock could result in an increase in outstanding common stock or voting power of 5% or more; or |
| ● | the issuance or potential issuance of common stock will result in our undergoing a change of control. |
9
The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination in those instances in which stockholder approval is not required by law will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on business and legal reasons, which include a variety of factors, including, but not limited to:
| ● | the timing of the transaction, including in the event we determine stockholder approval would require additional time and there is either not enough time to seek stockholder approval or doing so would place the company at a disadvantage in the transaction or result in other additional burdens on the company; |
| ● | the expected cost of holding a stockholder vote; |
| ● | the risk that the stockholders would fail to approve the proposed business combination; |
| ● | other time and budget constraints of the company; and |
| ● | additional legal complexities of a proposed business combination that would be time-consuming and burdensome to present to stockholders. |
Permitted Purchases of Our Securities
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market prior to the completion of our initial business combination. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares or public warrants in such transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act.
Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgment that such stockholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules.
The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to (i) vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the business combination or (ii) to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A common stock or public warrants may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
Our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the stockholders with whom our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates may pursue privately negotiated purchases by either the stockholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by stockholders (in the case of our Class A common stock) following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates enter into a private purchase, they would identify and contact only potential selling stockholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against our initial business combination, whether or not such stockholder has already submitted a proxy with respect to our initial business combination but only if such shares have not already been voted at the stockholder meeting related to our initial business combination. Our sponsor, executive officers, directors, advisors or any of their affiliates will select which stockholders to purchase shares from based on the negotiated price and number of shares and any other factors that they may deem relevant, and will only purchase shares if such purchases comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.
10
Any purchases by our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates who are affiliated purchasers under Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act will only be made to the extent such purchases are able to be made in compliance with Rule 10b-18, which is a safe harbor from liability for manipulation under Section 9(a)(2) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Rule 10b-18 has certain technical requirements that must be complied with in order for the safe harbor to be available to the purchaser. Our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates will not make purchases of shares if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements.
Redemption Rights for Public Stockholders upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the completion of the initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account as of December 31, 2023 was approximately $10.80 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. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Our sponsor, directors, each other member of our management team and the anchor investors have entered into agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares in connection with (i) the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of shares of Class A common stock the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed an initial business combination by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension).
Manner of Conducting Redemptions
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement or whether we were deemed to be a foreign private issuer (which would require a tender offer rather than seeking stockholder approval under SEC rules). Asset acquisitions and share purchases would not typically require stockholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our shares of outstanding common stock or seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation would require stockholder approval. We currently intend to conduct redemptions in connection with a stockholder vote unless stockholder approval is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement and we choose to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC for business or other legal reasons. So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on the Nasdaq, we will be required to comply with the Nasdaq rules.
11
If we held a stockholder vote to approve our initial business combination, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation:
| ● | conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules; and |
| ● | file proxy materials with the SEC. |
In the event that we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection therewith, provide our public stockholders with the redemption rights described above upon completion of the initial business combination.
If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock are voted by the stockholders at a stockholders meeting to approve the initial business combination, unless applicable law, our corporate governing documents or applicable stock exchange rules require a different vote, in which case we will complete our initial business combination only if such requisite vote is received. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holder present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. Our initial stockholders and the anchor investors will count towards this quorum and, pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, our sponsor, directors and each member of our management team have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after our IPO, in favor of our initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding shares of common stock voted, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need 1,710,340, or 16.1%, of the 10,608,178 public shares remaining after the June Redemptions to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted). Also, as a result of the founder shares and private placement warrants that our anchor investors may hold (directly or indirectly), they may have different interests with respect to a vote on an initial business combination than other public stockholders. These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our initial stockholders, may make it more likely that we will complete our initial business combination. Each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or whether they were a stockholder on the record date for the stockholder meeting held to approve the proposed transaction. In addition, our sponsor, directors, each other member of our management team and the anchor investors have entered into agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with (i) the completion of a business combination and (ii) a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of shares of Class A common stock the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed an initial business combination by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension).
If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation:
| ● | conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers; and |
12
| ● | file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies. |
Upon the public announcement of our initial business combination, we or our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase Class A common stock in the open market if we elect to redeem our public shares through a tender offer, to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act.
In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public stockholders not tendering more than the number of public shares we are permitted to redeem. If public stockholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the initial business combination.
Redemptions of our public shares may be subject to a net tangible asset test or cash requirement pursuant to an agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed business combination may require: (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of our Class A common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, and all shares of our Class A common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof.
Limitation on Redemption upon Completion of Our Initial Business Combination If We Seek Stockholder Approval
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to the excess shares. We believe this restriction will discourage stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to exercise their redemption rights against a proposed business combination as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public stockholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in our IPO could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us, our sponsor or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our stockholders’ ability to redeem no more than 15% of the shares sold in our IPO without our prior consent, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including excess shares) for or against our initial business combination.
13
Tendering Share Certificates in Connection with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights
Public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” will be required to either tender their certificates (if any) to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, mailed to such holders, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, in each case up to two business days prior to the initially scheduled vote to approve the business combination. The proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate the applicable delivery requirements, which will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Accordingly, a public stockholder would have from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, or up to two days prior to the initial vote on the business combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. Given the relatively short period in which to exercise redemption rights, it is advisable for stockholders to use electronic delivery of their public shares.
There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker a fee of approximately $80.00 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights to tender their shares. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated.
The foregoing is different from the procedures used by many blank check companies. In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, many blank check companies would distribute proxy materials for the stockholders’ vote on an initial business combination, and a holder could simply vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holder was seeking to exercise his or her redemption rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would contact such stockholder to arrange for him or her to deliver his or her certificate to verify ownership. As a result, the stockholder then had an “option window” after the completion of the business combination during which he or she could monitor the price of our shares in the market. If the price rose above the redemption price, he or she could sell his or her shares in the open market before actually delivering his or her shares to the company for cancellation. As a result, the redemption rights, to which stockholders were aware they needed to commit before the general meeting, would become “option” rights surviving past the completion of the business combination until the redeeming holder delivered its certificate. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a redeeming stockholder’s election to redeem is irrevocable once the business combination is approved.
Any request to redeem such shares, once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination, unless otherwise agreed to by us. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivered its certificate in connection with an election of redemption rights and subsequently decides prior to the applicable date not to elect to exercise such rights, such holder may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically). It is anticipated that the funds to be distributed to holders of our public shares electing to redeem their shares will be distributed promptly after the completion of our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public stockholders who elected to exercise their redemption rights would not be entitled to redeem their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account. In such case, we will promptly return any certificates delivered by public holders who elected to redeem their shares.
If our initial proposed business combination is not completed, we may continue to try to complete a business combination with a different target until March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension).
Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation if no Initial Business Combination
We will have until March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension) to complete an initial business combination. If the 2024 Extension is approved, our public stockholders will not be entitled to vote on, or redeem their shares in connection with, any additional one-month extension approved by the Board in its sole discretion. This feature is different from some other special purpose acquisition companies, in which any extension of the company’s period to complete an initial business combination would require a vote of the company’s stockholders and in connection with such vote stockholders would have the right to redeem their public shares. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination.
14
If we have not completed an initial business combination within the time period set forth above or such later date as approved by our stockholders or the Board, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of the then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our Board, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension). We expect the pro rata redemption price to be approximately $10.80 per share of common stock based on the balance of the trust account as of December 29, 2023. However, we cannot assure you that we will in fact be able to distribute such amounts as a result of claims of creditors which may take priority over the claims of our public stockholders.
Our sponsor, directors and each other member of our management team have entered into agreements with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we do not complete an initial business combination by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension). However, if our sponsor, director or other members of our management team acquire public shares in or after our IPO, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension).
Our sponsor, executive officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of shares of Class A common stock the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension), unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of the then outstanding public shares.
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 $59,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account as of December 31, 2023 plus up to $100,000 of funds from the trust account available to us to pay dissolution expenses, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. If we were to expend all of the funds in the trust account as of December 29, 2023, the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders upon our dissolution would be approximately $10.80. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to the claims of our creditors which would have higher priority than the claims of our public stockholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption amount received by stockholders will not be substantially less than $10.80. Under Section 281(b) of the DGCL, our plan of dissolution must provide for all claims against us to be paid in full or make provision for payments to be made in full, as applicable, if there are sufficient assets. These claims must be paid or provided for before we make any distribution of our remaining assets to our stockholders. While we intend to pay such amounts, if any, we cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims.
15
Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent auditors), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements or even if they execute such agreements that they would be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account including but not limited to fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. One of the underwriters of our IPO waived such claims to the monies held in the trust account. The other underwriters of our IPO have not executed 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 (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amounts in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.10 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 $10.10 per public share, due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest that may be withdrawn to pay our taxes, if any, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business that executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of our IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. In the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy their indemnity obligations and we believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.10 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 $10.10 per public share, , due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay our taxes, if any, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its indemnification obligations or that they have no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so in any particular instance. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per-share redemption price will not be less than $10.10 per public share.
We will seek to reduce the possibility that our sponsor will have to indemnify the trust account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent auditors), 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 our IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We will have access to up to approximately $1.7 million from the proceeds of our IPO and the sale of the private placement warrants with which to pay any such potential claims (including costs and expenses incurred in connection with our liquidation, currently estimated to be no more than approximately $100,000). In the event that we liquidate and it is subsequently determined that the reserve for claims and liabilities is insufficient, stockholders who received funds from our trust account could be liable for claims made by creditors, however such liability will not be greater than the amount of funds from our trust account received by any such stockholder.
16
Under the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension) may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If the corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution.
Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension) is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful (potentially due to the imposition of legal proceedings that a party may bring or due to other circumstances that are currently unknown), then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution. If we do not complete our initial business combination by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension), we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any) and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our Board, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Accordingly, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension) and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with those procedures. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of such date.
Because we will not be complying with Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the subsequent 10 years. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses. As described above, pursuant to the obligation contained in our underwriting agreement, we will seek to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account. As a result of this obligation, the claims that could be made against us are significantly limited and the likelihood that any claim that would result in any liability extending to the trust account is remote. Further, our sponsor may be liable only to the extent necessary to ensure that the amounts in the trust account are not reduced below (i) $10.10 per public share, or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, due to reductions in value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest withdrawn to pay taxes and will not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of our IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. In the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims.
17
If we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return the $10.10 per public share initially held in the trust account, to our public stockholders. Additionally, if we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy or insolvency laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy or insolvency court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our stockholders.
Furthermore, our Board may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.
Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only (i) in the event of the redemption of our public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension), (ii) in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of the company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with its initial business combination or to redeem 100% of the Class A common stock if the company has not consummated an initial business combination by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension) or (B) with respect to any other provisions of the amended and restated certificate of incorporation relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, or (iii) if they redeem their respective shares for cash upon the completion of the initial business combination. Public stockholders who redeem their shares of our Class A common stock in connection with a stockholder vote described in clause (ii) in the preceding sentence shall not be entitled to funds from the trust account upon the subsequent completion of an initial business combination or liquidation if we have not completed an initial business combination by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension), with respect to such shares of our Class A common stock so redeemed. In no other circumstances will a stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. In the event we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, a stockholder’s voting in connection with the business combination alone will not result in a stockholder’s redeeming its shares to us for an applicable pro rata share of the trust account. Such stockholder must have also exercised its redemption rights described above. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, like all provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, may be amended with a stockholder vote.
Competition
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our initial business combination, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, public companies and operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess greater financial, technical, human and other resources than us. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public stockholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination and our outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Either of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination.
18
Facilities
We currently maintain our executive offices at 321 North Clark Street, Suite 2440, Chicago, IL 60654. The cost for our use of this space is included in the $20,000 per month fee we will pay to affiliates of our sponsor for office space, administrative and support services. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
Human Capital Resources
We currently have four executive officers. These individuals are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time they will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the stage of the 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 provide stockholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, sent to stockholders to assist them in assessing the target business. In all likelihood, these financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or reconciled to, GAAP, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances, and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential acquisition candidate will have financial statements prepared in accordance with the requirements outlined above, or that the potential target business will be able to prepare its financial statements in accordance with the requirements outlined above. To the extent that these requirements cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business. While this may limit the pool of potential acquisition candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.
We are required to evaluate our internal control procedures for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to have our internal control procedures audited. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.
We have filed a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. As a result, we are subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the completion of our initial business combination. We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
19
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of our IPO, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the Market Value of the shares of our Class A common stock that is held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700.0 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt 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 common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, and (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter.
Item 1A. 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 Report and our final prospectus associated with our IPO, before making a decision to invest in our securities. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Relating to our Search for, Consummation of, or Inability to Consummate, an Initial Business Combination and Post-Business Combination Risks
We are a recently incorporated company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
We are a recently incorporated company incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware with no operating results, and we did not commence operations until obtaining funding through our IPO. Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of completing our initial business combination with one or more target businesses. We have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective target business concerning a business combination and may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.
Our public stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public stockholders do not support such a combination.
We may choose not to hold a stockholder vote before we complete our initial business combination if the business combination would not require stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement. For instance, if we were seeking to acquire a target business where the consideration we were paying in the transaction was all cash, we would not be required to seek stockholder approval to complete such a transaction. Except as required by law or stock exchange, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval. Accordingly, we may complete our initial business combination even if a majority of our public stockholders do not approve of the business combination we complete.
Please see the section of this Report entitled “Item 1-Stockholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve our Initial Business Combination” for additional information.
20
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors and each member of our management team have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public stockholders vote.
Our initial stockholders (including our sponsor) own, on an as-converted basis, 20% of our outstanding shares of common stock immediately following the completion of our IPO Our initial stockholders, directors and members of our management team also may from time to time purchase Class A common stock prior to our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, if we seek stockholder approval of an initial business combination, such initial business combination will be approved if we receive the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares voted at such meeting, including the founder shares. If we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, our sponsor, directors and each member of our management team have agreed to vote their founder shares and any shares purchased during or after the offering, in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need 1,710,340, or 16.1%, of the 10,608,178 public shares remaining after the June Redemptions to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted). Accordingly, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, the agreement by our sponsor and each member of our management team to vote in favor of our initial business combination will increase the likelihood that we will receive the requisite stockholder approval for such initial business combination.
Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash.
At the time of your investment in us, you will not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of one or more target businesses. Since our Board may complete a business combination without seeking stockholder approval, public stockholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the business combination, unless we seek such stockholder vote. Accordingly, your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to exercising your redemption rights within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our public stockholders in which we describe our initial business combination.
The ability of our public stockholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.
We may seek to enter into a business combination transaction agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the business combination. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than the amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with us.
The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
In connection with the Extension, stockholders holding 18,141,822 shares of Class A common stock exercised their right to redeem such shares for a pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account. As a result, approximately $188,132,132 (approximately $10.37 per share) was removed from the trust account to pay such redeeming holders.
21
At the time we entered into an agreement for our initial business combination, we did not know how many stockholders may exercise their redemption rights, and therefore structured the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted for redemption. If we are required to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to satisfy the minimum Aggregate Transaction Proceeds (as defined in the Merger Agreement) under the Merger Agreement, 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 additional third party financing. Raising additional third party financing may involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure. The amount of the deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriters will not be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with an initial business combination. The per-share amount we will distribute to stockholders who properly exercise their redemption rights will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commission and after such redemptions, the amount held in trust will continue to reflect our obligation to pay the entire deferred underwriting commissions.
The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your shares.
If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful is increased. If our initial business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the trust account until we liquidate the trust account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your shares in the open market; however, at such time our shares may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in the trust account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with our redemption until we liquidate or you are able to sell your shares in the open market.
The requirement that we complete an initial business combination by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension) 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 as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our stockholders.
Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware that we must complete an initial business combination by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension). 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.
22
We may not be able to complete an initial business combination by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension), in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public stockholders may only receive $10.80 per public share (as of December 29, 2023), or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We will have until March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension) to complete an initial business combination. We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete an initial business combination by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension). Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein. If we have not completed an initial business combination within such applicable time period or such later date as approved by our stockholders or the Board, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law; and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our Board, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares or public warrants from public stockholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our Class A common stock.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market prior to the completion of our initial business combination, where otherwise permissible under applicable laws, rules and regulations, although they are under no obligation to do so. However, other than as expressly stated herein, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares or public warrants in such transactions. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgment that such stockholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees to vote in favor of the initial business combination or abstain and in any event not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to vote such shares in favor of the business combination, or abstain, and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the business combination or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the public warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements. See “Item 1-Permitted Purchases of Our Securities” for a description of how our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates will select which stockholders to purchase securities from in any private transaction.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A common stock or public warrants and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, possibly making it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
23
If a stockholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our initial business combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.
We will comply with the proxy rules or tender offer rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our initial business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a stockholder fails to receive our proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, such stockholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly redeem or tender public shares. For example, we may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. In the event that a stockholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures, its shares may not be redeemed. See the section of this Report entitled “Item 1-Tendering Share Certificates in Connection with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights.”
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 public warrants, potentially at a loss.
Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earlier to occur of: (i) our completion of an initial business combination, and then only in connection with those shares of our Class A common stock that such stockholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of the company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with its initial business combination or to redeem 100% of the Class A common stock if the company has not consummated an initial business combination by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension) or (B) with respect to any other provisions of the amended and restated certificate of incorporation relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed an initial business by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension), subject to applicable law and as further described herein. Public stockholders who redeem their Class A common stock in connection with a stockholder vote described in clause (ii) in the preceding sentence shall not be entitled to funds from the trust account upon the subsequent completion of an initial business combination or liquidation if we have not completed an initial business combination by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension), with respect to such Class A common stock so redeemed. In addition, if we do not complete an initial business combination by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension), compliance with Delaware law may require that we submit a plan of dissolution to our then-existing stockholders for approval prior to the distribution of the proceeds held in our trust account. In that case, public stockholders may be forced to wait beyond March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension) before they receive funds from our trust account. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Holders of public 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 public warrants, potentially at a loss.
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
Since the net proceeds of our IPO and the sale of the private placement warrants are intended to be used to complete an initial business combination with a target business that has not been selected, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However, because we have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 from the successful completion of our IPO and the sale of the private placement warrants and have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means our units will be immediately tradable and we will have a longer period of time to complete our initial business combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, if our IPO were subject to Rule 419, that rule would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us unless and until the funds in the trust account were released to us in connection with our completion of an initial business combination.
24
Because of our limited resources, the number of special purpose acquisition companies evaluating targets and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
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, we expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors.
Furthermore, this competition for available targets with attractive fundamentals or business models could cause target companies to demand improved financial terms. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of our IPO and the sale of the private placement warrants, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, we are obligated to offer holders of our public shares the right to redeem their shares for cash at the time of our initial business combination in conjunction with a stockholder vote or via a tender offer. Target companies will be aware that this may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. Any of these obligations may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination our public stockholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
If the net proceeds of our IPO and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate until March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension), it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination, and we will depend on loans from our sponsor or management team to fund our search and to complete our initial business combination.
The funds available to us outside of the trust account to fund our working capital requirements may not be sufficient to allow us to operate until March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension), assuming that our initial business combination is not completed during that time. We believe that the funds available to us outside of the trust account, together with funds available from loans from our sponsor will be sufficient to allow us to operate until March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension); however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. Of the funds available to us, we expect to use a portion of the funds available to us to pay fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. We could also use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision in letters of intent designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into a letter of intent where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.80 per public share based on the balance of the trust account as of December 29, 2023, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than the $10.10 per public share initially deposited in the trust account, upon our liquidation. See “- If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.10 per share initially deposited in the trust account,” and other risk factors below.
25
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. Neither our sponsor, members of our management team nor any of their affiliates is under any obligation to advance funds to us in such circumstances. Any such advances would be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account. If we are unable to obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. Consequently, our public stockholders may only receive an estimated $10.80 per public share based on the balance of the trust account as of December 29, 2023, or possibly less, on our redemption of our public shares, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than the $10.10 per public share initially deposited in the trust account, on the redemption of their shares. See “- If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.10 per public share initially deposited in the trust account,” and other risk factors below.
Subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination, we may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and our share price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
Even if we conduct due diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will surface all material issues with a particular target business, that it would be possible to uncover all material issues through a customary amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. As a result of these factors, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining post-combination debt financing. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
26
If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.10 per public share initially deposited in the trust account.
Our placing of funds in the trust account may not protect those funds from third-party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent auditors), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements, they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Making such a request of potential target businesses may make our acquisition proposal less attractive to them and, to the extent prospective target businesses refuse to execute such a waiver, it may limit the field of potential target businesses that we might pursue.
Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we have not completed an initial business combination by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension), or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the ten years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders could be less than the $10.10 per public share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors. Pursuant to the letter agreement entered into in connection with our IPO, our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent auditors) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amounts in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.10 per public share, and (ii) the actual amount per share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account if less than $10.10 per public share, due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest that may be withdrawn to pay our taxes, if any, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business that executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of our IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.10 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
27
Our directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.10 per public share, and (ii) the actual amount per share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account if less than $10.10 per public share, due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest that may be withdrawn to pay our taxes, if any, and our sponsor assert that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment and subject to their fiduciary duties may choose not to do so in any particular instance. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders may be reduced below $10.10 per public share.
We may not have sufficient funds to satisfy indemnification claims of our directors and executive officers.
We have agreed to indemnify our officers and directors to the fullest extent permitted by law. However, our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account and to not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever (except to the extent they are entitled to funds from the trust account due to their ownership of public shares). Accordingly, any indemnification provided will be able to be satisfied by us only if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we complete an initial business combination. Our obligation to indemnify our officers and directors may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. Furthermore, a stockholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy or insolvency court may seek to recover such proceeds, and the members of our Board may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our Board and us to claims of punitive damages.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy or insolvency laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy or insolvency court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our stockholders. In addition, our Board may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over the claims of our stockholders and the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
28
Our stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”), stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension) may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If a corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution.
However, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension) in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with the foregoing procedures.
Because we will not be complying with Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the 10 years following our dissolution. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses. If our plan of distribution complies with Section 281(b) of the DGCL, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would likely be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. We cannot assure you that we will properly assess all claims that may be potentially brought against us. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend beyond the third anniversary of such date. Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension) is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful (potentially due to the imposition of legal proceedings that a party may bring or due to other circumstances that are currently unknown), then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution.
We may seek acquisition opportunities in industries or sectors which may be outside of our management’s area of expertise.
We will consider a business combination outside of our management’s area of expertise if a business combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive acquisition opportunity for our company. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in any particular business combination candidate, we cannot assure you that we will adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our securities will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors in our IPO than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a business combination candidate. In the event we elect to pursue an acquisition outside of the areas of our management’s expertise, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained in this Report regarding the areas of our management’s expertise would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire. As a result, our management may not be able to adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. Accordingly, any stockholder who choose to remain stockholders following our business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
29
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses and our strategy is to identify, acquire and build a company in our target investment area, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses and our strategy is to identify, acquire and build a company in our target investment area, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have attributes consistent with our general criteria and guidelines. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of stockholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain stockholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We may seek business combination opportunities with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue, cash flow or earnings, which could subject us to volatile revenues, cash flows or earnings or difficulty in retaining key personnel.
To the extent we complete our initial business combination with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenues or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include investing in a business without a proven business model or with limited historic financial data, volatile revenues or earnings, intense competition and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the relevant risk factors and we may not have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.
We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent accounting or investment banking firm, and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view. Unless we complete our initial business combination with an affiliated entity, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent accounting firm or independent investment banking firm that the price we are paying is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our stockholders will be relying on the judgment of our Board, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
Past performance by our sponsor and its affiliates, Power& Digital Infrastructure Acquisition Corp. (“XPDI I”), XMS, TEP or our management team, including the businesses referred to herein, may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us or in the future performance of any business that we may acquire.
Information regarding past performance of our sponsor and its affiliates, XPDI I, XMS, TEP and our management team is presented for informational purposes only. Any past experience and performance of our sponsor and its affiliates, XPDI I, XMS, TEP, our management team or the other companies referred to herein is not a guarantee either: (1) that we will be able to successfully identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (2) of any results with respect to any initial business combination we may complete. You should not rely on the historical record of our sponsor and its affiliates, XPDI I, XMS, TEP, our management team’s performance or the performance of the other companies referred to herein as indicative of the future performance of an investment in us or the returns we will, or are likely to, generate going forward. An investment in us is not an investment in our sponsor or its affiliates, XPDI I, XMS, TEP nor the other companies referred to in this Report.
30
Because we must furnish our stockholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective target businesses.
The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on a business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”), or international financial reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (“IFRS”), depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”). These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.
Compliance obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may make it more difficult for us to effectuate a business combination, require substantial financial and management resources, and increase the time and costs of completing an acquisition.
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2022. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company, we will not be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because a target business with which we seek to complete our initial business combination may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal control of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.
Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and prevent fraud. As described in Part II, Item 9A, management has concluded that, due to the material weakness we have identified in our internal control over financial reporting, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective. If we identify any new material weaknesses in the future, any such newly identified material weakness could limit our ability to prevent or detect a misstatement of our accounts or disclosures that could result in a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements. In such case, we may be unable to maintain compliance with securities law requirements regarding timely filing of periodic reports in addition to applicable stock exchange listing requirements, investors may lose confidence in our financial reporting and our stock price may decline as a result. We cannot assure you that the measures we have taken to date, or any measures we may take in the future, will be sufficient to avoid potential future material weaknesses.
We have a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023. If we are unable to develop and maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results in a timely manner, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and materially and adversely affect our business and operating results.
A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected and corrected on a timely basis. Management concluded that there was a material weakness in internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023 relating to the accounting for accrued general and administrative expenses and the Company’s tax provision.
31
Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and prevent fraud. We continue to evaluate steps to remediate the material weakness. If we identify any new material weaknesses in the future, any such newly identified material weakness could limit our ability to prevent or detect a misstatement of our accounts or disclosures that could result in a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements. In such case, we may be unable to maintain compliance with securities law requirements regarding timely filing of periodic reports in addition to applicable stock exchange listing requirements, investors may lose confidence in our financial reporting and our stock price may decline as a result. We cannot assure you that the measures we have taken to date, or any measures we may take in the future, will be sufficient to avoid potential future material weaknesses.
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 December 31, 2023, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur costs in pursuit of our financing and acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to consummate an initial business combination will be successful. If we are unable to raise additional funds to alleviate liquidity needs and complete a business combination by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension) then we will cease all operations except for the purpose of liquidating. The liquidity condition and date for mandatory liquidation and subsequent dissolution raise substantial doubt about the 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.
We do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete our initial business combination with which a substantial majority of our stockholders do not agree.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation does not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold. As a result, we may be able to complete our initial business combination even though a substantial majority of our public stockholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of our Class A common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, all shares of our Class A common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.
In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and other governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to further amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or governing instruments in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination that our stockholders may not support.
In order to effectuate a business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds, changed industry focus and, with respect to their warrants, amended their warrant agreements to require the warrants to be exchanged for cash and/or other securities. Amending our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires the approval of holders of 65% of our common stock, and amending our public warrant agreement will require a vote of holders of at least 50% of the public warrants. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires us to provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash if we propose an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of shares of Class A common stock the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension) or with respect to any other provisions relating to the rights of holders of Class A common stock. To the extent any of such amendments would be deemed to fundamentally change the nature of any of the securities offered in our IPO, we would register, or seek an exemption from registration for, the affected securities. In connection with the Extension, stockholders holding 18,141,822 shares of Class A common stock exercised their right to redeem such shares for a pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account. As a result, approximately $188,132,132 (approximately $10.37 per share) was removed from the trust account to pay such redeeming holders. Additionally, we filed a definitive proxy statement for the solicitation of proxies in connection with a special meeting of stockholders of the company to consider and vote on, among other proposals, the extension of the date by which the company must consummate an initial business combination from March 14, 2024 to April 14, 2024, and to allow the company, without another stockholder vote, by resolution of the Board, to elect to further extend such date in one-month increments up to three additional times until July 14, 2024, unless the closing of an initial business combination shall have occurred prior thereto, or such earlier date as determined by the Board to be in the best interests of the company. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our charter or governing instruments or further extend the time to consummate an initial business combination in order to effectuate our initial business combination.
32
The provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that relate to our pre-business combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account) may be amended with the approval of holders of at least 65% of our common stock, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other blank check companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our stockholders may not support.
Some other blank check companies have a provision in their charter which prohibits the amendment of certain of its provisions, including those which relate to a company’s pre-business combination activity, without approval by a certain percentage of our stockholders. In those companies, amendment of these provisions typically requires approval by 90% of our stockholders attending and voting at an annual meeting. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that any of its provisions related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of our IPO and the private placement of warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public stockholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon. In all other instances, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may be amended by holders of a majority of our outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote thereon, subject to applicable provisions of the DGCL or applicable stock exchange rules. Our sponsor and its permitted transferees, if any, who collectively beneficially own, on an as converted basis, 40% of our Class A common stock from the closing of our IPO, will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation which govern our pre-business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete a business combination with which you do not agree. Our stockholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.
Our sponsor, executive officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of shares of Class A common stock the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension), unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. These agreements are contained in letter agreements that we have entered into with our sponsor, directors and each member of our management team. Our stockholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our sponsor, executive officers or directors for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our stockholders would need to pursue a stockholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.
33
We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Although we believe that the net proceeds of our IPO and the sale of the private placement warrants will be sufficient to allow us to complete our initial business combination, because we have not yet selected any prospective target business we cannot ascertain the capital requirements for any particular transaction. If the net proceeds of our IPO and the sale of the private placement warrants prove to be insufficient, either because of the size of our initial business combination, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to redeem for cash a significant number of shares from stockholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial business combination, we may be required to seek additional financing or to abandon the proposed business combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. The current economic environment may make it difficult for companies to obtain acquisition financing. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders and not previously released to us to pay our taxes on the liquidation of our trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive approximately $10.80 per public share based on the balance of the trust account as of December 29, 2023, on the liquidation of our trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our initial stockholders and the anchor investors control a substantial interest in us and thus may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Upon closing of our IPO, our initial stockholders (including our sponsor) owned, on an as-converted basis, 40% of our issued and outstanding Class A common stock. There was no underwriting discount or commission paid on any units the anchor investors purchased in our IPO. Accordingly, they may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. In addition, our Board, whose members were elected by our sponsor, is divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a terms for three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the completion of our initial business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the completion of the business combination. If there is an annual meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered” board of directors, only a minority of the Board will be considered for election and our sponsor, because of its ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of the Board for any reason. Accordingly, our sponsor will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our initial business combination.
Resources could be wasted in researching acquisitions that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the Trust Account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the Trust Account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
34
Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination, and a particular business combination may be conditioned on the retention or resignation of such key personnel. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our initial business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular business combination is the most advantageous.
Our key personnel may be able to remain with our company after the completion of our initial business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to us after the completion of the business combination. Such negotiations also could make such key personnel’s retention or resignation a condition to any such agreement. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Delaware law. However, we believe the ability of such individuals to remain with us after the completion of our business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination. There is no certainty, however, that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the completion of our business combination. We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with us. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with us will be made at the time of our initial business combination. In addition, pursuant to an agreement entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in our IPO, our sponsor, upon completion of an initial business combination, will be entitled to nominate three individuals for election to our Board, as long as our sponsor holds any securities covered by the registration and stockholder rights agreement.
We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may affect our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company.
When evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’s management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target business’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target business’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete a business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our stockholders’ investment in us.
Although we have no commitments as of the date of this Report to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt following our IPO, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our initial business combination. We and our officers have agreed that we will not incur any indebtedness unless we have obtained from the lender a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to the monies held in the trust account. As such, no issuance of debt will affect the per-share amount available for redemption from the trust account. Nevertheless, the incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:
| ● | default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations; |
| ● | acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant; |
35
| ● | our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand; |
| ● | our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding; |
| ● | our inability to pay dividends on our Class A common stock; |
| ● | using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our Class A common stock if declared, our ability to pay expenses, make capital expenditures and acquisitions and fund other general corporate purposes; |
| ● | limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate; |
| ● | increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and |
| ● | limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements and execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt. |
We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of our IPO and the sale of the private placement warrants, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operations and profitability.
In connection with the Extension, stockholders holding 18,141,822 shares of Class A common stock exercised their right to redeem such shares for a pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account. As a result, approximately $188,132,132 (approximately $10.37 per share) was removed from the trust account to pay such redeeming holders. After the satisfaction of the June Redemptions, the balance in the trust account as of December 31, 2023 was approximately $114,641,527, which is available to complete our business combination and pay related fees and expenses. If we receive stockholder approval for and implement the 2024 Extension, stockholders would have the right to redeem their public shares, which will further reduce the funds in the trust account available to consummate an initial business combination.
We may effectuate our initial business combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously or within a short period of time. However, we may not be able to effectuate our initial business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:
| ● | solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset; or |
| ● | dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services. |
This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our initial business combination.
36
We may attempt to simultaneously complete business combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to complete our initial business combination and give rise to increased costs and risks that could negatively impact our operations and profitability.
If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses that are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete our initial business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.
We may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In pursuing our acquisition strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. By definition, very little public information generally exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
Our initial business combination and our structure thereafter may not be tax-efficient to our securityholders.
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 requisite stockholder approval, we may structure our business combination in a manner that requires stockholders and/or warrant holders to recognize gain or income for tax purposes. We do not intend to make any cash distributions to stockholders or warrant holders to pay taxes in connection with our business combination or thereafter. Accordingly, a stockholder 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 such holder’s shares or warrants.
If we pursue a target company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we may face additional burdens in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing such initial business combination, and if we effect such initial business combination, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
If we pursue a target a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we would be subject to risks associated with cross-border business combinations, including in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing our initial business combination, conducting due diligence in a foreign jurisdiction, having such transaction approved by any local governments, regulators or agencies and changes in the purchase price based on fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.
If we effect our initial business combination with such a company, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international setting, including any of the following:
| ● | costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations and complying with different commercial and legal requirements of overseas markets; |
| ● | rules and regulations regarding currency redemption; |
| ● | laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected; |
37
| ● | exchange listing and/or delisting requirements; |
| ● | tariffs and trade barriers; |
| ● | regulations related to customs and import/export matters; |
| ● | local or regional economic policies and market conditions; |
| ● | unexpected changes in regulatory requirements; |
| ● | longer payment cycles; |
| ● | tax issues, including limits on our ability to change our tax residence from the United States, complex withholding or other tax regimes which may apply in connection with our business combination or to our structure following our business combination, variations in tax laws as compared to the United States, and potential changes in the applicable tax laws in the United States and/or relevant non-U.S. jurisdictions; |
| ● | currency fluctuations and exchange controls; |
| ● | rates of inflation; |
| ● | challenges in collecting accounts receivable; |
| ● | cultural and language differences; |
| ● | employment regulations; |
| ● | underdeveloped or unpredictable legal or regulatory systems; |
| ● | corruption; |
| ● | protection of intellectual property; |
| ● | social unrest, crime, strikes, riots and civil disturbances; |
| ● | regime changes and political upheaval; |
| ● | terrorist attacks, natural disasters and wars such as the recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia; |
| ● | deterioration of political relations with the United States; and |
| ● | government appropriation of assets. |
We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, we may be unable to complete such initial business combination, or, if we complete such combination, our operations might suffer, either of which may adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
38
Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by negative impacts on the global economy, capital markets or other geopolitical conditions resulting from the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the Israel-Hamas war, terrorism, sanctions or other geopolitical events globally, and the status of debt and equity markets.
United States and global markets are experiencing volatility and disruption following the escalation of geopolitical tensions, including the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022 and the Israel-Hamas war. In response to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, 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 during the ongoing military conflict, increasing geopolitical tensions with Russia. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the Israel-Hamas war 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 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 these ongoing military conflicts are highly unpredictable, the conflicts could lead to market disruptions, including significant volatility in commodity prices, credit and capital markets, as well as supply chain interruptions. Additionally, these military actions and 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 invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the Israel-Hamas war, terrorism, sanctions or other geopolitical events globally could adversely affect our search for a business combination and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination. The extent and duration of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the Israel-Hamas war, 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 “Risk Factors” section, such as those related to the market for our securities, cross-border transactions or our ability to raise equity or debt financing in connection with any particular business combination. If these disruptions or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected.
If we effect a business combination with a target company organized in another jurisdiction, we may take actions in connection with the business combination that could have adverse tax consequences.
We may effect a business combination with a target company in another jurisdiction, reincorporate in the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located, or reincorporate in another jurisdiction. Such transactions may result in tax liability for a stockholder or warrant holder in the jurisdiction in which the stockholder or warrant holder is a tax resident (or in which its members are resident if it is a tax transparent entity), in which the target company is located, or in which we reincorporate. In the event of a reincorporation pursuant to our initial business combination, such tax liability may attach prior to the completion of redemptions of any of our public shares properly submitted to us for redemption in connection with such business combination. We do not intend to make any cash distributions to stockholders to pay such taxes. Stockholders or warrant holders may be subject to withholding taxes or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after the reincorporation.
Furthermore, 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 taxing authorities. This additional complexity and risk could have an adverse effect on our after-tax profitability and financial condition.
39
If we have not completed an initial business combination by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension), our public stockholders may be forced to wait beyond March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension) before redemption from our Trust Account.
If we have not completed an initial business combination by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension), the proceeds then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of the interest to pay dissolution expenses), will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, as further described herein. Any redemption of public stockholders from the Trust Account will be effected automatically by function of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation prior to any voluntary winding up. If we are required to wind-up, liquidate the Trust Account and distribute such amount therein, pro rata, to our public stockholders, as part of any liquidation process, such winding up, liquidation and distribution must comply with the applicable provisions of the DGCL. In that case, investors may be forced to wait beyond March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension) before the redemption proceeds of our Trust Account become available to them, and they receive the return of their pro rata portion of the proceeds from our Trust Account. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to the date of our redemption or liquidation unless we complete our initial business combination prior thereto and only then in cases where investors have sought to redeem their Class A common stock. Only upon our redemption or any liquidation will public stockholders be entitled to distributions if we do not complete our initial business combination.
Holders of our Class A common stock will not be entitled to vote on any appointment of directors we hold prior to our initial business combination.
Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of our directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of our directors during such time. In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of the Board for any reason. Accordingly, you may not have any say in the management of our company prior to the completion of an initial business combination.
The grant of registration rights to our sponsor may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exercise of such rights may adversely affect the market price of the shares of our Class A common stock.
Pursuant to an agreement entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in our IPO, our sponsor and its permitted transferees can demand that we register the shares of our Class A common stock into which founder shares are convertible, the private placement warrants and the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants, and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans and the Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of such warrants. The registration rights will be exercisable with respect to the founder shares and the private placement warrants and the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of such private placement warrants. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the stockholders of the target business may increase the equity stake they seek in the combined entity or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the market price of our Class A common stock that is expected when the securities owned by our sponsor or initial stockholders, holders of our private placement warrants or holders of warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans, if any, or their permitted transferees are registered.
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.
40
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.
Changes in the market for directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate and complete an initial business combination.
In recent months, the market for directors and officers liability insurance for special purpose acquisition companies has changed 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 complete an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors.
Risks Relating to Our Sponsor and Management Team
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be totally dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. The role of our key personnel in the target business, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel may remain with the target business in senior management, director or advisory positions following our initial business combination, it is likely that some or all of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements.
We are dependent upon our executive officers and directors and their loss could adversely affect our ability to operate.
Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and, in particular, our executive 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 executive officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating their time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our directors or executive officers. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or executive officers could have a detrimental effect on us.
41
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 executive 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 executive 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 executive officers and directors is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation, and our executive officers and directors are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. In particular, an affiliate of our sponsor and our officers and directors participated in the formation and management of XPDI I, a special purpose acquisition company that completed its initial business combination with Core Scientific Holding Co. (“Core Scientific”) in January 2022. In addition, our directors and officers and their and our sponsor’s respective affiliates 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. Our independent directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities. If our executive 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.
Our officers and directors presently have, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities, including or one or more other blank check companies, and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time and determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Until we complete our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses or entities. Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have, additional fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities, including one or more other blank check companies, pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Delaware law. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us, subject to their fiduciary duties under Delaware law. However, we do not believe that any potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
In addition, our directors and officers and our sponsor or its affiliates may in the future become affiliated with other blank check companies that may have acquisition objectives that are similar to ours. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to such other blank check companies prior to its presentation to us, subject to our officers’ and directors’ fiduciary duties under Delaware law. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any business combination opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the company and it is an opportunity that we are able to complete on a reasonable basis.
42
Our executive 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, executive officers, security holders or affiliates from having a direct or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. In fact, we may enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or executive officers, although we do not intend to do so. Nor do we have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us, including the formation or participation in one or more other blank check companies. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.
The personal and financial interests of our directors and officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and selecting a target business and completing a business combination. Consequently, our directors’ and officers’ discretion in identifying and selecting a suitable target business may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our stockholders’ best interest. If this were the case, it would be a breach of their fiduciary duties to us as a matter of Delaware law and we or our stockholders might have a claim against such individuals for infringing on our stockholders’ rights. However, we might not ultimately be successful in any claim we may make against them for such reason.
We may engage in a business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers, directors or existing holders which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In light of the involvement of our sponsor, executive officers and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers, directors or existing holders. Our directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities. Our directors and officers and our sponsor or its affiliates 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. Our sponsor, including any of its affiliates, 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 the section of this Report entitled “Item 1-Evaluation 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 from an independent accounting firm, regarding the fairness to our company from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers, directors or existing holders, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the business combination may not be as advantageous to our public stockholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.
43
Since our sponsor, anchor investors, executive officers and directors will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed (other than with respect to public shares they may acquire during or after our IPO), and because our sponsor, executive officers and directors who have an interest in founder shares may profit substantially from a business combination even under circumstances where our public stockholders would experience losses in connection with their investment, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
In March 2021, our sponsor paid an aggregate of $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share, to cover certain of our offering costs in consideration of 5,750,000 shares of our Class B common stock. In November 2021, we effected a stock dividend of 1,437,500 shares of our Class B common stock, resulting in there being an aggregate of 7,187,500 shares of our Class B common stock outstanding. We have agreed to sell to the anchor investors 1,078,125 founder shares and the anchor investors have agreed to purchase from us on the date of the initial business combination an aggregate of 1,078,125 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $3,750, or approximately $0.004 per share. Our sponsor has also agreed that in the event of such purchase by the anchor investors, our sponsor will forfeit to us for no consideration a number of founder shares equal to the number of founder shares purchased by the anchor investors. In July 2021, our sponsor transferred 30,000 shares of Class B common stock to each of the four independent director nominees, a total of 120,000 shares of Class B common stock. In November 2021, our sponsor repurchased 30,000 shares of Class B common stock from a former independent director nominee. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by our sponsor, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares after our IPO. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor and the anchor investors purchased an aggregate of 11,125,000 private placement warrants, each exercisable to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, for a purchase price of approximately $11,125,000, or $1.00 per whole warrant, that will also be worthless if we do not complete a business combination. Among the private placement warrants, 8,900,000 private placement warrants were purchased by our sponsor and an aggregate of 2,225,000 private placement warrants were purchased by the anchor investors. Our initial stockholders have agreed (A) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination and (B) not to redeem any founder shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination. In addition, we may obtain loans from our sponsor, affiliates of our sponsor or an officer or director, and we may pay our sponsor, officers, directors and any of their respective affiliates fees and expenses in connection with identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination. Additionally, in the event that the anchor investors purchase units (either in our IPO or after) and vote them in favor of our initial business combination, it is possible that no votes from other public stockholders would be required to approve our initial business combination, depending on the number of shares that are present at the meeting to approve such transaction. As a result of the founder shares and private placement warrants that our anchor investors may hold (directly or indirectly), they may have different interests with respect to a vote on an initial business combination than other public stockholders.
The personal and financial interests of our executive officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination and may result in a misalignment of interests between the holders of our founder shares and our officers and directors, on the one hand, and our public stockholders, on the other. In particular, because the founder shares were purchased at approximately $0.004 per share, the holders of our founder shares (including members of our management team that directly or indirectly own founder shares) could make a substantial profit after our initial business combination even if our public stockholders lose money on their investment as a result of a decrease in the post-combination value of their shares of Class A common stock (after accounting for any adjustments in connection with an exchange or other transaction contemplated by the business combination). For example, a holder of 1,000 founder shares would have paid approximately $4.00 to obtain such shares. At the time of an initial business combination, such holder would be able to convert such founder shares into 1,000 shares of our Class A common stock, and would receive the same consideration in connection with our initial business combination as a public stockholder for the same number of shares of our Class A common stock. If the value of the shares of our Class A common stock on a post-combination basis (after accounting for any adjustments in connection with an exchange or other transaction contemplated by the business combination) were to decrease to $5.00 per share of our Class A common stock, the holder of our founder shares would obtain a profit of approximately $4,996 on account of the 1,000 founder shares that the holder had converted into shares of Class A common stock in connection with the initial business combination. By contrast, a public stockholder holding 1,000 shares of Class A common stock would lose approximately $5,000 in connection with the same transaction.
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 were to be included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
44
Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination. Upon the loss of control of a target business, new management may not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business. We may structure our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-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 stockholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares of our Class A common stock in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity interests of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares of our Class A common stock, our stockholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our issued and outstanding Class A common stock subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority stockholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger share of the company’s shares than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that our management will not be able to maintain control of the target business.
Risks Relating to Our Securities
If we were deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, we may be forced to abandon our efforts to consummate an initial business combination and instead be required to liquidate. To avoid that result, on December 14, 2023, we liquidated the securities held in the trust account and instead hold all funds in a segregated, interest-bearing bank demand deposit account. Such deposit account carries a variable interest rate, and we cannot assure you that the initial rate will not decrease or increase significantly. As a result, we will likely receive reduced interest income, on the funds held in the trust account, which would reduce the dollar amount that XPDB Public Stockholders would receive upon any redemption or liquidation of the Company.
On March 30, 2022, the SEC issued the SPAC Rule Proposals, relating, among other things, to circumstances surrounding SPACs, for example, XPDB potentially being subject to the Investment Company Act and the regulations thereunder. The SPAC Rule Proposals provide a safe harbor for such companies from the definition of “investment company” under Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act, provided that a SPAC satisfies certain criteria. To comply with the duration limitation of the proposed safe harbor, a SPAC would have a limited time period to announce and complete a de-SPAC transaction. Specifically, to comply with the safe harbor, the SPAC Rule Proposals would require a SPAC to file a report on Form 8-K announcing that it has entered into an agreement with a target company for an initial business combination no later than 18 months after the effective date of the registration statement relating to the SPAC’s initial public offering. Such SPAC would then be required to complete its initial business combination no later than 24 months after the effective date of the registration statement relating to its initial public offering.
There is currently uncertainty concerning the applicability of the Investment Company Act to a SPAC, including a company like ours, that has entered into a definitive agreement within 18 months after the effective date of the registration statement relating to its initial public offering, but does not consummate its initial business combination within 24 months after such date. It is possible that a claim could be made that we have been operating as an unregistered investment company. If we were deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, we might be forced to abandon efforts to consummate an initial business combination and instead be required to liquidate. If we are required to liquidate, our investors would not be able to realize the benefits of owning shares in a successor operating business, including the potential appreciation in the value of our shares and warrants following such a transaction, and our warrants would expire worthless.
45
Initially, the funds in the trust account were, since our IPO, held only in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 days or less, or in 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. However, to mitigate the risk of being deemed to have been operating as an unregistered investment company (including under the subjective test of Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act), on December 14, 2023, we instructed the trustee with respect to the trust account to liquidate the U.S. government securities or money market funds held in the trust account and thereafter to maintain all funds in the trust account in a segregated, interest-bearing demand deposit account at a national bank until the earlier of consummation of an initial business combination or liquidation. Interest on such demand deposit account is currently expected to yield approximately 4.5% per annum, but such demand deposit account carries a variable rate and we cannot assure investors that such rate will not decrease or increase significantly. As a result, we are receiving and will likely receive reduced interest income on the funds held in the trust account, which would reduce the dollar amount stockholders would receive upon any redemption or liquidation.
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 are required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on 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 new rules relating to, among other items, enhancing disclosures in business combination transactions involving SPACs and private operating companies and increasing the potential liability of certain participants in proposed business combination transactions. These rules may materially increase the costs and time required to negotiate and complete an initial business combination and could potentially impair our ability to complete an initial business combination.
On August 16, 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the “IR Act”) was signed into federal law. The IR Act provides for, among other things, a new U.S. federal 1% excise tax on certain repurchases (including redemptions) of shares by publicly traded U.S. domestic corporations and certain U.S. domestic subsidiaries of publicly traded foreign corporations occurring on or after January 1, 2023. The excise tax is imposed on the repurchasing corporation itself, not its shareholders from which shares are repurchased, and thus could cause a reduction in the value of our Class A common stock. The amount of the excise tax is generally 1% of the fair market value of the shares repurchased at the time of the repurchase. However, for purposes of calculating the excise tax, repurchasing corporations are permitted to net the fair market value of certain new shares issuances against the fair market value of shares repurchases during the same taxable year. In addition, certain exceptions apply to the excise tax. The U.S. Department of the Treasury (the “Treasury”) has been given authority to provide regulations and other guidance to carry out and prevent the abuse or avoidance of the excise tax. Any share redemption or other share repurchase that occurs after December 31, 2022, in connection with a business combination, the exercise of a redemption right, the liquidation of our company, or otherwise, may be subject to the excise tax. Whether and to what extent we would be subject to the excise tax in connection with a business combination, the exercise of a redemption right, the liquidation of our company, or otherwise will depend on a number of factors, including (i) the fair market value of the redemptions and repurchases in connection with the business combination or otherwise, (ii) the structure of a business combination, (iii) the nature and amount of any “PIPE” or other equity issuances in connection with a business combination (or otherwise issued not in connection with a business combination but issued within the same taxable year of a business combination) and (iv) the content of regulations and other guidance from the Treasury. In addition, because the excise tax would be payable by us and not by the redeeming holder, the mechanics of any required payment of the excise tax have not been determined. The foregoing could cause a reduction in the cash available on hand to complete a business combination and in our ability to complete a business combination. Further, the application of the excise tax in the event of a liquidation is uncertain.
46
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of stockholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A common stock, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our Class A common stock.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in our IPO without our prior consent (the “excess shares”). However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including excess shares) for or against our initial business combination. Your inability to redeem the excess shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell excess shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the excess shares if we complete our initial business combination. 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.
The 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.
Our units, Class A common stock and warrants are currently listed on the Nasdaq under the symbol “XPDBU”, “XPDB” and “XPDBW”, respectively. Although we expect to continue to meet, on a pro forma basis, the minimum initial listing standards set forth in the Nasdaq listing standards, we cannot assure you that our securities will continue to be listed on the Nasdaq in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on the Nasdaq prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and share price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum stockholders’ equity (generally $2,000,000) and a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 300 public holders).
Additionally, our units will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination and, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with the Nasdaq initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than the Nasdaq continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on the Nasdaq.
For instance, our share price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share and our stockholders’ equity would generally be required to be at least $5.0 million and we would be required to have a minimum of 300 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.
If the Nasdaq delists any of our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list our securities on another national securities exchange, we expect our securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:
| ● | a limited availability of market quotations for our securities; |
| ● | reduced liquidity for our securities; |
| ● | a determination that our Class A common stock are a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A common stock to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities; |
| ● | a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and |
| ● | a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future. |
47
The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because our units, Class A common stock and public warrants are listed on the Nasdaq, our units, Class A common stock and public warrants 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 the 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.
We may issue additional shares of our Class A common stock or preferred stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue shares of our Class A common stock upon the conversion of the founder shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our stockholders and likely present other risks.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to 500,000,000 shares of our Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 50,000,000 shares of our Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. There are 489,391,282 and 42,812,500 authorized but unissued shares of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock, respectively, available for issuance which amount does not take into account shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants or shares issuable upon conversion of the Class B common stock, if any. The Class B common stock is automatically convertible into Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination as described herein and in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. There are currently no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding.
We may issue a substantial number of additional shares of our Class A common stock or shares of preferred stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A common stock to redeem the warrants upon conversion of the Class B common stock at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. However, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, among other things, that prior to or in connection with our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the Trust Account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination or on any other proposal presented to stockholders prior to or in connection with the completion of an initial business combination. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, like all provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, may be amended with a stockholder vote. The issuance of additional shares of common stock or shares of preferred stock:
| ● | may significantly dilute the equity interest of our investors; |
| ● | may subordinate the rights of holders of our Class A common stock if shares of preferred stock are issued with rights senior to those afforded our Class A common stock; |
| ● | could cause a change in control if a substantial number of shares of our Class A common stock are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; |
| ● | may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A common stock and/or public warrants; and |
| ● | will not result in adjustment to the exercise price of our warrants. |
48
You will not be permitted to exercise your warrants unless we register and qualify the issuance of the underlying Class A common stock or certain other exemptions are available.
If the issuance of the Class A common stock upon the exercise of the warrants is not registered, qualified or exempt from registration or qualification under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, warrant holders will not be entitled to exercise such warrants and such warrants may have no value and expire worthless.
We do not plan on keeping a prospectus current until required pursuant to the warrant agreements. Under the terms of the warrant agreements, we have agreed to use our commercially reasonable efforts to file a registration statement under the Securities Act covering such shares and maintain a current prospectus relating to the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreements. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current or correct or the SEC issues a stop order.
If the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, in which case the number of shares of our Class A common stock that you will receive upon cashless exercise will be equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of (a) the number of shares of our Class A common stock underlying the warrants and (b) the excess of the “fair market value” over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) such fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the average last reported sale price of the shares of our Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent.
However, no such warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, unless an exemption from state registration is available.
Notwithstanding the above, if the shares of our Class A common stock are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their public warrants to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will be required to use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under the Securities Act or applicable state securities laws and there is no exemption available.
If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the shares of our Class A common stock included in the units. There may be a circumstance where an exemption from registration exists for holders of our private placement warrants to exercise their warrants while a corresponding exemption does not exist for holders of the warrants included as part of units sold in our IPO. In such an instance, our sponsor and its permitted transferees (which may include our directors and executive officers) would be able to sell the common stock underlying their warrants while holders of our public warrants would not be able to exercise their warrants and sell the underlying common stock. There may be a circumstance where an exemption from registration exists for holders of our private placement warrants to exercise their warrants while a corresponding exemption does not exist for holders of the warrants included as part of units sold in our IPO. In such an instance, our sponsor and its permitted transferees (which may include our directors and executive officers) would be able to sell the shares of common stock underlying their warrants while holders of our public warrants would not be able to exercise their warrants and sell the underlying shares of common stock. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
49
Our public warrant agreement designates the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our public warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our public warrant agreement provides that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the public warrant agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the public warrant agreements will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our public warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our public warrant agreement.
If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope of the forum provisions of the public 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 public 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. Warrant holders who are unable to bring their claims in the judicial forum of their choosing may be required to incur additional costs in pursuit of actions which are subject to our choice-of-forum provision. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our public 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.
We may redeem your unexpired public warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your public warrants worthless.
We have the ability to redeem the outstanding public warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, if, among other things, the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock has been at least $18.00 per share for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading day period ending three business days before we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant). If and when the public warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. Redemption of the outstanding public warrants as described above could force you to (i) exercise your public warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) sell your public warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your public warrants or (iii) accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding public warrants are called for redemption, we expect would be substantially less than the market value of your public warrants. None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our sponsor, the anchor investors or their respective permitted transferees.
50
Our warrants and founder shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of the shares of our Class A common stock and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.
We issued public warrants to purchase 14,375,000 shares of our Class A common stock as part of the units offered in our IPO and, simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, we issued in a private placement an aggregate of 11,125,000 private placement warrants, each exercisable to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at $11.50 per share. Our sponsor currently owns an aggregate of 7,097,500 founder shares and our independent directors own 90,000 founder shares. The founder shares are convertible into Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as set forth herein. In addition, if our sponsor makes any working capital loans, up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be converted into warrants, at the price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period.
To the extent we issue Class A common stock for any reason, including to effectuate a business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares of our Class A common stock upon exercise of these warrants and conversion rights could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Such warrants when exercised will increase the number of issued and outstanding shares of our Class A common stock and reduce the value of the Class A common stock issued to complete the business transaction. Therefore, our warrants and founder shares may make it more difficult to effectuate a business transaction or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
Because each unit sold in our IPO contains one-half of one public warrant and only a whole warrant may be exercised, the units may be worth less than units of other blank check companies.
Each unit sold in our IPO contains one-half of one public warrant. Pursuant to the public warrant agreement, no fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units, and only whole units will trade. If, upon exercise of the public warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of shares of our Class A common stock to be issued to the warrant holder. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one share of common stock and one warrant to purchase one share of common stock. 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 public warrant to purchase one whole share.
Our ability to require holders of our public warrants to exercise such public warrants on a cashless basis after we call the public warrants for redemption or if there is no effective registration statement covering the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of these public warrants will cause holders to receive fewer shares of our Class A common stock upon their exercise of the public warrants than they would have received had they been able to exercise their public warrants for cash.
If our shares of Class A common stock are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that our shares of Class A common stock 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 public warrants to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we elect to do so, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. “Cashless exercise” means each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering warrants in exchange for a number of shares of our Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of (a) the number of shares of our Class A common stock underlying the warrants and (b) the excess of the “fair market value” over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) such fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the average last reported sale price of the shares of our Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent.
51
In addition, if a post-effective amendment or a new registration statement covering the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective within a specified period following the completion of our initial business transaction, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis. For purposes of calculating the number of shares issuable upon such cashless exercise, the “fair market value” of warrants shall be calculated using the volume weighted average sale price of the Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the trading day prior to the date on which notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent.
If we choose to require holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, which we may do at our sole discretion, or if holders elect to do so when there is no effective registration statement, the number of shares of our Class A common stock received by a holder upon exercise will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised his or her warrant for cash. For example, if the holder is exercising 875 public warrants at $11.50 per share through a cashless exercise when the Class A common stock have a “fair market value” of $17.50 per share when there is no effective registration statement, then upon the cashless exercise, the holder will receive 300 shares of our Class A common stock. The holder would have received 875 shares of our Class A common stock if the exercise price was paid in cash. This will have the effect of reducing the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company because the warrant holder will hold a smaller number of shares of our Class A common stock upon a cashless exercise of the warrants they hold.
The warrants may become exercisable and redeemable for a security other than the Class A common stock, and you will not have any information regarding such other security at this time.
In certain situations, including if we are not the surviving entity in our initial business combination, the warrants may become exercisable for a security other than the Class A common stock. As a result, if the surviving company redeems your warrants for securities pursuant to the public warrant agreement, you may receive a security in a company of which you do not have information at this time. Pursuant to the warrant agreements, the surviving company will be required to use commercially reasonable efforts to register the issuance of the security underlying the warrants within 20 business days of the closing of an initial business combination.
We may amend the terms of the public 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 our Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.
Our public warrants were in registered form under a public warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The public warrant agreement provides that the terms of the public warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder for the purpose of (i) curing any ambiguity or correcting any mistake, including to conform the provisions of the warrant agreements to the description of the terms of the warrants and the warrant agreement set forth in our IPO prospectus, or defective provision, (ii) amending the provisions relating to cash dividends on common stock 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 in any material respect. All other modifications or amendments shall require the vote or written consent of the holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, convert the warrants into cash, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.
52
Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and Delaware law may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our Class A common stock and could entrench management.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include a classified board of directors, the ability of the Board to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred stock, advance notice provisions for any stockholder proposals or director nominations, and the fact that prior to the completion of our initial business combination only holders of shares of our Class B common stock, which have been issued to our sponsor, are entitled to vote on the appointment of our directors, which may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
We are also subject to anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law, which could delay or prevent a change of control. Together these provisions may make the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and Delaware law may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, that (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against us, our directors, officers or employees arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or amended and restated bylaws, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us, our directors, officers or employees governed by the internal affairs doctrine may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware, except any claim (A) as to which the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination), (B) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery, or (C) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction. If an action is brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel. Although we believe this provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, a court may determine that this provision is unenforceable, and to the extent it is enforceable, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers, although our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Although we believe this provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers. Additionally, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act against us or any of our directors, officers, other employees or agents. However, there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce the exclusive forum provisions relating to causes of actions arising under the Securities Act.
53
Whether a redemption of Class A common stock will be treated as a sale of such Class A common stock for U.S. federal income tax purposes will depend on a stockholder’s specific facts.
The U.S. federal income tax treatment of a redemption of Class A common stock will depend on whether the redemption qualifies as a sale of such Class A common stock under Section 302(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), which will depend largely on the total number of shares of our stock treated as held by the stockholder electing to redeem Class A common stock (including any shares of stock constructively owned by the holder as a result of owning private placement warrants or public warrants or otherwise) relative to all of the shares of our stock outstanding both before and after the redemption. If such redemption is not treated as a sale of Class A common stock for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the redemption will instead be treated as a corporate distribution of cash from us.
General Risks
Cyber incidents or attacks directed at us could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.
We depend on digital technologies, including information systems, infrastructure and cloud applications and services, including those of third parties with which we may deal. Sophisticated and deliberate attacks on, or security breaches in, our systems or infrastructure, or the systems or infrastructure of third parties or the cloud, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of our assets, proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data. As an early stage company without significant investments in data security protection, we may not be sufficiently protected against such occurrences. In addition, the recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia, and the impact of sanctions against Russia and the potential for retaliatory acts from Russia, could result in increased cyber-attacks against U.S. companies. We may not have sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to, cyber incidents. It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have adverse consequences on our business and lead to financial loss.
We are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies or smaller reporting companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies. We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the Market Value of our Class A common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700.0 million as of any June 30th before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
54
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250 million as of the end of that fiscal year’s second fiscal quarter, and (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that fiscal 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.
We would be subject to a second level of U.S. federal income tax on a portion of our income if we are determined to be a personal holding company (a “PHC”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
A U.S. corporation generally will be classified as a PHC for U.S. federal income tax purposes in a given taxable year if (i) at any time during the last half of such taxable year, five or fewer individuals (without regard to their citizenship or residency and including as individuals for this purpose certain entities such as certain tax exempt organizations, pension funds and charitable trusts) own or are deemed to own (pursuant to certain constructive ownership rules) more than 50% of the stock of the corporation by value and (ii) at least 60% of the corporation’s adjusted ordinary gross income, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes, for such taxable year consists of PHC income (which includes, among other things, dividends, interest, certain royalties, annuities and, under certain circumstances, rents).
Depending on the date and size of our initial business combination, it is possible that at least 60% of our adjusted ordinary gross income may consist of PHC income as discussed above. In addition, depending on the concentration of our stock in the hands of individuals, including the members of our sponsor and certain tax exempt organizations, pension funds and charitable trusts, it is possible that more than 50% of our stock may be owned or deemed owned (pursuant to the constructive ownership rules) by five or fewer individuals during the last half of a taxable year. Thus, no assurance can be given that we will not become a PHC in the future. If we are or were to become a PHC in a given taxable year, we would be subject to an additional PHC tax, currently 20%, on our undistributed PHC income, which generally includes our taxable income, subject to certain adjustments.
Since only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of our directors, upon the listing of our shares on the Nasdaq, the Nasdaq may consider us to be a ‘controlled company’ within the meaning of the Nasdaq rules and, as a result, we may qualify for exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements.
After the completion of our IPO, only holders of our founder shares have the right to vote on the appointment of our directors. As a result, the Nasdaq may consider us to be a ‘controlled company’ within the meaning of the Nasdaq corporate governance standards. Under the Nasdaq corporate governance standards, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company is a ‘controlled company’ and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including the requirements that:
| ● | we have a board of directors that includes a majority of ‘independent directors,’ as defined under the rules of the Nasdaq; |
| ● | we have a compensation committee of our Board that is comprised entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities; and |
| ● | we have a nominating and corporate governance committee of our Board that is comprised entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities. |
We do not intend to utilize these exemptions and intend to comply with the corporate governance requirements of the Nasdaq, subject to applicable phase-in rules. However, if we determine in the future to utilize some or all of these exemptions, you will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the Nasdaq corporate governance requirements.
55
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
Item 1C. Cybersecurity
As a blank check company, we have no operations and therefore do not have any operations of our own that face cybersecurity threats. Since our IPO, our sole business activity has been identifying and evaluating suitable acquisition transaction candidates. Therefore, we do not consider that we face significant cybersecurity risk and have not adopted any cybersecurity risk management program or formal processes for assessing cybersecurity risk. However, we do depend on the digital technologies of third parties, and as noted in Item 1A. Risk Factors of this Form 10-K, any sophisticated and deliberate attacks on, or security breaches in, systems or infrastructure or the cloud that we utilize, including those of third parties, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of our assets, proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data. Because of our reliance on the technologies of third parties, we also depend upon the personnel and the processes of third parties to protect against cybersecurity threats, and we have no personnel or processes of our own for this purpose. Our board of directors oversees risk for our Company, and prior to filings with the SEC, our board of directors reviews our risk factors, including the descriptions of the risks we face from cybersecurity threats, as described in Item 1A. Risk Factors of this Form 10-K. In fiscal year 2023, we did not identify any cybersecurity threats that have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect our business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition.
Item 2. Properties
Our executive offices are located at 321 North Clark Street, Suite 2440, Chicago, IL 60654, and our telephone number is (312) 262-5642. We maintain a corporate website at www.xpdispac.com. The information contained on or accessible through our corporate website or any other website that we may maintain is not part of this Report.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
From time to time, we are party to litigation and subject to claims incident to the ordinary course of business. As our growth continues, we may become party to an increasing number of litigation matters and claims. The outcome of litigation and claims cannot be predicted with certainty, and the resolution of these matters could materially affect our future results of operations, cash flows or financial position. We are not presently party to any legal proceedings that, in the opinion of management, if determined adversely to us, would individually or taken together have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, financial condition or cash flows.
Certain purported shareholders of the Company sent demand letters (the “Demands”) alleging deficiencies and/or omissions in the Registration Statement on Form S-4, filed by the Company on August 9, 2023. The Demands seek additional disclosures to remedy these purported deficiencies.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
56
PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities Market Information and Holders
Our units, shares of Class A common stock and warrants are each traded on Nasdaq under the symbols “XPDBU”, “XPDB” and “XPDBW” respectively. Our units commenced public trading on December 10, 2021. Our shares of Class A common stock and warrants began separately trading on January 31, 2022.
On December 31, 2023, there was one holder of record of our Units, four holders of record of our common stock and one holder of record of our public warrants. We believe a substantially greater number of beneficial owners hold shares of Class A common stock or public warrants through brokers, banks or other nominees.
Dividends
The company has not paid dividends on its common stock to date and does not intend to pay cash dividends. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition. The payment of any dividends will be within the discretion of our Board. It is the present intention of our Board to retain all earnings, if any, for use in our business operations and, accordingly, the Board does not anticipate declaring any dividends in the foreseeable future.
Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
None.
Performance Graph
Not applicable.
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities; Use of Proceeds from Registered Offerings.
In March 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000 to cover for certain offering costs on behalf of us in exchange for issuance of 5,750,000 shares of our Class B common stock. In November 2021, we effected a stock dividend of 1,437,500 shares of our Class B common stock, resulting in there being an aggregate of 7,187,500 shares of our Class B common stock outstanding. We have agreed to sell to the anchor investors 1,078,125 founder shares, and the anchor investors agreed to purchase from our sponsor on the date of the initial business combination an aggregate of 1,078,125 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $3,750, or approximately $0.004 per share. Our sponsor has also agreed that in the event of such purchase by the anchor investors, our sponsor will forfeit to us for no consideration a number of founder shares equal to the number of founder shares purchased by the anchor investors.
In July 2021, our sponsor transferred 30,000 shares of Class B common stock to each of the four independent director nominees, a total of 120,000 shares of Class B common stock. In November 2021, our sponsor repurchased 30,000 shares of Class B common stock from a former independent director nominee.
On December 14, 2021 the company consummated its IPO of 28,750,000 units, which included the exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase an additional 3,750,000 units at the initial public offering price to cover over-allotments. Each unit consists of one share of Class A common stock and one-half of one warrant (the “Public Warrants”), each whole Public Warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. The units were sold at an offering price of $10.00 per unit, generating gross proceeds of $287,500,000.
Simultaneously with the closing of our IPO and the issuance and sale of the units, we completed the private placement of an aggregate of 11,125,000 private placement warrants at a price of $1.00 per private placement warrant, generating total proceeds of $11,125,000. The purchase price of the private placement warrants was added to the net proceeds of our initial public offering and placed in the Trust Account such that the Trust Account held $290,375,000 at the time of closing of our initial public offering. Each whole private placement warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one (1) share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to certain adjustments.
57
Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers
None.
Item 6. [Reserved.]
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
References to the “Company,” “our,” “us” or “we” refer to Power & Digital Infrastructure Acquisition II Corp. The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and the notes related thereto which are included in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Certain information contained in the discussion and analysis set forth below includes forward-looking statements. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those set forth under “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” “Item 1.A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This Annual Report on Form 10-K includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions about us that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “continue,” or the negative of such terms or other similar expressions. Factors that might cause or contribute to such a discrepancy include, but are not limited to, those described in our other SEC filings.
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated in Delaware on March 23, 2021, formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities (a “Business Combination”). We are an emerging growth company and, as such, we are subject to all of the risks associated with emerging growth companies.
Our sponsor is XPDI Sponsor II LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”). The registration statement for our initial public offering (the “IPO”) was declared effective on December 9, 2021. On December 14, 2021, we consummated our IPO of 28,750,000 units, which included the exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase an additional 3,750,000 units at the IPO price to cover over-allotments (the “Over-Allotment Units”), at $10.00 per unit, generating gross proceeds of $287.5 million, and incurring offering costs of approximately $20.7 million, of which approximately $10.1 million was a deferred discount, which was subsequently reduced to approximately $6 million following the resignation of BofA Securities, Inc. (“BofA”) as an underwriter as described below.
Simultaneously with the closing of our IPO, we completed the private placement (the “Private Placement”) of 11,125,000 private placement warrants (the “Private Placement Warrants”), at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant to our Sponsor and certain funds and accounts managed by subsidiaries of BlackRock, Inc., an unrelated party (the “Anchor Investors”), generating proceeds of approximately $11.1 million.
Upon the closing of the IPO and the Private Placement on December 14, 2021, approximately $290.4 million ($10.10 per unit) of the net proceeds of the sale of the units in the IPO, including proceeds from the sale of the Over-Allotment Units and certain of the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, were deposited into a segregated Trust Account (the “Trust Account”) located in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee and approximately $1.7 million of such net proceeds were deposited in our operating account to pay expenses in connection with the closing of the IPO and for working capital following the IPO. The proceeds held in the Trust Account have been (i) held in an interest-bearing bank demand deposit account or (ii) invested in U.S. “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 certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act, which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of an initial Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the Trust Account as described below.
58
Our management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the IPO and the sale of Private Placement Warrants, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating an initial Business Combination. There is no assurance that we will be able to complete an initial Business Combination successfully. We must complete one or more initial Business Combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes and excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the interest earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial Business Combination. However, we will only complete an initial Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the 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.
On May 15, 2023, we filed a definitive proxy statement for the solicitation of proxies in connection with the special meeting in lieu of annual meeting of the Company’s stockholders (the “Extension Special Meeting”) to consider and vote on, among other proposals, the extension of the date by which the Company must consummate an initial business combination from June 14, 2023 (the “Initial Outside Date”) to December 14, 2023 (such date, the “Extended Date”), and to allow the Company, without another stockholder vote, by resolution of the Company’s Board to elect to further extend the Extended Date in one-month increments up to three additional times, or a total of up to nine months after the Initial Outside Date, until March 14, 2024, unless the closing of a Business Combination shall have occurred prior thereto or such earlier date as determined by our Board to be in the best interests of the Company (such proposal, the “Extension Amendment Proposal”), and the amendment of the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation to remove the limitation that the Company may not redeem public shares to the extent that such redemption would result in the Company having net tangible assets (as determined in accordance with Rule 3a51-1(g)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) (or any successor rule)) of less than $5,000,001 (such proposal, the “Redemption Limitation Amendment Proposal”).
On June 5, 2023, the Company entered into the Merger Agreement, and on February 5, 2024, the Company entered into that certain First Amendment to the Merger Agreement (the “Amendment”), see “Contractual Obligations—Merger Agreement” below.
At the Extension Special Meeting on June 9, 2023, the Company’s stockholders approved the Extension Amendment Proposal and the Redemption Limitation Amendment Proposal. In connection with the stockholders’ vote at the Extension Special Meeting, the stockholders elected to redeem 18,141,822 shares of Class A common stock at a redemption price of approximately $10.37 per share, for an aggregate redemption amount of approximately $188,132,132 (the “June Redemptions”). After the satisfaction of the June Redemptions, the balance in the Trust Account as of December 31, 2023 was approximately $114,641,527. Upon completion of the June Redemptions, 10,608,178 shares of Class A common stock and 7,187,500 shares of Class B common stock remain issued and outstanding.
In connection with the approval of the Extension Amendment Proposal, the company deposited $300,000 in the Trust Account on June 15, 2023, July 10, 2023 and August 10, 2023 and the sponsor deposited $300,000 in the Trust Account on September 8, 2023, October 10, 2023, and November 9, 2023.
On December 12, 2023, the Board approved an extension of the date by which the Company must consummate an initial business combination from December 14, 2023 to January 14, 2024.
On January 10, 2024, the Board approved an extension of the date by which the Company must consummate an initial business combination from January 14, 2024 to February 14, 2024.
On February 8, 2024, the Board approved an extension of the date by which the Company must consummate an initial business combination from February 14, 2024 to March 14, 2024.
On February 20, 2024, we filed a definitive proxy statement for the solicitation of proxies in connection with a special meeting of stockholders of the Company to consider and vote on, among other proposals, the extension of the date by which the Company must consummate an initial business combination from March 14, 2024 to April 14, 2024, and to allow the Company, without another stockholder vote, by resolution of the Board, to elect to further extend such date in one-month increments up to three additional times until July 14, 2024 (the “2024 Extension”), unless the closing of a an initial business combination shall have occurred prior thereto, or such earlier date as determined by the Board to be in the best interests of the Company.
59
Liquidity, Capital Resources and Going Concern
Our liquidity needs to date have been satisfied through a capital contribution of $25,000 from our Sponsor to purchase our Class B common stock (the “Founder Shares”), the related party loan under a promissory note of approximately $115,000 from, our Sponsor, which was repaid in full on December 17, 2021, and the net proceeds from the consummation of the Private Placement not held in the Trust Account. In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an initial Business Combination, our officers, directors and initial stockholders may, but are not obligated to, provide working capital loans. As of December 31, 2023, there were no amounts outstanding under any working capital loans.
In connection with the Company’s assessment of going concern considerations in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB’s”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 205-40, “Presentation of Financial Statements – Going Concern,” management has determined that the liquidity needs, mandatory liquidation and subsequent dissolution raises substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern, which is considered to be one year from the issuance of these financial statements. No adjustments have been made to the carrying amounts of assets or liabilities should the Company be required to liquidate after March 14, 2024. The financial statements do not include any adjustment that might be necessary if the Company is unable to continue as a going concern. The Company intends to complete a Business Combination before the mandatory liquidation date, as it may be extended. Over this time period, the Company will be using the funds outside of the Trust Account for paying existing accounts payable and meeting conditions to closing the Business Combination. See Note 10 – Subsequent Events, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this report.
The Company cannot provide any assurance that new financing will be available to it on commercially acceptable terms, if at all. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern through one year from the issuance date of these financial statements. These financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recovery of the recorded assets or the classification of the liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.
In February 2022, the Russian Federation and Belarus commenced a military action with the country of Ukraine. As a result of this action, various nations, including the United States, have instituted economic sanctions against the Russian Federation and Belarus. The recent military conflict between Israel and militant groups led by Hamas has also caused uncertainty in the global markets. Further, the impact of these actions and related sanctions on the world economy are not determinable as of the date of these financial statements.
On August 16, 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the “IR Act”) was signed into federal law. The IR Act provides for, among other things, a new U.S. federal 1% excise tax on certain repurchases of stock by publicly traded U.S. domestic corporations and certain U.S. domestic subsidiaries of publicly traded foreign corporations occurring on or after January 1, 2023. The excise tax is imposed on the repurchasing corporation itself, not its shareholders from which shares are repurchased. The amount of the excise tax is generally 1% of the fair market value of the shares repurchased at the time of the repurchase. However, for purposes of calculating the excise tax, repurchasing corporations are permitted to net the fair market value of certain new stock issuances against the fair market value of stock repurchases during the same taxable year. In addition, certain exceptions apply to the excise tax. The U.S. Department of the Treasury (the “Treasury”) has been given authority to provide regulations and other guidance to carry out and prevent the abuse or avoidance of the excise tax. Any share redemption or other share repurchase that occurs after December 31, 2022, in connection with a Business Combination, extension vote or otherwise, may be subject to the excise tax. Whether and to what extent we would be subject to the excise tax in connection with a Business Combination, extension vote or otherwise will depend on a number of factors, including (i) the fair market value of the redemptions and repurchases in connection with the Business Combination, extension or otherwise, (ii) the structure of a Business Combination, (iii) the nature and amount of any “PIPE” or other equity issuances in connection with a Business Combination (or otherwise issued not in connection with a Business Combination but issued within the same taxable year of a Business Combination) and (iv) the content of regulations and other guidance from the Treasury. In addition, because the excise tax would be payable by us and not by the redeeming holder, the mechanics of any required payment of the excise tax have not been determined. The foregoing could cause a reduction in the cash available on hand to complete a Business Combination and in our ability to complete a Business Combination. Further, the application of the excise tax in the event of a liquidation is uncertain.
60
Results of Operations
Our entire activity since inception up to December 31, 2023 has been related to our formation, the preparation for the IPO, and since the closing of the IPO, the search for a prospective initial Business Combination. We will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of our initial Business Combination. We generate non-operating income in the form of investment income from the Trust Account. We will continue 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.
For the year ended December 31, 2023, we had a net income of approximately $1.2 million, which consisted of approximately $9.1 million of income from investments held in the Trust Account, and reversal of transaction costs incurred in connection with IPO of approximately $0.2 million, offset by approximately $6.3 million in operating expenses and approximately $1.8 million in income tax expenses. Operating expenses were comprised of approximately $5.9 million of general and administrative expenses, $240,000 of general and administrative expenses - related party, and $200,000 of franchise tax expenses.
For the year ended December 31, 2022, we had a net income of approximately $2.0 million, which consisted of approximately $4.2 million of income from investments held in the Trust Account, partially offset by approximately $1.3 million in operating expenses and approximately $802,000 in income tax expenses. Operating expenses were comprised of approximately $888,000 of general and administrative expenses, $240,000 of general and administrative expenses - related party, and $215,000 of franchise tax expense.
Contractual Obligations
Registration Rights
The holders of Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans, if any (and any shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants or warrants issued upon conversion of the working capital loans and upon conversion of the Founder Shares), were entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to the consummation of the IPO (the “Registration Rights Agreement”). These holders are entitled to certain demand and “piggyback” registration rights. However, the Registration Rights Agreement provides that we will not be required to effect or permit any registration or cause any registration statement to become effective until termination of the applicable lock-up period. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Underwriting Agreement
BofA and Barclays Capital Inc. (“Barclays”), the underwriters in our IPO, were entitled to an underwriting discount of $0.20 per unit on all units sold in the IPO, except for the units purchased by the Anchor Investors, or approximately $5.3 million in the aggregate, paid upon the closing of the IPO.
BofA and Barclays were also entitled to an additional fee of $0.35 per unit, or $10,062,500 in the aggregate. The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that we complete an initial Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.
On June 20, 2023, BofA formally notified the Company in writing that it had resigned and withdrew from its role in the Business Combination and thereby, for no additional consideration, waived its entitlement to its portion of the Deferred Discount despite having already completed the services and obligations that would entitle BofA to payment under the terms of the underwriting agreement. As a result, the reduction in deferred fees was allocated on a pro rata basis between additional paid-in capital and other income based upon the original amount of the deferred underwriting fees allocation to the liability-classified instruments in the IPO. Therefore, the deferred underwriting fee was reduced by $4,025,000, of which $205,275 is reflected in the consolidated statement of operations as other income and $3,819,725 is charged to additional paid-in capital in the statement of stockholders’ deficit. As a result of the waiver, and pursuant to that agreement dated June 4, 2023 among Barclays Capital Inc., the Company and XPDI Sponsor II LLC, the outstanding deferred underwriting fee payable upon closing of the Business Combination was reduced to approximately $6.0 million.
61
Administrative Support Services
Commencing on December 9, 2021, we have agreed to pay affiliates of our Sponsor a total of $20,000 per month for office space and administrative support services. Upon completion of our initial Business Combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees. In connection with our initial Business Combination, we will make a cash payment in an aggregate amount of up to $3,000,000 to affiliates of our Sponsor or Anchor Investors for any financial advisory, placement agency or other similar investment banking or consulting services that affiliates of our Sponsor or Anchor Investors have provided and may continue to provide to us in connection with our initial Business Combination, and may reimburse to affiliates of our Sponsor or Anchor Investors for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by it in connection with the performance of such services.
Merger Agreement
On June 5, 2023, the Company and XPDB Merger Sub, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“Merger Sub”), entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (as it may be amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with its terms, the “Merger Agreement”) with Montana Technologies LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Montana”), pursuant to which Merger Sub will merge with and into Montana, with Montana surviving the Merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (the “Merger” and, along with the transactions contemplated in the Merger Agreement, the “Proposed Transactions”). Following the closing of the Proposed Transactions (the “Closing”), the Company will be renamed “Montana Technologies Corporation” (the “Combined Company”).
As part of the Business Combination, equity holders of Montana will receive aggregate consideration of approximately $421.9 million (subject to adjustment as described in the Merger Agreement), payable (i) in the case of Class B and holders of Class C common units of Montana, in the form of newly issued shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Combined Company (“Combined Company Class A common stock”), with a $10.00 value ascribed to each such share and which will entitle the holder thereof to one vote per share on all matters submitted to a vote of the holders of common stock, whether voting separately as a class or otherwise, (ii) in the case of holders of Class A common units of Montana, in the form of newly issued shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Combined Company (“Combined Company Class B common stock”) with a $10.00 value ascribed to each such share and which will entitle the holder thereof to a number of votes per share such that the equity holders of Montana as of immediately prior to the Closing will, immediately following the Closing, collectively own shares representing at least 80% of the voting power of all classes of capital stock of the Combined Company entitled to vote on matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders of the Combined Company and (iii) in the case of Montana’s option holders and warrant holders, in the form of options and warrants of the Combined Company, respectively, having substantially similar terms to the applicable options and warrants of Montana.
Montana’s equity holders (other than warrant holders) will also have the opportunity to receive additional equity consideration (in each case, in accordance with their respective pro rata share) in the form of shares of Combined Company Class A common stock with a $10.00 value ascribed to each share (the “Earnout Shares”), only upon full completion of construction and operational viability (including all permitting, regulatory approvals and necessary or useful inspections) of new production capacity of Montana’s key components or assemblies based solely on demand from bona fide customer commitments evidenced by binding contracts (or in the discretion of a majority of the independent members of the board of directors of the Combined Company, a non-binding letter of intent or indication of interest or similar writing that is substantially likely to become a binding contract) with a known price or pricing formula that exceeds a level of production capacity that is expected to generate Annualized EBITDA of more than $150,000,000 (the “Threshold Annualized EBITDA”), which shall be determined by a majority of the independent members of the board of directors of the Combined Company in its sole discretion, equal to (i) the ratio of (x) (1) the Annualized EBITDA that is expected from such new production capacity (the “Expected Annualized EBITDA”) less (2) (A) the Threshold Annualized EBITDA plus (B) all previously Expected Annualized EBITDA amounts associated with previous new production capacities for which previous earnouts were achieved, divided by (y) $150,000,000 multiplied by (ii) $200,000,000, provided that the aggregate Expected Annualized EBITDA may not exceed $300,000,000.
62
The maximum value of the Earnout Shares will be capped at $200 million and the ability to receive Earnout Shares will expire on the fifth anniversary of the Closing. A majority of the independent members of the board of directors of the Combined Company then serving will have sole discretion in determining, among other things, the achievement of the applicable milestones, the calculations of payments of Earnout Shares to the applicable Montana equity holders, the dates on which construction and operational viability of new production capacity is deemed completed and whether to consent to a transfer of the applicable Montana equity holder’s right to receive Earnout Shares. Earnout Shares issuable in respect of Montana options outstanding as of immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger may be issued to the holder of such Montana option only if such holder continues to provide services (whether as an employee, director or individual independent contractor) to the Combined Company or one of its subsidiaries through the date on which such Earnout Shares are issued, as determined by a majority of the independent members of the Combined Company Board.
As of the date of the Merger Agreement, 100.0% of the total outstanding Class A common units of Montana and 72.7% of the total outstanding Class B common units of Montana (or an aggregate of approximately 76.6% of the total outstanding Class A common units and Class B common units of Montana in the aggregate) were held by unitholders that are expected to continue as directors, officers or employees of the Combined Company. The retention of certain holders of options of Montana who will continue as directors, officers or employees of the Combined Company (whose responsibilities are expected to include continued technology development and commercial execution) is integral to the achievement of the milestones that will determine whether Earnout Shares are payable. Montana does not believe that such targets are achievable absent the continued involvement of such persons. The Combined Company is expected to provide competitive compensation, benefits and equity awards (pursuant to the terms of the Montana Technologies Corporation 2023 Incentive Award Plan) to these individuals following the Merger in order to incentivize these individuals to continue to provide services to the Combined Company.
On February 5, 2024, the Company, Merger Sub, and Montana entered into the Amendment to the Merger Agreement, amending the Merger Agreement to, among other things, (i) amend the definition of Aggregate Transaction Proceeds and (ii) reduce the Aggregate Transaction Proceeds condition from $85 million to $50 million.
Sponsor Support Agreement
In connection with the execution of the Merger Agreement and pursuant to the terms of the Sponsor Support Agreement (the “Sponsor Support Agreement”) entered into among the Sponsor, the Company, Montana and other holders of the Company’s Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value per share (the “Class B common stock”), the Sponsor and the other holders of Class B common stock agreed to, among other things, (i) vote any Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value per share (the “Class A common stock”), of the Company or Class B common stock (collectively, the “Sponsor Securities”), held of record or thereafter acquired in favor of the proposals presented by the Company at a special meeting to approve the Proposed Transactions, (ii) be bound by certain other covenants and agreements related to the Proposed Transactions, (iii) be bound by certain transfer restrictions with respect to the Sponsor Securities and (iv) waive certain antidilution protections with respect to the Sponsor Securities, in each case, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Sponsor Support Agreement. In addition, pursuant to the terms of the Sponsor Support Agreement, the Sponsor has agreed to waive its redemption rights with respect to any Sponsor Securities in connection with the completion of a Business Combination (which waiver was provided in connection with the IPO and without any separate consideration paid in connection with providing such waiver), has agreed not to transfer any Public Shares and Founder Shares held by it during the time prior to (i) Closing or (ii) the termination of the Merger Agreement, has agreed to waive anti-dilution protections and has agreed to subject certain of the shares of Combined Company Class A common stock held by Sponsor following the conversion of the Founder Shares as of the Closing to certain vesting provisions. Specifically, the Sponsor Support Agreement provides that as of immediately prior to (but subject to) the Closing, 1,380,736 shares of Combined Company Class A common stock held by the Sponsor following the conversion of the Founder Shares as of the Closing (the “Subject Vesting Shares”) will be subject to an earnout, with the Subject Vesting Shares vesting during the period beginning on the date of Closing and ending five (5) years following the date of Closing (i) simultaneously with the Earnout Payments made to the Montana equity holders in a proportionate amount to the payment achieved in relation to the maximum issuance of Earnout Shares of equity interests of $200 million (the “Performance Vesting Trigger”) and (ii) up to 50% of the Subject Vesting Shares (including any vested Subject Vesting Shares from the Performance Vesting Trigger) vesting on any day following the Closing when the closing price of a share of Combined Company Class A common stock on the Nasdaq (the “Closing Share Price”) equals or exceeds $12.00 (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) and all remaining Subject Vesting Shares vesting when the Closing Share Price equals or exceeds $14.00 (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like).
The Sponsor Support Agreement will terminate on the earlier of (i) the date the Business Combination becomes effective and (ii) the termination of the Merger Agreement in accordance with its terms.
63
Investment Agreement
On September 29, 2023, we entered into an Investment Agreement (the “Investment Agreement”) with Montana, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (“CATL”), CATL US Inc., an affiliate of CATL (“CATL US”) and Contemporary Amperex Technology USA Inc. an affiliate of CATL (“CATL USA,” and, together with CATL US and CATL, the “CATL Parties”), pursuant to which the CATL Parties agreed, among other things, that they will not, directly or indirectly, (i) acquire any additional units of the Combined Company, (ii) seek election to, or to place a representative on, Montana’s board of managers or the board of directors of the Combined Company, or (iii) acquire any securities of the Combined Company if, following such acquisition, the CATL Parties and their affiliates would hold, in the aggregate, an interest in the Combined Company of greater than 9.8% on either an economic or voting basis (the “CATL Ownership Limit”). In the event the CATL Parties and their affiliates exceed the CATL Ownership Limit, the CATL Parties have agreed, following written notice from the Combined Company, to divest within five business days such number of Combined Company securities as shall be necessary to cause the CATL Ownership Limit not to be exceeded. In addition, at any time the CATL Ownership Limit is exceeded, the CATL Parties have agreed to vote any voting power they hold in excess of 9.8% in accordance with the recommendation of the board of directors of the Combined Company.
The CATL Parties agreed that they will not, and will cause their affiliates not to, access, obtain, or seek to access or obtain Montana or the Combined Company’s trade secrets, know-how, or other confidential, proprietary, or competitively sensitive information (excluding any such information that Montana is obligated to provide to CATL US, CAMT, or CAMT’s subsidiaries pursuant to that certain Amended and Restated Joint Venture Agreement for CAMT, dated as of September 29, 2023, by and among Montana, CAMT Climate Solutions, Ltd. (“CAMT”) and CATL US), including by reverse engineering, or seeking to reverse engineer, any of Montana’s products.
Montana has agreed to use its reasonable best efforts to assist CATL USA in selling, prior to the consummation of the Business Combination, units of Montana representing at least 2% of Montana’s issued and outstanding units at a price per unit that is not materially lower than the price per unit implied by the valuation of Montana in connection with the Business Combination. In so assisting CATL USA, Montana is not obligated to incur any expenses or grant any concessions, nor is it obligated to prioritize any sale by CATL USA over its own capital raising or financing activities.
The Investment Agreement contains customary representations and warranties and may be terminated only with the written consent of the parties thereto.
Carrier Letter Agreement
On January 7, 2024, we entered into a letter agreement with Montana and Carrier Corporation, an affiliate of Carrier Global Corporation (NYSE: CARR), a global leader in intelligent climate and energy solutions (collectively with its affiliates, “Carrier”), pursuant to which Carrier, Montana and the Company agreed, among other things, to provide Carrier the right to nominate one (1) designee, subject to the approval of the Company, for election to the board of directors of the Combined Company for so long as Carrier satisfies certain investment conditions, following the business combination between the Company and Montana.
64
Other Agreements
On November 12, 2023, we entered into an arrangement pursuant to which, under certain circumstances, up to 2% of the proceeds of the capital raised in transactions arranged by certain third parties from investors located in certain limited jurisdictions may be paid to such third parties. On December 14, 2023, Montana agreed to reimburse, and did reimburse, the Company 50% of certain expenses incurred by third parties and paid by the Company in connection with this arrangement.
Critical Accounting Estimates
We prepare our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, which require our management to make estimates that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the balance sheet dates, as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. To the extent that there are material differences between these estimates and actual results, our financial condition or results of operations would be affected. We base our estimates on our own historical experience and other assumptions that we believe are reasonable after taking into account our circumstances and expectations for the future based on available information. We evaluate these estimates on an ongoing basis.
We consider an accounting estimate to be critical if: (i) the accounting estimate requires us to make assumptions about matters that were highly uncertain at the time the accounting estimate was made, and (ii) changes in the estimate that are reasonably likely to occur from period to period or use of different estimates that we reasonably could have used in the current period, would have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations. There are items within our financial statements that require estimation but are not deemed critical, as defined above.
For a detailed discussion of our significant accounting policies and related judgements, see Note 2 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this report.
Derivative Warrant Liabilities
We do not use derivative instruments to hedge exposures to cash flow, market, or foreign currency risks. Management evaluates all of our financial instruments, including issued stock purchase warrants, to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives, pursuant to Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity” (“ASC 480”) and FASB ASC Topic 815-40, “Derivatives and Hedging - Contracts in Entity’s Own Stock” (“ASC 815”). The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be classified as liabilities or as equity, is re-assessed at the end of each reporting period.
The Public Warrants and the Private Placement Warrants are not precluded from equity classification, based on the guidance in ASC 480 and ASC 815. Equity-classified contracts are initially measured at fair value (or allocated value). Subsequent changes in fair value are not recognized as long as the contracts continue to be classified in equity.
Class A Common Shares Subject to Possible Redemption
We account for our Class A common stock subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in ASC 480. Class A common stock subject to mandatory redemption (if any) is classified as liability instruments and are measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable Class A common stock (including Class A common stock that features redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within our control) are classified as temporary equity. At all other times, Class A common stock is classified as stockholders’ equity. Our Class A common stock feature certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of our control and subject to the occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, all of our outstanding shares of Class A common stock is presented at redemption value as temporary equity, outside of the stockholders’ equity section of our balance sheets.
Under ASC 480, we have elected to recognize changes in the redemption value immediately as they occur and adjust the carrying value of the security to equal the redemption value at the end of the reporting period. This method would view the end of the reporting period as if it were also the redemption date of the security. Effective with the closing of the IPO, we recognized the accretion from initial book value to redemption amount, which resulted in charges against additional paid-in capital (to the extent available) and accumulated deficit.
Net Income per Common Share
We comply with accounting and disclosure requirements of FASB ASC Topic 260, “Earnings Per Share.” We have two classes of shares, which are referred to as Class A common stock and Class B common stock. Income and losses are shared pro rata between the two classes of shares. Net income per common share is calculated by dividing the net income by the weighted average shares of common stock outstanding for the respective period.
65
The calculation of diluted net income does not consider the effect of the Public Warrants and the Private Placement Warrants to purchase an aggregate of 25,500,000 shares of Class A common stock in the calculation of diluted income per share, because their exercise is contingent upon future events and their inclusion would be anti-dilutive under the treasury stock method. As a result, diluted net income per share is the same as basic net income per share for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022. Accretion associated with the redeemable Class A common stock is excluded from earnings per share as the redemption value approximates fair value.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In December 2023, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Updated (“ASU”) 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures (ASU 2023-09), which requires disclosure of incremental income tax information within the rate reconciliation and expanded disclosures of income taxes paid, among other disclosure requirements. ASU 2023-09 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024. Early adoption is permitted. The Company’s management does not believe the adoption of ASU 2023-09 will have a material impact on its financial statements and disclosures.
Our management does not believe that there are any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting pronouncements, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on our consolidated balance sheets.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements and Contractual Obligations
As of December 31, 2023, 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.
JOBS Act
The Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act, contains provisions that, among other things, relax certain reporting requirements for qualifying public companies. We qualify as an “emerging growth company” and under the JOBS Act are allowed to comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements based on the effective date for private (not publicly traded) companies. We are electing to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards, and as a result, we may not comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non- emerging growth companies. As a result, the financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.
Additionally, we are in the process of evaluating the benefits of relying on the other reduced reporting requirements provided by the JOBS Act. Subject to certain conditions set forth in the JOBS Act, if, as an “emerging growth company,” we choose to rely on such exemptions we may not be required to, among other things, (i) provide an auditor’s attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404, (ii) provide all of the compensation disclosure that may be required of non-emerging growth public companies under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, (iii) comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the PCAOB regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (auditor discussion and analysis) and (iv) disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the CEO’s compensation to median employee compensation. These exemptions will apply for a period of five years following the completion of our IPO or until we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” whichever is earlier.
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.
We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and are not required to provide the information otherwise required under this item.
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
This information appears following Item 15 of this Annual Report and is included herein by reference.
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.
None.
66
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Disclosure controls and procedures are controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in company reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
As of December 31, 2023, as required by Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act, our principal executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures. Based upon their evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) were not effective due to a material weakness in internal control over financial reporting relating to accounting issues for accrued general and administrative expenses as well as the preparation of the Company’s tax provision. Additionally, this material weakness could result in a misstatement of the carrying value of accounts payable or accrued expenses and the reported amount of general and administrative expenses and income tax expense in the financial statements that would not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. As a result, our management performed additional analysis as deemed necessary to ensure that our financial statements were prepared in accordance with generally accepted principles in the United States of America. Accordingly, management believes that the financial statements included in this Annual Report present fairly, in all material respects, the Company’s financial position, result of operations and cash flows of the periods presented.
Management’s Report on Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting
As required by SEC rules and regulations implementing Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of our financial statements for external reporting purposes in accordance with GAAP. Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that:
| 1. | pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of our company; |
| 2. | provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP, and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and directors; and |
| 3. | provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements. |
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect errors or misstatements in our financial statements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree or compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting at December 31, 2023. In making these assessments, management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013). Based on our assessments and those criteria, management determined that our internal controls over financial reporting were not effective as of December 31, 2023, for the reasons described above.
This Report does not include an attestation report of internal controls from our independent registered public accounting firm due to our status as an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act.
67
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act) during the most recent fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Item 9B. Other Information.
During the three months ended December 31, 2023, none of our directors
or “officers” (as defined in Rule 16a-1(f) under the Exchange Act)
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections.
Not applicable.
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.
Our officers and directors are as follows:
| Name | Age | Position | ||
| Theodore J. Brombach | 61 | Chairman of the Board | ||
| Patrick C. Eilers | 57 | Chief Executive Officer and Director | ||
| James P. Nygaard, Jr. | 49 | Chief Financial Officer | ||
| Paul Dabbar | 56 | Director | ||
| Paul Gaynor | 58 | Director | ||
| Scott Widham | 66 | Director | ||
| John B. Sexton | 28 | Vice President | ||
| John P. McGarrity | 62 | General Counsel and Secretary |
Theodore J. Brombach serves as Chairman of the Board. Mr. Brombach is a founding partner of XMS Capital and serves as the firm’s Co-Managing Partner and has served in such role since 2006. He is also the Chief Executive Officer of XA Investments LLC, an alternative asset management firm he co-founded in 2016. Mr. Brombach is the President and Chief Executive Officer and a Trustee of XAI Octagon Floating Rate & Alternative Income Term Trust (NYSE: XFLT), a closed end fund investing in alternative credit investments, and has served in such role since 2017. He has over 30 years of investment banking experience in Chicago, New York and London. Mr. Brombach served as the Chairman of XPDI I from December 2020 until the completion of its merger with Core Scientific in January 2022. Prior to founding XMS Capital, Mr. Brombach was a Managing Director and co-head of Midwest Investment Banking at Morgan Stanley, which he joined in 1990. At XMS Capital, he has led numerous mergers and acquisitions and capital raising transactions across a number of industry sectors. Mr. Brombach is a director of RiverWood Bank. Mr. Brombach earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.
Mr. Brombach’s qualifications to serve on our Board include his extensive executive, director and leadership experience, including over 30 years in investment banking experience.
Patrick C. Eilers serves as our Chief Executive Officer and is a member of the Board. Mr. Eilers is the founder and has served since 2019 as the Managing Partner of TEP, a private equity firm focused on the energy & power transition, in particular its impact on the electrical grid, with an expertise in (i) renewable energy, (ii) energy storage, technology, equipment & services, and (iii) transitional energy infrastructure. Mr. Eilers has over 20 years of investment experience focused on the energy & power transition. Mr. Eilers served as Chief Executive Officer and Director of XPDI I from December 2020 until the completion of its merger with Core Scientific in January 2022. Prior to founding TEP, Mr. Eilers was a Managing Director on the BlackRock Infrastructure Platform, where he also served as an Investment Committee member for BlackRock’s Global Renewable Power Fund, Global Energy & Power Infrastructure Fund, and chaired the Energy & Power Private Equity Fund. Prior to joining BlackRock in 2016, he also worked at Madison Dearborn Partners overseeing the firm’s energy, power, and chemicals practices for 10 years. Mr. Eilers earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Mechanical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
68
Mr. Eilers’ qualifications to serve on our Board include his extensive executive, director and leadership experience in private equity and investment banking, including extensive knowledge relating to the power generation, power infrastructure, transmission, and battery storage industries.
James P. Nygaard, Jr. serves as our Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Nygaard is a Managing Director of XMS Capital and is responsible for leading mergers and acquisitions execution activities at the firm. With 27 years of investment banking experience, he has completed several strategic transactions, financings, and corporate finance advisory assignments for a diverse range of clients across a variety of industry sectors. Mr. Nygaard served as Chief Financial Officer of XPDI I from December 2020 until the completion of its merger with Core Scientific in January 2022. Prior to joining XMS Capital at the end of 2007, Mr. Nygaard spent 12 years in the Investment Banking Division of Morgan Stanley where he assumed various roles within the corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions and administrative practices of the firm. While at Morgan Stanley, Mr. Nygaard led coverage and strategic execution efforts for a number of Midwest-based companies, including 3M, Anheuser-Busch, ConAgra Brands, Ford Motor Company, and General Mills.
Mr. Nygaard graduated summa cum laude from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, where he was valedictorian of his department and received Bronze Tablet Honors, the university’s highest academic distinction.
Paul Dabbar serves on the Board. Mr. Dabbar is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of Bohr Quantum Technology Corp, a quantum communications company, and has served as Chief Executive Officer since 2021. Mr. Dabbar has served on the board of directors of Dominion Energy, Inc. (NYSE: D) since November 2023 and served on the board of directors of XPDI I from February 2021 until the completion of its merger with Core Scientific in January 2022. Prior to Bohr Quantum, Mr. Dabbar served as Under Secretary for Science at the U.S. Department of Energy from 2017 to 2021, managing the operations of, and investing capital at the seventeen U.S. National Laboratories, conducting research and development in energy, technology and the sciences. Mr. Dabbar was previously a Managing Director in investment banking at J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., in energy and mergers & acquisitions from 1996 to 2017. Mr. Dabbar was also previously a nuclear submarine officer in the U.S. Navy. Mr. Dabbar earned a Bachelor of Science from the U.S. Naval Academy and an MBA from Columbia University.
Mr. Dabbar’s qualifications to serve on our Board include his extensive leadership experience in the communications and energy industry.
Paul Gaynor serves on the Board. Mr. Gaynor is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Longroad Energy, a renewable energy company. Mr. Gaynor served on the board of directors of XPDI I from February 2021 until the completion of its merger with Core Scientific in January 2022. Prior to co-founding Longroad Energy, Mr. Gaynor served as CEO of First Wind, which he founded in 2004. Mr. Gaynor has also held various roles within Singapore Power, PSG International, GE Capital, and GE Power Systems. Mr. Gaynor earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from University of Chicago.
Mr. Gaynor’s qualifications to serve on our Board include his extensive executive and leadership experience in the power generation and power infrastructure industries.
Scott Widham serves on the Board. Mr. Widham brings over 30 years of broad-based management and operations experience in the digital transformation and telecommunications industry. Mr. Widham is currently Chairman of Ezee Fiber, providing telecom services to government, enterprise, carrier and residences in Texas. Mr. Widham served on the board of directors of XPDI I from February 2021 until the completion of its merger with Core Scientific in January 2022. Previously, he served as President of Never fail from 2018 to 2019, CEO of Alpheus Communications from 2011 to 2017 and, prior to Alpheus, as CEO of Cobridge Communications, Broadwing Communications, and Capital Cable. Mr. Widham also served as EVP of Corecomm and was a Director at MTV Networks. Mr. Widham earned a B.B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin.
69
Mr. Widham’s qualifications to serve on our Board include his over 30 years of executive, financial and leadership experience in the telecommunications industry.
John B. Sexton serves on our management team as a Vice President. Mr. Sexton is a Vice President for TEP where he focuses on control, and growth equity investments in companies making North America’s power and energy systems increasingly sustainable and smart. Prior to joining TEP in 2021, Mr. Sexton served as an Associate with Marathon Capital’s investment banking division where he served since 2018, working across mergers and acquisitions transactions and tax equity financings in the renewables, carbon capture and energy services sectors. Mr. Sexton earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance in 2018, while minoring in Sustainability at the University of Notre Dame.
John P. McGarrity serves on our management team as General Counsel and Secretary. Mr. McGarrity is managing director and chief administrative officer for XMS Capital and general counsel of XMS Holdings LLC. Mr. McGarrity has over 30 years of experience in legal and product development positions, primarily in the financial services industry. Prior to joining XMS, and its asset management affiliate XA Investments LLC, in 2016, Mr. McGarrity was managing director and general counsel of River Branch Holdings, a boutique international merchant bank that was acquired by Piper Jaffray. Mr. McGarrity is the former executive vice president and head of product development for Man Investments, Inc., the North American subsidiary of Man Group PLC. Previously, Mr. McGarrity served as a director on the capital markets desk at Bank One, N.A. Prior to that, he was the Associate General Counsel and Secretary of Unicom Corporation, which merged with PECO Energy Company to become Exelon Corporation. Mr. McGarrity began his career at Sidley Austin LLP, where he was a partner in its corporate and securities group. Mr. McGarrity earned his B.B.A., cum laude, in finance and philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. He earned his J.D., magna cum laude, at the University of Illinois College of Law, where he was an editor of the University of Illinois Law Review.
Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors
Our Board is divided into three classes, with only one class of directors being elected in each year, and with each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual meeting of stockholders) serving a three-year term. In accordance with the Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on the Nasdaq. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of Mr. Gaynor, will expire at our first annual meeting of stockholders. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of Mr. Dabbar and Mr. Widham, will expire at our second annual meeting of the stockholders. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of Mr. Brombach and Mr. Eilers, will expire at our third annual meeting of stockholders. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after we complete our initial business combination.
Prior to the completion of an initial business combination, any vacancy on the Board may be filled by a nominee chosen by holders of a majority of our Founder Shares. In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our Founder Shares may remove a member of the Board for any reason.
Pursuant to an agreement entered into concurrently with the IPO, our sponsor, upon completion of an initial business combination, will be entitled to nominate three individuals for election to our Board, as long as our sponsor holds any securities covered by the registration and stockholders rights agreement.
Our officers are appointed by the Board and serve at the discretion of the Board, rather than for specific terms of office. Our Board is authorized to nominate persons to the offices set forth in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation as it deems appropriate. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that our officers may consist of one or more chairman of the Board, chief executive officer, president, chief financial officer, vice president, secretary, treasurer and such other offices as may be determined by the Board.
70
Director Independence
The Nasdaq listing standards require that a majority of our Board be independent within one year of our initial public offering. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person that, in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, has no material relationship with the listed company (either directly or as a partner, stockholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with the company). Our Board has determined that Mr. Dabbar, Mr. Gaynor and Mr. Widham 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.
Executive Officer and Director Compensation
None of our executive officers or directors have received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Commencing on December 9, 2021, we have agreed to reimburse affiliates of our sponsor for office space and administrative support services provided to us in the amount of $20,000 per month. Furthermore, in connection with our initial Business Combination, we will make a cash payment in an aggregate amount of up to $3,000,000 to affiliates of our Sponsor or Anchor Investors for any financial advisory, placement agency or other similar investment banking or consulting services that affiliates of our Sponsor or Anchor Investors have provided and may continue to provide to us in connection with our initial Business Combination, and may reimburse to affiliates of our Sponsor or Anchor Investors for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by it in connection with the performance of such services. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, executive officers or directors, or our or their affiliates. Any such payments prior to an initial business combination will be made using funds held outside the Trust Account. Other than quarterly audit committee review of such reimbursements, we do not expect to have any additional controls in place governing our reimbursement payments to our directors and executive officers for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with our activities on our behalf in connection with identifying and completing an initial business combination. Other than these payments and reimbursements, no compensation of any kind, including finder’s and consulting fees, will be paid by the company to our sponsor, executive officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, prior to completion of our initial business combination.
After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting or management fees from the Combined Company. All of these fees will be fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials or tender offer materials furnished to our stockholders in connection with a proposed business combination. We have not established any limit on the amount of such fees that may be paid by the Combined Company to 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 executive officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our executive officers will be determined, or recommended to the Board for determination, either by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors or by a majority of the independent directors on our Board.
We do not intend to take any action to ensure that members of our management team maintain their positions with us after the completion of our initial business combination, although it is possible that some or all of our executive officers and directors may negotiate employment or consulting arrangements to remain with us after our initial business combination. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements to retain their positions with us may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business but we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination. We are not party to any agreements with our executive officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Our Board has three standing committees: an audit committee, a compensation committee and a corporate governance and nominating committee. Subject to phase-in rules and a limited exception, the rules of the Nasdaq and Rule 10A of the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors. Subject to phase-in rules and a limited exception, the rules of the Nasdaq require that the compensation committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors.
71
Audit Committee
We have established an audit committee of the Board. Mr. Gaynor, Mr. Widham and Mr. Dabbar serve as members of our audit committee. Our Board has determined that each of Mr. Gaynor, Mr. Widham and Mr. Dabbar are independent under the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Mr. Gaynor serves as the chairman of the audit committee. Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our Board has determined that Mr. Gaynor qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules.
We have adopted an audit committee charter, which details the primary functions of the audit committee, including:
| ● | appointing, compensating and overseeing our independent registered public accounting firm; |
| ● | reviewing and approving the annual audit plan for the company; |
| ● | overseeing the integrity of our financial statements and our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements; |
| ● | discussing the annual audited financial statements and unaudited quarterly financial statements with management and the independent registered public accounting firm; |
| ● | pre-approving all audit services and permitted non-audit services to be performed by our independent registered public accounting firm, including the fees and terms of the services to be performed; |
| ● | appointing or replacing the independent registered public accounting firm; |
| ● | monitoring our environmental sustainability and governance practices; |
| ● | establishing procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by us regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or reports which raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies; |
| ● | discussing earnings press releases and financial information provided to analysts and rating agencies; |
| ● | discussing with management our policies and practices with respect to risk assessment and risk management; |
| ● | reviewing any material transaction between our Chief Financial Officer that has been approved in accordance with our Code of Ethics for our officers, and providing prior written approval of any material transaction between us and our Chief Executive Officer; and |
| ● | producing an annual report for inclusion in our proxy statement, in accordance with applicable rules and regulations. |
The audit committee is a separately designated standing committee established in accordance with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Exchange Act.
Compensation Committee
We have established a compensation committee of the Board. The members of our compensation committee are Mr. Gaynor, Mr. Widham, and Mr. Dabbar, and Mr. Widham serves as chairman of the compensation committee. Under the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have a compensation committee composed entirely of independent directors. Our Board has determined that each of Mr. Gaynor, Mr. Widham, and Mr. Dabbar are independent.
72
We have adopted a compensation committee charter, which details the primary functions of the compensation committee, including:
| ● | reviewing and approving corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation (if any), evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of those goals and objectives, and setting our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation level (if any) based on this evaluation; |
| ● | setting salaries and approving incentive compensation and equity awards, as well as compensation policies, for all other officers who file reports of their ownership, and changes in ownership, of the company’s common stock under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act (the “Section 16 Officers”), as designated by our Board; |
| ● | making recommendations to the Board with respect to incentive compensation programs and equity-based plans that are subject to Board approval; |
| ● | approving any employment or severance agreements with our Section 16 Officers; |
| ● | granting any awards under equity compensation plans and annual bonus plans to our Chief Executive Officer and the Section 16 Officers; |
| ● | approving the compensation of our directors; and |
| ● | producing an annual report on executive compensation for inclusion in our proxy statement, in accordance with applicable rules and regulations. |
The charter also provides that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser and will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser.
However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by the Nasdaq and the SEC.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
None of our executive officers currently serves, and in the past year has not served, as a member of the compensation committee of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving on our Board.
Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee
We have established a corporate governance and nominating committee of our Board. The members of our corporate governance and nominating committee are Mr. Gaynor, Mr. Widham, and Mr. Dabbar, and Mr. Dabbar serves as chairman of the corporate governance and nominating committee. Under the Nasdaq listing standards, we are required to have a corporate governance and nominating committee composed entirely of independent directors. Our Board has determined that each of Mr. Gaynor, Mr. Widham, and Mr. Dabbar are independent.
We have adopted a corporate governance and nominating committee charter, which details the primary functions of the corporate governance and nominating committee, including:
| ● | identifying individuals qualified to become members of the Board and making recommendations to the Board regarding nominees for election; |
73
| ● | reviewing the independence of each director and making a recommendation to the Board with respect to each director’s independence; |
| ● | developing and recommending to the Board the corporate governance principles applicable to us and reviewing our corporate governance guidelines at least annually; |
| ● | making recommendations to the Board with respect to the membership of the audit, compensation and corporate governance and nominating committees; |
| ● | overseeing the evaluation of the performance of the Board and its committees on a continuing basis, including an annual self-evaluation of the performance of the corporate governance and nominating committee; |
| ● | considering the adequacy of our governance structures and policies, including as they relate to our environmental sustainability and governance practices; |
| ● | considering director nominees recommended by stockholders; and |
| ● | reviewing our overall corporate governance and reporting to the Board on its findings and any recommendations. |
Guidelines for Selecting Director Nominees
The guidelines for selecting nominees, which are specified in the corporate governance and nominating committee charter, generally provide that persons to be nominated:
| ● | should possess personal qualities and characteristics, accomplishments and reputation in the business community; |
| ● | should have current knowledge and contacts in the communities in which we do business and in our industry or other industries relevant to our business; |
| ● | should have the ability and willingness to commit adequate time to the Board and committee matters; |
| ● | should demonstrate ability and willingness to commit adequate time to the Board and committee matters; |
| ● | should possess the fit of the individual’s skills and personality with those of other directors and potential directors in building a board of directors that is effective, collegial and responsive to our needs; and |
| ● | should demonstrate diversity of viewpoints, background, experience, and other demographics, and all aspects of diversity in order to enable the Board to perform its duties and responsibilities effectively, including candidates with a diversity of age, gender, nationality, race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. |
Each year in connection with the nomination of candidates for election to the Board, the corporate governance and nominating committee will evaluate the background of each candidate, including candidates that may be submitted by our stockholders.
Code of Ethics
We have adopted a Code of Ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees. A copy of the Code of Ethics will be provided without charge upon written request to our principal executive offices. 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.
74
Conflicts of Interest
In general, officers and directors of a corporation incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware are required to present business opportunities to a corporation if:
| ● | the corporation could financially undertake the opportunity; |
| ● | the opportunity is within the corporation’s line of business; and |
| ● | it would not be fair to our company and its stockholders for the opportunity not to be brought to the attention of the corporation. |
Certain of our officers and directors presently have, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities, including one or more other blank check companies, or other entities that are affiliates of our sponsor, pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. Accordingly, if our sponsor, its affiliates or our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, including one or more other blank check companies, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, subject to their fiduciary duties under Delaware law. 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.
Below is a table summarizing the entities to which our executive officers and directors currently have fiduciary duties, contractual obligations or other material management relationships:
| Individual | Entity | Entity’s Business | Affiliation | |||
| Theodore J. Brombach | XMS Capital Partners, LLC XA Investments LLC XAI Octagon Floating Rate & Alternative Income Term Trust RiverWood Bank |
Investment Banking Financial Services Financial Services Banking |
Founder/Partner | |||
| Patrick C. Eilers | Transition Equity Partners, LLC | Private Equity | Founder/Managing Partner | |||
| James P. Nygaard, Jr. | XMS Capital Partners, LLC | Investment Banking | Managing Director | |||
| Paul Dabbar |
Bohr Quantum Technology Corp. Dominion Energy, Inc. |
Communications Energy |
President and Chief Executive Officer Director | |||
| Paul Gaynor | Longroad Energy | Energy | Chief Executive Officer | |||
| Scott Widham | Widham Capital Investment | Management | President | |||
| John B. Sexton | Transition Equity Partners, LLC | Private Equity | Vice President | |||
| John P. McGarrity | XMS Capital Partners, LLC | Investment Banking | Managing Director and Chief Administrative Officer | |||
| XMS Holdings LLC | Financial Services | General Counsel |
75
Potential investors should also be aware of the following other potential conflicts of interest:
| ● | Our executive 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 executive officers and directors is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation, and our executive officers and directors are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. |
| ● | Our sponsor subscribed for Founder Shares prior to the date of the IPO and purchased Private Placement Warrants in a transaction that closed simultaneously with the closing of our IPO. |
| ● | Our sponsor, directors, each other member of our management team and the Anchor Investors have entered into agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their Founder Shares and public shares in connection with (i) the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of shares of Class A common stock the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed an initial business combination by March 14, 2024 (or such later date approved by the stockholders or the Board in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including the 2024 Extension). Additionally, our initial stockholders and the Anchor Investors have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to its Founder Shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. If we do not complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, the Private Placement Warrants will expire worthless. Except as described herein, our initial stockholders and the Anchor Investors have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their Founder Shares until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or (B) subsequent to completion of our initial business combination, (x) the date on which the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their common stock for cash, securities or other property. The Private Placement Warrants will not be transferable until 30 days following the completion of our initial business combination. Because each of our executive officers and directors will own common stock or warrants directly or indirectly, they may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. |
| ● | Our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors is included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination. |
| TEP Montana LLC, controlled by Mr. Eilers, is invested in Montana Technologies LLC (MT), the target of the business combination with the Company. Mr. Brombach, John Spence, Mr. Nygaard and Mr. McGarrity are investors in XMS MT Holdings LLC, which Messrs. Brombach and Spence control, which also is an investor in MT. |
76
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors or making the acquisition through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from an independent accounting firm, that such initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context. Furthermore, in no event will our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any of their respective affiliates, be paid by the company any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the completion of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is), except for reimbursement for 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, advisory fees and consulting fees in an aggregate amount of up to $3,000,000 that will be paid to XMS Capital and TEP in connection with the Business Combination and $20,000 per month for office space, secretarial and administrative services.
We cannot assure you that any of the above-mentioned conflicts will be resolved in our favor.
In the event that we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our sponsor, directors and each member of our management team have agreed to vote their Founder Shares, and our sponsor, directors and each member of our management team have agreed to vote any shares purchased during or after the offering, in favor of our initial business combination.
Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that our officers and directors will be indemnified by us to the fullest extent authorized by Delaware law, as it now exists or may in the future be amended. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that our directors will not be personally liable for monetary damages to us or our stockholders for breaches of their fiduciary duty as directors, unless they violated their duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders, acted in bad faith, knowingly or intentionally violated the law, authorized unlawful payments of dividends, unlawful stock purchases or unlawful redemptions, or derived an improper personal benefit from their actions as directors.
We have entered into agreements with our officers and directors to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Our amended and restated bylaws also permit us to secure insurance on behalf of any officer, director or employee for any liability arising out of his or her actions, regardless of whether Delaware law would permit such indemnification.
We have purchased a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors. Our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the Trust Account, and have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to us and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever (except to the extent they are entitled to funds from the Trust Account due to their ownership of public shares). Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied by us if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the Trust Account or (ii) we complete an initial business combination.
Our indemnification obligations may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. Furthermore, a stockholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
We believe that these provisions, the insurance and the indemnity agreements are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced officers and directors.
77
Item 11. Executive Compensation.
Executive Officer and Director Compensation
None of our executive officers or directors have received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Commencing on December 9, 2021, we have agreed to reimburse affiliates of our sponsor for office space and administrative support services provided to us in the amount of $20,000 per month. Furthermore, in connection with our initial Business Combination, we will make a cash payment in an aggregate amount of up to $3,000,000 to affiliates of our Sponsor or Anchor Investors for any financial advisory, placement agency or other similar investment banking or consulting services that affiliates of our Sponsor or Anchor Investors have provided and may continue to provide to us in connection with our initial Business Combination, and may reimburse to affiliates of our Sponsor or Anchor Investors for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by it in connection with the performance of such services. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, executive officers or directors, or our or their affiliates. Any such payments prior to an initial business combination will be made using funds held outside the Trust Account. Other than quarterly audit committee review of such reimbursements, we do not expect to have any additional controls in place governing our reimbursement payments to our directors and executive officers for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with our activities on our behalf in connection with identifying and completing an initial business combination. Other than these payments and reimbursements, no compensation of any kind, including finder’s and consulting fees, will be paid by the company to our sponsor, executive officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, prior to completion of our initial business combination.
After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting or management fees from the Combined Company. All of these fees will be fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials or tender offer materials furnished to our stockholders in connection with a proposed business combination. We have not established any limit on the amount of such fees that may be paid by the Combined Company to 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 postcombination business will be responsible for determining executive officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our executive officers will be determined, or recommended to the Board for determination, either by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors or by a majority of the independent directors on our Board.
We do not intend to take any action to ensure that members of our management team maintain their positions with us after the completion of our initial business combination, although it is possible that some or all of our executive officers and directors may negotiate employment or consulting arrangements to remain with us after our initial business combination. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements to retain their positions with us may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business but we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination. We are not party to any agreements with our executive officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.
The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of December 31, 2023, based on information obtained from the persons named below, with respect to the beneficial ownership of our shares of common stock, by:
| ● | each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding shares of our common stock; |
| ● | each of our executive officers, directors and director nominees that beneficially owns shares of our common stock; and |
| ● | all our executive officers and directors as a group. |
78
In the table below, percentage ownership is based on 10,608,178 shares of Class A common stock (which includes shares of Class A common stock that are underlying the units) and 7,187,500 shares of Class B common stock outstanding as of December 31, 2023. The table below does not include the shares of Class A common stock underlying the Private Placement Warrants held by our sponsor because these securities are not exercisable within 60 days of this Report.
| Number of shares of Class A common stock beneficially owned(2) | Number of shares of Class B common stock beneficially owned | Approximate percentage of outstanding Common Stock | Approximate percentage of class | |||||||||||||
| Name of Beneficial Owner | ||||||||||||||||
| Principal Stockholder | ||||||||||||||||
| XPDI Sponsor II LLC(1) | — | 7,097,500 | 39.88 | % | 98.75 | % | ||||||||||
| Directors and Named Executive Officers of the Company: | ||||||||||||||||
| Theodore J. Brombach(2) | — | 7,097,500 | 39.88 | % | 98.75 | % | ||||||||||
| Patrick C. Eilers(3) | — | 7,097,500 | 39.88 | % | 98.75 | % | ||||||||||
| James P. Nygaard, Jr. | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| John B. Sexton | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| John P. McGarrity | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Paul Dabbar | — | 30,000 | * | * | ||||||||||||
| Paul Gaynor | — | 30,000 | * | * | ||||||||||||
| Scott Widham | — | 30,000 | * | * | ||||||||||||
| All officers and directors as a group (8 individuals) | — | 7,187,500 | 40.39 | % | 100.00 | % | ||||||||||
| 5% Holders of a Class of Shares: | ||||||||||||||||
| Westchester Capital Management, LLC(4) | 699,844 | — | 3.93 | % | 6.60 | % | ||||||||||
| Cowen and Company, LLC(5) | 715,000 | — | 4.02 | % | 6.74 | % | ||||||||||
| Radcliffe(6) | 727,998 | — | 4.09 | % | 6.86 | % | ||||||||||
| Periscope Capital Inc.(7) | 898,485 | — | 5.05 | % | 8.47 | % | ||||||||||
| Fir Tree Capital Management LP(8) | 1,019,221 | — | 5.72 | % | 9.61 | % | ||||||||||
| Walleye Capital LLC(9) | 1,219,754 | — | 6.85 | % | 11.50 | % | ||||||||||
| * | Less than one percent. |
| (1) | Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of our stockholders is 321 North Clark Street Suite 2440 Chicago, IL 60654. |
| (2) | Interests shown consist solely of founder shares, classified as Class B common stock. Such shares will automatically convert into Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination as described in the section entitled “Description of Securities.” |
| (3) | XPDI Sponsor II LLC is the record holder of the shares reported herein. XPDI Sponsor II LLC is controlled by its managing members, Messrs. Brombach and Eilers. Accordingly, all of the shares held by our sponsor may be deemed to be beneficially held by Messrs. Brombach and Eilers. Each such person disclaims beneficial ownership of these securities, except to the extent, if any, of his pecuniary interest therein. |
| (4) | Pursuant to a Schedule 13G (the “Westchester 13G”) filed by such persons as a group with the SEC on February 14, 2024, (i) Westchester Capital Management, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Westchester”), may be deemed the beneficial owner of 699,844 shares of Class A Common Stock, as a result of holding directly or indirectly, 672,849 shares of Class A Common Stock, with shared voting power and shared dispositive power with respect to such Class A Common Stock and 26,995 shares of Class A Common Stock, with sole voting power and sole dispositive power, (ii) Westchester Capital Partners, LLC, a Delaware limited Liability company (“WCP”), may be deemed the beneficial owner of 307 shares of Class A Common Stock, as a result of holding directly or indirectly, 307 shares of Class A Common Stock, with sole voting power and sole dispositive power, (iii) Virtus Investment Advisers, Inc., a Massachusetts corporation (“Virtus”), may be deemed the beneficial owner of 672,849 shares of Class A Common Stock, as a result of holding directly or indirectly, 672,849 shares of Class A Common Stock, with shared voting power and shared dispositive power with respect to such Class A Common Stock and (iv) The Merger Fund, a Massachusetts business trust (“MF”), may be deemed the beneficial owner of 658,824 shares of Class A Common Stock, as a result of holding directly or indirectly, 658,824 shares of Class A Common Stock, with shared voting power and shared dispositive power with respect to such Class A Common Stock. Westchester and WCP are located at 100 Summit Drive, Valhalla, NY 10595, Virtus is located at One Financial Plaza, Hartford, CT 06103, and MF is located at 101 Munson Street, Greenfield, MA 01301-9683. | |
| Virtus, a registered investment adviser, serves as the investment adviser to each of MF, The Merger Fund VL (“MF VL”), Virtus Westchester Event-Driven Fund (“EDF”) and Virtus Westchester Credit Event Fund (“CEF”). Westchester, a registered investment adviser, serves as sub-advisor to each of MF, MF VL, EDF, CEF, JNL/Westchester Capital Event Driven Fund (“JNL”), JNL Multi-Manager Alternative Fund (“JARB”) and Principal Funds, Inc. – Global Multi-Strategy Fund (“PRIN”). WCP, a registered investment adviser, serves as Investment adviser to Westchester Capital Master Trust (“Master Trust”, together with MF, MF VL, EDF, CEF, JNL, JARB and PRIN, the “Funds”). The Funds directly hold Common Stock of the Company for the benefit of the investors in those Funds. Mr. Roy Behren and Mr. Michael T. Shannon each serve as Co-Presidents of Westchester and WCP. Westchester and WCP often make acquisitions in, and dispose of, securities of an issuer on the same terms and conditions and at the same time. Based on the foregoing and the relationships described herein, these parties may be deemed to constitute a “group” for purposes of Section 13(g)(3) of the Act. |
79
| (5) | Cowen and Company, LLC is the record holder of the shares reported herein. The business address for Cowen and Company, LLC is 599 Lexington Ave., New York, NY 10022, based on a Schedule 13G filed on February 5, 2024. |
| (6) | Pursuant to a Schedule 13G filed by such persons as a group (“Radcliffe”) with the SEC on June 14, 2023, (i) each of Radcliffe Capital Management, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, RGC Management, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, Steven B. Katznelson, a citizen of Canada, the United States of America and the United Kingdom, and Christopher Hinkel, a citizen of the United States of America, may be deemed the beneficial owner of 727,998 shares of Class A Common Stock, as a result of holding directly or indirectly, 727,998 Class A Common Stock, with shared voting power and shared dispositive power with respect to such Class A Common Stock and (ii) each of Radcliffe SPAC Master Fund, L.P., a Cayman Islands limited partnership, and Radcliffe SPAC GP, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company may be deemed the beneficial owner of 712,207 shares of Class A Common Stock, as a result of holding directly or indirectly, 712,207 Class A Common Stock, with shared voting power and shared dispositive power with respect to such Class A Common Stock. The business address for Radcliffe is 50 Monument Road, Suite 300, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004. |
| (7) | According to a Schedule 13G filed on February 9, 2024, Periscope Capital Inc. is the beneficial owner of 342,275 shares of Common Stock, with shared voting power and shared dispositive power with respect to such Class A Common Stock, and acts as investment manager of, and exercises investment discretion with respect to, certain private investment funds that collectively directly own 556,210 shares of Common Stock. The business address for Periscope Capital Inc. is 333 Bay Street, Suite 1240, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5H 2R2. |
| (8) | Fir Tree Capital Management LP, a Delaware limited partnership, is the record holder of the shares reported herein. The business address for Fir Tree Capital Management LP is 500 5th Avenue, 9th Floor, New York, New York 10110, based on a Schedule 13G filed on February 14, 2024. |
| (9) | Walleye Capital LLC, a Minnesota limited liability company, is the record holder of the shares reported herein. The business address for Walleye Capital LLC is 2800 Niagara Lane N, Plymouth, MN 55447, based on a Schedule 13G filed on January 10, 2024. |
There can be no assurance that our Anchor Investors will retain any public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination. Our Anchor Investors will have the same rights to the funds held in the Trust Account with respect to the common stock underlying the units they purchased in the IPO as the rights afforded to our public stockholders.
Our initial stockholders have agreed (a) to vote any Founder Shares owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination and (b) not to redeem any Founder Shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination.
Our sponsor is deemed to be our “promoter” as such term is defined under the federal securities laws.
Changes in Control
None.
80
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.
Founder Shares
In March 2021, our sponsor paid an aggregate of $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share, to cover certain of our offering costs in consideration of 5,750,000 shares of our Class B common stock. In November 2021, we effected a stock dividend of 1,437,500 shares of our Class B common stock, resulting in there being an aggregate of 7,187,500 shares of our Class B common stock outstanding. We have agreed to sell to the Anchor Investors 1,078,125 Founder Shares, and the Anchor Investors have agreed to purchase from us on the date of the initial business combination an aggregate of 1,078,125 Founder Shares for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $3,750 or approximately $0.004 per share. Our sponsor has also agreed that in the event of such purchase by the Anchor Investors, our sponsor will forfeit to us for no consideration a number of Founder Shares equal to the number of Founder Shares purchased by the Anchor Investors.
In July 2021, our sponsor transferred 30,000 shares of Class B common stock to each of the four independent director nominees, a total of shares of 120,000 Class B common stock. In November 2021, our sponsor repurchased 30,000 shares of Class B common stock from a former independent director nominee. The number of Founder Shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such Founder Shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares upon completion of our IPO. The Founder Shares (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise thereof) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder.
Our sponsor and the Anchor Investors purchased an aggregate of 11,125,000 Private Placement Warrants for a purchase price of $1.00 per whole warrant in a private placement that occurred simultaneously with the closing of our IPO. Among the Private Placement Warrants, 8,900,000 Private Placement Warrants were purchased by our sponsor and an aggregate of 2,225,000 Private Placement Warrants were purchased by the Anchor Investors. As such, our sponsor and Anchor Investors’ interest in this transaction is valued at approximately $11,125,000. Each Private Placement Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at $11.50 per share. The Private Placement Warrants (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise thereof) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder.
The Anchor Investors have also agreed that if, in connection with an initial business combination, the Sponsor decides (i) to forfeit (other than the Sponsor’s contemplated forfeiture to us described above in this section), transfer to a third person, exchange, subject to transfer, vesting or conditional forfeiture provisions or amend the terms of all or any portion of the Founder Shares or the Private Placement Warrants or (ii) to enter into any other arrangements with respect to the Founder Shares or the Private Placement Warrants, including voting in favor of any amendment to the terms of the Founder Shares or the Private Placement Warrants (each, a “change in investment”), such change in investment shall apply pro rata to the Anchor Investors and the Sponsor based on the relative number of Founder Shares or Private Placement Warrants to be held by the Sponsor (after giving effect to the Sponsor’s contemplated forfeiture to us described above in this section) upon completion of the initial business combination; provided, however that in no event will such change in investment apply to more than 75% of the Founder Shares to be purchased by the Anchor Investors (but for the avoidance of doubt may apply to up to 100% of the Private Placement Warrants to be purchased by the Anchor Investors).
As more fully discussed in the section of this Report entitled “Item 10-Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our sponsor or its affiliates, our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has then current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. Our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us.
We currently maintain our executive offices at 321 North Clark Street Suite 2440 Chicago, IL 60654. The cost for our use of this space is included in the $20,000 per month fee we have agreed to pay affiliates of our sponsor for office space and administrative support services since the date that our securities were first listed on the Nasdaq. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
In connection with our initial Business Combination, we will make a cash payment in an aggregate amount of up to $3,000,000 to affiliates of our Sponsor or Anchor Investors for any financial advisory, placement agency or other similar investment banking or consulting services that affiliates of our Sponsor or Anchor Investors have provided and may continue to provide to us in connection with our initial Business Combination, and may reimburse to affiliates of our Sponsor or Anchor Investors for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by it in connection with the performance of such services.
81
Except as otherwise disclosed in this Report, no compensation of any kind, including finder’s and consulting fees, will be paid to our sponsor, officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the completion of an initial business combination. However, these individuals will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or their affiliates and will determine which expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.
The Anchor Investors have agreed that if, in connection with an initial business combination, the Sponsor decides (i) to forfeit (other than the Sponsor’s contemplated forfeiture to us described above in this section), transfer to a third person, exchange, subject to transfer, vesting or conditional forfeiture provisions or amend the terms of all or any portion of the Founder Shares or (ii) to enter into any other arrangements with respect to the Founder Shares, including voting in favor of any amendment to the terms of the Founder Shares (each, a “change in investment”), such change in investment will apply pro rata to the Anchor Investors and the Sponsor based on the relative number of Founder Shares to be purchased or held, as applicable, by the Sponsor (after giving effect to the Sponsor’s contemplated forfeiture to us described above in this section) upon completion of the initial business combination; provided, however that in no event will such change in investment reduce the Founder Shares to be purchased by the Anchor Investors by more than 75%. By way of example and without limiting the foregoing, in the event our Sponsor forfeits or transfers 50% or 100%, respectively, of the Founder Shares as part of our initial business combination (other than the Sponsor’s contemplated forfeiture to us described above in this section), the number of Founder Shares to be purchased by the Anchor Investors will be reduced by 50% or 75%, respectively.
There can be no assurance that our Anchor Investors will retain any public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination. Our Anchor Investors will have the same rights to the funds held in the Trust Account with respect to the common stock underlying the units they purchased in the IPO as the rights afforded to our public stockholders.
Our sponsor agreed to loan us an aggregate of up to $300,000 to cover expenses related to the IPO pursuant to a promissory note (as amended and restated on July 1, 2021, the “promissory note”). This promissory note was non-interest bearing and payable upon the completion of the IPO. As of December 14, 2021, we had borrowed approximately $115,000 under the promissory note. We fully repaid the promissory note on December 17, 2021.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete an initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the Trust Account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our Trust Account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period. The terms of such loans by our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our Trust Account.
After our initial business combination, members of our 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 stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, furnished to our stockholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of distribution of such tender offer materials or at the time of a stockholder meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation.
We have entered into a registration and stockholders rights agreement pursuant to which our initial stockholders and the Anchor Investors will be entitled to certain registration rights with respect to the Private Placement Warrants, the warrants issuable upon conversion of working capital loans (if any) and the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the foregoing and upon conversion of the Founder Shares and, upon completion of our initial business combination, to nominate three individuals for election to our Board, as long as our initial stockholders and the Anchor Investors hold any securities covered by the registration and stockholder rights agreement.
82
Policy for Approval of Related Party Transactions
The audit committee of our Board has adopted a charter, providing for the review, approval and/or ratification of “related party transactions,” which are those transactions required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K as promulgated by the SEC, by the audit committee. At its meetings, the audit committee shall be provided with the details of each new, existing or proposed related party transaction, including the terms of the transaction, any contractual restrictions that the company has already committed to, the business purpose of the transaction and the benefits of the transaction to the company and to the relevant related party. Any member of the committee who has an interest in the related party transaction under review by the committee shall abstain from voting on the approval of the related party transaction, but may, if so requested by the chairman of the committee, participate in some or all of the committee’s discussions of the related party transaction. Upon completion of its review of the related party transaction, the committee may determine to permit or to prohibit the related party transaction.
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services.
The firm of Marcum LLP (“Marcum”) served as our independent registered public accounting firm from March 23, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2023. The following is a summary of fees paid to Marcum for services rendered:
Audit Fees. Audit fees consist of fees billed for professional services rendered for the audit of our year-end financial statements, reviews of our quarterly financial statements and services that are normally provided by our independent registered public accounting firm in connection with statutory and regulatory filings. The aggregate fees by Marcum for audit fees, inclusive of required filings with the SEC for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, and of services rendered in connection with our IPO, totaled $385,200 and $115,000, respectively.
Audit-Related Fees. Audit-related fees consist of fees for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to performance of the audit or review of our year-end financial statements and are not reported under “Audit Fees.” These services include attest services that are not required by statute or regulation and consultation concerning financial accounting and reporting standards. During the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 we paid Marcum $0 and $0, respectively, in audit-related fees.
Tax Fees. Tax fees consist of fees billed for professional services relating to tax compliance, tax planning and tax advice. During the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 we paid Marcum $18,625 and $0, respectively, in tax related fees.
All Other Fees. All other fees consist of fees billed for all other services. We did not pay Marcum any audit-related fees during the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.
Pre-Approval Policy
Our audit committee was formed upon the pricing of our initial public offering. As a result, the audit committee did not pre-approve all of the foregoing services, although any services rendered prior to the formation of our audit committee were approved by our Board. Since the formation of our audit committee, and on a going-forward basis, the audit committee has and will pre-approve all auditing services and permitted non-audit services to be performed for us by our auditors, including the fees and terms thereof (subject to the de minimis exceptions for non-audit services described in the Exchange Act which are approved by the audit committee prior to the completion of the audit).
83
PART III
Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules
| (a) | The following documents are filed as part of this Form 10-K: |
| (1) | Consolidated Financial Statements: |
| (2) | Financial Statement Schedules: | |
| (3) | Exhibits |
We hereby file as part of this Report the exhibits listed in the attached Exhibit Index. Exhibits which are incorporated herein by reference can be inspected and copied at the public reference facilities maintained by the SEC, 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. Copies of such material can also be obtained from the Public Reference Section of the SEC, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549, at prescribed rates or on the SEC website at www.sec.gov.
84
| * | Filed herewith |
| ** | Furnished herewith |
| (1) | Previously filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 14, 2021 and incorporated by reference herein. |
| (2) | Previously filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 13, 2023 and incorporated by reference herein. |
| (3) | Previously filed as an exhibit to our Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on November 18, 2021 and incorporated by reference herein. |
| (4) | Previously filed as an exhibit to Amendment No. 1 to our Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on December 6, 2021 and incorporated by reference herein. |
Item 16. Form 10-K Summary
Not applicable.
85
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this Annual Report on Form 10-K to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
March 11, 2024
| POWER & DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE II CORP. | ||
| /s/ Patrick C. Eilers | ||
| Name: | Patrick C. Eilers | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer and Director (Principal Executive Officer) | |
POWER OF ATTORNEY
KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and appoints each of Patrick C. Eilers and James P. Nygaard, Jr., and each of them acting alone, as his or her true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, each with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments to this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and to file the same, with exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done, as fully for all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that each of said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or his or her substitute or substitutes may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this Annual Report on Form 10-K has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| Name | Position | Date | ||
| /s/ Patrick C. Eilers | Chief Executive Officer and Director | March 11, 2024 | ||
| Patrick C. Eilers | (Principal Executive Officer) | |||
| /s/ James P. Nygaard, Jr. | Chief Financial Officer | March 11, 2024 | ||
| James P. Nygaard, Jr. | (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
|||
| /s/ Theodore J. Brombach | Chairman of the Board of Directors | March 11, 2024 | ||
| Theodore J. Brombach | ||||
| /s/ Paul Dabbar | Director | March 11, 2024 | ||
| Paul Dabbar | ||||
| /s/ Paul Gaynor | Director | March 11, 2024 | ||
| Paul Gaynor | ||||
| /s/ Scott Widham | Director | March 11, 2024 | ||
| Scott Widham |
86
POWER & DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE ACQUISITION II CORP.
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
F-1
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Stockholders and Board of Directors of
Power & Digital Infrastructure Acquisition II Corp.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Power & Digital Infrastructure Acquisition II Corp. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the related consolidated statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ deficit and cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2023, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2023, 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 described in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company is a Special Purpose Acquisition Corporation that was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities on or before March 14, 2024 by depositing into the Trust Account a specified amount for each of the one-month extensions through March 14, 2024. On June 5, 2023, the Company entered into an agreement and plan of merger with a business combination target; however, the completion of this transaction is subject to the approval of the Company’s stockholders among other conditions. There is no assurance that the Company will obtain the necessary approvals, satisfy the required closing conditions, or raise the additional capital it needs to fund further business operations prior to March 14, 2024, if at all. These matters 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 may be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. 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 audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits 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 audits 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 audits 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 audits 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 audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/
Marcum llp
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021.
March 11, 2024
F-2
POWER & DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE ACQUISITION II CORP.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
| December 31, | ||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Assets: | ||||||||
| Current assets: | ||||||||
| Cash | $ | $ | ||||||
| Prepaid expenses | ||||||||
| Total current assets | ||||||||
| Investments held in Trust Account | ||||||||
| Total Assets | $ | $ | ||||||
| Liabilities, Class A Common Stock Subject to Possible Redemption and Stockholders’ Deficit: | ||||||||
| Current liabilities: | ||||||||
| Accounts payable | $ | $ | ||||||
| Accrued expenses | ||||||||
| Advance from related party | ||||||||
| Excise tax payable | ||||||||
| Income tax payable | ||||||||
| Franchise tax payable | ||||||||
| Total current liabilities | ||||||||
| Deferred underwriting commissions | ||||||||
| Total Liabilities | ||||||||
| Commitments and Contingencies | ||||||||
| Class A common stock; | ||||||||
| Stockholders’ Deficit: | ||||||||
| Preferred stock, $ | ||||||||
| Class A common stock, $ | ||||||||
| Class B common stock, $ | ||||||||
| Additional paid-in capital | ||||||||
| Accumulated deficit | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Total stockholders’ deficit | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Total Liabilities, Class A Common Stock Subject to Possible Redemption and Stockholders’ Deficit | $ | $ | ||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
F-3
POWER & DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE ACQUISITION II CORP.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
| For the Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| General and administrative expenses | $ | $ | ||||||
| General and administrative expenses - related party | ||||||||
| Franchise tax expenses | ||||||||
| Loss from operations | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Other income: | ||||||||
| Other income attributable to derecognition of deferred underwriting fee allocated to offering costs | ||||||||
| Income from investments held in Trust Account | ||||||||
| Total other income | ||||||||
| Income before provision for income taxes | ||||||||
| Provision for income taxes | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Net income | $ | $ | ||||||
| $ | $ | |||||||
| $ | $ | |||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
F-4
POWER & DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE ACQUISITION II CORP.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2023 AND 2022
| Common Stock | Additional | Total | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Class A | Class B | Paid-In | Accumulated | Stockholders ’ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount | Capital | Deficit | Deficit | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance - December 31, 2021 | $ | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Increase in redemption value of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption | — | — | — | ( | ) | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance - December 31, 2022 | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Increase in redemption value of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption | — | — | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Excise tax payable attributable to redemption of common stock | — | — | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Waived deferred underwriting discount | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance – December 31, 2023 | $ | $ | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
F-5
POWER & DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE ACQUISITION II CORP.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
| For the Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Cash Flows from Operating Activities: | ||||||||
| Net income | $ | $ | ||||||
| Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash used in operating activities: | ||||||||
| Income from investments held in Trust Account | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Other income attributable to derecognition of deferred underwriting fee allocated to offering costs | ( | ) | ||||||
| Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | ||||||||
| Prepaid expenses | ||||||||
| Advance from related party | ||||||||
| Accounts payable | ( | ) | ||||||
| Accrued expenses | ||||||||
| Income tax payable | ( | ) | ||||||
| Franchise tax payable | ( | ) | ||||||
| Net cash used in operating activities | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Cash Flows from Investing Activities: | ||||||||
| Investment income released from Trust Account to pay for taxes | ||||||||
| Cash withdrawn for redemptions | ||||||||
| Extension payments deposited in Trust Account | ( | ) | ||||||
| Net cash provided by investing activities | ||||||||
| Cash Flows from Financing Activities: | ||||||||
| Redemption of common stock | ( | ) | ||||||
| Net cash used in financing activities | ( | ) | ||||||
| Net decrease in cash | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Cash - beginning of the period | ||||||||
| Cash - end of the period | $ | $ | ||||||
| Supplemental cash flow information: | ||||||||
| Federal income taxes paid | $ | $ | ||||||
| Supplemental disclosure of noncash activities: | ||||||||
| Remeasurement of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption | $ | $ | ||||||
| Excise tax payable attributable to redemption of common stock | $ | $ | ||||||
| Reversal of transaction costs incurred in connection with IPO | $ | $ | ||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
F-6
POWER & DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE ACQUISITION II CORP.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 1 - DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS
Power & Digital Infrastructure Acquisition II Corp. (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated in Delaware on March 23, 2021. The Company was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities (the “Business Combination”). The Company is an emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with emerging growth companies.
As of December 31, 2023, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from March 23, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2023 relates to the Company’s formation and the initial public offering (“Initial Public Offering”), as described below, and subsequent to the Initial Public Offering, identifying a target company for a Business Combination. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of its initial Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents from the proceeds derived from the Initial Public Offering. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.
The Company’s sponsor
is XPDI Sponsor II LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”). The registration statement for the Company’s
Initial Public Offering was declared effective on December 9, 2021. On December 14, 2021, the Company consummated its Initial Public Offering
of
Simultaneously with the closing
of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the private placement (“Private Placement”) of
Upon the closing of the Initial
Public Offering and the Private Placement, approximately $
While the Company’s
management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the cash held outside of the Trust Account, substantially
all of the net proceeds from the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, which are placed in the Trust
Account, are intended to be applied generally toward completing a Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be
able to complete a Business Combination successfully. The Company must complete one or more initial Business Combinations having an aggregate
fair market value of at least
F-7
POWER & DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE ACQUISITION II CORP.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The Company will provide
the holders (the “Public Stockholders”) of the Company’s Public Shares with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion
of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve
the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek stockholder approval of
a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion. The Public Stockholders will be
entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then held in the Trust Account (initially at $
If a stockholder vote is not required by law and the Company does not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or the Company decides to obtain stockholder approval for business or legal reasons, the Company will offer to redeem the Public Shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. Additionally, each Public Stockholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. If the Company seeks stockholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the initial stockholders (as defined below) agreed to vote their Founder Shares (as defined below in Note 4) and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Initial Public Offering in favor of a Business Combination. In addition, the initial stockholders agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their Founder Shares and Public Shares in connection with the completion of a Business Combination.
The Amended and Restated
Certificate of Incorporation provides that a Public Stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with
whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate
of
On May 5, 2023, the Company
filed a preliminary proxy statement (the “Proxy Statement”) for the solicitation of proxies in connection with the special
meeting in lieu of Annual Meeting of the Company’s stockholders (the “Special Meeting”) to consider and vote on, among
other proposals, the extension of the date by which the Company must consummate an initial Business Combination from June 14, 2023 (the
“Initial Outside Date”) to December 14, 2023 (such date, the “Extended Date”), and to allow the Company, without
another stockholder vote, by resolution of the Company’s board of directors to elect to further extend the Extended Date in one-month
increments up to three additional times, or a total of up to nine months after the Initial Outside Date, until March 14, 2024 (the “Combination
Period”), unless the closing of a Business Combination shall have occurred prior thereto or such earlier date as determined by our
board of directors to be in the best interests of the Company (such proposal, the “Extension Amendment Proposal”), and the
amendment of the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation to remove the limitation that the Company may not redeem
public shares to the extent that such redemption would result in the Company having net tangible assets (as determined in accordance with
Rule 3a51-1(g)(1) of the Exchange Act, as amended, (or any successor rule)) of less than $
F-8
POWER & DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE ACQUISITION II CORP.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
At the Special Meeting on
June 9, 2023, the Company’s stockholders approved the Extension Amendment Proposal and the Redemption Limitation Amendment Proposal.
In connection with the stockholders’ vote at the Special Meeting, the stockholders elected to redeem
In connection with the approval
of the Extension Amendment Proposal, the company deposited $
On December 12, 2023, January 10, 2024 and February 8, 2024, pursuant to Paragraph TWENTY FOURTH of the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, the Company’s board of directors approved an extension of the Deadline Date (as defined in the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation) from December 14, 2023 to January 14, 2023, from January 14, 2023 to February 14, 2023 and from February 14, 2024 to March 14, 2024, respectively.
On August 7, 2023 and September
8, 2023, a previous target of a potential business combination paid the Company $
On December 14, 2023, the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (“CST”) entered into Amendment No. 1 to Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated December 9, 2021, by and between the Company and CST, to allow CST, upon written instruction of the Company, to (i) hold the funds in the Company’s Trust Account uninvested, (ii) hold the funds in an interest-bearing bank demand deposit account or (iii) invest and reinvest the funds in solely United States government securities having a maturity of 185 days or less, or in money market funds that invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations.
If the Company is unable to complete a Business
Combination within the Combination Period, as it may be extended, or such later date as approved by holders of a majority of the voting
power of the Company’s then outstanding shares of common stock that are voted at a meeting to extend such Combination Period, voting
together as a single class, or the Board in accordance with the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation, the
Company will (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than 10
business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit
in the Trust Account, including interest (less up to $
The holders of the Founder
Shares (the “initial stockholders”) agreed not to propose an amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
(A) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with its initial Business Combination
or to redeem
F-9
POWER & DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE ACQUISITION II CORP.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The initial stockholders and Anchor Investors agreed
to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to the Founder Shares if the Company fails to complete
a Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if the initial stockholders and Anchor Investors acquire Public Shares
in or after the Initial Public Offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to such
Public Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. The underwriters agreed to waive
their rights to the deferred underwriting commission (see Note 5) held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete
a Business Combination within in the Combination Period and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the other funds held in
the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the Public Shares. In the event of such distribution, it is possible
that the per share value of the residual assets remaining available for distribution (including Trust Account assets) will be only $
Merger Agreement
On June 5, 2023, the Company and XPDB Merger Sub, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“Merger Sub”), entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (as it may be amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with its terms, the “Merger Agreement”) with Montana Technologies LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Montana”), pursuant to which Merger Sub will merge with and into Montana, with Montana surviving the Merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (the “Merger” and, along with the transactions contemplated in the Merger Agreement, the “Proposed Transactions”). Following the closing of the Proposed Transactions (the “Closing”), the Company will be renamed “Montana Technologies Corporation” (the “Combined Company”).
As part of the Transactions,
equity holders of Montana will receive aggregate consideration of approximately $
F-10
POWER & DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE ACQUISITION II CORP.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Montana’s equity holders
(other than warrant holders) will also have the opportunity to receive additional equity consideration (in each case, in accordance with
their respective pro rata share) in the form of shares of Combined Company Class A common stock with a $
Sponsor Support Agreement
In connection with the execution
of the Merger Agreement, the Sponsor entered into a sponsor support agreement (the “Sponsor Support Agreement”) with the Company,
Montana and other holders of the Company’s Class B common stock, $
The Sponsor Support Agreement
provides that as of immediately prior to (but subject to) the Closing,
The Sponsor Support Agreement will terminate on the earlier of (i) the date the Proposed Transactions become effective or (ii) the termination of the Merger Agreement in accordance with its terms.
F-11
POWER & DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE ACQUISITION II CORP.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Investment Agreement
On September 29, 2023, the
Company entered into an Investment Agreement (the “Investment Agreement”) with Montana Technologies LLC (“Montana”),
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (“CATL”), CATL US Inc., an affiliate of CATL (“CATL US”) and Contemporary
Amperex Technology USA Inc. an affiliate of CATL (“CATL USA,” and, together with CATL US and CATL, the “CATL Parties”),
pursuant to which the CATL Parties agreed, among other things, that they will not, directly or indirectly, (i) acquire any additional
units of the Company following the consummation of its proposed business combination with Montana (the “Business Combination,”
and such surviving company, the “Post-Combination Company”), (ii) seek election to, or to place a representative on, Montana’s
board of managers or the board of directors of the Post-Combination Company, or (iii) acquire any securities of the Post-Combination Company
if, following such acquisition, the CATL Parties and their affiliates would hold, in the aggregate, an interest in the Post-Combination
Company of greater than
The CATL Parties agreed that they will not, and will cause their affiliates not to, access, obtain, or seek to access or obtain Montana or the Post-Combination Company’s trade secrets, know-how, or other confidential, proprietary, or competitively sensitive information (excluding any such information that Montana is obligated to provide to CATL US, CAMT, or CAMT’s subsidiaries pursuant to that certain Amended and Restated Joint Venture Agreement for CAMT, dated as of September 29, 2023, by and among Montana, CAMT Climate Solutions, Ltd. (“CAMT”) and CATL US), including by reverse engineering, or seeking to reverse engineer, any of Montana’s products.
Montana has agreed to use
its reasonable best efforts to assist CATL USA in selling, prior to the consummation of the Business Combination, units of Montana representing
at least
The Investment Agreement contains customary representations and warranties and may be terminated only with the written consent of the parties thereto.
Liquidity, Capital Resources and Going Concern
As of December 31, 2023,
the Company had approximately $
The Company’s liquidity
needs prior to the consummation of the Initial Public Offering were satisfied through the payment of $
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor, members of the Company’s founding team or any of their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds under the Working Capital Loans (as defined and described in Note 4).
F-12
POWER & DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE ACQUISITION II CORP.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
In connection with the Company’s assessment of going concern considerations in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 205-40, “Presentation of Financial Statements – Going Concern,” management has determined that the liquidity needs, mandatory liquidation and subsequent dissolution raises substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern, which is considered to be one year from the issuance of these financial statements. No adjustments have been made to the carrying amounts of assets or liabilities should the Company be required to liquidate after March 14, 2024. The financial statements do not include any adjustment that might be necessary if the Company is unable to continue as a going concern. The Company intends to complete a Business Combination before the mandatory liquidation date, as it may be extended. Over this time period, the Company will be using the funds outside of the Trust Account for paying existing accounts payable and meeting conditions to closing the Business Combination. See Note 10 – Subsequent Events, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this report.
The Company cannot provide any assurance that new financing will be available to it on commercially acceptable terms, if at all. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern through one year from the issuance date of these financial statements. These financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recovery of the recorded assets or the classification of the liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.
Risks and Uncertainties
Management is currently evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations and/or search for a Target, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of the financial statements. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
In February 2022, the Russian Federation and Belarus commenced a military action with the country of Ukraine. As a result of this action, various nations, including the United States, have instituted economic sanctions against the Russian Federation and Belarus. The recent military conflict between Israel and militant groups led by Hamas has also caused uncertainty in the global markets. Further, the impact of these actions and related sanctions on the world economy are not determinable as of the date of these financial statements.
Certain purported shareholders of the Company sent demand letters (the “Demands”) alleging deficiencies and/or omissions in the Registration Statement on Form S-4, filed by the Company on August 9, 2023. The Demands seek additional disclosures to remedy these purported deficiencies.
NOTE 2 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying consolidated financial statement is presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.
Principles of Consolidation
The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiary, XPDB Merger Sub, LLC. There has been no intercompany activity since inception.
F-13
POWER & DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE ACQUISITION II CORP.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Emerging Growth Company
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. 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 that is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company that has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Concentration of Credit Risk
Financial instruments that
potentially subject the Company to concentration of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution which, at times,
may exceed the Federal Depository Insurance Corporation coverage of $
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The Company had no cash equivalents as of December 31, 2023 and 2022.
Investments Held in Trust Account
The Company’s portfolio of investments is comprised of U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 days or less, or investments 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 and generally have a readily determinable fair value, or a combination thereof. When the Company’s investments held in the Trust Account are comprised of U.S. government securities, the investments are classified as trading securities. When the Company’s investments held in the Trust Account are comprised of money market funds, the investments are recognized at fair value. Trading securities and investments in money market funds are presented on the consolidated balance sheets at fair value at the end of each reporting period. The change in fair value of these securities is included in income from investments held in the Trust Account in the accompanying statement of operations. The estimated fair values of investments held in the Trust Account are determined using available market information.
To mitigate the risk of being deemed to have been operating as an unregistered investment company (including under the subjective test of Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act), on December 14, 2023, the Company instructed the trustee with respect to the Trust Account to liquidate the U.S. government securities or money market funds held in the Trust Account and thereafter to maintain all funds in the Trust Account in a segregated, interest-bearing demand deposit account at a national bank until the earlier of consummation of an initial business combination or liquidation.
F-14
POWER & DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE ACQUISITION II CORP.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under FASB ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the consolidated balance sheets, primarily due to their short-term nature.
Fair Value Measurements
Fair value is defined as the price that would be received for sale of an asset or paid for 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. |
In some circumstances, the inputs used to measure fair value might be categorized within different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In those instances, the fair value measurement is categorized in its entirety in the fair value hierarchy based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement.
Derivative Financial Instruments
The Company does not use derivative instruments to hedge exposures to cash flow, market, or foreign currency risks. The Company evaluates all of its financial instruments, including issued stock purchase warrants, to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives, pursuant to ASC 480 and ASC 815, “Derivatives and Hedging” (“ASC 815”). The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as liabilities or as equity, is re-assessed at the end of each reporting period.
The warrants issued in the Initial Public Offering (“Public Warrants”) and the Private Placement Warrants are not precluded from equity classification, based on the guidance in ASC 480 and ASC 815. Equity-classified contracts are initially measured at fair value (or allocated value). Subsequent changes in fair value are not recognized as long as the contracts continue to be classified in equity.
Offering Costs Associated with the Initial Public Offering
Offering costs consisted of legal, accounting, underwriting fees and other costs incurred that were directly related to the Initial Public Offering. Upon completion of the Initial Public Offering, offering costs were allocated to the separable financial instruments issued in the Initial Public Offering on a relative fair value basis, compared to total proceeds received. Offering costs associated with the Class A common stock were charged to the carrying value of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering. Offering costs associated with the Public Warrants and the Private Placement Warrants were recognized net in equity.
Class A Common Stock Subject to Possible Redemption
The Company accounts for
its Class A common stock subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in ASC 480. Shares of Class A common stock subject
to mandatory redemption (if any) are classified as liability instruments and are measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable shares
of Class A common stock (including shares of Class A common stock that feature redemption rights that are either within the control of
the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) are classified
as temporary equity. At all other times, shares of Class A common stock are classified as stockholders’ equity. Shares of Class
A common stock of the Company feature certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject
to the occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, as of December 31, 2023 and 2022,
In connection with the stockholders’
vote at the Special Meeting, the stockholders elected to redeem
F-15
POWER & DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE ACQUISITION II CORP.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Under ASC 480, the Company has elected to recognize changes in the redemption value immediately as they occur and adjust the carrying value of the security to equal the redemption value at the end of the reporting period. This method would view the end of the reporting period as if it were also the redemption date of the security. Effective with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company recognized the accretion from initial book value to redemption amount, which resulted in charges against additional paid-in capital (to the extent available) and accumulated deficit.
Income Taxes
The Company complies with the accounting and reporting requirements of FASB ASC Topic 740, “Income Taxes” (“ASC 740”), 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. There were no unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2023 and 2022. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. No amounts were accrued for the payment of interest and penalties as of December 31, 2023 and 2022. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position. The Company is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities since inception.
Net Income per Common Share
The Company complies with
accounting and disclosure requirements of FASB ASC Topic 260, “Earnings Per Share.” The Company has
The calculation of diluted
net income does not consider the effect of the Public Warrants and the Private Placement Warrants to purchase an aggregate of
| For The Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||||||||||
| Class A | Class B | Class A | Class B | |||||||||||||
| Basic and diluted net income per common stock | ||||||||||||||||
| Numerator: | ||||||||||||||||
| Allocation of net income | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
| Denominator: | ||||||||||||||||
| $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||
F-16
POWER & DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE ACQUISITION II CORP.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures (ASU 2023-09), which requires disclosure of incremental income tax information within the rate reconciliation and expanded disclosures of income taxes paid, among other disclosure requirements. ASU 2023-09 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2025. Early adoption is permitted. The Company’s management does not believe the adoption of ASU 2023-09 will have a material impact on its financial statements and disclosures.
Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
NOTE 3 - INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING
On December 14, 2021, the
Company consummated its Initial Public Offering of
Each Unit consists of
NOTE 4 - RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Founder Shares
On March 30, 2021, the Sponsor
paid $
In July 2021, the Sponsor
transferred
F-17
POWER & DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE ACQUISITION II CORP.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
In exchange for the Anchor
Investors participating in the Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement, the Company agreed to sell
The initial stockholders
and the Anchor Investors agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Founder Shares until the earlier
to occur of: (A) one year after the completion of the initial Business Combination; and (B) subsequent to the initial Business Combination
(x) if the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $
Private Placement Warrants
Simultaneously with the closing
of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the Private Placement of
Each Private Placement Warrant
is exercisable for one whole share of Class A common stock at a price of $
The purchasers of the Private Placement Warrants agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of their Private Placement Warrants (except to permitted transferees) until 30 days after the completion of the initial Business Combination.
Related Party Loans
On March 30, 2021, the Sponsor
agreed to loan the Company an aggregate of up to $
F-18
POWER & DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE ACQUISITION II CORP.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
In addition, in order to
finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s
officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”).
If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company would repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account
released to the Company. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the
event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the
Working Capital Loans but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. The Working Capital
Loans would either be repaid upon completion of a Business Combination or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $
Advance from Related Party
On September 10, 2023, October 10, 2023 and November
9, 2023, the Sponsor contributed $
Administrative Services Agreement
Commencing on December 9,
2021 through the earlier of consummation of the initial Business Combination and the Company’s liquidation, the Company agreed to
pay affiliates of the Sponsor a total of $
Other Agreements
On November 12, 2023, the Company entered into an arrangement pursuant
to which, under certain circumstances, up to
NOTE 5 - COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Registration Rights
The holders of Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans, if any (and any shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants or warrants issued upon conversion of the Working Capital Loans and upon conversion of the Founder Shares), were entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to the consummation of the Initial Public Offering. These holders are entitled to certain demand and “piggyback” registration rights. However, the registration rights agreement provides that the Company will not be required to effect or permit any registration or cause any registration statement to become effective until termination of the applicable lock-up period. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Underwriting Agreement
The underwriters were entitled
to an underwriting discount of $
An additional fee of $
F-19
POWER & DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE ACQUISITION II CORP.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
On June 20, 2023, BofA Securities, Inc. waived its entitlement to the
payment of any deferred discount to be paid under the terms of underwriting agreement. As a result, the reduction in deferred fees was
allocated on a pro rata basis between additional paid-in capital and other income based upon the original amount of the deferred underwriting
fees allocation to the liability-classified instruments in the initial public offering. Therefore, the deferred underwriting fee was reduced
by $
Inflation Reduction Act of 2022
On August 16, 2022, the Inflation
Reduction Act of 2022 (the “IR Act”) was signed into federal law. The IR Act provides for, among other things, a new U.S.
federal
On June 9, 2023, the Company’s
stockholders redeemed
NOTE 6 - CLASS A COMMON STOCK SUBJECT TO POSSIBLE REDEMPTION
The Company’s Class
A common stock feature certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to the occurrence
of future events. The Company is authorized to issue
In connection with the stockholders’
vote at the Special Meeting, the stockholders elected to redeem
F-20
POWER & DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE ACQUISITION II CORP.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
| Gross proceeds | $ | |||
| Less: | ||||
| Proceeds allocated to Public Warrants | ( | ) | ||
| Issuance costs allocated to Class A common stock | ( | ) | ||
| Plus: | ||||
| Adjust carrying value to initial redemption value | ||||
| Class A common stock subject to possible redemption as of December 31, 2022 | ||||
| Less: | ||||
| Redemption | ( | ) | ||
| Plus: | ||||
| Remeasurement of carrying value to initial redemption value | ||||
| Class A common stock subject to possible redemption as of December 31, 2023 | $ |
NOTE 7 - STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
Preferred Stock
– The Company is authorized to issue
Class A Common Stock
– The Company is authorized to issue
In connection with the stockholders’
vote at the Special Meeting, the stockholders elected to redeem
There are
Class B Common Stock
– The Company is authorized to issue
There are
Common stockholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by stockholders and vote together as a single class, except as required by law; provided, that, prior to the Company’s initial Business Combination, holders of the Class B common stock will have the right to appoint all of the Company’s directors and remove members of the board of directors for any reason, and holders of the Class A common stock will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors during such time.
The Class B common stock
will automatically convert into Class A common stock at the time of the initial Business Combination, or earlier at the option of the
holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like,
and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities,
are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts issued in the Initial Public Offering and related to the closing of the initial Business
Combination, the ratio at which the shares of Class B common stock will convert into shares of Class A common stock will be adjusted (unless
the holders of a majority of the issued and outstanding shares of the Class B common stock agree to waive such anti-dilution adjustment
with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of
all shares of Class B common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis,
F-21
POWER & DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE ACQUISITION II CORP.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Warrants –
As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company has
The warrants have an exercise
price of $
The Private Placement Warrants will be non-redeemable and will be exercisable on a cashless basis at the option of the holder.
F-22
POWER & DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE ACQUISITION II CORP.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Redemption of Public Warrants
when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $
Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may call the outstanding warrants for redemption (except as described herein with respect to the Private Placement Warrants):
| ● | in whole and not in part; |
| ● | at
a price of $ |
| ● | upon
a minimum of |
| ● | if,
and only if, the last reported sale price of Class A common stock for any |
Unless the Company has elected to require Public Warrant holders to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis, the Company will not redeem the Public Warrants as described above unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock is available throughout the 30-day redemption period. If and when the Public Warrants become redeemable by the Company, the Company may exercise its redemption right even if it is unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and the Company liquidates the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of warrants will not receive any of such funds with respect to their warrants, nor will they receive any distribution from the Company’s assets held outside of the Trust Account with the respect to such warrants. Accordingly, the warrants may expire worthless.
NOTE 8 - INCOME TAX
The Company’s taxable income primarily consists of interest income on the Trust Account. The Company’s general and administrative expenses are generally considered start-up costs and are not currently deductible.
| December 31, | December 31, | |||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Current | ||||||||
| Federal | $ | $ | ||||||
| State | ||||||||
| Deferred | ||||||||
| Federal | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| State | ( | ) | ||||||
| Change in valuation allowance | ||||||||
| Income tax provision | $ | $ | ||||||
| December 31, | December 31, | |||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Deferred tax assets (liability) | ||||||||
| Net operating loss carryforward | $ | $ | ||||||
| Startup/Organization Expenses | ||||||||
| Total deferred tax assets (liability) | ||||||||
| Valuation Allowance | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Deferred tax assets (liability) | $ | $ | ||||||
F-23
POWER & DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE ACQUISITION II CORP.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
As of December
31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had $
In assessing the
realization of deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax
assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income
during the periods in which temporary differences representing net future deductible amounts become deductible. Management considers the
scheduled reversal of deferred tax assets, projected future taxable income and tax planning strategies in making this assessment. After
consideration of all of the information available, management believes that significant uncertainty exists with respect to future realization
of the deferred tax assets and has therefore established a full valuation allowance. At December 31, 2023 and 2022, the valuation allowance
was $
| December 31, | December 31, | |||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Statutory federal income tax rate | % | % | ||||||
| Statutory state income tax rate | % | — | % | |||||
| Merger and acquisition expenses | % | — | % | |||||
| Change in apportionment and tax rate | ( | )% | — | % | ||||
| Reversal of transaction costs incurred in connection with IPO | ( | )% | % | |||||
| Valuation allowance | % | % | ||||||
| Income tax provision | % | % | ||||||
NOTE 9 - FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS
| Description | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | |||||||||
| December 31, 2023 – Assets | ||||||||||||
| Investments held in Trust Account | $ | |||||||||||
| December 31, 2022 – Assets | ||||||||||||
| Investments held in Trust Account | $ | |||||||||||
Transfers to/from Levels 1, 2, and 3 are recognized at the beginning of the reporting period. There were no transfers between levels for the period from March 23, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2023.
Level 1 assets include investments in money market funds or U.S. Treasury securities. The Company uses inputs such as actual trade data, benchmark yields, quoted market prices from dealers or brokers, and other similar sources to determine the fair value of its investments.
NOTE 10 - SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date up to the date that the consolidated financial statements were issued. Based upon this review the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the consolidated financial statements other than described below.
On August 9, 2023, the Company filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-4 (as amended on October 2, 2023, October 27, 2023, December 4, 2023, December 26, 2023, and January 10, 2024, the “Form S-4”) in connection with our proposed business combination with Montana. The Form S-4 was declared effective by the SEC on January 17, 2024.
F-24
POWER & DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE ACQUISITION II CORP.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
On January 7, 2024, the Company entered into a letter agreement (the “Letter Agreement”) with Montana Technologies LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Montana Technologies”) and Carrier Corporation, an affiliate of Carrier Global Corporation (NYSE: CARR), a global leader in intelligent climate and energy solutions (collectively with its affiliates, “Carrier”), pursuant to which Carrier, Montana Technologies and the Company agreed, among other things, to provide Carrier the right to nominate one (1) designee, subject to the approval of the Company, for election to the board of directors for so long as Carrier satisfies certain investment conditions, following the business combination between the Company and Montana Technologies.
On January 7, 2024, Montana Technologies entered
into a common unit subscription agreement with Carrier pursuant to which, subject to the conditions set forth therein, Carrier agreed
to purchase from Montana Technologies, and Montana Technologies agreed to issue and sell to Carrier, a number of Montana Class B Common
Units as will convert into
On January 25, 2024, Montana
Technologies entered into a joint venture formation framework agreement (the “Framework Agreement”) with GE Ventures LLC,
a Delaware limited liability company (“GE Vernova”), and, solely for the purposes specified therein, GE Vernova LLC, a Delaware
limited liability company (“GE Vernova Parent”), pursuant to which Montana Technologies and GE Vernova have agreed, subject
to the terms and conditions of the Framework Agreement, including certain closing conditions specified therein, to form a joint venture
(the “AirJoule JV”) in which each of Montana Technologies and GE Vernova will hold a
On January 10, 2024, and February 8, 2024, pursuant to Paragraph TWENTY FOURTH of the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company, the Company’s board of directors approved an extension of the Deadline Date (as defined in the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation) from January 14, 2024 to February 14, 2024 and from February 14, 2024 to March 14, 2024, respectively.
On February 5, 2024, the
Company, XPDB Merger Sub, LLC, and Montana entered into that certain First Amendment to Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Amendment”),
amending the Business Combination Agreement, to, among other things, (i) amend the definition of Aggregate Transaction Proceeds and (ii)
reduce the Aggregate Transaction Proceeds condition from $
On February 20, 2024, the Company filed a definitive proxy statement for the solicitation of proxies in connection with a special meeting of stockholders of the Company to consider and vote on, among other proposals, the extension of the date by which the Company must consummate an initial business combination from March 14, 2024 to April 14, 2024, and to allow the Company, without another stockholder vote, by resolution of the Board, to elect to further extend such date in one-month increments up to three additional times until July 14, 2024 (the “2024 Extension”), unless the closing of a an initial business combination shall have occurred prior thereto, or such earlier date as determined by the Board to be in the best interests of the Company.
On
February 21, 2024, the Company entered into an arrangement with a financial advisor and marketing agent in connection with its proposed
business combination for a total service charge of $
On March 8, 2024, the Company
and Rice Investment Group (“Rice”) entered into a subscription agreement pursuant to which the Company agreed to sell
F-25
Exhibit 3.3
AMENDED AND RESTATED
BY LAWS
OF
POWER & DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE ACQUISITION II CORP.
(THE “CORPORATION”)
Article
I
OFFICES
Section 1.1 Registered Office. The registered office of the Corporation within the State of Delaware shall be located at either (a) the principal place of business of the Corporation in the State of Delaware or (b) the office of the corporation or individual acting as the Corporation’s registered agent in Delaware.
Section 1.2 Additional Offices. The Corporation may, in addition to its registered office in the State of Delaware, have such other offices and places of business, both within and outside the State of Delaware, as the Board of Directors of the Corporation (the “Board”) may from time to time determine or as the business and affairs of the Corporation may require.
Article
II
STOCKHOLDERS MEETINGS
Section 2.1 Annual Meetings. The annual meeting of stockholders shall be held at such place, either within or without the State of Delaware and time and on such date as shall be determined by the Board and stated in the notice of the meeting, provided that the Board may in its sole discretion determine that the meeting shall not be held at any place, but may instead be held solely by means of remote communication pursuant to Section 9.5(a). At each annual meeting, the stockholders entitled to vote on such matters shall elect those directors of the Corporation to fill any term of a directorship that expires on the date of such annual meeting and may transact any other business as may properly be brought before the meeting.
Section 2.2 Special Meetings. Subject to the rights of the holders of any outstanding series of the preferred stock of the Corporation (“ Preferred Stock”), and to the requirements of applicable law, special meetings of stockholders, for any purpose or purposes, may be called only by the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, or the Board pursuant to a resolution adopted by a majority of the Board, and may not be called by any other person. Special meetings of stockholders shall be held at such place, either within or without the State of Delaware, and at such and time and on such date as shall be determined by the Board and stated in the Corporation’s notice of the meeting, provided that the Board may in its sole discretion determine that the meeting shall not be held at any place, but may instead be held solely by means of remote communication pursuant to Section 9.5(a).
Section 2.3 Notices. Written notice of each stockholders meeting stating the place, if any, date, and time of the meeting, and the means of remote communication, if any, by which stockholders and proxy holders may be deemed to be present in person and vote at such meeting and the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting, if such date is different from the record date for determining stockholders entitled to notice of the meeting, shall be given in the manner permitted by Section 9.3 to each stockholder entitled to vote thereat as of the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to notice of the meeting, by the Corporation not less than 10 nor more than 60 days before the date of the meeting unless otherwise required by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”). If said notice is for a stockholders meeting other than an annual meeting, it shall in addition state the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called, and the business transacted at such meeting shall be limited to the matters so stated in the Corporation’s notice of meeting (or any supplement thereto). Any meeting of stockholders as to which notice has been given may be postponed, and any meeting of stockholders as to which notice has been given may be cancelled, by the Board upon public announcement (as defined in Section 2.7(c)) given before the date previously scheduled for such meeting.
Section 2.4 Quorum. Except as otherwise provided by applicable law, the Corporation’s Certificate of Incorporation, as the same may be amended or restated from time to time (the “Certificate of Incorporation”) or these By Laws, the presence, in person or by proxy, at a stockholders meeting of the holders of shares of outstanding capital stock of the Corporation representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote at such meeting shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at such meeting, except that when specified business is to be voted on by a class or series of stock voting as a class, the holders of shares representing a majority of the voting power of the outstanding shares of such class or series shall constitute a quorum of such class or series for the transaction of such business. If a quorum shall not be present or represented by proxy at any meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation, the chairman of the meeting may adjourn the meeting from time to time in the manner provided in Section 2.6 until a quorum shall attend. The stockholders present at a duly convened meeting may continue to transact business until adjournment, notwithstanding the withdrawal of enough stockholders to leave less than a quorum. Shares of its own stock belonging to the Corporation or to another corporation, if a majority of the voting power of the shares entitled to vote in the election of directors of such other corporation is held, directly or indirectly, by the Corporation, shall neither be entitled to vote nor be counted for quorum purposes; provided, however, that the foregoing shall not limit the right of the Corporation or any such other corporation to vote shares held by it in a fiduciary capacity.
Section 2.5 Voting of Shares.
(a) Voting Lists. The Secretary of the Corporation (the “Secretary”), or such other officer as determined by the Board, shall prepare, or shall cause the officer or agent who has charge of the stock ledger of the Corporation to prepare and make, at least 10 days before every meeting of stockholders, a complete list of the stockholders of record entitled to vote at such meeting; provided, however, that if the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to vote is less than 10 days before the meeting date, the list shall reflect the stockholders entitled to vote as of the tenth day before the meeting date, arranged in alphabetical order and showing the address and the number and class of shares registered in the name of each stockholder. Nothing contained in this Section 2.5(a) shall require the Corporation to include electronic mail addresses or other electronic contact information on such list. Such list shall be open to the examination of any stockholder, for any purpose germane to the meeting, during ordinary business hours for a period of at least 10 days prior to the meeting: (i) on a reasonably accessible electronic network, provided that the information required to gain access to such list is provided with the notice of the meeting, or (ii) during ordinary business hours, at the principal place of business of the Corporation. In the event that the Corporation determines to make the list available on an electronic network, the Corporation may take reasonable steps to ensure that such information is available only to stockholders of the Corporation. If the meeting is to be held at a place, then the list shall be produced and kept at the time and place of the meeting during the whole time thereof, and may be inspected by any stockholder who is present. If a meeting of stockholders is to be held solely by means of remote communication as permitted by Section 9.5(a), the list shall be open to the examination of any stockholder during the whole time of the meeting on a reasonably accessible electronic network, and the information required to access such list shall be provided with the notice of meeting. The stock ledger shall be the only evidence as to who are the stockholders entitled to examine the list required by this Section 2.5(a) or to vote in person or by proxy at any meeting of stockholders.
(b) Manner of Voting. At any stockholders meeting, every stockholder entitled to vote may vote in person or by proxy. If authorized by the Board, the voting by stockholders or proxy holders at any meeting conducted by remote communication may be effected by a ballot submitted by electronic transmission (as defined in Section 9.3), provided that any such electronic transmission must either set forth or be submitted with information from which the Corporation can determine that the electronic transmission was authorized by the stockholder or proxy holder. The Board, in its discretion, or the chairman of the meeting of stockholders, in such person’s discretion, may require that any votes cast at such meeting shall be cast by written ballot.
2
(c) Proxies. Each stockholder entitled to vote at a meeting of stockholders or to express consent or dissent to corporate action in writing without a meeting may authorize another person or persons to act for such stockholder by proxy, but no such proxy shall be voted or acted upon after three years from its date, unless the proxy provides for a longer period. Proxies need not be filed with the Secretary until the meeting is called to order, but shall be filed with the Secretary before being voted. Without limiting the manner in which a stockholder may authorize another person or persons to act for such stockholder as proxy, either of the following shall constitute a valid means by which a stockholder may grant such authority. No stockholder shall have cumulative voting rights.
(i) A stockholder may execute a writing authorizing another person or persons to act for such stockholder as proxy. Execution may be accomplished by the stockholder or such stockholder’s authorized officer, director, employee or agent signing such writing or causing such person’s signature to be affixed to such writing by any reasonable means, including, but not limited to, by facsimile signature.
(ii) A stockholder may authorize another person or persons to act for such stockholder as proxy by transmitting or authorizing the transmission of an electronic transmission to the person who will be the holder of the proxy or to a proxy solicitation firm, proxy support service organization or like agent duly authorized by the person who will be the holder of the proxy to receive such transmission, provided that any such electronic transmission must either set forth or be submitted with information from which it can be determined that the electronic transmission was authorized by the stockholder. Any copy, facsimile telecommunication or other reliable reproduction of the writing or transmission authorizing another person or persons to act as proxy for a stockholder may be substituted or used in lieu of the original writing or transmission for any and all purposes for which the original writing or transmission could be used; provided that such copy, facsimile telecommunication or other reproduction shall be a complete reproduction of the entire original writing or transmission.
(d) Required Vote. Subject to the rights of the holders of one or more series of Preferred Stock, voting separately by class or series, to elect directors pursuant to the terms of one or more series of Preferred Stock, at all meetings of stockholders at which a quorum is present, the election of directors shall be determined by a plurality of the votes cast by the stockholders present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote thereon. All other matters presented to the stockholders at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be determined by the vote of a majority of the votes cast by the stockholders present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote thereon, unless the matter is one upon which, by applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation, these By Laws or applicable stock exchange rules, a different vote is required, in which case such provision shall govern and control the decision of such matter.
(e) Inspectors of Election. The Board may, and shall if required by law, in advance of any meeting of stockholders, designate one or more persons as inspectors of election, who may be employees of the Corporation or otherwise serve the Corporation in other capacities, to act at such meeting of stockholders or any adjournment thereof and to make a written report thereof. The Board may appoint one or more persons as alternate inspectors to replace any inspector who fails to act. If no inspectors of election or alternates are appointed by the Board, the chairman of the meeting shall appoint one or more inspectors to act at the meeting. Each inspector, before discharging his or her duties, shall take and sign an oath faithfully to execute the duties of inspector with strict impartiality and according to the best of his or her ability. The inspectors shall ascertain and report the number of outstanding shares and the voting power of each; determine the number of shares present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and the validity of proxies and ballots; count all votes and ballots and report the results; determine and retain for a reasonable period a record of the disposition of any challenges made to any determination by the inspectors; and certify their determination of the number of shares represented at the meeting and their count of all votes and ballots. No person who is a candidate for an office at an election may serve as an inspector at such election. Each report of an inspector shall be in writing and signed by the inspector or by a majority of them if there is more than one inspector acting at such meeting. If there is more than one inspector, the report of a majority shall be the report of the inspectors.
3
Section 2.6 Adjournments. Any meeting of stockholders, annual or special, may be adjourned by the chairman of the meeting, from time to time, whether or not there is a quorum, to reconvene at the same or some other place. Notice need not be given of any such adjourned meeting if the date, time, and place, if any, thereof, and the means of remote communication, if any, by which stockholders and proxy holders may be deemed to be present in person and vote at such adjourned meeting are announced at the meeting at which the adjournment is taken. At the adjourned meeting the stockholders, or the holders of any class or series of stock entitled to vote separately as a class, as the case may be, may transact any business that might have been transacted at the original meeting. If the adjournment is for more than 30 days, notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given to each stockholder of record entitled to vote at the meeting. If after the adjournment a new record date for stockholders entitled to vote is fixed for the adjourned meeting, the Board shall fix a new record date for notice of such adjourned meeting in accordance with Section 9.2, and shall give notice of the adjourned meeting to each stockholder of record entitled to vote at such adjourned meeting as of the record date fixed for notice of such adjourned meeting.
Section 2.7 Advance Notice for Business.
(a) Annual Meetings of Stockholders. No business may be transacted at an annual meeting of stockholders, other than business that is either (i) specified in the Corporation’s notice of meeting (or any supplement thereto) given by or at the direction of the Board, (ii) otherwise properly brought before the annual meeting by or at the direction of the Board or (iii) otherwise properly brought before the annual meeting by any stockholder of the Corporation (x) who is a stockholder of record entitled to vote at such annual meeting on the date of the giving of the notice provided for in this Section 2.7(a) and on the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to vote at such annual meeting and (y) who complies with the notice procedures set forth in this Section 2.7(a). Notwithstanding anything in this Section 2.7(a) to the contrary, only persons nominated for election as a director to fill any term of a directorship that expires on the date of the annual meeting pursuant to Section 3.2 will be considered for election at such meeting.
(i) In addition to any other applicable requirements, for business (other than nominations) to be properly brought before an annual meeting by a stockholder, such stockholder must have given timely notice thereof in proper written form to the Secretary and such business must otherwise be a proper matter for stockholder action. Subject to Section 2.7(a)(iii), a stockholder’s notice to the Secretary with respect to such business, to be timely, must be received by the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not later than the close of business on the 90th day nor earlier than the opening of business on the 120th day before the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders (which anniversary date shall, for purposes of the Corporation’s first annual meeting of stockholders of the Company after its Offering (as defined below) of units, be deemed to have occurred on April 30, 2023 (the “First Annual Meeting”); provided, however, that in the event that the annual meeting is called for a date that is more than 30 days before or more than 70 days after such anniversary date, or if no annual meeting was held in the preceding year (other than in connection with the First Annual Meeting), notice by the stockholder to be timely must be so received not earlier than the opening of business on the 120th day before the meeting and not later than the later of (x) the close of business on the 90th day before the meeting or (y) the close of business on the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of the annual meeting is first made by the Corporation. The public announcement of an adjournment of an annual meeting shall not commence a new time period for the giving of a stockholder’s notice as described in this Section 2.7(a).
(ii) To be in proper written form, a stockholder’s notice to the Secretary with respect to any business (other than nominations) must set forth as to each such matter such stockholder proposes to bring before the annual meeting (A) a brief description of the business desired to be brought before the annual meeting, the text of the proposal or business (including the text of any resolutions proposed for consideration and in the event such business includes a proposal to amend these By Laws, the language of the proposed amendment) and the reasons for conducting such business at the annual meeting, (B) the name and record address of such stockholder and the name and address of the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the proposal is made, (C) the class or series and number of shares of capital stock of the Corporation that are owned beneficially and of record by such stockholder and by the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the proposal is made, (D) a description of all arrangements or understandings between such stockholder and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the proposal is made and any other person or persons (including their names) in connection with the proposal of such business by such stockholder, (E) any material interest of such stockholder and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the proposal is made in such business and (F) a representation that such stockholder (or a qualified representative of such stockholder) intends to appear in person or by proxy at the annual meeting to bring such business before the meeting.
4
(iii) The foregoing notice requirements of this Section 2.7(a) shall be deemed satisfied by a stockholder as to any proposal (other than nominations) if the stockholder has notified the Corporation of such stockholder’s intention to present such proposal at an annual meeting in compliance with Rule 14a-8 (or any successor thereof) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and such stockholder has complied with the requirements of such rule for inclusion of such proposal in a proxy statement prepared by the Corporation to solicit proxies for such annual meeting. No business shall be conducted at the annual meeting of stockholders except business brought before the annual meeting in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section 2.7(a), provided, however, that once business has been properly brought before the annual meeting in accordance with such procedures, nothing in this Section 2.7(a) shall be deemed to preclude discussion by any stockholder of any such business. If the Board or the chairman of the annual meeting determines that any stockholder proposal was not made in accordance with the provisions of this Section 2.7(a) or that the information provided in a stockholder’s notice does not satisfy the information requirements of this Section 2.7(a), such proposal shall not be presented for action at the annual meeting. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 2.7(a), if the stockholder (or a qualified representative of the stockholder) does not appear at the annual meeting of stockholders of the Corporation to present the proposed business, such proposed business shall not be transacted, notwithstanding that proxies in respect of such matter may have been received by the Corporation.
(iv) In addition to the provisions of this Section 2.7(a), a stockholder shall also comply with all applicable requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder with respect to the matters set forth herein. Nothing in this Section 2.7(a) shall be deemed to affect any rights of stockholders to request inclusion of proposals in the Corporation’s proxy statement pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act.
(b) Special Meetings of Stockholders. Only such business shall be conducted at a special meeting of stockholders as shall have been brought before the meeting pursuant to the Corporation’s notice of meeting. Nominations of persons for election to the Board may be made at a special meeting of stockholders at which directors are to be elected pursuant to the Corporation’s notice of meeting only pursuant to Section 3.2.
(c) Public Announcement. For purposes of these By Laws, “public announcement” shall mean disclosure in a press release reported by the Dow Jones News Service, Associated Press or comparable national news service or in a document publicly filed by the Corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Sections 13, 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (or any successor thereto).
Section 2.8 Conduct of Meetings. The chairman of each annual and special meeting of stockholders shall be the Chairman of the Board or, in the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer (if he or she shall be a director) or, in the absence (or inability or refusal to act of the Chief Executive Officer or if the Chief Executive Officer is not a director, the President (if he or she shall be a director) or, in the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the President or if the President is not a director, such other person as shall be appointed by the Board. The date and time of the opening and the closing of the polls for each matter upon which the stockholders will vote at a meeting shall be announced at the meeting by the chairman of the meeting. The Board may adopt such rules and regulations for the conduct of the meeting of stockholders as it shall deem appropriate. Except to the extent inconsistent with these By Laws or such rules and regulations as adopted by the Board, the chairman of any meeting of stockholders shall have the right and authority to convene and to adjourn the meeting, to prescribe such rules, regulations and procedures and to do all such acts as, in the judgment of such chairman, are appropriate for the proper conduct of the meeting. Such rules, regulations or procedures, whether adopted by the Board or prescribed by the chairman of the meeting, may include, without limitation, the following: (a) the establishment of an agenda or order of business for the meeting; (b) rules and procedures for maintaining order at the meeting and the safety of those present; (c) limitations on attendance at or participation in the meeting to stockholders of record of the Corporation, their duly authorized and constituted proxies or such other persons as the chairman of the meeting shall determine; (d) restrictions on entry to the meeting after the time fixed for the commencement thereof; and (e) limitations on the time allotted to questions or comments by participants. Unless and to the extent determined by the Board or the chairman of the meeting, meetings of stockholders shall not be required to be held in accordance with the rules of parliamentary procedure. The secretary of each annual and special meeting of stockholders shall be the Secretary or, in the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Secretary, an Assistant Secretary so appointed to act by the chairman of the meeting. In the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Secretary and all Assistant Secretaries, the chairman of the meeting may appoint any person to act as secretary of the meeting.
5
Section 2.9 Consents in Lieu of Meeting. Unless otherwise provided by the Certificate of Incorporation, until the Corporation consummates an initial public offering (“Offering”), any action required to be taken at any annual or special meeting of stockholders, or any action which may be taken at any annual or special meeting of such stockholders, may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if a consent in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by the holders of outstanding stock entitled to vote on such matters having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares entitled to vote thereon were present and voted, and shall be delivered to the Corporation by delivery to its registered office in the State of Delaware, its principal place of business, or an officer or agent of the Corporation having custody of the book in which proceedings of meetings of stockholders are recorded. Delivery made to the Corporation’s registered office shall be by hand or by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested. Every written consent shall bear the date of signature of each stockholder who signs the consent, and no written consent shall be effective to take the corporate action referred to therein unless, within 60 days of the earliest dated consent delivered in the manner required by this section and the DGCL to the Corporation, written consents signed by a sufficient number of holders entitled to vote to take action are delivered to the Corporation by delivery to its registered office in Delaware, its principal place of business or an officer or agent of the Corporation having custody of the book in which proceedings of meetings of stockholders are recorded. Delivery made to the Corporation’s registered office shall be by hand or by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested.
Article
III
DIRECTORS
Section 3.1 Powers. The business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by or under the direction of the Board, which may exercise all such powers of the Corporation and do all such lawful acts and things as are not by statute or by the Certificate of Incorporation or by these By Laws required to be exercised or done by the stockholders. Directors need not be stockholders or residents of the State of Delaware.
Section 3.2 Advance Notice for Nomination of Directors.
(a) Subject to the terms of the Certificate of Incorporation and any contractual nomination rights granted to any stockholder, only persons who are nominated in accordance with the following procedures shall be eligible for election as directors of the Corporation. Nominations of persons for election to the Board at any annual meeting of stockholders, or at any special meeting of stockholders called for the purpose of electing directors as set forth in the Corporation’s notice of such special meeting, may be made (i) by or at the direction of the Board or (ii) by any stockholder of the Corporation (x) who is a stockholder of record entitled to vote in the election of directors on the date of the giving of the notice provided for in this Section 3.2 and on the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to vote at such meeting and (y) who complies with the notice procedures set forth in this Section 3.2.
(b) Subject to the terms of the Certificate of Incorporation and any contractual nomination rights granted to any stockholder, for a nomination to be made by a stockholder, such stockholder must have given timely notice thereof in proper written form to the Secretary. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice to the Secretary must be received by the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation (i) in the case of an annual meeting, not later than the close of business on the 90th day nor earlier than the opening of business on the 120th day before the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders; provided, however, that in the event that the annual meeting is called for a date that is not within 30 days before or after such anniversary date, notice by the stockholder to be timely must be so received not earlier than the opening of business on the 120th day before the meeting and not later than the later of (x) the close of business on the 90th day before the meeting or (y) the close of business on the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of the annual meeting was first made by the Corporation; and (ii) in the case of a special meeting of stockholders called for the purpose of electing directors, not later than the close of business on the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of the special meeting is first made by the Corporation. In no event shall the public announcement of an adjournment or postponement of an annual meeting or special meeting commence a new time period (or extend any time period) for the giving of a stockholder’s notice as described in this Section 3.2.
6
(c) Notwithstanding anything in paragraph (b) to the contrary, in the event that the number of directors to be elected to the Board at an annual meeting is greater than the number of directors whose terms expire on the date of the annual meeting and there is no public announcement by the Corporation naming all of the nominees for the additional directors to be elected or specifying the size of the increased Board before the close of business on the 90th day prior to the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders, a stockholder’s notice required by this Section 3.2 shall also be considered timely, but only with respect to nominees for the additional directorships created by such increase that are to be filled by election at such annual meeting, if it shall be received by the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not later than the close of business on the 10th day following the date on which such public announcement was first made by the Corporation.
(d) To be in proper written form, a stockholder’s notice to the Secretary must set forth (i) as to each person whom the stockholder proposes to nominate for election as a director (A) the name, age, business address and residence address of the person, (B) the principal occupation or employment of the person, (C) the class or series and number of shares of capital stock of the Corporation that are owned beneficially or of record by the person and (D) any other information relating to the person 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 election of directors pursuant to Section 14 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder; and (ii) as to the stockholder giving the notice (A) the name and record address of such stockholder as they appear on the Corporation’s books and the name and address of the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination is made, (B) the class or series and number of shares of capital stock of the Corporation that are owned beneficially and of record by such stockholder and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination is made, (C) a description of all arrangements or understandings relating to the nomination to be made by such stockholder among such stockholder, the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination is made, each proposed nominee and any other person or persons (including their names), (D) a representation that such stockholder (or a qualified representative of such stockholder) intends to appear in person or by proxy at the meeting to nominate the persons named in its notice and (E) any other information relating to such stockholder and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination is made 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 election of directors pursuant to Section 14 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. Such notice must be accompanied by a written consent of each proposed nominee to being named as a nominee and to serve as a director if elected.
(e) If the Board or the chairman of the meeting of stockholders determines that any nomination was not made in accordance with the provisions of this Section 3.2, or that the information provided in a stockholder’s notice does not satisfy the information requirements of this Section 3.2, then such nomination shall not be considered at the meeting in question. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 3.2, if the stockholder (or a qualified representative of the stockholder) does not appear at the meeting of stockholders of the Corporation to present the nomination, such nomination shall be disregarded, notwithstanding that proxies in respect of such nomination may have been received by the Corporation.
(f) In addition to the provisions of this Section 3.2, a stockholder shall also comply with all of the applicable requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder with respect to the matters set forth herein. Nothing in this Section 3.2 shall be deemed to affect any rights of the holders of Preferred Stock to elect directors pursuant to the Certificate of Incorporation.
Section 3.3 Compensation. Unless otherwise restricted by the Certificate of Incorporation or these By Laws, the Board shall have the authority to fix the compensation of directors. The directors may be reimbursed their expenses, if any, of attendance at each meeting of the Board, including for service on a committee of the Board, and may be paid either a fixed sum for attendance at each meeting of the Board or other compensation as director. No such payment shall preclude any director from serving the Corporation in any other capacity and receiving compensation therefor. Members of committees of the Board may be allowed like compensation and reimbursement of expenses for service on the committee.
7
Article
IV
BOARD MEETINGS
Section 4.1 Annual Meetings. The Board shall meet as soon as practicable after the adjournment of each annual stockholders meeting at the place of the annual stockholders meeting unless the Board shall fix another time and place and give notice thereof in the manner required herein for special meetings of the Board. No notice to the directors shall be necessary to legally convene this meeting, except as provided in this Section 4.1.
Section 4.2 Regular Meetings. Regularly scheduled, periodic meetings of the Board may be held without notice at such times, dates and places (within or without the State of Delaware) as shall from time to time be determined by the Board.
Section 4.3 Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Board (a) may be called by the Chairman of the Board or President and (b) shall be called by the Chairman of the Board, President or Secretary on the written request of at least a majority of directors then in office, or the sole director, as the case may be, and shall be held at such time, date and place (within or without the State of Delaware) as may be determined by the person calling the meeting or, if called upon the request of directors or the sole director, as specified in such written request. Notice of each special meeting of the Board shall be given, as provided in Section 9.3, to each director (i) at least 24 hours before the meeting if such notice is oral notice given personally or by telephone or written notice given by hand delivery or by means of a form of electronic transmission and delivery; (ii) at least two days before the meeting if such notice is sent by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service; and (iii) at least five days before the meeting if such notice is sent through the United States mail. If the Secretary shall fail or refuse to give such notice, then the notice may be given by the officer who called the meeting or the directors who requested the meeting. Any and all business that may be transacted at a regular meeting of the Board may be transacted at a special meeting. Except as may be otherwise expressly provided by applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation, or these By Laws, neither the business to be transacted at, nor the purpose of, any special meeting need be specified in the notice or waiver of notice of such meeting. A special meeting may be held at any time without notice if all the directors are present or if those not present waive notice of the meeting in accordance with Section 9.4.
Section 4.4 Quorum; Required Vote. A majority of the Board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting of the Board, and the act of a majority of the directors present at any meeting at which there is a quorum shall be the act of the Board, except as may be otherwise specifically provided by applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation or these By Laws. If a quorum shall not be present at any meeting, a majority of the directors present may adjourn the meeting from time to time, without notice other than announcement at the meeting, until a quorum is present.
Section 4.5 Consent In Lieu of Meeting. Unless otherwise restricted by the Certificate of Incorporation or these By Laws, any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the Board or any committee thereof may be taken without a meeting if all members of the Board or committee, as the case may be, consent thereto in writing or by electronic transmission, and the writing or writings or electronic transmission or transmissions (or paper reproductions thereof) are filed with the minutes of proceedings of the Board or committee. Such filing shall be in paper form if the minutes are maintained in paper form and shall be in electronic form if the minutes are maintained in electronic form.
Section 4.6 Organization. The chairman of each meeting of the Board shall be the Chairman of the Board or, in the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer (if he or she shall be a director) or, in the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Chief Executive Officer or if the Chief Executive Officer is not a director, the President (if he or she shall be a director) or in the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the President or if the President is not a director, a chairman elected from the directors present. The Secretary shall act as secretary of all meetings of the Board. In the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Secretary, an Assistant Secretary shall perform the duties of the Secretary at such meeting. In the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Secretary and all Assistant Secretaries, the chairman of the meeting may appoint any person to act as secretary of the meeting.
8
Article
V
COMMITTEES OF DIRECTORS
Section 5.1 Establishment. The Board may by resolution passed by a majority of the Board designate one or more committees, each committee to consist of one or more of the directors of the Corporation. Each committee shall keep regular minutes of its meetings and report the same to the Board when required. The Board shall have the power at any time to fill vacancies in, to change the membership of, or to dissolve any such committee.
Section 5.2 Available Powers. Any committee established pursuant to Section 5.1 hereof, to the extent permitted by applicable law and by resolution of the Board, shall have and may exercise all of the powers and authority of the Board in the management of the business and affairs of the Corporation, and may authorize the seal of the Corporation to be affixed to all papers that may require it.
Section 5.3 Alternate Members. The Board may designate one or more directors as alternate members of any committee, who may replace any absent or disqualified member at any meeting of such committee. In the absence or disqualification of a member of the committee, the member or members thereof present at any meeting and not disqualified from voting, whether or not he, she or they constitute a quorum, may unanimously appoint another member of the Board to act at the meeting in place of any such absent or disqualified member.
Section 5.4 Procedures. Unless the Board otherwise provides, the time, date, place, if any, and notice of meetings of a committee shall be determined by such committee. At meetings of a committee, a majority of the number of members of the committee (but not including any alternate member, unless such alternate member has replaced any absent or disqualified member at the time of, or in connection with, such meeting) shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The act of a majority of the members present at any meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the act of the committee, except as otherwise specifically provided by applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation, these By Laws or the Board. If a quorum is not present at a meeting of a committee, the members present may adjourn the meeting from time to time, without notice other than an announcement at the meeting, until a quorum is present. Unless the Board otherwise provides and except as provided in these By Laws, each committee designated by the Board may make, alter, amend and repeal rules for the conduct of its business. In the absence of such rules each committee shall conduct its business in the same manner as the Board is authorized to conduct its business pursuant to Article III and Article IV of these By Laws.
Article
VI
OFFICERS
Section 6.1 Officers. The officers of the Corporation elected by the Board shall be a Chairman of the Board, a Chief Executive Officer, a President, a Chief Financial Officer, a Secretary and such other officers (including without limitation, Vice Presidents, Assistant Secretaries and a Treasurer) as the Board from time to time may determine. Officers elected by the Board shall each have such powers and duties as generally pertain to their respective offices, subject to the specific provisions of this Article VI. Such officers shall also have such powers and duties as from time to time may be conferred by the Board. The Chief Executive Officer or President may also appoint such other officers (including without limitation one or more Vice Presidents and Controllers) as may be necessary or desirable for the conduct of the business of the Corporation. Such other officers shall have such powers and duties and shall hold their offices for such terms as may be provided in these By Laws or as may be prescribed by the Board or, if such officer has been appointed by the Chief Executive Officer or President, as may be prescribed by the appointing officer.
(a) Chairman of the Board. The Chairman of the Board shall preside when present at all meetings of the stockholders and the Board. The Chairman of the Board shall have general supervision and control of the acquisition activities of the Corporation subject to the ultimate authority of the Board, and shall be responsible for the execution of the policies of the Board with respect to such matters. In the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer (if he or she shall be a director) shall preside when present at all meetings of the stockholders and the Board. The powers and duties of the Chairman of the Board shall not include supervision or control of the preparation of the financial statements of the Corporation (other than through participation as a member of the Board). The position of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer may be held by the same person.
9
(b) Chief Executive Officer. The Chief Executive Officer shall be the chief executive officer of the Corporation, shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Corporation and general control of all of its business subject to the ultimate authority of the Board, and shall be responsible for the execution of the policies of the Board with respect to such matters, except to the extent any such powers and duties have been prescribed to the Chairman of the Board pursuant to Section 6.1(a) above. In the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer (if he or she shall be a director) shall preside when present at all meetings of the stockholders and the Board. The position of Chief Executive Officer and President may be held by the same person.
(c) President. The President shall make recommendations to the Chief Executive Officer on all operational matters that would normally be reserved for the final executive responsibility of the Chief Executive Officer. In the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, the President (if he or she shall be a director) shall preside when present at all meetings of the stockholders and the Board. The President shall also perform such duties and have such powers as shall be designated by the Board. The position of President and Chief Executive Officer may be held by the same person.
(d) Vice Presidents. In the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the President, the Vice President (or in the event there be more than one Vice President, the Vice Presidents in the order designated by the Board) shall perform the duties and have the powers of the President. Any one or more of the Vice Presidents may be given an additional designation of rank or function.
(e) Secretary.
(i) The Secretary shall attend all meetings of the stockholders, the Board and (as required) committees of the Board and shall record the proceedings of such meetings in books to be kept for that purpose. The Secretary shall give, or cause to be given, notice of all meetings of the stockholders and special meetings of the Board and shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the Board, the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer or President. The Secretary shall have custody of the corporate seal of the Corporation and the Secretary, or any Assistant Secretary, shall have authority to affix the same to any instrument requiring it, and when so affixed, it may be attested by his or her signature or by the signature of such Assistant Secretary. The Board may give general authority to any other officer to affix the seal of the Corporation and to attest the affixing thereof by his or her signature.
(ii) The Secretary shall keep, or cause to be kept, at the principal executive office of the Corporation or at the office of the Corporation’s transfer agent or registrar, if one has been appointed, a stock ledger, or duplicate stock ledger, showing the names of the stockholders and their addresses, the number and classes of shares held by each and, with respect to certificated shares, the number and date of certificates issued for the same and the number and date of certificates cancelled.
(f) Assistant Secretaries. The Assistant Secretary or, if there be more than one, the Assistant Secretaries in the order determined by the Board shall, in the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Secretary, perform the duties and have the powers of the Secretary.
(g) Chief Financial Officer. The Chief Financial Officer shall perform all duties commonly incident to that office (including, without limitation, the care and custody of the funds and securities of the Corporation, which from time to time may come into the Chief Financial Officer’s hands and the deposit of the funds of the Corporation in such banks or trust companies as the Board, the Chief Executive Officer or the President may authorize).
(h) Treasurer. The Treasurer shall, in the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Chief Financial Officer, perform the duties and exercise the powers of the Chief Financial Officer.
10
Section 6.2 Term of Office; Removal; Vacancies. The elected officers of the Corporation shall be appointed by the Board and shall hold office until their successors are duly elected and qualified by the Board or until their earlier death, resignation, retirement, disqualification, or removal from office. Any officer may be removed, with or without cause, at any time by the Board. Any officer appointed by the Chief Executive Officer or President may also be removed, with or without cause, by the Chief Executive Officer or President, as the case may be, unless the Board otherwise provides. Any vacancy occurring in any elected office of the Corporation may be filled by the Board. Any vacancy occurring in any office appointed by the Chief Executive Officer or President may be filled by the Chief Executive Officer, or President, as the case may be, unless the Board then determines that such office shall thereupon be elected by the Board, in which case the Board shall elect such officer.
Section 6.3 Other Officers. The Board may delegate the power to appoint such other officers and agents, and may also remove such officers and agents or delegate the power to remove same, as it shall from time to time deem necessary or desirable.
Section 6.4 Multiple Officeholders; Stockholder and Director Officers. Any number of offices may be held by the same person unless the Certificate of Incorporation or these By Laws otherwise provide. Officers need not be stockholders or residents of the State of Delaware.
Article
VII
SHARES
Section 7.1 Certificated and Uncertificated Shares. The shares of the Corporation may be certificated or uncertificated, subject to the sole discretion of the Board and the requirements of the DGCL.
Section 7.2 Multiple Classes of Stock. If the Corporation shall be authorized to issue more than one class of stock or more than one series of any class, the Corporation shall (a) cause the powers, designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights of each class of stock or series thereof and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions of such preferences and/or rights to be set forth in full or summarized on the face or back of any certificate that the Corporation issues to represent shares of such class or series of stock or (b) in the case of uncertificated shares, within a reasonable time after the issuance or transfer of such shares, send to the registered owner thereof a written notice containing the information required to be set forth on certificates as specified in clause (a) above; provided, however, that, except as otherwise provided by applicable law, in lieu of the foregoing requirements, there may be set forth on the face or back of such certificate or, in the case of uncertificated shares, on such written notice a statement that the Corporation will furnish without charge to each stockholder who so requests the powers, designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights of each class of stock or series thereof and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions of such preferences or rights.
Section 7.3 Signatures. Each certificate representing capital stock of the Corporation shall be signed by or in the name of the Corporation by (a) the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, the President or a Vice President and (b) the Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, an Assistant Treasurer, the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Corporation. Any or all the signatures on the certificate may be a facsimile. In case any officer, transfer agent or registrar who has signed or whose facsimile signature has been placed upon a certificate shall have ceased to be such officer, transfer agent or registrar before such certificate is issued, such certificate may be issued by the Corporation with the same effect as if such person were such officer, transfer agent or registrar on the date of issue.
11
Section 7.4 Consideration and Payment for Shares.
(a) Subject to applicable law and the Certificate of Incorporation, shares of stock may be issued for such consideration, having in the case of shares with par value a value not less than the par value thereof, and to such persons, as determined from time to time by the Board. The consideration may consist of any tangible or intangible property or any benefit to the Corporation including cash, promissory notes, services performed, contracts for services to be performed or other securities, or any combination thereof.
(b) Subject to applicable law and the Certificate of Incorporation, shares may not be issued until the full amount of the consideration has been paid, unless upon the face or back of each certificate issued to represent any partly paid shares of capital stock or upon the books and records of the Corporation in the case of partly paid uncertificated shares, there shall have been set forth the total amount of the consideration to be paid therefor and the amount paid thereon up to and including the time said certificate representing certificated shares or said uncertificated shares are issued.
Section 7.5 Lost, Destroyed or Wrongfully Taken Certificates.
(a) If an owner of a certificate representing shares claims that such certificate has been lost, destroyed or wrongfully taken, the Corporation shall issue a new certificate representing such shares or such shares in uncertificated form if the owner: (i) requests such a new certificate before the Corporation has notice that the certificate representing such shares has been acquired by a protected purchaser; (ii) if requested by the Corporation, delivers to the Corporation a bond sufficient to indemnify the Corporation against any claim that may be made against the Corporation on account of the alleged loss, wrongful taking or destruction of such certificate or the issuance of such new certificate or uncertificated shares; and (iii) satisfies other reasonable requirements imposed by the Corporation.
(b) If a certificate representing shares has been lost, apparently destroyed or wrongfully taken, and the owner fails to notify the Corporation of that fact within a reasonable time after the owner has notice of such loss, apparent destruction or wrongful taking and the Corporation registers a transfer of such shares before receiving notification, the owner shall be precluded from asserting against the Corporation any claim for registering such transfer or a claim to a new certificate representing such shares or such shares in uncertificated form.
Section 7.6 Transfer of Stock.
(a) If a certificate representing shares of the Corporation is presented to the Corporation with an endorsement requesting the registration of transfer of such shares or an instruction is presented to the Corporation requesting the registration of transfer of uncertificated shares, the Corporation shall register the transfer as requested if:
(i) in the case of certificated shares, the certificate representing such shares has been surrendered;
(ii) (A) with respect to certificated shares, the endorsement is made by the person specified by the certificate as entitled to such shares; (B) with respect to uncertificated shares, an instruction is made by the registered owner of such uncertificated shares; or (C) with respect to certificated shares or uncertificated shares, the endorsement or instruction is made by any other appropriate person or by an agent who has actual authority to act on behalf of the appropriate person;
(iii) the Corporation has received a guarantee of signature of the person signing such endorsement or instruction or such other reasonable assurance that the endorsement or instruction is genuine and authorized as the Corporation may request;
(iv) the transfer does not violate any restriction on transfer imposed by the Corporation that is enforceable in accordance with Section 7.8(a); and
(v) such other conditions for such transfer as shall be provided for under applicable law have been satisfied.
(b) Whenever any transfer of shares shall be made for collateral security and not absolutely, the Corporation shall so record such fact in the entry of transfer if, when the certificate for such shares is presented to the Corporation for transfer or, if such shares are uncertificated, when the instruction for registration of transfer thereof is presented to the Corporation, both the transferor and transferee request the Corporation to do so.
12
Section 7.7 Registered Stockholders. Before due presentment for registration of transfer of a certificate representing shares of the Corporation or of an instruction requesting registration of transfer of uncertificated shares, the Corporation may treat the registered owner as the person exclusively entitled to inspect for any proper purpose the stock ledger and the other books and records of the Corporation, vote such shares, receive dividends or notifications with respect to such shares and otherwise exercise all the rights and powers of the owner of such shares, except that a person who is the beneficial owner of such shares (if held in a voting trust or by a nominee on behalf of such person) may, upon providing documentary evidence of beneficial ownership of such shares and satisfying such other conditions as are provided under applicable law, may also so inspect the books and records of the Corporation.
Section 7.8 Effect of the Corporation’s Restriction on Transfer.
(a) A written restriction on the transfer or registration of transfer of shares of the Corporation or on the amount of shares of the Corporation that may be owned by any person or group of persons, if permitted by the DGCL and noted conspicuously on the certificate representing such shares or, in the case of uncertificated shares, contained in a notice, offering circular or prospectus sent by the Corporation to the registered owner of such shares within a reasonable time prior to or after the issuance or transfer of such shares, may be enforced against the holder of such shares or any successor or transferee of the holder including an executor, administrator, trustee, guardian or other fiduciary entrusted with like responsibility for the person or estate of the holder.
(b) A restriction imposed by the Corporation on the transfer or the registration of shares of the Corporation or on the amount of shares of the Corporation that may be owned by any person or group of persons, even if otherwise lawful, is ineffective against a person without actual knowledge of such restriction unless: (i) the shares are certificated and such restriction is noted conspicuously on the certificate; or (ii) the shares are uncertificated and such restriction was contained in a notice, offering circular or prospectus sent by the Corporation to the registered owner of such shares prior to or within a reasonable time after the issuance or transfer of such shares.
Section 7.9 Regulations. The Board shall have power and authority to make such additional rules and regulations, subject to any applicable requirement of law, as the Board may deem necessary and appropriate with respect to the issue, transfer or registration of transfer of shares of stock or certificates representing shares. The Board may appoint one or more transfer agents or registrars and may require for the validity thereof that certificates representing shares bear the signature of any transfer agent or registrar so appointed.
Article
VIII
INDEMNIFICATION
Section 8.1 Right to Indemnification. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, as the same exists or may hereafter be amended, the Corporation shall indemnify and hold harmless each person who was or is made a party or is threatened to be made a party to or is otherwise involved in any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (hereinafter a “proceeding”), by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a director or officer of the Corporation or, while a director or officer of the Corporation, is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or of a partnership, joint venture, trust, other enterprise or nonprofit entity, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan (hereinafter an “Indemnitee”), whether the basis of such proceeding is alleged action in an official capacity as a director, officer, employee or agent, or in any other capacity while serving as a director, officer, employee or agent, against all liability and loss suffered and expenses (including, without limitation, attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes and penalties and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably incurred by such Indemnitee in connection with such proceeding; provided, however, that, except as provided in Section 8.3 with respect to proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification, the Corporation shall indemnify an Indemnitee in connection with a proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such Indemnitee only if such proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized by the Board.
Section 8.2 Right to Advancement of Expenses. In addition to the right to indemnification conferred in Section 8.1, an Indemnitee shall also have the right to be paid by the Corporation to the fullest extent not prohibited by applicable law the expenses (including, without limitation, attorneys’ fees) incurred in defending or otherwise participating in any such proceeding in advance of its final disposition (hereinafter an “advancement of expenses”); provided, however, that, if the DGCL requires, an advancement of expenses incurred by an Indemnitee in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the Corporation (and not in any other capacity in which service was or is rendered by such Indemnitee, including, without limitation, service to an employee benefit plan) shall be made only upon the Corporation’s receipt of an undertaking (hereinafter an “undertaking”), by or on behalf of such Indemnitee, to repay all amounts so advanced if it shall ultimately be determined that such Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified under this Article VIII or otherwise.
13
Section 8.3 Right of Indemnitee to Bring Suit. If a claim under Section 8.1 or Section 8.2 is not paid in full by the Corporation within 60 days after a written claim therefor has been received by the Corporation, except in the case of a claim for an advancement of expenses, in which case the applicable period shall be 20 days, the Indemnitee may at any time thereafter bring suit against the Corporation to recover the unpaid amount of the claim. If successful in whole or in part in any such suit, or in a suit brought by the Corporation to recover an advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking, the Indemnitee shall also be entitled to be paid the expense of prosecuting or defending such suit. In (a) any suit brought by the Indemnitee to enforce a right to indemnification hereunder (but not in a suit brought by an Indemnitee to enforce a right to an advancement of expenses) it shall be a defense that, and (b) in any suit brought by the Corporation to recover an advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking, the Corporation shall be entitled to recover such expenses upon a final judicial decision from which there is no further right to appeal (hereinafter a “final adjudication”) that, the Indemnitee has not met any applicable standard for indemnification set forth in the DGCL. Neither the failure of the Corporation (including its directors who are not parties to such action, a committee of such directors, independent legal counsel, or its stockholders) to have made a determination prior to the commencement of such suit that indemnification of the Indemnitee is proper in the circumstances because the Indemnitee has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in the DGCL, nor an actual determination by the Corporation (including a determination by its directors who are not parties to such action, a committee of such directors, independent legal counsel, or its stockholders) that the Indemnitee has not met such applicable standard of conduct, shall create a presumption that the Indemnitee has not met the applicable standard of conduct or, in the case of such a suit brought by the Indemnitee, shall be a defense to such suit. In any suit brought by the Indemnitee to enforce a right to indemnification or to an advancement of expenses hereunder, or by the Corporation to recover an advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking, the burden of proving that the Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified, or to such advancement of expenses, under this Article VIII or otherwise shall be on the Corporation.
Section 8.4 Non-Exclusivity of Rights. The rights provided to any Indemnitee pursuant to this Article VIII shall not be exclusive of any other right, which such Indemnitee may have or hereafter acquire under applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation, these By Laws, an agreement, a vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise.
Section 8.5 Insurance. The Corporation may maintain insurance, at its expense, to protect itself and/or any director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation or another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any expense, liability or loss, whether or not the Corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such expense, liability or loss under the DGCL.
Section 8.6 Indemnification of Other Persons. This Article VIII shall not limit the right of the Corporation to the extent and in the manner authorized or permitted by law to indemnify and to advance expenses to persons other than Indemnitees. Without limiting the foregoing, the Corporation may, to the extent authorized from time to time by the Board, grant rights to indemnification and to the advancement of expenses to any employee or agent of the Corporation and to any other person who is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or of a partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan, to the fullest extent of the provisions of this Article VIII with respect to the indemnification and advancement of expenses of Indemnitees under this Article VIII.
Section 8.7 Amendments. Any repeal or amendment of this Article VIII by the Board or the stockholders of the Corporation or by changes in applicable law, or the adoption of any other provision of these By Laws inconsistent with this Article VIII, will, to the extent permitted by applicable law, be prospective only (except to the extent such amendment or change in applicable law permits the Corporation to provide broader indemnification rights to Indemnitees on a retroactive basis than permitted prior thereto), and will not in any way diminish or adversely affect any right or protection existing hereunder in respect of any act or omission occurring prior to such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision; provided however, that amendments or repeals of this Article VIII shall require the affirmative vote of the stockholders holding at least 66.7% of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation.
Section 8.8 Certain Definitions. For purposes of this Article VIII, (a) references to “other enterprise” shall include any employee benefit plan; (b) references to “fines” shall include any excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to an employee benefit plan; (c) references to “serving at the request of the Corporation” shall include any service that imposes duties on, or involves services by, a person with respect to any employee benefit plan, its participants, or beneficiaries; and (d) a person who acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in a manner “not opposed to the best interest of the Corporation” for purposes of Section 145 of the DGCL.
14
Section 8.9 Contract Rights. The rights provided to Indemnitees pursuant to this Article VIII shall be contract rights and such rights shall continue as to an Indemnitee who has ceased to be a director, officer, agent or employee and shall inure to the benefit of the Indemnitee’s heirs, executors and administrators.
Section 8.10 Severability. If any provision or provisions of this Article VIII shall be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable for any reason whatsoever: (a) the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Article VIII shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby; and (b) to the fullest extent possible, the provisions of this Article VIII (including, without limitation, each such portion of this Article VIII containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall be construed so as to give effect to the intent manifested by the provision held invalid, illegal or unenforceable.
Article
IX
MISCELLANEOUS
Section 9.1 Place of Meetings. If the place of any meeting of stockholders, the Board or committee of the Board for which notice is required under these By Laws is not designated in the notice of such meeting, such meeting shall be held at the principal business office of the Corporation; provided, however, if the Board has, in its sole discretion, determined that a meeting shall not be held at any place, but instead shall be held by means of remote communication pursuant to Section 9.5 hereof, then such meeting shall not be held at any place.
Section 9.2 Fixing Record Dates.
(a) In order that the Corporation may determine the stockholders entitled to notice of any meeting of stockholders or any adjournment thereof, the Board, or any committee thereof, may fix a record date, which shall not precede the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted by the Board, or such committee, and which record date shall not be more than 60 nor less than 10 days before the date of such meeting. If the Board, or such committee, so fixes a date, such date shall also be the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to vote at such meeting unless the Board, or such committee thereof determines, at the time it fixes such record date, that a later date on or before the date of the meeting shall be the date for making such determination. If no record date is fixed by the Board, or any committee thereof, the record date for determining stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at a meeting of stockholders shall be at the close of business on the business day next preceding the day on which notice is given, or, if notice is waived, at the close of business on the business day next preceding the day on which the meeting is held. A determination of stockholders of record entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of stockholders shall apply to any adjournment of the meeting; provided, however, that the Board, or any committee thereof, may fix a new record date for the adjourned meeting, and in such case shall also fix as the record date for stockholders entitled to notice of such adjourned meeting the same or an earlier date as that fixed for determination of stockholders entitled to vote in accordance with the foregoing provisions of this Section 9.2(a) at the adjourned meeting.
(b) In order that the Corporation may determine the stockholders entitled to receive payment of any dividend or other distribution or allotment of any rights or the stockholders entitled to exercise any rights in respect of any change, conversion or exchange of stock, or for the purpose of any other lawful action, the Board, or any committee thereof, may fix a record date, which record date shall not precede the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted, and which record date shall be not more than 60 days prior to such action. If no record date is fixed, the record date for determining stockholders for any such purpose shall be at the close of business on the day on which the Board adopts the resolution relating thereto.
15
Section 9.3 Means of Giving Notice.
(a) Notice to Directors. Whenever under applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation or these By Laws notice is required to be given to any director, such notice shall be given either (i) in writing and sent by mail, or by a nationally recognized delivery service, (ii) by means of facsimile telecommunication or other form of electronic transmission, or (iii) by oral notice given personally or by telephone. A notice to a director will be deemed given as follows: (i) if given by hand delivery, orally, or by telephone, when actually received by the director, (ii) if sent through the United States mail, when deposited in the United States mail, with postage and fees thereon prepaid, addressed to the director at the director’s address appearing on the records of the Corporation, (iii) if sent for next day delivery by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service, when deposited with such service, with fees thereon prepaid, addressed to the director at the director’s address appearing on the records of the Corporation, (iv) if sent by facsimile telecommunication, when sent to the facsimile transmission number for such director appearing on the records of the Corporation, (v) if sent by electronic mail, when sent to the electronic mail address for such director appearing on the records of the Corporation, or (vi) if sent by any other form of electronic transmission, when sent to the address, location or number (as applicable) for such director appearing on the records of the Corporation.
(b) Notice to Stockholders. Whenever under applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation or these By Laws notice is required to be given to any stockholder, such notice may be given (i) in writing and sent either by hand delivery, through the United States mail, or by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service for next day delivery, or (ii) by means of a form of electronic transmission consented to by the stockholder, to the extent permitted by, and subject to the conditions set forth in Section 232 of the DGCL. A notice to a stockholder shall be deemed given as follows: (i) if given by hand delivery, when actually received by the stockholder, (ii) if sent through the United States mail, when deposited in the United States mail, with postage and fees thereon prepaid, addressed to the stockholder at the stockholder’s address appearing on the stock ledger of the Corporation, (iii) if sent for next day delivery by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service, when deposited with such service, with fees thereon prepaid, addressed to the stockholder at the stockholder’s address appearing on the stock ledger of the Corporation, and (iv) if given by a form of electronic transmission consented to by the stockholder to whom the notice is given and otherwise meeting the requirements set forth above, (A) if by facsimile transmission, when directed to a number at which the stockholder has consented to receive notice, (B) if by electronic mail, when directed to an electronic mail address at which the stockholder has consented to receive notice, (C) if by a posting on an electronic network together with separate notice to the stockholder of such specified posting, upon the later of (1) such posting and (2) the giving of such separate notice, and (D) if by any other form of electronic transmission, when directed to the stockholder. A stockholder may revoke such stockholder’s consent to receiving notice by means of electronic communication by giving written notice of such revocation to the Corporation. Any such consent shall be deemed revoked if (1) the Corporation is unable to deliver by electronic transmission two consecutive notices given by the Corporation in accordance with such consent and (2) such inability becomes known to the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary or to the Corporation’s transfer agent, or other person responsible for the giving of notice; provided, however, the inadvertent failure to treat such inability as a revocation shall not invalidate any meeting or other action.
(c) Electronic Transmission. “Electronic transmission” means any form of communication, not directly involving the physical transmission of paper, that creates a record that may be retained, retrieved and reviewed by a recipient thereof, and that may be directly reproduced in paper form by such a recipient through an automated process, including but not limited to transmission by telex, facsimile telecommunication, electronic mail, telegram and cablegram.
(d) Notice to Stockholders Sharing Same Address. Without limiting the manner by which notice otherwise may be given effectively by the Corporation to stockholders, any notice to stockholders given by the Corporation under any provision of the DGCL, the Certificate of Incorporation or these By Laws shall be effective if given by a single written notice to stockholders who share an address if consented to by the stockholders at that address to whom such notice is given. A stockholder may revoke such stockholder’s consent by delivering written notice of such revocation to the Corporation. Any stockholder who fails to object in writing to the Corporation within 60 days of having been given written notice by the Corporation of its intention to send such a single written notice shall be deemed to have consented to receiving such single written notice.
16
(e) Exceptions to Notice Requirements. Whenever notice is required to be given, under the DGCL, the Certificate of Incorporation or these By Laws, to any person with whom communication is unlawful, the giving of such notice to such person shall not be required and there shall be no duty to apply to any governmental authority or agency for a license or permit to give such notice to such person. Any action or meeting that shall be taken or held without notice to any such person with whom communication is unlawful shall have the same force and effect as if such notice had been duly given. In the event that the action taken by the Corporation is such as to require the filing of a certificate with the Secretary of State of Delaware, the certificate shall state, if such is the fact and if notice is required, that notice was given to all persons entitled to receive notice except such persons with whom communication is unlawful. Whenever notice is required to be given by the Corporation, under any provision of the DGCL, the Certificate of Incorporation or these By Laws, to any stockholder to whom (1) notice of two consecutive annual meetings of stockholders and all notices of stockholder meetings or of the taking of action by written consent of stockholders without a meeting to such stockholder during the period between such two consecutive annual meetings, or (2) all, and at least two payments (if sent by first-class mail) of dividends or interest on securities during a 12-month period, have been mailed addressed to such stockholder at such stockholder’s address as shown on the records of the Corporation and have been returned undeliverable, the giving of such notice to such stockholder shall not be required. Any action or meeting that shall be taken or held without notice to such stockholder shall have the same force and effect as if such notice had been duly given. If any such stockholder shall deliver to the Corporation a written notice setting forth such stockholder’s then current address, the requirement that notice be given to such stockholder shall be reinstated. In the event that the action taken by the Corporation is such as to require the filing of a certificate with the Secretary of State of Delaware, the certificate need not state that notice was not given to persons to whom notice was not required to be given pursuant to Section 230(b) of the DGCL. The exception in subsection (1) of the first sentence of this paragraph to the requirement that notice be given shall not be applicable to any notice returned as undeliverable if the notice was given by electronic transmission.
Section 9.4 Waiver of Notice. Whenever any notice is required to be given under applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation, or these By Laws, a written waiver of such notice, signed before or after the date of such meeting by the person or persons entitled to said notice, or a waiver by electronic transmission by the person entitled to said notice, shall be deemed equivalent to such required notice. All such waivers shall be kept with the books of the Corporation. Attendance at a meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice of such meeting, except where a person attends for the express purpose of objecting to the transaction of any business on the ground that the meeting was not lawfully called or convened.
Section 9.5 Meeting Attendance via Remote Communication Equipment.
(a) Stockholder Meetings. If authorized by the Board in its sole discretion, and subject to such guidelines and procedures as the Board may adopt, stockholders entitled to vote at such meeting and proxy holders not physically present at a meeting of stockholders may, by means of remote communication:
(i) participate in a meeting of stockholders; and (ii) be deemed present in person and vote at a meeting of stockholders, whether such meeting is to be held at a designated place or solely by means of remote communication, provided that (A) the Corporation shall implement reasonable measures to verify that each person deemed present and permitted to vote at the meeting by means of remote communication is a stockholder or proxy holder, (B) the Corporation shall implement reasonable measures to provide such stockholders and proxy holders a reasonable opportunity to participate in the meeting and, if entitled to vote, to vote on matters submitted to the applicable stockholders, including an opportunity to read or hear the proceedings of the meeting substantially concurrently with such proceedings, and (C) if any stockholder or proxy holder votes or takes other action at the meeting by means of remote communication, a record of such votes or other action shall be maintained by the Corporation.
(b) Board Meetings. Unless otherwise restricted by applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation or these By Laws, members of the Board or any committee thereof may participate in a meeting of the Board or any committee thereof by means of conference telephone or other communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other. Such participation in a meeting shall constitute presence in person at the meeting, except where a person participates in the meeting for the express purpose of objecting to the transaction of any business on the ground that the meeting was not lawfully called or convened.
17
Section 9.6 Dividends. The Board may from time to time declare, and the Corporation may pay, dividends (payable in cash, property or shares of the Corporation’s capital stock) on the Corporation’s outstanding shares of capital stock, subject to applicable law and the Certificate of Incorporation.
Section 9.7 Reserves. The Board may set apart out of the funds of the Corporation available for dividends a reserve or reserves for any proper purpose and may abolish any such reserve.
Section 9.8 Contracts and Negotiable Instruments. Except as otherwise provided by applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation or these By Laws, any contract, bond, deed, lease, mortgage or other instrument may be executed and delivered in the name and on behalf of the Corporation by such officer or officers or other employee or employees of the Corporation as the Board may from time to time authorize. Such authority may be general or confined to specific instances as the Board may determine. The Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the President, the Chief Financial Officer, the Treasurer or any Vice President may execute and deliver any contract, bond, deed, lease, mortgage or other instrument in the name and on behalf of the Corporation. Subject to any restrictions imposed by the Board, the Chairman of the Board Chief Executive Officer, President, the Chief Financial Officer, the Treasurer or any Vice President may delegate powers to execute and deliver any contract, bond, deed, lease, mortgage or other instrument in the name and on behalf of the Corporation to other officers or employees of the Corporation under such person’s supervision and authority, it being understood, however, that any such delegation of power shall not relieve such officer of responsibility with respect to the exercise of such delegated power.
Section 9.9 Fiscal Year. The fiscal year of the Corporation shall be fixed by the Board.
Section 9.10 Seal. The Board may adopt a corporate seal, which shall be in such form as the Board determines. The seal may be used by causing it or a facsimile thereof to be impressed, affixed or otherwise reproduced.
Section 9.11 Books and Records. The books and records of the Corporation may be kept within or outside the State of Delaware at such place or places as may from time to time be designated by the Board.
Section 9.12 Resignation. Any director, committee member or officer may resign by giving notice thereof in writing or by electronic transmission to the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the President or the Secretary. The resignation shall take effect at the time specified therein, or at the time of receipt of such notice if no time is specified or the specified time is earlier than the time of such receipt. Unless otherwise specified therein, the acceptance of such resignation shall not be necessary to make it effective.
Section 9.13 Surety Bonds. Such officers, employees and agents of the Corporation (if any) as the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, President or the Board may direct, from time to time, shall be bonded for the faithful performance of their duties and for the restoration to the Corporation, in case of their death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal from office, of all books, papers, vouchers, money and other property of whatever kind in their possession or under their control belonging to the Corporation, in such amounts and by such surety companies as the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, President or the Board may determine. The premiums on such bonds shall be paid by the Corporation and the bonds so furnished shall be in the custody of the Secretary.
Section 9.14 Securities of Other Corporations. Powers of attorney, proxies, waivers of notice of meeting, consents in writing and other instruments relating to securities owned by the Corporation may be executed in the name of and on behalf of the Corporation by the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, President, any Vice President or any officers authorized by the Board. Any such officer, may, in the name of and on behalf of the Corporation, take all such action as any such officer may deem advisable to vote in person or by proxy at any meeting of security holders of any corporation in which the Corporation may own securities, or to consent in writing, in the name of the Corporation as such holder, to any action by such corporation, and at any such meeting or with respect to any such consent shall possess and may exercise any and all rights and power incident to the ownership of such securities and which, as the owner thereof, the Corporation might have exercised and possessed. The Board may from time to time confer like powers upon any other person or persons.
Section 9.15 Amendments. The Board shall have the power to adopt, amend, alter or repeal the By Laws. The affirmative vote of a majority of the Board shall be required to adopt, amend, alter or repeal the By Laws. The By Laws also may be adopted, amended, altered or repealed by the stockholders; provided, however, that in addition to any vote of the holders of any class or series of capital stock of the Corporation required by applicable law or the Certificate of Incorporation, the affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the voting power (except as otherwise provided in Section 8.7) of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote, voting together as a single class, shall be required for the stockholders to adopt, amend, alter or repeal the By Laws.
18
EXHIBIT 4.7
DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES
We are a Delaware corporation and our affairs are governed by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the DGCL. Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation are authorized to issue 500,000,000 shares of our Class A common stock and 50,000,000 shares of our Class B common stock, as well as 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.0001 par value each. The following description summarizes certain terms of our capital stock as set out more particularly in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Because it is only a summary, it may not contain all the information that is important to you.
Units
Each unit consists of one share of our Class A common stock and one-half of one public warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in our initial public offering. Pursuant to the public warrant agreement, a public warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of the shares of the company’s Class A common stock. This means only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time by a warrant holder. Only whole warrants trade.
The Class A common stock and public warrants began separately trading on January 31, 2022, upon our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading began.
We have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K, which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds of our initial public offering upon the completion of our offering.
The units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination.
Common Stock
35,937,500 of our shares of common stock are issued and outstanding, including:
| ● | 28,750,000 shares of our Class A common stock underlying the units issued as part of our initial public offering; and |
| ● | 7,187,500 shares of our Class B common stock held by our initial stockholders (including our sponsor). |
Stockholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by stockholders. Holders of our Class A common stock and holders of our Class B common stock will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders except as required by law. Unless specified in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, or as required by applicable provisions of the DGCL or applicable stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of our shares of common stock that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our stockholders. Our board of directors is divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the election of directors, with the result that the holders of more than 50% of the shares voted for the election of directors can elect all of the directors.
Our stockholders are entitled to receive ratable dividends when, as and if declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available therefor. Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of our directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of our directors during such time. In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason.
1
Because our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to 500,000,000 shares of our Class A common stock, if we were to enter into a business combination, we may (depending on the terms of such a business combination) be required to increase the number of shares of our Class A common stock which we will be authorized to issue at the same time as our stockholders vote on the business combination to the extent we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination.
Our board of directors is divided into three classes with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual meeting of stockholders) serving a three-year term. In accordance with the Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on the Nasdaq. Under Section 211(b) of the DGCL, we will, however, be required to hold annual meetings of stockholders for the purpose of electing directors in accordance with our amended and restated bylaws, unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the completion of our initial business combination, and thus we may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the DGCL, which requires an annual meeting. Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to the completion of an initial business combination, they may attempt to force us to hold one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court of Chancery in accordance with Section 211(c) of the DGCL. Prior to the completion of an initial business combination, any vacancy on the board of directors may be filled by a nominee chosen by holders of a majority of our founder shares. In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason.
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the completion of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of the then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.10 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. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial owner must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Our sponsor, directors, each other member of our management team and the anchor investors have entered into agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with (i) the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of shares of Class A common stock the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed an initial business combination within 18 months (or 21 months or 24 months, as applicable) from the closing of our initial public offering. Unlike many blank check companies that hold stockholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business combinations and provide for related redemptions of public shares for cash upon completion of such initial business combinations even when a vote is not required by law, if a stockholder vote is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation require these tender offer documents to contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, a stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock are voted by the stockholders at a stockholders meeting to approve our initial business combination, unless applicable law, our corporate governing documents or applicable stock exchange rules require a different vote, in which case we will complete our initial business combination only if such requisite vote is received. However, the participation of our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates in privately-negotiated transactions (as described in the final prospectus related to our initial public offering), if any, could result in the approval of our initial business combination even if a majority of our public stockholders vote, or indicate their intention to vote, against such initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding common stock, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained.
2
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to Excess Shares. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Our stockholders’ inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination, and such stockholders could suffer a material loss in their investment if they sell such Excess Shares on the open market. Additionally, such stockholders will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. And, as a result, such stockholders will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 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 stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, our sponsor, directors and each member of our management team have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after our initial public offering, in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ and anchor investors’ founder shares, we would need 10,781,251, or 37.5%, of the 28,750,000 public shares sold in our initial public offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted). In addition, in the event the anchor investors own an aggregate of 2,300,000 public shares, and vote such public shares in favor of our initial business combination, then we would need only 8,481,251, or 29.5%, of the 28,750,000 public shares sold in our initial public offering to be voted in favor of our initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming all outstanding shares are voted). Each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.
Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, we will have until 18 months from the closing of our initial public offering to complete an initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to complete our initial business combination within 18 months, we may, but are not obligated to, extend the period of time to complete a business combination by two additional three-month periods (for a total of up to 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering to complete a business combination). Our public stockholders will not be entitled to vote on, or redeem their shares in connection with, any such extension. This feature is different from some other special purpose acquisition companies, in which any extension of the company’s period to complete an initial business combination would require a vote of the company’s stockholders and in connection with such vote stockholders would have the right to redeem their public shares. Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement entered into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, in order to extend the time available for us to complete our initial business combination, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon five business days’ advance notice prior to each deadline, must deposit into the trust account an additional $0.10 per share of Class A common stock then outstanding (in each case, $2,875,000) on or prior to the date of such deadline. In connection with each such additional deposit, in each case, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees will receive an additional 2,875,000 private placement warrants with the same terms as the original private placement warrants. In the event that we receive notice from our sponsor five business days prior to a deadline of its intent to effect an extension, we intend to issue a press release announcing such intention at least three days prior to such deadline. In addition, we intend to issue a press release the day after a deadline announcing whether or not the funds had been timely deposited. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination.
Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, if we have not completed an initial business combination within 18 months (or 21 months or 24 months, as applicable) from the closing of our initial public offering or such later date as approved by our stockholders, voting together as a single class, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but no more than ten business days thereafter 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 and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of the then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law; and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Our sponsor, directors and each other member of our management team have entered into agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we do not complete an initial business combination within 18 months (or 21 months or 24 months, as applicable) from the closing of our initial public offering. However, if our sponsor, directors or other members of our management team acquire public shares in or after our initial public offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time period.
3
In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the company after a business combination, our stockholders are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining available for distribution to them after payment of liabilities and after provision is made for each class of shares, if any, having preference over the common stock. Our stockholders have no preemptive or other subscription rights. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to the common stock, except that we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash at a per share price equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of the then outstanding public shares, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein.
Founder Shares
The founder shares are designated as Class B common stock and, except as described below, are identical to the shares of our Class A common stock, and holders of founder shares have the same stockholder rights as public stockholders, except that (i) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below, (ii) our sponsor, directors, each other member of our management team and the anchor investors have entered into agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed (A) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (B) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of shares of Class A common stock the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed an initial business combination within 18 months (or 21 months or 24 months, as applicable) from the closing of our initial public offering or with respect to any other provisions relating to the rights of holders of Class A common stock and (C) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to its founder shares if we do not complete an initial business combination within 18 months (or 21 months or 24 months, as applicable) from the closing of our initial public offering, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we do not complete our initial business combination within such time period, (iii) the founder shares will automatically convert into Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination as described herein and in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, and (iv) prior to the completion of our initial business combination, only our founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of our directors. If we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our sponsor, directors and each member of our management team have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after our initial public offering in favor of our initial business combination.
The founder shares will automatically convert into shares of our Class A common stock on the first business day following the completion of our initial business combination at a ratio such that the number of shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all founder shares will equal, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of (i) the total number of shares of our Class A common stock issued and outstanding upon completion of our initial public offering, plus (ii) the total number of shares of our Class A common stock issued or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities or rights issued or deemed issued, by the company in connection with or in relation to the completion of the initial business combination, excluding any shares of our Class A common stock or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into shares of our Class A common stock issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and any private placement warrants issued to our sponsor upon conversion of working capital loans. In no event will the shares of our Class B common stock convert into shares of our Class A common stock at a rate of less than one to one.
4
Except as described herein, our sponsor, directors, each member of our management team and the anchor investors have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until (a) one year after the completion of our initial business combination, or (b) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction after our initial business combination that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of our Class A common stock for cash, securities or other property. Any permitted transferees will be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our sponsor with respect to any founder shares. We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this exhibit as the lock-up. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the last reported sale price of the shares of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, the converted Class A common stock will be released from the lock-up.
Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of our directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of our directors during such time. In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended by approval of a majority of our Class B common stock voting in an annual meeting. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our stockholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, except as required by law, holders of our founder shares and holders of our public shares will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote.
Preferred Stock
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock and provides that shares of preferred stock may be issued from time to time in one or more series. Our board of directors is 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 is able to, without stockholder approval, issue shares of preferred stock with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of the common stock and could have anti-takeover effects. The ability of our board of directors to issue shares of preferred stock without stockholder approval could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of us or the removal of existing management. We have no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding at the date hereof. Although we do not currently intend to issue any shares of preferred stock, we cannot assure you that we will not do so in the future.
Warrants
Public Stockholders’ Warrants
Each whole warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing on the later of one year from the closing of our initial public offering and 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, provided in each case that we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the shares of the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available (or we permit holders to exercise their public warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the public warrant agreement) and such shares are registered, qualified or exempt from registration under the securities, or blue sky, laws of the state of residence of the holder. Pursuant to the public warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its public warrants only for a whole number of shares of our Class A common stock. This means only a whole warrant may be exercised at a given time by a warrant holder. Only whole warrants trade. 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.
5
We will not be obligated to deliver any shares of Class A common stock pursuant to the exercise of a public warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to our satisfying our obligations described below with respect to registration, or a valid exemption from registration is available. No public warrant will be exercisable and we will not be obligated to issue a share of our Class A common stock upon exercise of a public warrant unless the share of our Class A common stock issuable upon such warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the warrants. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to a public 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 public warrant. In the event that a registration statement is not effective for the exercised public warrants, the purchaser of a unit containing such warrant will have paid the full purchase price for the unit solely for the share of our Class A common stock underlying such unit.
We have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants. We will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration or redemption of the public warrants in accordance with the provisions of the public warrant agreements. If a post-effective amendment or a new registration statement covering the issuance of the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of the initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise public warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. In addition, if our Class A common stock are at the time of any exercise of a public 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 our 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 elect to do so, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering each such warrant for that number of shares of Class A common stock per warrant equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of our Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” means the 10-day average closing price as of the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of the warrants. The “10-day average closing price” means, as of any date, the average last reported sale price of the Class A common stock as reported during the 10 trading day period ending on the trading day prior to such date. “Last reported sale price” means the last reported sale price of the shares of Class A common stock on the date prior to the date on which notice of exercise of the warrant is sent to the warrant agent.
No fractional Class A common stock will be issued upon exercise. If, upon exercise, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will round down to the nearest whole number of the number of shares of our Class A common stock to be issued to the holder. If, at the time of redemption, the warrants are exercisable for a security other than the shares of our Class A common stock pursuant to the warrant agreement (for instance, if we are not the surviving company in our initial business combination), the warrants may be exercised for such security. At such time as the warrants become exercisable for a security other than the Class A common stock, the company (or surviving company) will use its commercially reasonable efforts to register under the Securities Act the security issuable upon the exercise of the warrants.
A holder of a public warrant may notify us in writing in the event it elects to be subject to a requirement that such holder will not have the right to exercise such warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), to the warrant agent’s actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 9.8% (as specified by the holder) of the Class A common stock issued and outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise.
6
Redemption of Public Warrants
Once the public warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding public warrants (except as described herein with respect to the private placement warrants):
| ● | in whole and not in part; |
| ● | at a price of $0.01 per warrant; |
| ● | upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder; and |
| ● | if, and only if, the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending three business days before we send to the notice of redemption to the warrant holders 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 “— Warrants — Public Stockholders’ Warrants — Anti-dilution Adjustments”). |
If and when the public 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. However, unless we have elected to require warrant holders to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis, we will not redeem the public warrants unless an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares of our Class A common stock is available throughout the 30-day redemption period.
We have established the last of the redemption criteria discussed above to prevent a redemption call unless there is at the time of the call a significant premium to the warrant exercise price. If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption of the public warrants, each warrant holder will be entitled to exercise his, her or its public warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. Unless we have elected to require warrant holders to exercise the warrants on a cashless basis, any such exercise would require the exercising warrant holder to pay the exercise price for each warrant being exercised. However, the price of the Class A common stock may fall below the $18.00 redemption trigger price (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “— Warrants — Public Stockholders’ Warrants — Anti-dilution Adjustments”) as well as the $11.50 (for whole shares) warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.
If we call the public warrants for redemption as described above, we will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise its public warrant to do so on a “cashless basis.” In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their public warrants on a “cashless basis,” we will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of public warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our stockholders of issuing the maximum number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of our public warrants. If we take advantage of this option, all holders of public warrants would pay the exercise price by surrendering their public warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” means the 10-day average closing price as of the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of the warrants. If we take advantage of this option, the notice of redemption will contain the information necessary to calculate the number of shares of Class A common stock to be received upon exercise of the warrants, including the “fair market value” in such case. Requiring a cashless exercise in this manner will reduce the number of shares to be issued and thereby lessen the dilutive effect of a warrant redemption. We believe this feature is an attractive option to us if we do not need the cash from the exercise of the warrants after our initial business combination. If we call our warrants for redemption and we do not take advantage of this option, our sponsor and its permitted transferees would still be entitled to exercise their private placement warrants for cash or on a cashless basis using the same formula described above that other warrant holders would have been required to use had all warrant holders been required to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, as described in more detail below.
7
Anti-dilution Adjustments. If the number of outstanding shares of our Class A common stock is increased by a stock capitalization or stock dividend paid in shares of our Class A common stock to all or substantially all holders of Class A common stock, or by a split-up of Class A common stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such stock capitalization or stock dividend, split-up or similar event, the number of shares of our Class A common stock issuable on exercise of each public warrant will be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding shares of Class A common stock. A rights offering made to all or substantially all holders of common stock entitling holders to purchase Class A common stock at a price less than the “historical fair market value” (as defined below) will be deemed a stock dividend of a number of shares of our Class A common stock equal to the product of (i) the number of shares of our Class A common stock actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for Class A common stock) and (ii) one minus the quotient of (x) the price per share of our Class A common stock paid in such rights offering and (y) the historical fair market value. For these purposes, if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for shares of our Class A common stock, in determining the price payable for Class A common stock, there will be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion. “Fair market value” means the 10-day average closing price as of the first date on which the Class A common stock trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights. “10-day average closing price” shall mean, as of any date, the average last reported sale price of the Class A common stock as reported during the 10 trading day period ending on the trading day prior to such date. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, no shares of Class A common stock shall be issued at less than their par value.
In addition, if we, at any time while the public warrants are outstanding and unexpired, pay to all or substantially all of the holders of the Class A common stock a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to all or substantially all of the holders of our Class A common stock on account of such shares of Class A common stock (or other securities into which the warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described above, (b) any cash dividends or cash distributions which, when combined on a per share basis with all other cash dividends and cash distributions paid on the shares of Class A common stock during the 365-day period ending on the date of declaration of such dividend or distribution does not exceed $0.50 (as adjusted to appropriately reflect any other adjustments and excluding cash dividends or cash distributions that resulted in an adjustment to the exercise price or to the number of shares of our Class A common stock issuable on exercise of each warrant) but only with respect to the amount of the aggregate cash dividends or cash distributions equal to or less than $0.50 per share, (c) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of our Class A common stock in connection with a proposed initial business combination, (d) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of our Class A common stock in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with its initial business combination or to redeem 100% of the Class A common stock if the Company has not consummated an initial business combination within 18 months (or 21 months or 24 months, as applicable) from the closing of our initial public offering or (B) with respect to any other provisions of the amended and restated certificate of incorporation relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, (e) as a result of the repurchase of shares of Class A common stock if a proposed initial business combination is presented to our stockholders for approval, or (f) in connection with the redemption of our public shares upon our failure to complete our initial business combination, then the warrant exercise price will be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such event, by the amount of cash and/or the fair market value of any securities or other assets paid on each share of our Class A common stock in respect of such event.
If the number of outstanding shares of our Class A common stock is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse share split or reclassification of our Class A common stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse share split, reclassification or similar event, the number of shares of our Class A common stock issuable on exercise of each public warrant will be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding shares of our Class A common stock.
Whenever the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the public warrants is adjusted, as described above, the warrant exercise price will be adjusted by multiplying the warrant exercise price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which will be the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants immediately prior to such adjustment and (y) the denominator of which will be the number of shares of our Class A common stock so purchasable immediately thereafter.
8
In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares of Class A common stock (other than those described above or that solely affects the par value of such shares of Class A common stock), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of us with or into another corporation (other than a consolidation or merger in which we are the continuing corporation and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of our outstanding shares of Class A common stock), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of us as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which we are dissolved, the holders of the warrants will thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the public warrants and in lieu of the shares of Class A common stock immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares of our Class A common stock or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the warrants would have received if such holder had exercised their public warrants immediately prior to such event. However, if such holders 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 for which each warrant will become exercisable will be deemed to be the weighted average of the kind and amount received per share by such holders in such consolidation or merger that affirmatively make such election. If less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of our Class A common stock in such a transaction is payable in the form of our Class A common stock in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the registered holder of the public warrant properly exercises the public warrant within 30 days following public disclosure of such transaction, the public warrant exercise price will be reduced as specified in the public warrant agreement based on the Black-Scholes value (as defined in the public warrant agreement) of the warrant. The purpose of such exercise price reduction is to provide additional value to holders of the public warrants when an extraordinary transaction occurs during the exercise period of the public warrants pursuant to which the holders of the warrants otherwise do not receive the full potential value of the public warrants.
The public warrants were issued in registered form under a public warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The public warrant agreement provides that the terms of the public warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder for the purpose of (i) curing any ambiguity or correcting any mistake, including to conform the provisions of the public warrant agreement to the description of the terms of the public warrants and the public warrant agreement set forth in the final prospectus related to our initial public offering, or defective provision, (ii) amending the provisions relating to cash dividends on shares of common stock as contemplated by and in accordance with the public warrant agreement, or (iii) adding or changing any provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the public warrant agreement as the parties to the public warrant agreement may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the rights of the registered holders of the public warrants in any material respect 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. You should review a copy of the public warrant agreement, which is filed as an exhibit to our Annual Report on Form 10-K, for a complete description of the terms and conditions applicable to the public warrants.
The public 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 public warrants being exercised. The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of common stock and any voting rights until they exercise their public warrants and receive shares of Class A common stock. After the issuance of shares of our Class A common stock upon exercise of the public warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by stockholders.
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 public warrant agreement will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction will be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. See “Risk Factors — Our public 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 public 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.
9
Private Placement Warrants
The private placement warrants (including the Class A common stock 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 pursuant to limited exceptions as described in the final prospectus related to our initial public offering under “Principal Stockholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants,” to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with the initial purchasers of the private placement warrants) and they will not be redeemable by us. The private placement warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the fifth anniversary of the completion of our initial business combination, or earlier upon liquidation. In addition, the private placement warrants purchased by our sponsor will not be exercisable more than five years from the effective date of the registration statement related to our initial public offering, in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8), as long as our sponsor or any of its related persons beneficially own such private placement warrants. The private placement warrants will be non-redeemable and will be exercisable on a cashless basis.
Our sponsor, the direct anchor investors and their permitted transferees will also have certain registration rights related to the private placement warrants (including the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants), as described below.
Our sponsor, or its permitted transferees, have the option to exercise the private placement warrants on a cashless basis. If holders of the private placement warrants elect to exercise them on a cashless basis, they would pay the exercise price by surrendering his, her or its warrants in exchange for a number of shares of our Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of our Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “10-day average closing price” as of the date prior to the date on which notice of exercise is sent or given to the warrant agent, less the warrant exercise price by (y) the 10-day average closing price. The “10-day average closing price” means, as of any date, the average last reported sale price of the Class A common stock as reported during the 10 trading day period ending on the trading day prior to such date. “Last reported sale price” means the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock on the date on which notice of exercise of the warrant is sent to the warrant agent. The reason that we have agreed that these warrants will be exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by our sponsor, the anchor investors or their respective permitted transferees is because it is not known at this time whether our sponsor or its permitted transferees will be affiliated with us following a business combination. If they remain affiliated with us, their ability to sell our securities in the open market will be significantly limited. We expect to have policies in place that restrict insiders from selling our securities except during specific periods of time. Even during such periods of time when insiders will be permitted to sell our securities, an insider cannot trade in our securities if he or she is in possession of material non-public information. Accordingly, unlike public stockholders who could exercise their warrants and sell the shares of our Class A common stock received upon such exercise freely in the open market in order to recoup the cost of such exercise, the insiders could be significantly restricted from selling such securities. As a result, we believe that allowing the holders to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis is appropriate.
In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may loan us funds as may be required, although they are under no obligation to advance funds or invest in us. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants.
Dividends
We have not paid any cash dividends on our common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of a business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of a business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to a business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. If we incur any indebtedness, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
10
Our Transfer Agent and Warrant Agent
The transfer agent for our common stock and warrant agent for our warrants is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. We have agreed to indemnify Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company in its roles as transfer agent and warrant agent, its agents and each of its stockholders, directors, officers and employees against all claims and losses that may arise out of acts performed or omitted for its activities in that capacity, except for any claims and losses due to any gross negligence or intentional misconduct of the indemnified person or entity.
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains provisions designed to provide certain requirements and restrictions relating to our initial public offering that apply to us until the completion of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without the approval of the holders of 65% of our common stock. Our sponsor and its permitted transferees, if any, who collectively beneficially own 20% of our common stock upon the closing of our initial public offering, will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Specifically, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, among other things, that:
| ● | If we have not completed an initial business combination within 18 months (or 21 months or 24 months, as applicable) from the closing of our initial public offering or such later date as approved by holders of a majority of the voting power of the our then outstanding shares of common stock that are voted at a meeting to extend such date, voting together as a single class, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but no more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of the then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law; |
| ● | Prior to or in connection with our initial business combination, we may not issue additional securities that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on our initial business combination or on any other proposal presented to stockholders prior to or in connection with the completion of an initial business combination; |
| ● | Although we do not intend to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or our executive officers, we are not prohibited from doing so. In the event we enter into such a transaction, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from an independent accounting firm that such a business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view; |
| ● | If a stockholder vote on our initial business combination is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will offer to redeem our public shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, and will file tender offer documents 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; |
11
| ● | Our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts held in trust and taxes payable by us on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination; |
| ● | If our stockholders approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of shares of Class A common stock the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination within 18 months (or 21 months or 24 months, as applicable) from the closing of our initial public offering, or with respect to any other provisions relating to the rights of holders of Class A common stock, we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A common stock upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of the then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein; and |
| ● | We will not effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations. |
In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that under no circumstances will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 following the completion of our initial business combination.
Certain Anti-Takeover Provisions of Delaware Law and our Amended and Restated Certificate of incorporation
We will be subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the DGCL regulating corporate takeovers upon completion of our initial public offering. This statute prevents certain Delaware corporations, under certain circumstances, from engaging in a “business combination” with:
| ● | a stockholder who owns 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock (otherwise known as an “interested stockholder”); |
| ● | an affiliate of an interested stockholder; or |
| ● | an associate of an interested stockholder, for three years following the date that the stockholder became an interested stockholder. |
A “business combination” includes a merger or sale of more than 10% of our assets. However, the above provisions of Section 203 do not apply if:
| ● | our board of directors approves the transaction that made the stockholder an “interested stockholder,” prior to the date of the transaction; |
| ● | after the completion of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, that stockholder owned at least 85% of our voting stock outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, other than statutorily excluded shares of common stock; or |
| ● | on or subsequent to the date of the transaction, the initial business combination is approved by our board of directors and authorized at a meeting of our stockholders, and not by written consent, by an affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock not owned by the interested stockholder. |
12
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that our board of directors will be classified into three classes of directors. As a result, in most circumstances, a person can gain control of our board only by successfully engaging in a proxy contest at two or more annual meetings.
Our authorized but unissued common stock and preferred stock are available for future issuances without stockholder approval and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved common stock and preferred stock could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.
Exclusive Forum for Certain Lawsuits
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, that (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against us, our directors, officers or employees arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or amended and restated bylaws, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us, our directors, officers or employees governed by the internal affairs doctrine may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware, except any claim (A) as to which the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination), (B) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery, or (C) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction. If an action is brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel. Although we believe this provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, a court may determine that this provision is unenforceable, and to the extent it is enforceable, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers, although our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Although we believe this provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers. Additionally, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act against us or any of our directors, officers, other employees or agents. However, there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce the exclusive forum provisions relating to causes of actions arising under the Securities Act.
Special Meeting of Stockholders
Our amended and restated bylaws provide that special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by a majority vote of our board of directors or by our Chairman.
Advance Notice Requirements for Stockholder Proposals and Director Nominations
Our amended and restated bylaws provide that stockholders seeking to bring business before our annual meeting of stockholders, or to nominate candidates for election as directors at our annual meeting of stockholders, must provide timely notice of their intent in writing. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice needs 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 opening of business on the 120th day prior to the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders. Pursuant to Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act, proposals seeking inclusion in our annual proxy statement must comply with the notice periods contained therein. Our amended and restated bylaws specify certain requirements as to the form and content of a stockholders’ meeting. These provisions may preclude our stockholders from bringing matters before our annual meeting of stockholders or from making nominations for directors at our annual meeting of stockholders.
13
Action by Written Consent
Subsequent to the consummation of our initial public offering, any action required or permitted to be taken by our common stockholders must be effected by a duly called annual or special meeting of such stockholders and may not be effected by written consent of the stockholders other than with respect to our Class B common stock.
Classified Board of Directors
Our board of directors is divided into three classes, Class I, Class II and Class III, with members of each class serving staggered three-year terms. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the authorized number of directors may be changed only by resolution of the board of directors. Subject to the terms of any preferred stock, any or all of the directors may be removed from office at any time, but only for cause and only by the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the voting power of all then outstanding shares of our capital stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class. Any vacancy on our board of directors, including a vacancy resulting from an enlargement of our board of directors, may be filled only by vote of a majority of our directors then in office.
Class B Common Stock Consent Right
For so long as any shares of our Class B common stock remain outstanding, we may not, without the prior vote or written consent of the holders of a majority of the shares of our Class B common stock then outstanding, voting separately as a single class, amend, alter or repeal any provision of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise, if such amendment, alteration or repeal would alter or change the powers, preferences or relative, participating, optional or other or special rights of the Class B common stock. Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the holders of our Class B common stock may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if a consent or consents in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by the holders of the outstanding Class B common stock having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares of our Class B common stock were present and voted.
Securities Eligible for Future Sale
We have 35,937,500 shares of common stock issued and outstanding on an as-converted basis. Of these shares, 28,750,000 shares of Class A common stock are freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, except for any Class A common stock purchased by one of our affiliates within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act. All of the outstanding 7,187,500 founder shares and all of the outstanding 11,125,000 private placement warrants are restricted securities under Rule 144, in that they were issued in private transactions not involving a public offering. These restricted securities will be subject to registration rights as more fully described below under “— Registration Rights.”
14
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 shares of common stock then outstanding, or 359,375 shares; or |
| ● | the average weekly reported trading volume of the Class A common stock during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to the sale. |
Sales by our affiliates under Rule 144 are also limited by manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us.
Restrictions on the Use of Rule 144 by Shell Companies or Former Shell Companies
Rule 144 is not available for the resale of securities initially issued by shell companies (other than business combination related shell companies) or issuers that have been at any time previously a shell company. However, Rule 144 also includes an important exception to this prohibition if the following conditions are met:
| ● | the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company; |
| ● | the issuer of the securities is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act; |
| ● | the issuer of the securities has filed all Exchange Act reports and material required to be filed, as applicable, during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than Form 8-K reports; and at least one year has elapsed from the time that the issuer filed current Form 10 type information with the SEC reflecting its status as an entity that is not a shell company. |
15
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 and Stockholder Rights
The holders of the founder shares, private placement warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (and any Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the private placement warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans) are entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration and stockholder rights agreement. The holders of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that we register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination. However, the registration and stockholders rights agreement provides that we will not permit any registration statement filed under the Securities Act to become effective until termination of the applicable lockup period, which occurs (i) in the case of the founder shares, as described in the following paragraph, and (ii) in the case of the private placement warrants and the respective shares of our Class A common stock underlying such warrants, 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Except as described herein, our sponsor, directors, each member of our management team and the anchor investors have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earlier of (a) one year after the completion of our initial business combination, and (b) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction after our initial business combination that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of our Class A common stock for cash, securities or other property. Any permitted transferees will be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our sponsor with respect to any founder shares. We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this exhibit as the lock-up. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, the converted shares of our Class A common stock will be released from the lock-up.
In addition, pursuant to the registration and stockholder rights agreement, our sponsor, upon completion of an initial business combination, will be entitled to nominate three individuals for election to our board of directors, as long as our sponsor holds any securities covered by the registration and stockholder rights agreement.
Listing of Securities
Our units, Class A common stock and public warrants are listed on the Nasdaq, under the symbols “XPDBU,” “XPDB” and “XPDBW,” respectively. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on the Nasdaq. The units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded following the completion of our initial business combination.
16
Exhibit 14.1
POWER & DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE ACQUISITION
II CORP.
CODE OF ETHICS
1. Introduction
The Board of Directors of Power & Digital Infrastructure Acquisition II Corp. has adopted this code of ethics (the “Code”), which is applicable to all directors, officers and employees, to:
| ● | promote honest and ethical conduct, including the ethical handling of actual or apparent conflicts of interest between personal and professional relationships; |
| ● | promote the full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable disclosure in reports and documents that the Company files with, or submits to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), as well as in other public communications made by or on behalf of the Company; |
| ● | promote compliance with applicable governmental laws, rules and regulations; |
| ● | deter wrongdoing; and |
| ● | require prompt internal reporting of breaches of, and accountability for adherence to, this Code. |
This Code may be amended only by resolution of the Company’s Board of Directors. In this Code, references to the “Company” mean Power & Digital Infrastructure Acquisition II Corp., and, in appropriate context, its subsidiaries.
2. Honest, Ethical and Fair Conduct
Each person owes a duty to the Company to act with integrity. Integrity requires, among other things, being honest, fair and candid. Deceit, dishonesty and subordinating one’s principles are inconsistent with integrity. Service to the Company never should be subordinated to personal gain and advantage.
Each person must:
| ● | act with integrity, including being honest and candid while still maintaining the confidentiality of the Company’s information where required or in the Company’s interests; |
| ● | observe all applicable governmental laws, rules and regulations; |
| ● | comply with the requirements of applicable accounting and auditing standards, as well as Company policies, in order to maintain a high standard of accuracy and completeness in the Company’s financial records and other business-related information and data; |
| ● | adhere to a high standard of business ethics and not seek a competitive advantage through unlawful or unethical business practices; |
| ● | deal fairly with the Company’s customers, suppliers, competitors and employees; |
| ● | refrain from taking advantage of anyone through manipulation, concealment, abuse of privileged information, misrepresentation of material facts or any other unfair-dealing practice; |
| ● | protect the assets of the Company and ensure their proper use; |
| ● | refrain from taking for themselves personally opportunities that are discovered through the use of corporate assets or by using corporate assets, information or position for general personal gain outside the scope of employment with the Company; and |
| ● | avoid “related-party transactions” or conflicts of interest, wherever possible, except under guidelines or resolutions approved by the Board of Directors (or the appropriate committee of the Board). For purposes of this Code, “related-party transactions” are defined as transactions in which (1) the aggregate amount involved will or may be expected to exceed $120,000 in any calendar year, (2) the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a participant, and (3) any (a) executive officer, director or nominee for election as a director, (b) greater than 5% beneficial owner of the Company’s common shares, or (c) immediate family member, of the persons referred to in clauses (a) and (b), has or will have a direct or indirect material interest (other than solely as a result of being a director or a less than 10% beneficial owner of another entity). A conflict of interest situation can arise when a person takes actions or has interests that may make it difficult to perform his or her work objectively and effectively. Conflicts of interest may also arise if a person, or a member of his or her family, receives improper personal benefits as a result of his or her position. Anything that would be a conflict for a person subject to this Code also will be a conflict if it is related to a member of his or her family or a close relative. Examples of conflict of interest situations include, but are not limited to, the following: |
| ● | any significant ownership interest in any supplier or customer; |
| ● | any consulting or employment relationship with any customer, supplier or competitor; |
| ● | any outside business activity that detracts from an individual’s ability to devote appropriate time and attention to his or her responsibilities with the Company; |
| ● | the receipt of any money, non-nominal gifts or excessive entertainment from any company with which the Company has current or prospective business dealings; |
| ● | being in the position of supervising, reviewing or having any influence on the job evaluation, pay or benefit of any close relative; |
| ● | selling anything to the Company or buying anything from the Company, except on the same terms and conditions as comparable officers or directors are permitted to so purchase or sell; and |
| ● | any other circumstance, event, relationship or situation in which the personal interest of a person subject to this Code interferes – or even appears to interfere – with the interests of the Company as a whole. |
2
3. Disclosure
The Company strives to ensure that the contents of and the disclosures in the reports and documents that the Company files with the SEC and other public communications shall be full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable in accordance with applicable disclosure standards, including standards of materiality, where appropriate. Each person must:
| ● | not knowingly misrepresent, or cause others to misrepresent, facts about the Company to others, whether within or outside the Company, including to the Company’s independent auditors, governmental regulators, self-regulating organizations and other governmental officials, as appropriate; and |
| ● | in relation to his or her area of responsibility, properly review and critically analyze proposed disclosure for accuracy and completeness. |
In addition to the foregoing, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Company and each subsidiary of the Company (or persons performing similar functions), and each other person that typically is involved in the financial reporting of the Company must familiarize himself or herself with the disclosure requirements applicable to the Company as well as the business and financial operations of the Company.
Each person must promptly bring to the attention of the Chairman of the Audit Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors any information he or she may have concerning (a) significant deficiencies in the design or operation of internal and/or disclosure controls which could adversely affect the Company’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial data or (b) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the Company’s financial reporting, disclosures or internal controls.
4. Compliance
It is the Company’s obligation and policy to comply with all applicable governmental laws, rules and regulations. It is the personal responsibility of each person to adhere to the standards and restrictions imposed by those laws, rules and regulations, including those relating to accounting and auditing matters.
5. Reporting and Accountability
The Audit Committee of the Company is responsible for applying this Code to specific situations in which questions are presented to it and has the authority to interpret this Code in any particular situation. Any person who becomes aware of any existing or potential breach of this Code is required to notify the Chairman of the Audit Committee promptly. Failure to do so is itself a breach of this Code.
Specifically, each person must:
| ● | notify the Chairman promptly of any existing or potential violation of this Code; and |
| ● | not retaliate against any other person for reports of potential violations that are made in good faith. |
3
The Company will follow the following procedures in investigating and enforcing this Code and in reporting on the Code:
| ● | The Audit Committee will take all appropriate action to investigate any breaches reported to it. |
| ● | If the Audit Committee determines (by majority decision) that a breach has occurred, it will inform the Board of Directors. |
| ● | Upon being notified that a breach has occurred, the Board (by majority decision) will take or authorize such disciplinary or preventive action as it deems appropriate, after consultation with the Audit Committee, up to and including dismissal or, in the event of criminal or other serious violations of law, notification of the SEC or other appropriate law enforcement authorities. |
No person following the above procedure shall, as a result of following such procedure, be subject by the Company or any officer or employee thereof to discharge, demotion, suspension, threat, harassment or, in any manner, discrimination against such person in terms and conditions of employment.
6. Waivers and Amendments
Any waiver (as defined below) or an implicit waiver (as defined below) from a provision of this Code for the principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, and persons performing similar functions or any amendment (as defined below) to this Code is required to be disclosed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K or in a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC.
A “waiver” means the approval by the Company’s Board of Directors of a material departure from a provision of the Code. An “implicit waiver” means the Company’s failure to take action within a reasonable period of time regarding a material departure from a provision of the Code that has been made known to an executive officer of the Company. An “amendment” means any amendment to this Code other than minor technical, administrative or other non-substantive amendments hereto.
All persons should note that it is not the Company’s intention to grant or to permit waivers from the requirements of this Code. The Company expects full compliance with this Code.
7. Other Policies and Procedures
Any other policy or procedure set out by the Company in writing or made generally known to employees, officers or directors of the Company prior to the date hereof or hereafter are separate requirements and remain in full force and effect.
8. Inquiries
All inquiries and questions in relation to this Code or its applicability to particular people or situations should be addressed to the Company’s Chief Financial Officer.
Adopted effective as of December 14, 2021
4
Exhibit 31.1
CERTIFICATION
PURSUANT TO RULES 13a-14 AND 15d-14
UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED
I, Patrick C. Eilers, certify that:
| 1. | I have reviewed this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 of Power & Digital Infrastructure Acquisition II Corp.; |
| 2. | Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report; |
| 3. | Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report; |
| 4. | The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have: |
| a) | Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared; |
| b) | Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; |
| c) | Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and |
| d) | Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and |
| 5. | The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions): |
| (a) | All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and |
| (b) | Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting. |
| Date: March 11, 2024 | By: | /s/ Patrick C. Eilers |
| Patrick C. Eilers | ||
| Chief Executive Officer | ||
| (Principal Executive Officer) |
Exhibit 31.2
CERTIFICATION
PURSUANT TO RULES 13a-14
AND 15d-14
UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED
I, James P. Nygaard, Jr., certify that:
| 1. | I have reviewed this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 of Power & Digital Infrastructure Acquisition II Corp.; |
| 2. | Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report; |
| 3. | Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report; |
| 4. | The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have: |
| a) | Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared; |
| b) | Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; |
| c) | Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and |
| d) | Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and |
| 5. | The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions): |
| (a) | All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and |
| (b) | Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting. |
| Date: March 11, 2024 | By: | /s/ James P. Nygaard, Jr. |
| James P. Nygaard, Jr. | ||
| Chief Financial Officer | ||
| (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
Exhibit 32.1
CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO
18 U.S.C. 1350
(SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002)
In connection with the Annual Report of Power & Digital Infrastructure Acquisition II Corp. (the “Company”) on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Report”), I, Patrick C. Eilers, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §1350, as added by §906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:
| 1. | The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and |
| 2. | To my knowledge, the information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company as of and for the period covered by the Report. |
| Date: March 11, 2024 | By: | /s/ Patrick C. Eilers |
| Patrick C. Eilers | ||
| Chief Executive Officer | ||
| (Principal Executive Officer) |
Exhibit 32.2
CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO
18 U.S.C. 1350
(SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002)
In connection with the Annual Report of Power & Digital Infrastructure Acquisition II Corp. (the “Company”) on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Report”), I, James P. Nygaard, Jr., Chief Financial Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §1350, as added by §906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:
| 1. | The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and |
| 2. | To my knowledge, the information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company as of and for the period covered by the Report. |
| Date: March 11, 2024 | By: | /s/ James P. Nygaard, Jr |
| James P. Nygaard, Jr. | ||
| Chief Financial Officer | ||
| (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |