Amprius Technologies, Inc S-1/A, filed Feb 23, 2022
Amprius Technologies, Inc. (AMPX)
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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 23, 2022.
Registration No. 333-262266
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
AMENDMENT NO. 2
TO
FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp. IV
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Cayman Islands | 6770 | 98-1591811 | ||
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
1400 Old Country Road, Suite 301
Westbury, New York 11590
(703) 674-6514
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
Justin Mirro
c/o Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp. IV
(703) 674-6514
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
| Charles A. Samuelson Gary J. Simon Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP One Battery Park Plaza New York, New York 10004 (212) 837-6000 |
David J. Goldschmidt Gregg A. Noel Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP One Manhattan West New York, New York 10001 (212) 735-3000 |
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 check the following box. ☒
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | |||
| Non-accelerated filer | ☒ | Smaller reporting company | ☒ | |||
| Emerging growth company | ☒ | |||||
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
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The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
| PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS |
Subject to Completion | February 23, 2022 |
Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp. IV
$200,000,000
20,000,000 Units
Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp. IV is a newly incorporated blank check company, incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company and incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any stage of its corporate evolution of in any industry, sector or geographic location (subject to certain limitations described in this prospectus), we intend to focus our search for a target business operating in the global automotive and automotive-related sector.
This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one Class A ordinary share, one Class 1 redeemable warrant and one Class 2 redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. The warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, and will (except for Class 2 warrants attached to shares that are redeemed in connection with our initial business combination, which Class 2 warrants will expire upon redemption of such shares) expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation, as described in this prospectus. Subject to the terms and conditions described in this prospectus, we may redeem the warrants once the warrants become exercisable. We have also granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 3,000,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.
Currently, there is no public market for our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants. We intend to apply to list units consisting of one Class A ordinary share, one Class 1 redeemable warrant and one Class 2 redeemable warrant on The New York Stock Exchange, or the NYSE, under the symbol “KCAC.U” on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We also intend to apply to list units consisting of one Class A ordinary share and one Class 2 warrant, the Class A ordinary shares and the Class 1 and Class 2 warrants on the NYSE under the symbols “KCA.U,” “KCAC,” and “KCAC.W”, respectively, on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on the NYSE. The Class 1 warrants will separate and begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day), unless UBS Securities LLC informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our filing a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, containing an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds of this offering and issuing a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. The new units will not separate into Class A ordinary shares and Class 2 warrants, and the Class A ordinary shares and the Class 2 warrants will not trade separately, unless and until consummation of our initial business combination.
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares 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 described below, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise, income and other tax obligations, net of taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding Class A ordinary shares that were sold as part of the units in this offering, which we refer to collectively as our public shares throughout this prospectus, subject to the limitations described herein. Any Class 2 warrants that are attached to shares that are redeemed in connection with our initial business combination will expire upon redemption of such shares. The expiration of the Class 2 warrants upon redemption of the shares to which they are attached is different from a typical blank check company offering; see pages 38 and 132 of this prospectus for a discussion of the reasons for structuring the offering in this manner. If we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, we will redeem 100% of the public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, net of taxes payable (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and as further described herein.
Our sponsor, Kensington Capital Sponsor IV LLC has committed to purchase 14,800,000 warrants (or 16,000,000 warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $0.50 per warrant ($7,400,000 in the aggregate, or $8,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. We refer to these warrants as the private placement warrants throughout this prospectus. Each private placement warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein.
Our sponsor has expressed to us an interest to purchase an aggregate of $32,675,000 of the units in this offering at the offering price, and we have agreed to direct the underwriters to offer to our sponsor such amount of units. Because this expression of interest is not a binding agreement or commitment to purchase, our sponsor may determine to purchase more, fewer or no units in this offering. In addition, the underwriters may determine to sell more, fewer or no units to our sponsor. For a discussion of certain additional arrangements with our sponsor, please see “Summary—The Offering—Expressions of Interest.”
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Our initial shareholders, which include our sponsor, own an aggregate of 9,857,142 Class B ordinary shares (up to 1,285,714 shares of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised). We refer to these Class B ordinary shares as the founder shares throughout this prospectus. The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier, at the option of the holders, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described herein. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors during such time. In addition, prior to the completion of our initial business combination, holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, holders of the Class A ordinary shares and holders of the Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders, except as required by law.
The number of founder shares issued (or forfeited depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ overallotment option is exercised) was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 30.0% of our issued and outstanding shares upon the consummation of this offering. If our sponsor purchases an additional $32,675,000 of the units in this offering at the offering price, our initial shareholders will own shares representing 41.4% (or, if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised, 39.9%) of our issued and outstanding shares upon the consummation of this offering.
We are an “emerging growth company” and “smaller reporting company” under applicable federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 50 for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities. Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings.
No offer or invitation to subscribe for securities may be made to the public in the Cayman Islands.
Neither the SEC nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
| Per Unit | Total | |||
| Public offering price | $10.00 | $200,000,000 | ||
| Underwriting discounts and commissions(1) | $ 0.55 | $ 11,000,000 | ||
| Proceeds, before expenses, to Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp. IV | $ 9.45 | $189,000,000 |
| (1) | Includes $0.35 per unit, or $7,000,000 (or up to $8,050,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in the aggregate payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions to be placed in a trust account located in the United States as described herein (the underwriters’ right to receive up to one-half of such amount placed in trust is subject to forfeiture by the underwriters on a dollar-for-dollar basis in the event of any redemptions in our initial business combination). The deferred commissions will be released to the underwriters only on completion of an initial business combination, as described in this prospectus. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Underwriting” for a description of compensation payable to the underwriters. |
Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, $200.0 million, or $230.0 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.00 per unit in either case), will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and $3.40 million will be available to pay fees and expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and for working capital following the closing of this offering. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our tax obligations, the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest to occur of (a) the completion of our initial business combination, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed our business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could become subject to the claims of our creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of our public shareholders.
The underwriters are offering the units for sale on a firm commitment basis. The underwriters expect to deliver the units to the purchasers on or about , 2022.
Joint Book-Running Managers
| UBS Investment Bank | Stifel |
Lead Manager
Baird
Co-manager
Drexel Hamilton
, 2022
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We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information, and neither we nor the underwriters take responsibility for any other information others may give to you. We are not, and the underwriters are not, making an offer to sell securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus or the date specified herein.
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| F-1 |
Trademarks
This prospectus contains references to trademarks and service marks belonging to other entities. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus may appear without the ® or TM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that the applicable licensor will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, its rights to these trademarks and trade names. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trade names, trademarks or service marks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other companies.
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This summary only highlights the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. As this is a summary, it does not contain all of the information that you should consider in making an investment decision. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the information under the section of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors” and our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus, before investing.
Unless otherwise stated in this prospectus, or the context otherwise requires, references to:
| Ø | “amended and restated memorandum and articles of association” are to the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that we will adopt prior to the consummation of this offering; |
| Ø | “ordinary shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares and our Class B ordinary shares, collectively; |
| Ø | “company,” “our,” “we” or “us” are to Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp. IV; |
| Ø | “Companies Act” are to the Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands as the same may be amended from time to time; |
| Ø | “equity-linked securities” are to any securities of our company that are convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for, ordinary shares of our company; |
| Ø | “founder shares” are to our Class B ordinary shares purchased by our sponsor in a private placement prior to this offering and the Class A ordinary shares issued upon the conversion thereof as described herein; |
| Ø | “initial shareholders” are to holders of our founder shares prior to this offering; |
| Ø | “management” or our “management team” are to our officers and directors (including our director nominees that will become directors in connection with the consummation of this offering); |
| Ø | “private placement warrants” are to the warrants issued to our sponsor in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of this offering; |
| Ø | “ordinary resolution” are to a resolution adopted by the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast by the holders of the issued shares present in person or represented by proxy at a general meeting of the company and entitled to vote on such matter or a resolution approved in writing by all of the holders of the issued shares entitled to vote on such matter; |
| Ø | “public shares” are to Class A ordinary shares sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market); |
| Ø | “public shareholders” are to the holders of our public shares, including our initial shareholders and members of our management team to the extent our initial shareholders and/or members of our management team purchase public shares, provided that each initial shareholder’s and member of our management team’s status as a “public shareholder” shall only exist with respect to such public shares; |
| Ø | “public warrants” are to our redeemable warrants sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market); |
| Ø | “special resolution” are to a resolution adopted by the affirmative vote of at least a two-thirds (2/3) majority (or such higher threshold as specified in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) of the votes cast by the holders of the issued shares present in person or |
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| represented by proxy at a general meeting of the company and entitled to vote on such matter or a resolution approved in writing by all of the holders of the issued shares entitled to vote on such matter; |
| Ø | “specified future issuance” are to an issuance of a class of equity or equity-linked securities to certain purchasers, which may include affiliates of our management team, that we may determine to make in connection with financing our initial business combination; |
| Ø | “sponsor” are to Kensington Capital Sponsor IV LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and an affiliate of Justin Mirro; and |
| Ø | “warrants” are to our redeemable warrants, which includes the public warrants as well as the private placement warrants. |
Each unit consists of one Class A ordinary share, one Class 1 redeemable warrant and one Class 2 redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus.
Any conversion of the Class B ordinary shares described in this prospectus will take effect as a compulsory redemption of Class B ordinary shares and a subsequent issuance of Class A ordinary shares or as otherwise permitted by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Any forfeiture of shares, and all references to forfeiture of shares, described in this prospectus shall take effect as a surrender of shares for no consideration as a matter of Cayman Islands law. Any share dividend described in this prospectus will take effect as a share capitalization as a matter of Cayman Islands law.
Unless we tell you otherwise, the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option and the forfeiture by our sponsor of 1,285,714 founder shares.
Overview
We are a newly organized, blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company and incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any stage of its corporate evolution or in any industry, sector or geographic location (subject to certain limitations described in this prospectus), we intend to focus our search in the global automotive and automotive-related sector.
We intend to source initial business combination opportunities through our management team’s extensive network of automotive and automotive-related sector business owners, public and private company executives and board members, investment bankers, private equity and debt investors, high net worth families and their advisors, commercial bankers, attorneys, management consultants, accountants and other transaction intermediaries. We believe this approach, as well as our management team’s recognized track record of completing acquisitions across a variety of subsectors within the automotive and automotive-related sector will provide meaningful opportunities to drive value creation for shareholders.
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Our directors have significant experience with acquisitions, divestitures and corporate strategy and implementation, as well as the public markets, which we believe will meaningfully benefit us as we evaluate potential initial business combinations, as well as after completing an initial business combination, to the extent they remain on our board of directors following the completion of our initial business combination.
All of our executive officers and directors other than Dieter Zetsche and Nicole Nason served as the executive officers and directors, respectively, of Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp., or Kensington SPAC I, a blank check company that consummated its initial public offering in June 2020. On November 25, 2020, Kensington SPAC I completed its initial business combination with QuantumScape Corporation, or QuantumScape, pursuant to the business combination agreement among Kensington SPAC I, QuantumScape and Kensington Capital Merger Sub Corp. dated September 2, 2020. QuantumScape is developing next generation battery technology for electric vehicles (“EVs”) and other applications. All of our executive officers and directors other than Dieter Zetsche served as the executive officers and directors, respectively, of Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp. II, or Kensington SPAC II, a blank check company that consummated its initial public offering in March 2021. On October 1, 2021, Kensington SPAC II completed its initial business combination with Wallbox Chargers, S.L., or Wallbox, pursuant to the business combination agreement among Kensington SPAC II, Wallbox, Wallbox B.V. and Orion Merger Sub Corp. dated June 9, 2021. Wallbox is a provider of EV charging solutions. Additionally, Justin Mirro, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer serves as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp. V, or Kensington SPAC V (and collectively with Kensington SPAC I and Kensington SPAC II, the “Other Kensington SPACs”), a blank check company, Daniel Huber, our Chief Financial Officer, serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Kensington SPAC V and Anders Pettersson and Mitchell Quain, both of whom have agreed to serve on our board of directors, also serve on the board of directors of Kensington SPAC V. Kensington SPAC V is a blank check company that consummated its initial public offering in August 2021, in which it sold 27,600,000 units for an offering price of $10.00 per unit, generating aggregate proceeds of $276,000,000. Kensington SPAC V’s units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants currently trade on the NYSE under the symbols “KCGI.U,” “KCGI” and “KCGI.W,” respectively. Kensington SPAC V intends to focus its search for a target business with which to effect a business combination on the industrials sector. However, Kensington SPAC V is not limited to a particular industry or geographic region in its search for its own business combination, and Kensington SPAC V may seek opportunities in the automotive and automotive-related sector.
Past performance by our management team and their respective affiliates, including with respect to the Other Kensington SPACs, is not a guarantee either (i) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (ii) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team’s and their respective affiliates’ performance, including with respect to the Other Kensington SPACs, as indicative of our future performance of an investment in us or the returns we will, or are likely to, generate going forward.
Our management team
Our management team (in addition to our director nominees discussed below) includes Justin Mirro, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; Dieter Zetsche, our Vice Chairman and President; Robert Remenar, our Chief Operating Officer; Daniel Huber, our Chief Financial Officer; and Simon Boag, our Chief Technology Officer. These members of our management team bring on average 30 years of operating and transactional experience as well as a broad industry network that encompasses a wide array of subsectors within the automotive and automotive-related sector. We believe our management team has complementary skills and experience relevant to our target market, as well as a track record of
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working together and providing creative solutions for complex transactions, which we believe represents a competitive advantage. This experience is supplemented with an in-depth network of relationships that extend to corporations across automotive and automotive-related subsectors as well as private equity firms.
Our management team has experience in:
| Ø | sourcing, structuring, acquiring, financing and selling automotive and automotive-related businesses; |
| Ø | operating companies as senior executives and active board members, and setting clear and effective business strategies for companies in the automotive and automotive-related sector; |
| Ø | leveraging strategic insight from their mergers and acquisitions and capital structuring experience based on debt and equity capital executions; and |
| Ø | deploying a broad value creation toolkit including identifying value enhancements and delivering operating efficiency. |
Justin Mirro serves as our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Mirro has over 25 years of operating, M&A and financing experience in the automotive and automotive-related sector. He began his career at General Motors Company (“GM”) as a Tool and Die Manufacturing Engineer, with successive positions at Car and Driver Magazine, Toyota Motor Corporation and Itochu International Inc. prior to transitioning to automotive investment banking at Schroder & Co. Inc. / Salomon Smith Barney, Inc. / ABN Amro Inc. in 1996. In 1999, Mr. Mirro formed Kensington Capital Partners, LLC, where he has served as President since 2015, to invest in automotive and automotive-related sector businesses. In 2005, Mr. Mirro transitioned to Jefferies & Company, Inc. as Head of Automotive Investment Banking, and later served as the Head of Automotive Investment Banking at Moelis & Company, LLC (“Moelis”) and RBC Capital Markets, LLC (“RBC Capital Markets”) from 2008 to 2011 and 2011 to 2014, respectively. In his role, Mr. Mirro played a key role in leading and executing all aspects of capital raising, M&A and restructurings, and has advised on over 70 transactions totaling more than $60 billion of value for original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”), suppliers and automotive-related industries. From 2016 to 2019, Mr. Mirro served as Chairman of the board of directors and audit committee of Pure Power Technologies, Inc. (“Pure Power”) one of the largest aftermarket suppliers of diesel fuel injectors, which was later sold to Stanadyne LLC (“Stanadyne”). In his role, Mr. Mirro focused on deal sourcing, structuring, capital raising, executive recruitment and the eventual sale process. Mr. Mirro served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kensington SPAC I from April 2020 until it consummated its initial business combination with QuantumScape, a company that is developing next generation battery technology for EVs and other applications, in November 2020, currently serves as the lead independent director of QuantumScape and served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kensington SPAC II from January 2021 until it consummated its business combination with Wallbox N.V., a leader in electric vehicle charging and energy management solutions, in October 2021. He has served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kensington SPAC V since March 2021. Mr. Mirro has sat on the board of Cooper-Standard Holdings Inc. (“Cooper-Standard Holdings”) since 2015 and sat on the board of Transtar Industries, Inc., from 2017 through January 2021, focusing on M&A, capital structuring and public market strategy.
Dieter Zetsche serves as our Vice Chairman and President. Mr. Zetsche is the former Chief Executive Officer of Daimler AG (“Daimler”) and former Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars where he completed the demerger of Daimler and Chrysler in 2007 and helped lead Daimler to become a global leader for premium passenger cars and trucks. Mr. Zetsche has over 45 years of global automotive experience with broad experience in automotive engineering, sales, management, and leadership. Mr. Zetsche started his career in 1976 in the research department of what was then Daimler-Benz AG. During his time at
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Daimler, Mr. Zetsche held various roles across the globe until he left the company in 2019. After multiple operational and engineering roles at Daimler, Mr. Zetsche served as Chief Engineer for Mercedes-Benz Brazil from 1987 to 1989, President of Mercedes-Benz Argentina from 1989 to 1990 and Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Freightliner Corp. from 1991 to 1992. Mr. Zetsche also served as Chief Engineer of Mercedes Cars from 1992 to 1995, Head of Sales for Daimler globally from 1995 to 1998, Chief Executive Officer of Daimler Truck Group from 1998 to 1999 and Chief Executive Officer and President of Chrysler Group from 2000 to 2005 leading the demerger of Chrysler from Daimler in 2007. Mr. Zetsche became the Chief Executive Officer of Daimler and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars from 2006 to 2019 leading one of the world’s leading premium brands. Mr. Zetsche served on the board of RWE AG, a global renewable energy company, from 2009 to 2016 and has served as Chairman of TUI AG, a global leisure, travel and tourism company, since 2018. Mr. Zetsche has served on the Advisory Boards of Aldi Sued, a global supermarket chain, since 2019, Adobe since 2021, Volocopter, a pioneer in Urban Air Mobility (UAM), since 2020, Factorial Energy, a pioneer in battery technology, since 2021, Luminar Technologies Inc., a producer of advanced sensor technologies for the autonomous vehicle industry, since 2020, and Applied Intuition, Inc., a software company for the Automotive Industry, since 2021.
Robert Remenar serves as our Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Remenar has over 35 years of operational, manufacturing and management experience within the automotive and automotive-related sector. Mr. Remenar has over two decades of experience leading global, multi-billion dollar manufacturing enterprises, serving as President and Chief Executive Officer of Aludyne, Inc. (formerly known as Chassix Inc.) from 2012 to 2014, and as Chief Executive Officer and President of Nexteer Automotive Group Ltd (“Nexteer Automotive”) from 2009 to 2012 and from 2002 to 2009, respectively. In his leadership roles, Mr. Remenar demonstrated a track record of turning distressed and developing businesses into profitable, successful and global enterprises through customer diversity, lean manufacturing, portfolio and footprint optimization and competitive cost structures. Mr. Remenar previously held multiple executive positions within Delphi Corporation (“Delphi”) where he most notably served as Vice President and, as discussed above, President of Delphi’s Steering Division (now Nexteer Automotive) from 2002 to 2009. Prior to joining Delphi in 1998, Mr. Remenar held several executive and managerial positions at GM from 1985 to 1998. Mr. Remenar was formerly on the board of directors of Highland Industries, Inc. (“Highland Industries”), Pure Power, Nexteer Automotive, Stackpole International Inc. (“Stackpole International”) and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, offering extensive leadership strategy and operational experience. As a board member, Mr. Remenar provided strategic insight during the successful sales of Highland Industries, Pure Power and Stackpole International and Nexteer Automotive’s Hong Kong initial public offering. Mr. Remenar has served as a director of PKC Group Oyj, a subsidiary of the Samvardhana Motherson Group since 2012, and as a director of Cooper-Standard Holdings since 2015, serving as Chairman of the compensation committee since 2017. Since February 2021, Mr. Remenar has served as a director of Stanadyne PPT Group Holdings, Inc. and since January 2022 as a director on the board of Motherson Sumi Systems Limited. Mr. Remenar served as Vice Chairman and President of Kensington SPAC I from April 2020 until it consummated its initial business combination in November 2020 and served as Vice Chairman and President of Kensington SPAC II from January 2021 until it consummated its business combination in October 2021.
Daniel Huber serves as our Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Huber has over 20 years of experience in investment banking, consulting, business development and operational management across a wide range of industries. Mr. Huber began his career as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy as a Surface Warfare (Nuclear) officer. While in the Navy, Mr. Huber led multiple divisions of sailors during complex missions and operations on U.S. warships in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Following his service, Mr. Huber was a manager in the public services consulting group of BearingPoint Inc. managing projects and engagements within the Department of State. From 2009 to
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2018, Mr. Huber worked across several investment banks within the automotive and automotive-related investment banking industry, specifically at Moelis from 2009 to 2011, RBC Capital Markets from 2011 to 2014, Sterne Agee CRT (part of CRT Capital Group LLC) from 2015 to 2016 and PI Capital International LLC from 2016 to 2018. Mr. Huber has also served as the managing member of DEHC LLC since 2014. Mr. Huber served as Director of Corporate Development and M&A at Conduent, Inc. from 2018 until 2020 leading all aspects of deal execution across multiple industry verticals including the preparation and presentation of materials to senior executives outlining the strategic rationale of potential transactions. Mr. Huber served as the Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of Kensington SPAC I from April 2020 until it consummated its initial business combination in November 2020 and served as the Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of Kensington SPAC II from January 2021 until it consummated its business combination in October 2021. He has served as the Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of Kensington SPAC V since March 2021. Mr. Huber’s transaction experience includes public and private transactions across a variety of end markets, with a focus on automotive and automotive-related businesses.
Simon Boag serves as our Chief Technology Officer. Mr. Boag has over 30 years of leadership, manufacturing, operational and technological experience, with an extensive understanding of automotive supply chains and emerging automotive technologies. Mr. Boag served as President of CAMI Automotive Inc., a joint venture between GM and Suzuki Motor Corporation, from 2000 to 2002. From 2002 to 2009, Mr. Boag held multiple roles in the automotive and automotive-related sector, including President of GM Argentina, Executive Vice President of Chrysler LLC (“Chrysler”) Purchasing, President of Chrysler Mopar (Chrysler’s parts, service and customer care organization) and Executive Vice President of CNH Industrial N.V. (Case New Holland Industrial). While President of Chrysler Purchasing, Mr. Boag was responsible for billions of dollars in annual purchases from numerous suppliers. Additionally, while President of Chrysler Mopar, Mr. Boag was responsible for the dealer network and aftermarket service, parts and accessories. Since 2013, Mr. Boag has served as a Managing Partner at IncWell LLC (“IncWell”), a venture capital fund based in Birmingham, MI, that invested in 40 companies across the automotive, industrial, healthcare, business services, software and consumer product segments. Since 2016, Mr. Boag has served as the Chairman of iWater Tech LLC, a startup company, of which he was the Chief Executive Officer from 2016 through 2020. Mr. Boag served as the Chief Technology Officer of Kensington SPAC I from April 2020 until it consummated its initial business combination in November 2020 and served as the Chief Technology Officer of Kensington SPAC II from January 2021 until it consummated its business combination in October 2021.
Our independent director nominees
Our executive management team’s efforts to seek a suitable business combination target will be complemented and augmented by the expertise and network of relationships of our director nominees. We believe that our access to and affiliation with our director nominees represents a competitive advantage.
Thomas LaSorda, who has agreed to serve as a director following the completion of this offering, is the former Chief Executive Officer of Chrysler and provides exceptional insights to traditional and emerging vehicle technologies and senior-level access to the executives running these companies. Mr. LaSorda has over 40 years of experience working with vehicle manufactures around the world, with specific expertise evaluating management and technology. Mr. LaSorda started his career at GM in 1977, holding multiple manufacturing positions across the globe until 2000, when he transitioned to Chrysler. Mr. LaSorda served as Senior Vice President of Powertrain Manufacturing from 2000 to 2002 and Executive Vice President of Manufacturing from 2002 to 2004, where he focused on manufacturing, procurement and global business development. In 2004, Mr. LaSorda became Chief Operating Officer of Chrysler and a member of the Daimler Board of Management. In 2005, Mr. LaSorda was appointed Chief Executive
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Officer and President of Chrysler. In 2007, Daimler sold Chrysler to Cerberus Capital Management, L.P. and Mr. LaSorda was appointed as President and Vice Chairman of Chrysler until his retirement from Chrysler in 2009. Mr. LaSorda was the Chief Executive Officer of Fisker Automotive (“Fisker”) in 2012 and was Chief Executive Officer of HANS Power & Water LLC from 2018 to 2019. Mr. LaSorda served on the boards of AGCO Corporation from 2009 to 2012, Fisker from 2011 to 2012 and United States Steel Corporation (“US Steel”) from 2013 to 2015. Mr. LaSorda served as Chairman of LaSorda Group LLC from 2009 to 2020 and has served as Chairman of IncWell since 2013. Mr. LaSorda served as a director of Kensington SPAC I from June 2020 until it consummated its initial business combination in November 2020 and as a director of Kensington SPAC II from February 2021 until it consummated its initial business combination in October 2021.
Nicole Nason, who has agreed to serve as a director following the completion of this offering, is currently the Chief Safety Officer and Head of External Affairs at Cavnue, a company that combines technology and road infrastructure to unlock the full potential of connected and autonomous vehicles. Ms. Nason is the former Administrator of the U.S. Federal Highway Administration (“FHWA”) and a leading advocate for critical advances in autonomous vehicles and safety. Before serving at FHWA, Ms. Nason was the Assistant Secretary at the State Department’s Bureau of Administration, responsible for managing the global supply, shipping, logistics, and transportation services to more than 260 overseas locations. Ms. Nason was also the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Assistant Secretary for Governmental Affairs at U.S. Department of Transportation. She also served at the U.S. Customs Service, and as Counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary. Ms. Nason has served as Chief Safety Officer and Head of External Affairs of Cavnue since January 2021, and as a Member of the Advisory Board of TuSimple Holdings Inc since March 2021. Ms. Nason earned a J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and a B.A. in Political Science from American University. Ms. Nason served as a director of Kensington SPAC II from April 2021 until it consummated its initial business combination in October 2021.
Anders Pettersson, who has agreed to serve as a director following the completion of this offering, is the former Chief Executive Officer of Thule Group AB (“Thule”), a leading automotive aftermarket company. Under Mr. Pettersson’s leadership, he transformed Thule from an automotive aftermarket accessories business into a lifestyle consumer brand company. Mr. Pettersson brings over 30 years of experience in sourcing, evaluating and acquiring automotive businesses around the world. Mr. Pettersson has served as Chairman of Brink Group B.V., a leading towing hitch business in Europe, since 2014, and has served as a director at ZetaDisplay AB since 2014, at KlaraBo Sverige AB since 2014, at Skabholmen Invest AB since 2009 and at PS Enterprise AB since 2005. As noted above, Mr. Pettersson served as Chief Executive Officer of Thule from 2002 to 2010, where he oversaw international expansion through the strategic acquisitions of Konig, Omnistor, Case Logic, TrackRac and Sportrack. Mr. Pettersson has also served as Chief Executive Officer of Hilding Anders AB from 2011 to 2014 and Capital Safety Group Inc. from 2010 to 2012, and previously held executive and managerial positions with AkzoNobel N.V. and Trelleborg AB. Mr. Pettersson served as a director of Pure Safety from 2010 to 2020, a director of Pure Power from 2016 to 2019, a director of Alite International AB from 2014 to 2019, a director of Victoria Park AB from 2011 to 2019, Chairman of Hilding Anders AB from 2012 to 2014 and a member of the operating review board of Arle Capital Partners Limited from 2012 to 2014. Since February 2021, Mr. Pettersson has served as Chairman of Stanadyne PPT Group Holdings, Inc. Mr. Pettersson served as a director of Kensington SPAC I from June 2020 until it consummated its initial business combination in November 2020 and served as a director of Kensington SPAC II from February 2021 until it consummated its initial business combination in October 2021. Mr. Pettersson is Chairman of Wallbox N.V., a provider of EV charging solutions. He is also a director of Kensington SPAC V.
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Mitchell Quain, who has agreed to serve as a director following the completion of this offering, is an investor and board member of multiple public companies serving the automotive and broader industrial segments, with vast knowledge of public equity markets. Mr. Quain has over 45 years of experience evaluating companies as both an equity research analyst and seasoned private equity investor. Mr. Quain has served as a member of the Executive Council at American Securities Inc. since 2020, having retired as a Partner at One Equity Partners (part of JPMorgan Chase & Co.). Previously, he served on the boards of multiple public and private companies including DeCrane Aircraft Holdings Inc., Handy & Harman Ltd, Hardinge, Inc., HEICO Corporation, MagneTek, Inc., Mechanical Dynamics, Inc., RBC Bearings, Inc., Strategic Distribution Inc., Tecumseh Products Company, Titan International, Inc., Xerium, Inc. and Jason Industries, Inc., and was Executive Chairman of Register.com. Mr. Quain was a Senior Advisor at Carlyle Group Inc. from 2014 to 2020. He has served on the board of directors of AstroNova, Inc., Star Equity Holdings, Inc. (f/k/a Digirad Corporation) and Williams Industrial Services Group Inc. since 2009, 2019 and 2020, respectively. Mr. Quain served as a director of Kensington SPAC I from June 2020 until it consummated its initial business combination in November 2020 and served as a director of Kensington SPAC II from February 2021 until it consummated its business combination in October 2021. He is also a director of Kensington SPAC V.
Donald Runkle, who has agreed to serve as a director following the completion of this offering, is a highly recognized vehicle engineer, with a deep understanding of emerging automotive technologies and broad relationships with automotive executives and investors globally. Mr. Runkle has over 50 years of experience, including senior leadership experience as Chairman or Vice Chairman at public and private automotive companies such as Delphi, EaglePicher Holdings, Inc. (“EaglePicher”), Autocam Corporation (“Autocam”) and EcoMotors International Inc. (“EcoMotors”) and as Vice President of GM’s Engineering Staff. Mr. Runkle began his career at GM, where he held several roles, including Chief Engineer of Chevrolet, Chief Engineer of Powertrain and Racing in the Buick Division, Director of Advanced Vehicle Engineering, Vice President of GM’s Advanced Engineering Staff and Vice President of GM’s North American Engineering Center. Mr. Runkle was President of Delphi’s Steering Division (formerly the Saginaw Steering Division of GM) in 1993, where he led a significant turnaround and divestiture of uncompetitive assets. From 1998 to 1999, he co-led the initial public offering spin-off of Delphi from GM, subsequently assuming the role of Executive Vice President of the Dynamics & Propulsion Sector in 2000. From 2003 to 2005, Mr. Runkle assumed the role of Vice Chairman and Chief Technology Officer of Delphi, later transitioning to EaglePicher as Chairman from 2006 to 2011 and Autocam as Chairman from 2007 to 2009. Additionally, Mr. Runkle served as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman of EcoMotors from 2009 to 2014 and Executive Chairman of Ioxus, Inc. from 2015 to 2017. Mr. Runkle previously served as a director of several public companies including Lear Corporation (“Lear”), Delphi and Outboard Marine Corporation, and was a director of Asia Automotive Acquisition Corporation, a special purpose acquisition corporation from 2005 to 2008. Mr. Runkle has served as a director of VIA Motors Inc. since 2014, senior consultant to Tennenbaum Capital Partners LLC since 2005, advisor to General Fusion Inc. since 2014, advisor to Tula Technology Inc. since 2014, advisor to ClearFlame Engines since 2019, advisor to The Holdsworth Group since 2017, and President of Runkle Enterprises LLC since 2005 on topics including technology and business strategy, electronics, fuel cells, energy development and storage, electrified vehicles and lean implementation strategy. Mr. Runkle also served as advisor to Soar Technology from 2017 to 2020, director of WinCup from 2009 to 2015, a director of the nonprofit Lean Enterprise Institute Inc., from 2008 to 2017 and director of Transonic Combustion from 2010 to 2015. Mr. Runkle served as a director of Kensington SPAC I from June 2020 until it consummated its initial business combination in November 2020 and served as a director of Kensington SPAC II from February 2021 until it consummated its business combination in October 2021.
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Matthew Simoncini, who has agreed to serve as a director following the completion of this offering, is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Lear from 2011 to 2018, with significant strategic and financial expertise in the automotive and automotive-related sector and extensive relationships with suppliers, business owners and intermediaries. Mr. Simoncini has over 35 years of experience in the automotive and automotive-related sector in evaluating companies, emerging technologies and management teams, with significant expertise in due diligence and assessing the suitability of acquisition opportunities. While President and Chief Executive Officer of Lear, Mr. Simoncini was responsible for the strategic direction and operational leadership of the company. From 2007 to 2011, Mr. Simoncini was Chief Financial Officer of Lear, responsible for Lear’s global finance operations, including external financial reporting, corporate business planning, corporate strategy and business development. Mr. Simoncini joined Lear in 1999 after Lear acquired UT Automotive (“UTA”), where he was director of global financial planning & analysis. Before UTA, Mr. Simoncini held financial and manufacturing positions with Varity Corporation’s Kelsey-Hayes Company and Horizon Enterprises Inc., including several senior financial roles in Europe. Mr. Simoncini began his career at Touche Ross & Co. and is a certified public accountant. Mr. Simoncini served as a director of Cooper-Standard Holdings from 2018 to 2020. Since 2020, Mr. Simoncini has served as a director of Luminar Technologies, Inc. Mr. Simoncini served as a director of Kensington SPAC I from June 2020 until it consummated its initial business combination in November 2020 and served as a director of Kensington SPAC II from February 2021 until it consummated its business combination in October 2021.
Market opportunity
Our focus will be on the global automotive and automotive-related sector. We believe the market opportunity is both highly diverse and large, representing a total addressable market of more than $5.5 trillion across three main segments: the automotive aftermarket, emerging technologies and Original Equipment Manufacturer (“OEMs”) and Original Equipment (“OE”) suppliers.
The automotive aftermarket (including the secondary market for used vehicle sales) represents a large segment within our total addressable market opportunity. We estimate an approximately $2.0 trillion market based on total used vehicle sales (approximately $1.5 trillion according to Navigant Research) and passenger car and light truck parts sales (approximately $440 billion according to Frost & Sullivan estimates) and medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicle aftermarket sales (approximately $100 billion according to Frost & Sullivan estimates). Parts and services providers include manufacturers, retailers, distributors, e-commerce platforms, tech-enabled services and financial and insurance services. Automotive aftermarket replacement demand is largely driven by vehicle miles driven, vehicle parc (population) and vehicle parc age. Historically, the automotive aftermarket industry has demonstrated demand resiliency given a stable and aging vehicle parc that requires higher vehicle repairs. A large and growing global parc of approximately 1.4 billion vehicles in operation represents a stable demand driver for aftermarket parts and services.
In addition to the traditional automotive aftermarket industry, we believe the emerging automotive technology market provides a highly attractive investment opportunity. According to PitchBook, the global mobility technology market is estimated to be approximately $475 billion across a wide array of high-growth technologies including autonomous driving, ridesharing, active safety, sensors and software, micro-mobility, car-sharing, digital auto commerce, last-mile delivery, fleet management & connectivity and electrification. We expect that these emerging technologies will offer a rapidly growing market with significant expansion over the next decade. According to PitchBook, these emerging technology subsectors are expected to grow to approximately $1.1 trillion by 2025. At this rate, the automotive technology market is expected to significantly exceed new vehicle sales growth, which is estimated to grow at a 3% CAGR from 2020 to 2030 according to McKinsey & Company. Additional industry
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growth is expected from environmental and safety regulatory requirements, driving both governments and businesses to meet emissions targets and increased consumer demands for safety. These challenges are expected to create enormous savings for all stakeholders, further incentivizing adoption of these technologies.
The OEM and OE supplier segment is primarily comprised of traditional light vehicle OEMs, commercial and specialty vehicle OEMs, Tier I/II/III suppliers, powersports and scooters / e-bikes. In total, we estimate the OEM and OE supplier addressable market is approximately $3.1 trillion. While new vehicle sales (for both light and commercial vehicles) are expected to experience lower growth compared to other automotive-related markets, we believe the proliferation of new EV sales provides a compelling long-term investment thesis.
Ultimately, we believe equity capital will be in high demand given the stress imposed on otherwise healthy businesses due to the COVID pandemic. We also believe that the customers of potential targets for our initial business combinations will be supportive of re-capitalizations to ensure supply continuity. Our management team has expertise, relationships and deep operational experience in the automotive and automotive-related sector in both up and down industry cycles. Additionally, the COVID pandemic has disrupted the global automotive and automotive-related sector, traditional M&A and capital markets activity, and we believe it presents an opportunity for founder-owned and private equity-owned companies to benefit from a public listing and access to new capital and ownership expertise. This disruption creates a unique opportunity for our team to leverage their operational and financial experience to identify a business that would benefit from a business combination with a special purpose acquisition company and access to the public markets as they emerge from the pandemic. We believe our identified target strategy and focus in the automotive and automotive-related sector offers clear differentiators in the marketplace for companies and owners seeking solutions and strategic alternatives in a post-COVID market.
Business strategy
Our business strategy is to identify and complete a business combination with a company in the automotive and automotive-related sector that demonstrates significant growth potential and/or value creation opportunities for our shareholders. Identified target companies may demonstrate the characteristics set out under “Our Acquisition Criteria” below. We believe our management team’s operational, financial and transaction experience in good and bad economic environments along with our deep understanding of the automotive and automotive-related sector will allow us to effectively and efficiently identify and evaluate potential opportunities for our initial business combination. Moreover, we believe our collective relationships and operational credibility will facilitate deal flow and resonate with the management, customers, and owners of prospective target companies.
To achieve a successful initial business combination, our management team will leverage their experience in the automotive and automotive-related sector and data analysis proficiency to quickly identify a company with a strong competitive position that can benefit from being a public company to execute its growth strategy and create value. We believe our targeted automotive and automotive-related sector focus and our management team’s background and experience will make us an attractive partner for strong management teams and owners looking to enter the next phase of business growth.
Following the completion of this offering, we intend to begin the process of communicating with the network of relationships of our management team and their affiliates to articulate the parameters for our search for a potential initial business combination target and begin the process of pursuing and reviewing potential opportunities.
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Our acquisition criteria
Consistent with our business strategy, we expect to identify companies that have compelling growth potential and a combination of the following characteristics. We will use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating acquisition opportunities, but we may decide to enter our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet these criteria and guidelines. We seek to acquire companies or assets with a significant share of the following characteristics:
| Ø | Automotive and automotive-related businesses. We will seek businesses that are in or may enter the automotive and automotive-related sector where businesses can benefit from our management team’s deep operational experience and vast network of industry relationships. Additionally, our operational and financial experience in the automotive and automotive-related space will allow us to effectively evaluate the soundness of a potential target’s business plans, management executional capabilities and potential impact of future mobility trends. Our management team’s collective profile enables us to conduct diligence efficiently, rapidly assess opportunities and identify value creation opportunities for our shareholders; |
| Ø | Middle-market businesses. We will seek middle-market businesses with an enterprise value greater than $500,000,000, determined at the sole discretion of our management team according to reasonably accepted valuation standards and methodologies; |
| Ø | Solid financial performance with financial visibility. We will seek businesses with either proven or attractive future financial performance, or the near-term opportunity to buttress profitable revenue streams, improve financial performance, and generate strong, sustainable cash flow; |
| Ø | Strong competitive position and growth potential. We will seek businesses that have intellectual property, brand value or innovation in automotive and automotive-related segments that can create growth opportunities or higher profitability compared to their competitors; |
| Ø | Established management teams. We will seek businesses that have established, competent management teams that can benefit from our team’s experience and networks; |
| Ø | Consolidation opportunities. We will seek businesses that could serve as a solid foundation for industry consolidations and roll-ups; |
| Ø | COVID-impacted businesses. We expect the global pandemic will leave previously strong businesses, with otherwise solid business plans, in a fragile operational state with limited liquidity options. We can utilize our equity capital, along with our management team’s operational, financial and industry experience, to stabilize the capital structure and revenue base of such businesses; |
| Ø | Entrepreneurs / unnatural owners. We will seek businesses that are owned by entrepreneurs and / or unnatural owners that are looking for a partner with our expertise and background to help execute the next stage of their growth; and |
| Ø | Can benefit from being a public company. We will seek businesses that can benefit from being a public company, including broader access to equity and debt capital markets, the public profile associated with being a publicly-traded company and increased governance discipline as compared to being private. |
These criteria and guidelines are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general criteria and guidelines as well as other considerations, factors, criteria and guidelines that our management may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria and guidelines in our shareholder communications related to our initial business
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combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials that we would file with the SEC.
Our acquisition process
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review which may encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial and other information that will be made available to us. We will also utilize our operational and capital allocation experience.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business 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 that is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, or an independent accounting firm that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Members of our management team will directly or indirectly own founder shares and/or private placement warrants following this offering and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Our sponsor has committed to purchase 14,800,000 private placement warrants (or 16,000,000 private placement warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $0.50 per warrant ($7,400,000 in the aggregate, or $8,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Our officers and directors are members of our sponsor, and they will lose their entire investment in the event we are unable to complete our initial business combination and, as a result, may have interests that are different from those of the holders of our public shares who are entitled to have their shares redeemed for $10.00 per share if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering. 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 is included by a target business as a condition to our initial business combination.
We currently have not selected a target business with which to consummate our initial business combination.
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities, such as Kensington SPAC V, pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities, including the obligation to present to Kensington SPAC V all target business opportunities that have a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account of Kensington SPAC V. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability complete our business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we renounce our interest in any to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any
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interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue. Our sponsor and certain of our officers and directors are involved with Kensington SPAC V and also not prohibited from sponsoring, investing or otherwise becoming involved with, any other blank check companies, including in connection with their initial business combinations, prior to us completing our initial business combination. Any such entities, including Kensington SPAC V, may access business combination opportunities ahead of us. Any other special purpose acquisition company may also have terms that are the same or different than our terms, including terms that are more favorable to its investors and/or potential target businesses. All of our executive officers and directors other than Dieter Zetsche served as the executive officers and directors, respectively, of Kensington SPAC II. Additionally, Justin Mirro, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer serves as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kensington SPAC V, Daniel Huber, our Chief Financial Officer, serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Kensington SPAC V and Anders Pettersson and Mitchell Quain, both of whom have agreed to serve on our board of directors, also serve on the board of directors of Kensington SPAC V.
Initial business combination
Our initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if permitted, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discount). The requirement that the target business or businesses together have an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account will be set forth in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, and will continue to apply to us even if our securities are no longer listed on the NYSE. 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 that is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own or acquire shares will own or acquire 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons. However, we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target, or issue a substantial number of new shares to third-parties in connection with financing our initial business combination. In such cases, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the outstanding
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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 by us is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. If our initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking shareholder approval, as applicable. In addition, we have agreed not to enter into a definitive agreement regarding an initial business combination without the prior consent of our sponsor.
Corporate information
Our executive offices are located at 1400 Old Country Road, Suite 301, Westbury, New York 11590 and our telephone number is (703) 674-6514. Upon completion of this offering, our corporate website address will be . Our website and the information contained on, or that can be accessed through, the website is not deemed to be incorporated by reference in, and is not considered part of, this prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. You should not rely on any such information in making your decision whether to invest in our securities.
We are an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands. Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies conducting business mainly outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Act. As an exempted company, we have obtained a tax exemption undertaking from the Cayman Islands government that, in accordance with Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, for a period of 20 years from the date of the undertaking, no law which is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations will apply to us or our operations and, in addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax will be payable (i) on or in respect of our shares, debentures or other obligations or (ii) by way of the withholding in whole or in part of a payment of dividend or other distribution of income or capital by us to our shareholders or a payment of principal or interest or other sums due under a debenture or other obligation of us.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
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We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our ordinary shares that are held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter; and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.00 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter.
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In making your decision on whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the backgrounds of the members of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company and the fact that this offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors.”
| Securities offered |
20,000,000 units (or 23,000,000 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of: |
| Ø | one Class A ordinary share; |
| Ø | one-Class 1 redeemable warrant; and (1) |
| Ø | one-Class 2 redeemable warrant. (1) |
| Proposed NYSE symbols |
Units: “KCAC.U” |
| Class 1 Warrants: “KCAC.WS” |
| New Units: “KCA.U”(2) |
| Class A ordinary shares: “KCAC” (3) |
| Trading commencement and separation of Class 1 warrants and new units |
The units will begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class 1 warrants and new units consisting of Class A ordinary shares and Class 2 warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day), unless UBS Securities LLC, as representative of the several underwriters (the “Representative”), informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the Class 1 warrants and new units commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold the original units (each of which will consist of one Class A ordinary share, one Class 1 warrant and one Class 2 warrant) or separate their original units into new units, each of which consists of a Class A ordinary share and a Class 2 warrant. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into Class 1 warrants and new units. |
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| Additionally, the units and the new units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination. |
| Separate trading of the Class A ordinary shares and warrants is prohibited until we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K |
In no event will the Class 1 warrants and new units be traded separately until we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC containing an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. |
Units:
| Number outstanding before this offering |
0 |
| Number outstanding after this offering |
20,000,000(3) |
Ordinary shares:
| Number outstanding before this offering |
9,857,142 Class B ordinary shares(5)(6) |
| Number outstanding after this offering |
28,571,428 ordinary shares, consisting of 20,000,000 Class A ordinary shares and 8,571,428 Class B ordinary shares(2) (5) |
Redeemable Warrants:
| Number of private placement warrants to be sold in a private placement simultaneously with this offering |
14,800,000(4) |
| Number of warrants to be outstanding after this offering and the private placement |
54,800,000(4) |
| Exercisability |
Each whole warrant is exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share, subject to adjustment as provided herein, and only whole warrants are exercisable. |
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| (1) | The Class 1 warrants and Class 2 warrants are identical, except that: (i) the Class 1 warrants will (to the extent described under “Trading commencement and separation of Class 1 warrants and new units”) begin separate trading on the 52nd day after the date of this prospectus, and (ii) the Class 2 warrants attached to shares that are redeemed in connection with our initial business combination will expire upon redemption of such shares. |
| (2) | Each new unit will consist of one Class A ordinary share and one Class 2 warrant. |
| (3) | The Class A ordinary shares will not trade separately, unless and until consummation of our initial business combination. |
| (4) | Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and, if applicable, the forfeiture by our sponsor of 1,285,714 founder shares. One of the warrants included in each unit sold in this offering is subject to forfeiture by holders who exercise their redemption rights. |
| (5) | Includes up to 1,285,714 shares that are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. |
| (6) | The shares included in the units are Class A ordinary shares. Founder shares are classified as Class B ordinary shares, which shares are convertible into Class A ordinary share on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described below adjacent to the caption “Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution.” |
| Exercise price |
$11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein. |
| In addition, if (x) we issue additional shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors, and in the case of any such issuance to our sponsor, initial shareholders or their affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by them prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of Class A ordinary shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which we consummate our initial business combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of each warrant will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) such that the effective exercise price per full share will be equal to 115% of the higher of (i) the Market Value and (ii) the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described adjacent to “Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00” |
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| will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price. |
| Exercise period |
The warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination provided that we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available and such shares are registered, qualified or exempt from registration under the securities, or blue sky, laws of the state of residence of the holder (or we permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the warrant agreement). |
| 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, and within 60 business days following our initial business combination to have declared effective, a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or a new registration statement covering the issuance of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares until the warrants expire or are redeemed; provided that, if our Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will be required to use our best efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. |
| The warrants will (except for Class 2 warrants attached to shares that are redeemed in connection with our initial business combination, which Class 2 warrants will expire upon redemption of such shares) expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City |
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| time, five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. On the exercise of any warrant, the warrant exercise price will be paid directly to us and not placed in the trust account. |
| Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00 |
Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants (except as described herein with respect to the private placement warrants): |
| Ø | in whole and not in part; |
| Ø | at a price of $0.01 per warrant; |
| Ø | upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, which we refer to as the 30-day redemption period; and |
| Ø | if, and only if, the last reported sale price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and as described above adjacent to the caption “Exercise Price”) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. |
| We will not redeem the warrants unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares (or a security other than the Class A ordinary shares into which the Class A ordinary shares have been converted or exchanged for in the event we are not the surviving company in our initial business combination) issuable upon exercise of the warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares is available throughout the 30-day redemption period, except if the warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise the warrants. |
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| If we call the warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our shareholders of issuing the maximum number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of our warrants. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the average last reported sale price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. Please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities—Redeemable Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants” for additional information. |
| None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us (except as set forth under “Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00”) so long as they are held by the sponsor or its permitted transferees. |
| Expression of Interest |
Our sponsor has expressed to us an interest to purchase an aggregate of $32,675,000 of the units in this offering, or approximately 16.3% of the units in this offering, and we have agreed to direct the underwriters to sell to our sponsor such number of units. |
| Because this expression of interest is not a binding agreement or commitment to purchase, our sponsor may determine to purchase more, fewer or no units in this offering. In addition, the underwriters may determine to sell more, fewer or no units to our sponsor. In the event that our sponsor purchases such units (either in this offering or after) and vote their public shares in |
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| favor of our initial business combination, only 2,446,787 affirmative votes from other public shareholders would be required to approve our initial business combination (assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s overallotment option). |
| Our sponsor will have the same rights to the funds held in the trust account with respect to the ordinary shares underlying the units it may purchase in this offering as the rights afforded to our public shareholders, except that our sponsor will not have the right to have such shares redeemed in our initial business combination. |
| Directed unit program |
At our request, the underwriters have reserved up to 10% of the units being offered by this prospectus (excluding the underwriters’ over-allotment option) for sale at the initial public offering price to our directors, officers, employees and other individuals associated with us and members of their families. The sales will be made by UBS Financial Services Inc., a selected dealer affiliated with UBS Securities LLC, an underwriter of this offering, through a directed unit program. We do not know if these persons will choose to purchase all or any portion of these reserved units, but any purchases they do make will reduce the number of units available to the general public. Any reserved units not so purchased will be offered by the underwriters to the general public on the same terms as the other units. Participants in the directed unit program who purchase more than $1,000,000 of units will be subject to a 25-day lock-up with respect to any units sold to them pursuant to that program. This lock-up will have similar restrictions to the 180-day lock-up arrangement described below. Any units sold in the directed unit program to our directors or officers shall be subject to the lock-up agreements described in this prospectus. |
| Founder shares |
In March 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000 for certain of our offering costs in exchange for our issuance of 7,475,000 founder shares. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by our sponsor, we had no assets, tangible or intangible. The per share purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the aggregate number of founder shares issued. On |
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| November 30, 2021, we effected a share issue of our Class B ordinary shares, resulting in an increase in the total number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding from 7,475,000 to 9,857,142. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 30% of the outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering. As such, our initial shareholders will collectively own 30% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a division of shares, a forfeiture of shares, issue of shares or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the percentage of founder shares at 30% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering. Up to 1,285,714 founder shares will be subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised so that the founder shares will equal 30% of our ordinary shares after this offering. |
| The founder shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, except that: |
| Ø | prior to the completion of our initial business combination, only holders of the Class B ordinary shares have the right to vote on the appointment of directors and holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares may remove members of our board of directors for any reason; |
| Ø | the founder shares are Class B ordinary shares that will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier, at the option of the holders, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described herein; |
| Ø | the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below; |
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| Ø | our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive (i) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any extended time that we have to consummate a business combination beyond 24 months as a result of a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (an “Extension Period”), although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. If we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an Ordinary Resolution (as defined in the company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association), which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company; |
| Ø | Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to |
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| their founder shares, we would need 5,714,287, or 28.6% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) (or 2,446,787, or 12.2% assuming our sponsor purchases $32,675,000 of the units sold in this offering), or no shares (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted), of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction in order to have our initial business combination approved (in each case assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised); and |
| Ø | the founder shares are subject to registration rights. |
| Transfer restrictions on founder shares |
Our initial shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property (except as described herein under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Shareholders—Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”). We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the lock-up. |
| Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights |
The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier, at the option of the holders, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as described herein. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked |
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| securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts issued in this offering and related to the closing of our initial business combination, including pursuant to a specified future issuance, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares shall convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the then-outstanding Class B ordinary shares agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance, including a specified future issuance) so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 30% of the sum of the total number of all ordinary shares outstanding upon the completion of this offering plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued or issuable to any seller in the initial business combination). |
| Election and removal of directors; voting rights |
Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors during such time. In addition, prior to the completion of our initial business combination, holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, holders of the Class A ordinary shares and holders of the Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders, except as required by law. Each ordinary share will have one vote on all such matters. Unless specified in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or as required by the Companies Act or stock exchange rules, an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law is generally required to approve any matter voted on by our shareholders. |
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| Approval of certain actions require a special resolution, and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, such actions include amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approving a statutory merger or consolidation with another company. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the appointment of directors, meaning, following our initial business combination, the holders of more than 50% of our ordinary shares voting for the appointment of directors can appoint all of the directors. |
| Private placement warrants |
Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 14,800,000 private placement warrants (or 16,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein, at a price of $0.50 per warrant ($7,400,000 in the aggregate or $8,000,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. The private placement warrants are identical to the warrants sold as part of the units in this offering, subject to limited exceptions. |
| A portion of the purchase price of the private placement warrants will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account such that at the time of closing $200.0 million (or $230.0 million if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full) will be held in the trust account. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, the proceeds from the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the private placement warrants will expire worthless. |
| The private placement warrants will be non-redeemable (except as set forth under “Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00”) and exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted |
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| transferees. If the private placement warrants are held by holders other than our sponsor or its permitted transferees, the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us in all redemptions scenarios and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the units being sold in this offering. |
| Transfer restrictions on private placement warrants |
The private placement warrants (including the warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants and the working capital warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or saleable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except as described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Shareholders—Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”). |
| Cashless exercise of private placement warrants |
If holders of private placement warrants elect to exercise them on a cashless basis, they would pay the exercise price by surrendering their warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “sponsor fair market value” (defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the sponsor fair market value. The “sponsor fair market value” shall mean the average last reported sale price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of warrant exercise is sent to the warrant agent. |
| The reason that we have agreed that these warrants will be exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by the sponsor or its permitted transferees is because it is not known at this time whether they will be affiliated with us following an initial business combination. If they remain affiliated with us, their ability to sell our securities in the open market will be significantly limited. We expect to have policies in place that prohibit insiders from selling our securities except during specific periods of time. Even during such periods of time when insiders will be permitted to sell our securities, an insider cannot trade in our |
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| securities if he or she is in possession of material non-public information. Accordingly, unlike public shareholders who could sell the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants freely in the open market, the insiders could be significantly restricted from doing so. As a result, we believe that allowing the holders to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis is appropriate. |
| Proceeds to be held in trust account |
Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, $200,000,000, or $10.00 per unit ($230,000,000, or $10.00 per unit, if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be placed into a U.S.-based trust account at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. These proceeds include $7,000,000 (or $8,050,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting commissions (the underwriters’ right to receive up to one-half of such amount placed in trust is subject to forfeiture by the underwriters on a dollar-for-dollar basis in the event of any redemptions in our initial business combination). The funds in the trust account will be invested only in specified U.S. government treasury bills or in specified money market funds. |
| Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our tax obligations, the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of (a) the completion of our initial business combination, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. Shareholders who do not |
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| exercise their rights to the funds in connection with an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would still have rights to the funds in connection with a subsequent business combination. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could become subject to the claims of our creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of our public shareholders. |
| Anticipated expenses and funding sources |
Except as described above with respect to the payment of taxes and in connection with redemptions of our public shares in connection with certain amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, unless and until we complete our initial business combination, no proceeds held in the trust account will be available for our use. The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government securities with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. We will disclose in each quarterly and annual report filed with the SEC prior to our initial business combination whether the proceeds deposited in the trust account are invested in U.S. government treasury obligations or money market funds or a combination thereof. Based upon a current interest rate of 0.10%, we expect the trust account to generate approximately $200,000 of interest annually. |
| Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, we may pay our expenses only from: |
| Ø | the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not held in the trust account, which will be approximately $2,000,000 in working capital after the payment of approximately $1,000,000 in expenses relating to this offering; and |
| Ø | any loans or additional investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or their affiliates or other third parties, although they are under no obligation to advance funds to, or invest in, us, and provided that any such loans will not have any claim on the proceeds held in the trust account unless such proceeds |
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| are released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants issued to our sponsor. |
| Conditions to completing our initial business combination |
There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately, including pursuant to any specified future issuance, or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. Our initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if permitted, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discount). The requirement that the target business or businesses together have an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account will be set forth in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, and will continue to apply to us even if our securities are no longer listed on the NYSE. |
| 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 that is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own or acquire shares will own or acquire 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. |
| We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons. However, we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment |
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| Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial business combination transaction. If less than 100% of the outstanding 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 by us is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test, provided that in the event that 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 shareholder approval, as applicable. In addition, we have agreed not to enter into a definitive agreement regarding an initial business combination without the prior consent of our sponsor. |
| Permitted purchases of, and other transactions with respect to, our securities by our affiliates |
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase public shares or public warrants or a combination thereof in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. There is no limit on the number of securities our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and the rules of the NYSE. Any such price per share may be different than the amount per share a public shareholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. Additionally, at any time at or prior to our initial business combination, subject to applicable securities laws (including with respect to material |
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| nonpublic information), our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire public shares, vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination or not redeem their public shares. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. Such persons will be subject to restrictions in making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will be required to comply with such rules. Subsequent to the consummation of this offering, we will adopt an insider trading policy which will require insiders to refrain from purchasing our securities during certain blackout periods and when they are in possession of any material non-public information and to clear all trades with our legal counsel prior to execution. We cannot currently determine whether our insiders will make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan, as such purchases will be dependent upon several factors, including, but not limited to, the timing and size of such purchases. Depending on such circumstances, our insiders may either make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan or determine that such a plan is not necessary. |
| Redemption rights for public shareholders upon completion of our initial business combination |
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest |
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| earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our tax obligations, net of taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share. The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the 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, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive (i) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. |
| Manner of conducting redemptions |
We will provide our public shareholders 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 general meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. Except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rule, the decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow shareholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the |
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| transaction would otherwise require us to seek shareholder approval. Asset acquisitions and share purchases would not typically require shareholder approval, while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would typically require shareholder approval. We intend to conduct redemptions without a shareholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless shareholder approval is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements or we choose to seek shareholder approval for business or other reasons. |
| If a shareholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association: |
| Ø | conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers, and |
| Ø | 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, if we elect to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, we and our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act to purchase the Class A ordinary shares in the open market, in order to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act. |
| In the event that we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public shareholders not tendering more than a specified number of |
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| public shares, which number will be based on the requirement that we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. If public shareholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the initial business combination, and instead may search for an alternate business combination. |
| If, however, shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law or stock exchange listing requirements, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other reasons, we will: |
| Ø | 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 |
| Ø | file proxy materials with the SEC. |
| If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an Ordinary Resolution (as defined in the company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association), which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company . Our sponsor, officers and directors will count towards this quorum and have agreed to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding ordinary shares 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 their founder shares, we would need 5,714,287, or 28.6% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) (or 2,446,787, or 12.2% assuming our sponsor purchases $32,675,000 of the units sold in this offering), or |
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| no shares (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted), of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction in order to have our initial business combination approved (in each case assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised). |
| We intend to give approximately 30 days (but not less than 10 days nor more than 60 days) prior written notice of any such meeting, if required, at which a vote shall be taken to approve our initial business combination. These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our sponsor, officers and directors, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem its public shares without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. |
| We may require our public shareholders 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 mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve our initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. We believe that this will allow our transfer agent to efficiently process any redemptions without the need for further communication or action from the redeeming public shareholders, which could delay redemptions and result in additional administrative cost. If the proposed business combination is not approved and we continue to search for a target company, we will promptly return any certificates delivered, or shares tendered electronically, by public shareholders who elected to redeem their shares. |
| Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ |
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fees and commissions (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to 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 Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, and all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and instead may search for an alternate business combination.
Unlike other blank check company offerings, we have structured our offering to be an offering of units that consist of one Class A ordinary share, one Class 1 redeemable warrant and one Class 2 redeemable warrant. We have structured our offering in this fashion in order to maximize cash available for use following our initial business combination. We are effectively providing an incentive to our shareholders to not redeem their Class A ordinary shares in connection with either our shareholder vote or our pre-business combination tender offer as they would forfeit the Class 2 redeemable warrant in the event they elect to redeem. The goal of the foregoing is to seek to maximize the amount of cash in trust that will be available for our use following our initial business combination. However, the cash proceeds available following our initial business combination would be reduced to the extent shareholders elect to redeem their Class A ordinary shares and forfeit the Class 2 redeemable warrants. The more redemptions, the less cash that will be in trust for use following our initial business combination. Further, we expect that warrant holders will not elect to exercise their warrants in the event that,
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following our initial business combination, the market price of our shares is less than the exercise price of the warrants. In that case, our ability to receive cash on exercise of the warrants (and our cash position) would be negatively affected.
| We believe this structure may be viewed more favorably by potential candidates for our initial business combination than the traditional structure as it provides an additional incentive for shareholders to not redeem and helps us to maximize cash following our initial business combination. |
| Limitation on redemption rights of shareholders holding more than 15% |
Notwithstanding the foregoing redemption rights, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, without our prior consent. We believe the restriction described above will discourage shareholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to redeem their shares as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public shareholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights against a business combination if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’ ability to redeem to no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a |
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| business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including all shares held by those shareholders that hold more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering) for or against our initial business combination. |
| Redemption rights in connection with proposed amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association |
Some other blank check companies have a provision in their memorandum and articles which prohibits the amendment of certain provisions. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that any of its provisions related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public shareholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by special resolution adopted by the affirmative vote of at least a two-thirds (2/3) majority, 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 ordinary shares entitled to vote thereon; provided that amendments relating to the appointment or removal of directors prior to our initial business combination require a resolution passed by the holders of a majority of our Class B ordinary shares. We may not issue additional securities that would entitle the holders thereof, prior to our initial business combination, to (1) receive funds from the trust account or (2) vote as a class with our public shares (a) on any initial business combination or (b) to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Our initial shareholders, who will collectively beneficially own 30.0% (or if our sponsor purchases $32,675,000 of the units issued in this offering, 41.4% and, if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised, 39.9%) of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), may participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum |
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| and articles of association and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Our sponsor, officers, and directors have agreed, pursuant to a letter agreement with us (filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part), that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us pursuant to which they have agreed to waive (i) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, and (ii) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. |
| Release of funds in trust account on closing of our initial business combination |
On the completion of our initial business combination, all amounts held in the trust account will be disbursed directly by the trustee or released to us to pay amounts due to any public shareholders who properly exercise their |
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| redemption rights as described above adjacent to “Redemption rights for public shareholders upon completion of our initial business combination,” to pay the underwriters their deferred underwriting commissions, to pay all or a portion of the consideration payable to the target or owners of the target of our initial business combination and to pay other expenses associated with our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemption of our public shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other assets, companies or for working capital. |
| Redemption of public shares and distribution and liquidation if no initial business combination |
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we will have only 24 months from the closing of this offering to complete our initial business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period or during any Extension Period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, net of taxes payable (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the |
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| requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time period. |
| Our sponsor, officers and directors have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period. However, if our sponsor, officers or directors acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time period. |
| The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commission held in the trust account in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and subsequently liquidate and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the funds held in the trust account that will be available to fund the redemption of our public shares. |
| Limited payments to insiders |
There will be no finder’s fees, reimbursements or cash payments made by us to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. However, the following payments will be made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates, none of which will be made from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination: |
| Ø | Repayment of an aggregate of up to $300,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor under a note. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had borrowed $200,000 under the note. Amounts due under the note may, at the option of our sponsor, be converted into the working capital loans described below; |
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| Ø | Payment of service and administrative fees to DEHC LLC, an affiliate of Daniel Huber, our Chief Financial Officer, of $20,000 per month for 18 months commencing on the date of this prospectus (upon completion of our initial business combination, any portion of the amounts due that have not yet been paid will accelerate); |
| Ø | Reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination; and |
| Ø | Repayment of loans which may be made by our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. Other than the $300,000 promissory note which may be converted into these working capital loans at the option of our sponsor, the terms of such loans have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto. Up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants, at a price of $0.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. |
| Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates. |
| Audit Committee |
We will establish and maintain an audit committee, which will be composed entirely of independent directors to, among other things, monitor compliance with the terms described above and the other terms relating to this offering. If any noncompliance is identified, then the audit committee will be charged with the responsibility to immediately take all action necessary to rectify such noncompliance or otherwise to cause compliance with the terms of this offering. For more information, see the section of this prospectus entitled “Management—Committees of the Board of Directors—Audit Committee.” |
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| Conflicts of Interest |
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, such as Kensington SPAC V, pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities, including the obligation to present to Kensington SPAC V all target business opportunities that have a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account of Kensington SPAC V. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability complete our business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we renounce our interest in any to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue. Our sponsor and certain of our officers and directors are involved with Kensington SPAC V and also not prohibited from sponsoring, investing or otherwise becoming involved with, any other blank check companies, including in connection with their initial business combinations, prior to us completing our initial business combination. Any such entities, including Kensington SPAC V, may access business combination opportunities ahead of us. Any other special purpose acquisition company may also have terms that are the same or different than our |
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| terms, including terms that are more favorable to its investors and/or potential target businesses. All of our executive officers and directors other than Dieter Zetsche served as the executive officers and directors, respectively, of Kensington SPAC II. Additionally, Justin Mirro, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer serves as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kensington SPAC V, Daniel Huber, our Chief Financial Officer, serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Kensington SPAC V and Anders Pettersson and Mitchell Quain, both of whom have agreed to serve on our board of directors, also serve on the board of directors of Kensington SPAC V. |
| Indemnity |
Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (except for the company’s independent registered public accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to us, or by a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, then our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor, which is a newly formed entity, has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. None of our officers will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses. |
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Risks
We are a newly formed company that has conducted no operations and has generated no revenues. Until we complete our initial business combination, we will have no operations and will generate no operating revenues. In making your decision whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the background of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company. This offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. Accordingly, you will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. For additional information concerning how Rule 419 blank check offerings differ from this offering, please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business—Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.” You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors.”
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Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements and risk factor summary
Certain statements in this prospectus may constitute “forward-looking statements” for purposes of the federal securities laws. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management team’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following risks, uncertainties and other factors:
| Ø | our being a newly formed company with no operating history and no revenues; |
| Ø | our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses in the automotive and automotive-related sector; |
| Ø | our ability to complete our initial business combination; |
| Ø | our expectations around the performance of the prospective target business or businesses; |
| Ø | our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination; |
| Ø | 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; |
| Ø | our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination; |
| Ø | our pool of prospective target businesses in the automotive and automotive-related sector; |
| Ø | risks associated with acquiring an operating company or business in the automotive and automotive-related sector; |
| Ø | our ability to consummate an initial business combination due to the uncertainty resulting from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases); |
| Ø | the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential business combination opportunities; |
| Ø | our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading; |
| Ø | the lack of a market for our securities; |
| Ø | the use of proceeds not held in the trust account or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance; |
| Ø | the trust account not being subject to claims of third parties; |
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| Ø | our financial performance following this offering; |
| Ø | the expected accounting for our public warrants as derivative liabilities; and |
| Ø | the other risks and uncertainties discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus. |
Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
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An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this prospectus, before making a decision to invest in our units. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
Risks relating to our search for, and consummation of or inability to consummate, a business combination
Our public shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our initial proposed business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public shareholders do not support such a combination.
We may not hold a shareholder vote to approve our initial business combination unless the business combination would require shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements or if we decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons. Except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rule, the decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow shareholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek shareholder approval. Accordingly, we may complete our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our public shares do not approve of the business combination we complete. Please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business—Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve our Initial Business Combination” for additional information.
In the event our sponsor purchases units in this offering, its ownership of those units at the time of a vote on our initial proposed business combination could reduce the number of votes of our public shareholders needed to approve such a combination.
Our sponsor has expressed to us an interest to purchase an aggregate of $32,675,000 of the units in this offering at the offering price, and we have agreed to direct the underwriters to offer to our sponsor such amount of units. Our sponsor will be entitled to vote the shares included in such units to approve our initial business combination. In the event that our sponsor purchases such units (either in this offering or after) and vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination, our sponsor will control 41.4% of the vote such that only 2,446,787 affirmative votes from other public shareholders would be required to approve our initial business combination (assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s overallotment option). These votes could reduce the number of votes of our public shareholders that are needed to approve such a combination.
If we seek shareholder 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 shareholders vote.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to their founder shares, we would need 5,714,287, or 28.6% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) (or 2,446,787, or 12.2% assuming our sponsor purchases $32,675,000 of the units sold in this offering), or no shares (assuming
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only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted), of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction in order to have our initial business combination approved (in each case assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised). Our initial shareholders will own shares representing at least 30.0% (or if our sponsor purchases $32,675,000 of the units issued in this offering, 41.4% and, if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised, 39.9%) of our outstanding ordinary shares immediately following the completion of this offering. Accordingly, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, it is more likely that the necessary shareholder approval will be received than would be the case if our sponsor, officers and directors agreed to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by our public shareholders.
Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination will be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash, unless we seek shareholder approval of the business combination.
At the time of your investment in us, you will not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of any target businesses. Since our board of directors may complete a business combination without seeking shareholder approval, public shareholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the business combination. Accordingly, if we do not seek shareholder approval, your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to exercising your redemption rights within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our public shareholders in which we describe our initial business combination.
The ability of our public shareholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.
We may seek to enter into a business combination transaction agreement with a 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 shareholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the business combination. Furthermore, we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause us to not meet such net tangible asset condition, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with us.
The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
At the time we enter into an agreement for our initial business combination, we will not know how many shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, and therefore will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted for redemption. If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, we will need to reserve a
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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 is submitted for redemption than we initially expected, we may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater portion of the cash in the trust account or arrange for third-party financing. Raising additional third-party financing may involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. 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 a business combination. The per-share amount we will distribute to shareholders who properly exercise their redemption rights will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commission and after such redemptions, the per-share value of shares held by non-redeeming shareholders will reflect our obligation to pay the deferred underwriting commissions.
The ability of our public shareholders to 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 our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may limit the time we have in which to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets, in particular as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our shareholders.
Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering. 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 end of 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.
We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, 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 shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed that we must complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering. We may not be able to find a suitable target business
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and complete our initial business combination within such time period. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period or during any Extension Period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, net of taxes payable (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such case, our public shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors in this section.
If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the 24-month period, we may seek an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the period of time we have to complete an initial business combination beyond 24 months. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will require that such an amendment be approved by a special resolution.
Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and other events and the status of debt and equity markets.
In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus was reported to have surfaced in Wuhan, China, which has and is continuing to spread throughout China and other parts of the world, including the United States. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.” On January 31, 2020, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II declared a public health emergency for the United States to aid the U.S. healthcare community in responding to COVID-19, and on March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization characterized the outbreak as a “pandemic”. The COVID-19 outbreak has adversely affected, and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) that could adversely affect, the economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we seek to consummate, or consummate, a business combination could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if continued concerns relating to COVID-19 continues to restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target company’s personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) continue for an extensive period of
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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.
In addition, our ability to consummate a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by COVID-19 and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases), including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity in third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all.
Finally, the outbreak of COVID-19 may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section, such as those related to the market for our securities and cross-border transactions.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may enter into certain transactions, including purchasing shares or warrants from the public, which may influence the outcome of a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our securities.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase public shares or public warrants or a combination thereof in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such shareholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. Additionally, at any time at or prior to our initial business combination, subject to applicable securities laws (including with respect to material nonpublic information), our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire public shares, vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination or not redeem their public shares. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. The purpose of any such transaction could be to (1) vote such shares in favor of the initial business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of the initial business combination, (2) 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 or (3) 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. This 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 ordinary shares or warrants and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, possibly making it difficult to obtain or maintain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
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If a shareholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our initial business combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.
We will comply with the tender offer rules or proxy rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our initial business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a shareholder fails to receive our tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, such shareholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, the tender offer documents or proxy 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 tender or redeem public shares. For example, we may require our public shareholders 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 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 shareholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures, its shares may not be redeemed. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business—Redemption Rights for Public Shareholders upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination—Tendering Share Certificates in Connection with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights.”
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
Since the net proceeds of this offering 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 will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the successful completion of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants and will file a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means our units will be immediately tradable and we will have a longer period of time to complete our initial business combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, if this offering were subject to Rule 419, that rule would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us unless and until the funds in the trust account were released to us in connection with our completion of an initial business combination. For a more detailed comparison of our offering to offerings that comply with Rule 419, please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business—Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.”
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, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on our redemption of our public shares, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or
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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. Additionally, the number of blank check companies looking for business combination targets has increased compared to recent years and many of these blank check companies are sponsored by entities or persons that have significant experience with completing business combinations. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement 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, because we are obligated to pay cash for the Class A ordinary shares which our public shareholders redeem in connection with our initial business combination, target companies will be aware that this may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. Additionally, our outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by target businesses. This may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating and completing an initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon our liquidation. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors in this section.
As the number of special purpose acquisition companies increases, there may be more competition to find an attractive target for an initial business combination. This could increase the costs associated with completing our initial business combination and may result in our inability to find a suitable target for our initial business combination.
In recent years, the number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially. Many companies have entered into business combinations with special purpose acquisition companies, and there are still many special purpose acquisition companies seeking targets for their initial business combination, as well as many additional special purpose acquisition companies currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available, and it may require more time, effort and resources to identify a suitable target for an initial business combination.
In addition, because there are more special purpose acquisition companies seeking to enter into an initial business combination with available targets, the competition for available targets with attractive fundamentals or business models may increase, which could cause target companies to demand improved financial terms. Attractive deals could also become scarcer for other reasons, such as economic or industry sector downturns, geopolitical tensions or increases in the cost of additional capital needed to close business combinations or operate targets post-business combination. This could increase the cost of, delay or otherwise complicate or frustrate our ability to find a suitable target for and/or complete our initial business combination.
If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 24 months, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination, in
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which case our public shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
The funds available to us outside of the trust account may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 24 months following the closing of this offering, assuming that our initial business combination is not completed during that time. We believe that, upon the closing of this offering, the funds available to us outside of the trust account will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 24 months following the closing of this offering; however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. Of the funds available to us, we could use a portion of the funds available to us to pay fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. We could also use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision in letters of intent or merger agreements designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into a letter of intent or merger agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon our liquidation. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors in this section.
If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants 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 sponsor or management team to fund our search for a business combination, to pay our taxes and to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.
Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, only approximately $2,700,000 will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $700,000, we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $700,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount. If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, management team or other third parties to operate, or we may be forced to liquidate. None of our sponsor, members of our management team nor any of their affiliates is under any obligation to advance funds to, or invest in, us in such circumstances. Any such advances may 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 $2,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants, at a price of $0.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. 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 are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have
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sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. Consequently, our public shareholders may only receive approximately $10.00 per share on our redemption of our public shares, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors in this section.
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 and complete 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 and/or accept less favorable terms. Furthermore, 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, after completion of any initial business combination, our directors and officers could be subject to potential liability from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to such initial business combination. As a result, in order to protect our directors and officers, the post-business combination entity may need to purchase additional insurance with respect to any such claims (“run-off insurance”). The need for run-off insurance would be an added expense for the post-business combination entity and could interfere with or frustrate our ability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors.
If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share.
Our placing of funds in the trust account may not protect those funds from third-party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public shareholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims 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
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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. Marcum LLP our independent registered public accounting firm will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, nor will the underwriters of this offering.
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 our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders could be less than the $10.00 per share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors. Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (except for the company’s independent registered public accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to us, or by a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, then our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor, which is a newly formed entity, has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per public share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
Our independent directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent
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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 if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders may be reduced below $10.00 per share.
The securities in which we invest the funds held in the trust account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share.
The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act, which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. While short-term U.S. government treasury obligations currently yield a positive rate of interest, they have briefly yielded negative interest rates in recent years. Central banks in Europe and Japan pursued interest rates below zero in recent years, and the Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve has not ruled out the possibility that it may in the future adopt similar policies in the United States. In the event that we are unable to complete our initial business combination or make certain amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, our public shareholders are entitled to receive their pro-rata share of 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, net of taxes payable (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses). Negative interest rates could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding 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 we and our board may be exposed to claims of punitive damages.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, 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 shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy or insolvency court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, 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 shareholders and the per-share
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amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or 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 shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including:
| Ø | restrictions on the nature of our investments; and |
| Ø | restrictions on the issuance of securities, |
each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including:
| Ø | registration as an investment company with the SEC; |
| Ø | adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and |
| Ø | reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and compliance with other rules and regulations that we are currently not subject to. |
In order not to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, unless we can qualify for an exclusion, we must ensure that we are engaged primarily in a business other than investing, reinvesting or trading of securities and that our activities do not include investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading “investment securities” constituting more than 40% of our total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Our business will be to identify and complete a business combination and thereafter to operate the post-transaction business or assets for the long term. We do not plan to buy businesses or assets with a view to resale or profit from their resale. We do not plan to buy unrelated businesses or assets or to be a passive investor.
We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee is not permitted to invest in other securities or assets. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, and by having a business plan targeted at acquiring and growing businesses for the long term (rather than on buying and selling businesses in the manner of a merchant bank or private equity fund), we intend to avoid being deemed an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. This offering is not intended for persons
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who are seeking a return on investments in government securities or investment securities. The trust account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of our primary business objective, which is a business combination; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (iii) absent a business combination, our return of the funds held in the trust account to our public shareholders as part of our redemption of the public shares. Shareholders who do not exercise their rights to the funds in connection with an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would still have rights to the funds in connection with a subsequent business combination. If we do not invest the proceeds as discussed above, we may be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors in this section.
Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, investments and results of operations.
We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we will be required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.
If we have not completed our initial business combination within the allotted time period, our public shareholders may be forced to wait beyond such allotted time period before redemption from our trust account.
If we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, we will distribute 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, net of taxes payable (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), pro rata to our public shareholders by way of redemption and cease all operations except for the purposes of winding up of our affairs, as further described herein. Any redemption of public shareholders from the trust account shall be effected automatically by function of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association prior to any voluntary winding up. If we are required to windup, liquidate the trust account and distribute such amount therein, pro rata, to our public shareholders, as part of any liquidation process, such winding up, liquidation and distribution must comply with the applicable provisions of the Companies Act. In that case, investors may be forced to
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wait beyond the allotted time period 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, prior thereto, we consummate our initial business combination or amend certain provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and then only in cases where investors have properly sought to redeem their Class A ordinary shares. Only upon our redemption or any liquidation will public shareholders be entitled to distributions if we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period and do not amend certain provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association prior thereto.
Our shareholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.
If we are forced to enter into an insolvent liquidation, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed as an unlawful payment if it was proved that immediately following the date on which the distribution was made, we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. As a result, a liquidator could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to us or our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, thereby exposing themselves and our company to claims, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons. We and our directors and officers who knowingly and willfully authorized or permitted any distribution to be paid out of our share premium account while we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business would be guilty of an offense and may be liable to a fine of approximately $18,000 and to imprisonment for five years in the Cayman Islands.
We may not hold an annual meeting of shareholders until after the consummation of our initial business combination, which could delay the opportunity for our shareholders to elect directors.
In accordance with the NYSE 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 NYSE. There is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual or extraordinary general meetings to appoint directors. Until we hold an annual general meeting, public shareholders may not be afforded the opportunity to appoint directors and to discuss company affairs with management. Our board of directors is divided into three classes, each of which (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual general meeting) will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being appointed in each year. In addition, as holders of our Class A ordinary shares, our public shareholders will not have the right to vote on the appointment of directors until after the consummation of our initial business combination.
The grant of registration rights to our initial shareholders may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exercise of such rights may adversely affect the market price of our Class A ordinary shares.
Pursuant to an agreement to be entered into on or prior to the closing of this offering, our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the resale of their founder shares, after those shares convert to Class A ordinary shares. In addition, holders of our private placement warrants and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the resale of the private placement warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants, and holders of warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans may
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demand that we register the resale of such warrants or the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of such warrants. We will bear the cost of registering these securities. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the shareholders of the target business may increase the equity stake they seek in the combined entity or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares that is expected when the ordinary shares owned by our initial shareholders, holders of our private placement warrants or holders of our working capital loans or their respective permitted transferees are registered for resale.
Because we are not limited to a particular industry, sector or geographic area nor have we selected any specific target businesses with which to pursue our initial business combination, you will be unable to ascertain the merits or risks of any particular target business’ operations.
Although we expect to focus our search for a target business in the automotive and automotive-related sector, we may seek to complete a business combination with an operating company in any industry, sector or geographic area. However, we will not, under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, be permitted to complete our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations. Because we have not yet selected or approached any specific target business with respect to a business combination, there is no basis to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity, financial condition or prospects. To the extent we complete our initial business combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations with which we combine. For example, if we combine with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenues or earnings, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable or a development stage entity. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all the significant risk factors or that we will have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a business combination target. Accordingly, any shareholders or warrant holders who choose to remain a shareholder or warrant holder following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such security holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
Members of our management team may in the future be involved in governmental investigations and civil litigation relating to the business affairs of companies with which they are, were, or may in the future be, affiliated. This may negatively affect our ability to consummate an initial business combination.
During the course of their careers, members of our management team have been employed by, served as board members of, and assisted many companies going through turnarounds, as well as companies in special situations, such as financial distress, restructuring and companies suffering from mismanagement in attempts to rectify such problems. As a result of their involvement with companies in these situations, they may in the future be involved in governmental investigations and civil litigation relating to the business affairs of such companies.
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For example, on October 2, 2020, a putative class action lawsuit was filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York by a purported Kensington SPAC I shareholder in connection with Kensington SPAC I’s initial business combination with QuantumScape. While the lawsuit has since been settled, the related complaint named Kensington SPAC I and certain then-current and former members of Kensington SPAC I’s board of directors as defendants, including certain members of our management team and alleged, among other things, breach of fiduciary duty claims against Kensington SPAC I’s board of directors in connection with the business combination. Additionally, certain lawsuits, including a putative class action lawsuit, have been filed against QuantumScape alleging, among other things, that the plaintiffs are entitled to exercise QuantumScape’s redeemable warrants within 30 days of the closing of Kensington SPAC I initial business combination with QuantumScape.
Any such investigations or litigations may divert our management team’s attention and resources away from searching for an initial business combination, may be detrimental to our reputation, and thus may negatively affect our ability to complete an initial business combination.
We may seek acquisition opportunities in industries or sectors which may or may not be outside of our management’s area of expertise.
We will consider a business combination outside of our management’s area of expertise if a business combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive acquisition opportunity for our company. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in any particular business combination candidate, we cannot assure you that we will adequately ascertain or assess all the significant risk factors. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors in this offering than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a business combination candidate. In the event we elect to pursue an acquisition outside of the areas of our management’s expertise, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained in this prospectus regarding the areas of our management’s expertise would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire. As a result, our management may not be able to adequately ascertain or assess all the significant risk factors. Accordingly, any shareholders or warrant holders who choose to remain a shareholder or warrant holder following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such security holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these criteria and guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if shareholder approval of the transaction is required
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by applicable law or stock exchange rules, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain shareholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors in this section.
We may seek acquisition opportunities with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue or earnings, which could subject us to volatile revenues 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 and with limited historical financial data, volatile revenues or earnings 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 the significant risk factors and we may not have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.
We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from an independent accounting 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 company 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 investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm that the price we are paying is fair to our company from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our shareholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
We may issue additional ordinary shares or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon the conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our shareholders and likely present other risks.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will authorize the issuance of up to 100,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, 10,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 preference shares, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 80,000,000 and 1,428,572 (assuming, in each case, that the underwriters
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have not exercised their over-allotment option) authorized but unissued Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares, respectively, available for issuance, which amount does not take into account the Class A ordinary shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of any outstanding warrants or the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of Class B ordinary shares. Immediately after the consummation of this offering, there will be no preference shares issued and outstanding. Class B ordinary shares are convertible into our Class A ordinary shares initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein, including in certain circumstances in which we issue Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities related to our initial business combination.
We may issue a substantial number of additional ordinary or preference shares to complete our initial business combination (including pursuant to a specified future issuance) or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares to redeem the warrants as described in “Description of Securities—Redeemable Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants— Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00” or upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. However, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide, among other things, that prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional securities that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote as a class with our public shares (a) on any initial business combination or (b) to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. The restriction on issuing additional shares described in the prior sentence will expire upon consummation of our initial business combination. The issuance of additional ordinary or preference shares:
| Ø | may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B ordinary shares resulted in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares; |
| Ø | may subordinate the rights of holders of ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our ordinary shares; |
| Ø | could cause a change of control if a substantial number of our ordinary shares is issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; |
| Ø | may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the share ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us; |
| Ø | may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A ordinary shares and/or warrants; and |
| Ø | may not result in adjustment to the exercise price of our warrants. |
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 are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account 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
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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 are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors in this section.
Since our initial shareholders will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed (other than with respect to any public shares they may hold), 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 $25,000 for certain offering costs on our behalf in exchange for the issuance of 7,475,000 founder shares. 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 30% of the outstanding shares after this offering. On November 30, 2021, the sponsor effected a share issue of our Class B ordinary shares, resulting in an increase in the total number of Class B shares outstanding from 7,475,000 to 9,857,142. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 14,800,000 (or 16,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) private placement warrants, each exercisable for one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, for a purchase price of approximately $7,400,000 (or approximately $8,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $0.50 per warrant, that will also be worthless if we do not complete our initial business combination within the allocated time period. Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed not to redeem any founder shares in connection with a shareholder 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, although they are under no obligation to advance funds to, or invest in, us. The personal and financial interests of our officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination. This risk may become more acute as the deadline for completing our initial business combination nears.
We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete a business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our shareholders’ investment in us.
Although we have no commitments as of the date of this prospectus to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt following this offering, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our initial business combination. We 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
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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:
| Ø | default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations; |
| Ø | 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; |
| Ø | our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt is payable on demand; |
| Ø | our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt is outstanding; |
| Ø | our inability to pay dividends on our ordinary shares; |
| Ø | 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 ordinary shares if declared, our ability to pay expenses, make capital expenditures and acquisitions, and fund other general corporate purposes; |
| Ø | limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate; |
| Ø | increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; |
| Ø | limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, and execution of our strategy; and |
| Ø | other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt. |
We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operations and profitability.
Of the net proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, up to $200,000,000 (or $230,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be available to complete our initial business combination and pay related fees and expenses (which includes up to $7,000,000, or up to $8,050,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, for the payment of deferred underwriting commissions (the underwriters’ right to receive up to one-half of such amount placed in trust is subject to forfeiture by the underwriters on a dollar-for-dollar basis in the event of any redemptions in our initial business combination), and after estimated offering expenses and working capital costs of $2,020,000).
We may complete 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 complete 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
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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. In addition, we intend to focus our search for an initial business combination in a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:
| Ø | solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset; or |
| Ø | dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services. |
This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our initial business combination.
We may attempt to simultaneously complete business combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to complete our initial business combination and give rise to increased costs and risks that could negatively impact our operations and profitability.
If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses that are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete our initial business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.
We may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In pursuing our acquisition strategy, we may seek to complete our initial business combination with a privately held company. Very little public information generally exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
We do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete our initial business combination with which a substantial majority of our shareholders do not agree.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold, except that we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. As a result, we may be able to complete our initial business combination even
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though a substantial majority of our public shareholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our 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 their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.
In order to complete our initial business combination, we may seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or other governing instruments, including our warrant agreement, in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination but that our shareholders or warrant holders may not support.
In order to complete 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, extended the time to consummate an initial business combination and, with respect to their warrants, amended their warrant agreements to require the warrants to be exchanged for cash and/or other securities. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our charter or other governing instruments, including to extend the time to consummate an initial business combination, in order to complete our initial business combination.
The provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that relate to our pre-business combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account), other than as described herein, may be amended with the approval of holders of at least 65% of our outstanding ordinary shares, 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 memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our shareholders may not support.
Some other blank check companies have a provision in their charter or memorandum and articles of association which prohibits the amendment of certain of its provisions, including those which relate to a company’s pre-business combination activity, without approval by holders of a certain percentage of the company’s shareholders. In those companies, amendment of these provisions typically requires approval by holders holding between 90% and 100% of the company’s public shares. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that any of its provisions related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public shareholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by a special resolution thereon adopted by the affirmative vote of at least a two-thirds (2/3) majority, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders if at least 65% of our outstanding ordinary shares entitled to vote thereon; provided that amendments relating to the appointment or removal of directors prior to our initial business combination require a resolution passed by the holders
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of a majority of our Class B ordinary shares. We may not issue additional securities that would entitle the holders thereof to (1) receive funds from the trust account or (2) vote as a class with our public shares (a) on any initial business combination or (b) to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. The restriction on issuing additional securities described in the prior sentence will expire upon consummation of our initial business combination. Our initial shareholders, who will collectively beneficially own at least 30.0% (or if our sponsor purchases $32,675,000 of the units issued in this offering, 41.4% and, if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised, 39.9%) of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering, may participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association which will govern our pre-business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete our initial business combination with which you do not agree. Our shareholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
Our sponsor, officers, and directors have agreed, pursuant to a letter agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. These agreements are contained in a letter agreement that we have entered into with our sponsor, officers and directors. Our public shareholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our sponsor, officers or directors for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our public shareholders would need to pursue a shareholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.
We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination.
Although we believe that the net proceeds of this offering 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 this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants prove to be insufficient, either because of the size of our initial business combination, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to repurchase for cash a significant number of shares from shareholders 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. 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. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial business combination, we may require such
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financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or shareholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination.
If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors in this section.
Our initial shareholders may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Upon the closing of this offering, our initial shareholders will own shares representing 30.0% (or if our sponsor purchases $32,675,000 of the units issued in this offering, 41.4% and, if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised, 39.9%) of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). Accordingly, they may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approval of major corporate transactions. If our initial shareholders purchase any units in this offering or if our initial shareholders purchase any additional ordinary shares in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their control. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, prior to the completion of our initial business combination, only holders of the Class B ordinary shares have the right to vote on the appointment of directors and holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares may remove members of our board of directors for any reason. See “—Holders of Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on any appointment of directors we hold prior to our initial business combination.”
In addition, our board of directors, whose members were elected by certain of our initial shareholders, is and will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. We may not hold an annual meeting of shareholders to elect new directors prior to the completion of our business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the completion of our initial business combination. If there is an annual meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered” board of directors, only a minority of the board of directors will be considered for election and our sponsor, because of its ownership position, will be able to control the outcome. Accordingly, our initial shareholders will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our business combination.
Our warrants and founder shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares and make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination.
We will be issuing warrants to purchase 40,000,000 Class A ordinary shares (or up to 46,000,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) as part of the units offered by this prospectus (and the Class 2 warrants—one-half of all the warrants issued—are subject to forfeiture by holders who exercise their redemption rights) and, simultaneously with the closing of this offering, we will be issuing private placement warrants to purchase an aggregate of 14,800,000 (or up to
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16,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) Class A ordinary shares at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as set forth herein, as part of the private placement warrants. Our initial shareholders currently own an aggregate of 9,857,142 founder shares. The founder shares are convertible into Class A ordinary shares 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 $2,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants, at a price of $0.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants.
To the extent we issue Class A ordinary shares to complete our initial business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of these warrants and conversion rights could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Any such issuance will increase the number of issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares and reduce the value of the Class A ordinary shares issued to complete the business combination. Therefore, our warrants and founder shares may make it more difficult to complete a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
The private placement warrants are identical to the warrants sold as part of the units in this offering except that, so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees, (i) they will not be redeemable by us (except as described under “Description of Securities—Redeemable Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00”), (ii) they (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of these warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by our sponsor until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, (iii) they may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis and (iv) the holders thereof (including with respect to the ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of these warrants) are entitled to registration rights. The private placement warrants will not vote on any amendments to the warrant agreement discussed elsewhere in this prospectus.
A provision of our warrant agreement may make it more difficult for use to consummate an initial business combination.
Unlike many blank check companies, if
| Ø | we issue additional shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like), |
| Ø | the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and |
| Ø | the Market Value is below $9.20 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like), |
then the exercise price of each warrant will be adjusted such that the effective exercise price per full share will be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described under “Description of Securities—Redeemable Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.
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Because we must furnish our shareholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective target businesses.
The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on a business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include target historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP, or international financial reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such financial 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 complete our initial 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. 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.
We may engage one or more of our underwriters or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us after this offering. Our underwriters are entitled to receive deferred underwriting commissions that will be released from the trust account only upon a completion of an initial business combination. These financial incentives may cause them to have potential conflicts of interest in rendering any such additional services to us after this offering.
We may engage one or more of our underwriters or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us after this offering, including, for example, identifying potential targets, providing financial advisory services, acting as a placement agent in a private offering or arranging debt financing transactions. We may pay such underwriter or its affiliate fair and reasonable fees or other compensation that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with any of the underwriters or their respective affiliates and no fees or other compensation for such services will be paid to any of the underwriters or their respective affiliates prior to the date that is 60 days from the date of this prospectus, unless such payment would not be deemed underwriters’ compensation in connection with this offering. The underwriters are also entitled to receive deferred underwriting commissions that are conditioned on the completion of an initial business combination.
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The underwriters’ or their respective affiliates’ financial interests tied to the consummation of a business combination transaction may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in providing any such additional services to us, including potential conflicts of interest in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.
Risks Relating to the Post-Business Combination Company
Subsequent to the completion of our initial business combination, we may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and the price of our securities, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will surface all material issues that may be present 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 shareholders or warrant holders who choose to remain a shareholder or warrant holder following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such security holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination. We cannot provide assurance that, upon loss of control of a target business, new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.
We may structure our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own or acquire shares will own less than 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of a target business. However, we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for 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 or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new ordinary shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target, or issue a substantial number of new shares to third-parties in connection with financing our initial business combination. In such cases, we would acquire a 100% interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new ordinary shares, our shareholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our outstanding ordinary shares subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority shareholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a
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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 our control of the target business. We cannot provide assurance that, upon loss of control of a target business, new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.
We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may complete our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company, which could, in turn, negatively impact the value of our shareholders’ investment in us.
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’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any shareholders or warrant holders who choose to remain a shareholder or warrant holder following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such security holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
The officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an acquisition candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place.
We may face risks related to businesses in the automotive and automotive-related sector.
Business combinations with businesses in the automotive and automotive-related sector entail special considerations and risks. If we are successful in completing a business combination with such a target business, we may be subject to, and possibly adversely affected by, the following risks:
| Ø | an inability to compete effectively in a highly competitive environment with many incumbents having substantially greater resources; |
| Ø | an inability to manage rapid change, increasing consumer expectations and growth; |
| Ø | an inability to build strong brand identity and improve customer satisfaction and loyalty; |
| Ø | a reliance on proprietary technology to provide services and to manage our operations, and the failure of this technology to operate effectively, or our failure to use such technology effectively; |
| Ø | an inability to attract and retain customers; |
| Ø | an inability to license or enforce intellectual property rights on which our business may depend; |
| Ø | any significant disruption in our computer systems or those of third parties that we would utilize in our operations; |
| Ø | an inability by us, or a refusal by third parties, to license content to us upon acceptable terms; |
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| Ø | potential liability for negligence, copyright, or trademark infringement or other claims based on the nature and content of materials that we may distribute; |
| Ø | competition for the discretionary spending of customers, which may intensify in part due to advances in technology and changes in consumer expectations and behavior; |
| Ø | disruption or failure of our networks, systems or technology as a result of computer viruses, “cyber-attacks,” misappropriation of data or other malfeasance, as well as outages, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, accidental releases of information or similar events; |
| Ø | an inability to obtain necessary hardware, software and operational support; |
| Ø | reliance on third-party vendors or service providers; and |
| Ø | The adverse impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) on the automotive and automotive-related sector, as a result of, among other things, decreased travel. |
Any of the foregoing could have an adverse impact on our operations following a business combination. However, our efforts in identifying prospective target businesses will not be limited to the automotive and automotive-related sector. Accordingly, if we acquire a target business in another industry, these risks we will be subject to risks attendant with the specific industry in which we operate or target business which we acquire, which may or may not be different than those risks listed above.
Risks Relating to our Management Team
Our ability to successfully complete our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be totally dependent upon the efforts of members of our management team, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of such people could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
Our ability to successfully complete our business combination is dependent upon the efforts of members of our management team. The role of members of our management team in the target business, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some members of our management team may remain with the target business in senior management or advisory positions following our initial business combination, it is likely that some or all of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements.
In addition, the officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure 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. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
Members of our management team may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business
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combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our 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.
Members of our management team may be able to remain with the 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. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business. However, we believe the ability of such individuals to remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination. There is no certainty, however, that any members of our management team will remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that any members of our management team will remain in senior management or advisory positions with us. The determination as to whether any members of our management team will remain with us will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
Our officers and directors may 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.
None of our officers or directors is required to commit his or her 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, including other business endeavors for which he or she may be entitled to substantial compensation, such as Kensington SPAC V or any other affiliated blank check company. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Our independent directors also serve as officers or board members for other entities. If our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs, which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination. For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs, please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Management—Conflicts of Interest.”
Certain of our officers and directors are now, and all of them in the future expect to become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us (and they may also participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, another special purpose acquisition company) and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time and determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Following the completion of this offering and until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Our sponsor and officers and directors are involved with Kensington SPAC V and also not prohibited from sponsoring, investing or otherwise becoming involved with, any other blank check companies, including in connection with their initial business combinations, prior to us completing our initial business combination. Our sponsor and officers and directors are, and in the future expect to become, affiliated with other entities (such as operating companies or investment vehicles) that are engaged in a similar
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business. For example, Justin Mirro, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer serves as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kensington SPAC V, Daniel Huber, our Chief Financial Officer, serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Kensington SPAC V and Anders Pettersson and Mitchell Quain, both of whom have agreed to serve on our board of directors, also serve on the board of directors of Kensington SPAC V.
Our officers and directors also may become aware of business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us and the other entities including those to which they then owe certain fiduciary or contractual duties, such as Kensington SPAC V, to which Justin Mirro, Daniel Huber, Anders Pettersson and Mitchell Quain are obligated to present all target business opportunities that have a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account of Kensington SPAC V. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. Any such entities, including Kensington SPAC V, may access business combination opportunities ahead of us. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. Any other special purpose acquisition company may also have terms that are the same or different than our terms, including terms that are more favorable to its investors and/or potential target businesses.
For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest that you should be aware of, please see the sections of this prospectus entitled “Management—Officers and Directors,” “Management—Conflicts of Interest” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”
Our officers, directors, security holders and their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests.
We have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, officers, security holders or affiliates from having a direct or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. In fact we may enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or officers, although we do not intend to do so. We do not have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.
We may engage in a business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In light of the involvement of our sponsor, officers and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor (or its affiliates), officers or directors or otherwise acquire a business that later becomes affiliated with our sponsor (or its affiliates) or otherwise carry out non-arm’s length transactions with any of such parties. Our directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Management—Conflicts of Interest.” Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. Our sponsor, officers and directors are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to complete our initial business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, and there have been no substantive discussions concerning a business combination with any such entity or entities. Although we will not be specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria for a business combination as set forth in the section of this prospectus entitled
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“Proposed Business—Sources of Target Businesses” and such transaction was approved by a majority of our disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA, or from an independent accounting firm, regarding the fairness to our company from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the business combination may not be as advantageous to our company and our public shareholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.
Risks Relating to our Securities
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, 2021, we had no cash and a working capital deficit of approximately $341,554. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our financing and acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through this offering are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to consummate an initial business combination will be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements contained elsewhere in this prospectus do not include any adjustments that might result from our inability to consummate this offering or our inability to continue as a going concern.
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.
Our public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (a) the completion of our initial business combination, and then only in connection with those Class A ordinary shares that such shareholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In no other circumstances will a public shareholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Holders of warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
If our securities are approved for listing, the NYSE may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
We intend to apply to have our units, new units, Class A ordinary shares and Class 1 and Class 2 warrants listed on the NYSE on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. Although after giving effect to this offering we expect to meet, on a pro forma basis, the minimum initial listing standards set forth in
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the NYSE listing standards, our securities may not be, or continue to be, listed on the NYSE in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on the NYSE prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and share price levels. In general, we must maintain a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 300 public shareholders). Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with the NYSE’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than the NYSE’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on the NYSE. For instance, in order for our Class A ordinary shares to be listed upon the consummation of our initial business combination, at such time, our share price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share, our global market capitalization would be required to be at least $200,000,000, the aggregate market value of publicly-held shares would be required to be at least $100,000,000 and we would be required to have at least 400 round lot holders. We may not be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.
If the NYSE delists any of our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list such securities on another national securities exchange, we expect such securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:
| Ø | a limited availability of market quotations for our securities; |
| Ø | reduced liquidity for our securities; |
| Ø | a determination that our Class A ordinary shares are a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A ordinary shares to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities; |
| Ø | a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and |
| Ø | a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future. |
The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because we expect that our units and eventually our Class 2 warrants and new units, and later our Class A ordinary shares and all of our warrants will be listed on the NYSE, our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants will qualify as covered securities under such statute. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of covered 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 NYSE, our securities would not qualify as covered securities under such statute and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of shareholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and
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restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares,” without out prior consent. However, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will not restrict our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. And as a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
If you exercise your right to redeem your Class A ordinary shares in our initial business combination, you will lose the Class 2 warrants associated with those shares.
Although you have the right to have your Class A ordinary shares redeemed in our initial business combination, if you do so you will lose your Class 2 warrants associated with those shares. This is different from other special purpose acquisition companies, which generally provide that holders of shares that are redeemed can keep the warrants associated with those shares.
Holders of Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on any appointment of directors we hold prior to our initial business combination.
Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors during such time. In addition, prior to the completion of our initial business combination, holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a resolution passed by at least two-thirds (2/3) of all holders (which must include a simple majority of the holders of Class B ordinary shares). Accordingly, you may not have any say in the management of our company prior to the consummation of an initial business combination.
You will not be permitted to exercise your warrants unless we register and qualify the issuance of the underlying Class A ordinary shares or certain exemptions are available.
If the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of the warrants is not registered, qualified or exempt from registration or qualification under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, holders of warrants will not be entitled to exercise such warrants and such warrants may have no value and expire worthless.
While we have registered the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act as part of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we do not plan on keeping a prospectus current until required to pursuant to the warrant agreement. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days, after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file, and within 60 business days following our initial business combination to have declared effective, a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or a new registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of such shares and
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maintain a current prospectus relating to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. 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, complete or correct or the SEC issues a stop order. If the shares 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 accordance with the terms of the warrant agreement. However, no 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, or an exemption from registration is available. Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will be required to use our best 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. 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 shall 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 Class A ordinary shares 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 public warrants included as part of units sold in this offering. In such an instance, our sponsor and its permitted transferees (which may include our directors and officers) would be able to exercise their warrants and sell the ordinary shares underlying their warrants while holders of our public warrants would not be able to exercise their warrants and sell the underlying ordinary shares. 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 Class A ordinary shares for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise their warrants.
Our sponsor contributed $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per founder share, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our Class A ordinary shares.
The difference between the public offering price per share (allocating all of the unit purchase price to the Class A ordinary share and none to the warrant included in the unit) and the pro forma net tangible book value per Class A ordinary share after this offering constitutes the dilution to you and the other investors in this offering. Our sponsor acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, significantly contributing to this dilution.
Upon the closing of this offering, and assuming no value is ascribed to the warrants included in the units, you and the other public shareholders will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 122.1% (or $12.21 per share, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), the difference between the pro forma net tangible book deficit per share of $(2.21) and the initial offering
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price of $10.00 per unit. In addition, because of the anti-dilution rights of the founder shares, any equity or equity-linked securities issued in connection with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our Class A ordinary shares.
We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.
Our warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants and, solely with respect to any amendment to the terms of the private placement warrants or working capital warrants or any provision of the warrant agreement with respect to the private placement warrants or working capital warrants, 50% of the number of the then outstanding private placement warrants or working capital warrants, as applicable. 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 or shares, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.
We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.
We have the ability to redeem outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the last reported sales price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders and provided certain other conditions are met. 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. As a result, we may redeem the public warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise the warrants. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force you (i) to exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) to sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, we expect would be substantially less than the market value of your warrants. None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us.
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Our warrant agreement will designate the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our warrant agreement will provide that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreement will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our warrant agreement. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions of the warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “NY foreign action”) in the name of any holder of our warrants, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (a “NY enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such NY enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the NY foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.
This choice-of-forum provision may limit a warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our warrant agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.
The determination of the offering price of our units and the size of this offering is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities and size of an offering of an operating company in a particular industry. You may have less assurance, therefore, that the offering price of our units properly reflects the value of such units than you would have in a typical offering of an operating company.
Prior to this offering there has been no public market for any of our securities. The public offering price of the units and the terms of the warrants were negotiated between us and the underwriters. In determining the size of this offering, management held customary organizational meetings with the underwriters with respect to the state of capital markets, generally, and the amount the underwriters believed they reasonably could raise on our behalf. Factors considered in determining the size of this offering, prices and terms of the units, including the Class A ordinary shares and warrants underlying the units, include:
| Ø | the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies; |
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| Ø | prior offerings of those companies; |
| Ø | our prospects for acquiring an operating business; |
| Ø | a review of debt to equity ratios in leveraged transactions; |
| Ø | our capital structure; |
| Ø | an assessment of our management and their experience in identifying operating companies; |
| Ø | general conditions of the securities markets at the time of this offering; and |
| Ø | other factors as were deemed relevant. |
Although these factors were considered, the determination of our offering price is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities of an operating company in a particular industry since we have no historical operations or financial results.
There is currently no market for our securities and a market for our securities may not develop, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.
There is currently no market for our securities. Shareholders therefore have no access to information about prior market history on which to base their investment decision. Following this offering, the price of our securities may vary significantly due to one or more potential business combinations and general market or economic conditions, including as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases). Furthermore, an active trading market for our securities may never develop or, if developed, it may not be sustained. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market can be established and sustained.
Because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, you may face difficulties in protecting your interests through the U.S. federal courts, and your ability to protect your rights through the U.S. federal courts may be limited.
We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon our directors or officers, or enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against our directors or officers.
Our corporate affairs will be governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act (as the same may be supplemented or amended from time to time) and the common law of the Cayman Islands. We will also be subject to the federal securities laws of the United States. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are different from what they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and certain states, such as Delaware, may have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholders derivative action in a federal court of the United States.
We have been advised by Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the
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United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a United States company.
Provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our Class A ordinary shares and could entrench management.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that shareholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include a staggered board of directors, the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preference shares and the fact that prior to the completion of our initial business combination only holders of our Class B ordinary shares, which are held by our initial shareholders, are entitled to vote on the appointment of directors and holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares may remove members of our board of directors for any reason, each of which may make the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
Risks Relating to Acquiring and Operating a Business in Foreign Countries
Our initial business combination or reincorporation may result in taxes imposed on shareholders or warrant holders.
We may, subject to requisite shareholder approval under the Companies Act, 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 in another jurisdiction. The transaction may require a shareholder or warrant holder to recognize taxable income or otherwise subject it to adverse tax consequences in the jurisdiction in which the shareholder or warrant holder is a tax resident or in which its members are resident if it is a tax transparent entity. We do not intend to make any cash distributions to shareholders or warrant holders to pay such taxes. Shareholders may be subject to withholding taxes, other taxes or other adverse tax consequences with respect to their ownership of us after the reincorporation.
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We may be a passive foreign investment company, or “PFIC,” which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors.
If we are a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. holder (as defined in the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation—United States Federal Income Tax Considerations—U.S. Holders”) of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants, the U.S. holder may be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences and may be subject to additional reporting requirements. Our PFIC status for our current and subsequent taxable years may depend on whether we qualify for the PFIC start-up exception (see the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation—United States Federal Income Tax Considerations—U.S. Holders—Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules”). Depending on the particular circumstances the application of the start-up exception may be subject to uncertainty, and there cannot be any assurance that we will qualify for the start-up exception. Accordingly, there can be no assurances with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year. Our actual PFIC status for any taxable year, moreover, will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year. If we determine we are a PFIC for any taxable year, upon written request, we will endeavor to provide to a U.S. holder such information as the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) may require, including a PFIC Annual Information Statement, in order to enable the U.S. holder to make and maintain a “qualified electing fund” election. However, there is no assurance that we will timely provide such required information or that we will continue to endeavor to provide such information following an initial business combination. Such election would be unavailable with respect to our warrants in all cases. We urge U.S. investors to consult their tax advisors regarding the possible application of the PFIC rules. For a more detailed discussion of the tax consequences of PFIC classification to U.S. Holders, see the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation—United States Federal Income Tax Considerations—U.S. Holders—Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.”
If we effect our initial business combination with a company located outside of the United States, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may adversely affect us.
If we pursue a target company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we may face additional burdens in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing such initial business combination, and if we effect such initial business combination, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
If we pursue a target 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:
| Ø | higher costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations and complying with different commercial and legal requirements of overseas markets; |
| Ø | rules and regulations regarding currency redemption; |
| Ø | complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals; |
| Ø | laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected; |
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| Ø | exchange listing and/or delisting requirements; |
| Ø | tariffs and trade barriers; |
| Ø | regulations related to customs and import/export matters; |
| Ø | local or regional economic policies and market conditions; |
| Ø | unexpected changes in regulatory requirements; |
| Ø | challenges in managing and staffing international operations; |
| Ø | longer payment cycles; |
| Ø | tax issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States; |
| Ø | currency fluctuations and exchange controls; |
| Ø | rates of inflation; |
| Ø | challenges in collecting accounts receivable; |
| Ø | cultural and language differences; |
| Ø | employment regulations; |
| Ø | underdeveloped or unpredictable legal or regulatory systems; |
| Ø | corruption; |
| Ø | protection of intellectual property; |
| Ø | social unrest, crime, strikes, riots and civil disturbances; |
| Ø | regime changes and political upheaval; |
| Ø | terrorist attacks, natural disasters and wars; and |
| Ø | deterioration of political relations with the United States; and |
| Ø | government appropriations 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 initial business combination, our operations might suffer, either of which may adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If our management following our initial business combination is unfamiliar with United States securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws, which could lead to various regulatory issues.
Following our initial business combination, our management may resign from their positions as officers or directors of the company and the management of the target business at the time of the business combination will remain in place. Management of the target business may not be familiar with United States securities laws. If new management is unfamiliar with United States securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.
After our initial business combination, substantially all of our assets may be located in a foreign country and substantially all of our revenue will be derived from our
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operations in such country. Accordingly, our results of operations and prospects will be subject, to a significant extent, to the economic, political and legal policies, developments and conditions in the country in which we operate.
The economic, political and legal policies, developments and conditions, as well as government policies, of the country in which our operations are located could affect our business. Economic growth could be uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy and such growth may not be sustained in the future. If in the future such country’s economy experiences a downturn or grows at a slower rate than expected, there may be less demand for spending in certain industries. A decrease in demand for spending in certain industries could materially and adversely affect our ability to find an attractive target business with which to consummate our initial business combination and if we effect our initial business combination, the ability of that target business to become profitable.
Exchange rate fluctuations and currency policies may cause a target business’ ability to succeed in the international markets to be diminished.
In the event we acquire a non-U.S. target, all revenues and income would likely be received in a foreign currency, and the dollar equivalent of our net assets and distributions, if any, could be adversely affected by reductions in the value of the local currency. The value of the currencies in our target regions fluctuate and are affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic conditions. Any change in the relative value of such currency against our reporting currency may affect the attractiveness of any target business or, following consummation of our initial business combination, our financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, if a currency appreciates in value against the dollar prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, the cost of a target business as measured in dollars will increase, which may make it less likely that we are able to consummate such transaction.
We may reincorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination, and the laws of such jurisdiction may govern some or all of our future material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.
In connection with our initial business combination, we may relocate the home jurisdiction of our business from the Cayman Islands to another jurisdiction. If we determine to do this, the laws of such jurisdiction may govern some or all of our future material agreements. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction may not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the United States. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital.
General risk factors
We are a newly formed 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 newly formed company with no operating results, and we will not commence operations until obtaining funding through this offering. Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of completing our initial business combination with one or more target businesses. We have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective target business concerning a business combination and may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we fail to complete our initial business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.
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Past performance by our management team and their respective affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us.
Information regarding performance by, or businesses associated with our management team and their respective affiliates, including the Other Kensington SPACs, is presented for informational purposes only. Past performance by our management team and their respective affiliates, including with respect to the Other Kensington SPACs, is not a guarantee either (i) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (ii) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team’s and their respective affiliates’ performance, including with respect to the Other Kensington SPACs, as indicative of our future performance of an investment in us or the returns we will, or are likely to, generate going forward. In addition, an investment in us is not an investment in any other entities affiliated with our management team. Furthermore, our sponsor is a newly formed entity formed for the sole purpose of holding securities of our company with no operational or historical record.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if any business in which members of our management team were previously, are now or in the future become, affiliated or otherwise associated with are subject to events that detrimentally impact its reputation or results of operations or otherwise do not perform as expected, such events, results or performance may be detrimental to our representation and thus may negatively affect our ability to complete an initial business combination.
We are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies and smaller reporting companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our shareholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the end of any second quarter of a fiscal year, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the end of such fiscal year. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not 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
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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.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
A partner at Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP owns equity interests in our sponsor.
As discussed under “Legal Matters,” a partner for our outside counsel, Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP, owns equity interests in our sponsor and holds no management, board or other position with our sponsor. The firm is passing on the validity of the units and warrants offered in this prospectus. We believe that partners at outside counsel to most special purpose acquisition companies do not own equity interests in the sponsor. The interest of this partner in our sponsor does not affect the validity of their opinion.
We employ a mail forwarding service, which may delay or disrupt our ability to receive mail in a timely manner.
Mail addressed to the company and received at its registered office will be forwarded unopened to the forwarding address supplied by Company to be dealt with. None of the company, its directors, officers, advisors or service providers (including the organization which provides registered office services in the Cayman Islands) will bear any responsibility for any delay howsoever caused in mail reaching the forwarding address, which may impair your ability to communicate with us.
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We are offering 20,000,000 units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit. We estimate that the net proceeds of this offering together with the funds we will receive from the sale of the private placement warrants will be used as set forth in the following table.
| Without Over- Allotment |
With Over- Option Fully Exercised |
|||||||
| Gross proceeds | ||||||||
| Gross proceeds from units offered to public(1) |
$ | 200,000,000 | $ | 230,000,000 | ||||
| Gross proceeds from private placement warrants offered in the private placement |
7,400,000 | 8,000,000 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Total gross proceeds |
207,400,000 | 238,000,000 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Estimated offering expenses(2) | ||||||||
| Underwriting commissions (2% of gross proceeds from units offered to public, excluding deferred portion)(3) |
4,000,000 | 4,600,000 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Legal fees and expenses |
300,000 | 300,000 | ||||||
| Accounting fees and expenses |
45,000 | 45,000 | ||||||
| SEC/FINRA expenses |
185,000 | 185,000 | ||||||
| NYSE listing and filing fees |
85,000 | 85,000 | ||||||
| Printing and engraving expenses |
50,000 | 50,000 | ||||||
| Miscellaneous |
10,000 | 10,000 | ||||||
| Travel and road show expenses |
25,000 | 25,000 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Total estimated offering expenses (excluding underwriting commissions) |
700,000 | 700,000 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Proceeds after estimated offering expenses |
$ | 202,700,000 | $ | 232,700,000 | ||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Held in trust account |
$ | 200,000,000 | $ | 230,000,000 | ||||
| % of public offering size |
100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | ||||
| Not held in trust account |
$ | 2,700,000 | $ | 2,700,000 | ||||
The following table shows the use of the approximately $2,700,000 of net proceeds not held in the trust account. (5)
| Amount | % of Total | |||||||
| Legal, accounting, due diligence, travel, and other expenses in connection with any business combination(6) |
$ | 250,000 | 9.2 | % | ||||
| Legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations |
150,000 | 5.6 | % | |||||
| Director and & officer liability insurance premiums(4) |
300,000 | 11.1 | % | |||||
| Consulting, travel and miscellaneous expenses incurred during search for initial business combination target |
150,000 | 5.6 | % | |||||
| Payment of service and administrative fees(7) |
360,000 | 13.3 | % | |||||
| NYSE listing fees |
170,000 | 6.3 | % | |||||
| Working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses |
1,320,000 | 48.9 | % | |||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Total |
$ | 2,700,000 | 100.0 | % | ||||
|
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|
|||||
| (1) | Includes amounts payable to public shareholders who properly redeem their shares in connection with our successful completion of our initial business combination. |
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| (2) | A portion of the offering expenses will be paid from the proceeds of a loan from our sponsor of up to $300,000 as described in this prospectus. Amounts due under the note may, at the option of our sponsor, be converted into working capital loans described elsewhere in this prospectus that, at the option of our sponsor, may be converted into working capital warrants. If the note is not converted into working capital loans, this amount will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $700,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) and amounts not to be held in the trust account. In the event that offering expenses are less than set forth in this table, any such amounts will be used for post-closing working capital expenses. These expenses are estimates only. In the event that the offering expenses are more than as set forth in this table, we may fund such excess with funds not held in the trust account. |
| (3) | The underwriters have agreed to defer underwriting commissions equal to 3.5% of the gross proceeds of this offering. The underwriters’ right to receive up to one-half of such amount is subject to forfeiture by the underwriters on a dollar-for-dollar basis in the event of any redemptions in our initial business combination. Upon completion of our initial business combination, $7,000,000, which constitutes the underwriters’ deferred commissions (or $8,050,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be paid to the underwriters from the funds held in the trust account, and the remaining funds, less amounts released to the trustee to pay redeeming shareholders, will be released to us and can be used to pay all or a portion of the purchase price of the business or businesses with which our initial business combination occurs or for general corporate purposes, including payment of principal or interest on indebtedness incurred in connection with our initial business combination, to fund the purchases of other companies or for working capital. The underwriters will not be entitled to any interest accrued on the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions. |
| (4) | This amount represents the approximate total amount of director and officer liability insurance premiums we anticipate paying following the completion of this offering and until we complete our initial business combination. |
| (5) | These expenses are estimates only. Our actual expenditures for some or all of these items may differ from the estimates set forth herein. For example, we may incur greater legal and accounting expenses than our current estimates in connection with negotiating and structuring our initial business combination based upon the level of complexity of such business combination. In the event we identify a business combination target in a specific industry subject to specific regulations, we may incur additional expenses associated with legal due diligence and the engagement of special legal counsel. In addition, our staffing needs may vary and as a result, we may engage a number of consultants to assist with legal and financial due diligence. We do not anticipate any change in our intended use of proceeds, other than fluctuations among the current categories of allocated expenses, which fluctuations, to the extent they exceed current estimates for any specific category of expenses, would not be available for our expenses. |
| (6) | Includes estimated amounts that may also be used in connection with our initial business combination to fund a “no shop” provision and commitment fees for financing. |
| (7) | Fees of $20,000 per month are payable to DEHC LLC, an affiliate of Daniel Huber, our Chief Financial Officer, for 18 months commencing on the date of this prospectus (upon completion of our initial business combination, any portion of the amounts due that have not yet been paid will accelerate). |
Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, $200,000,000 (or $230,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), including $7,000,000 (or $8,050,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of deferred underwriting commissions (the underwriters’ right to receive up to one-half of such amount placed in trust is subject to
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forfeiture by the underwriters on a dollar-for-dollar basis in the event of any redemptions in our initial business combination), will be placed in a U.S.-based trust account at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. We estimate that the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $200,000 per year, assuming an interest rate of 0.10% per year. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our tax obligations, the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will not be released from the trust account until the earliest to occur of: (a) the completion of our initial business combination; (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed our business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law.
The net proceeds held in the trust account may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we ultimately complete our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemption of our public shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released 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 assets, companies or for working capital.
We believe that amounts not held in trust will be sufficient to pay the costs and expenses to which such proceeds are allocated. This belief is based on the fact that while we may begin preliminary due diligence of a target business in connection with an indication of interest, we intend to undertake in-depth due diligence, depending on the circumstances of the relevant prospective acquisition, only after we have negotiated and signed a letter of intent or other preliminary agreement that addresses the terms of a business combination. However, if our estimate of the costs of undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating a business combination is less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may be required to raise additional capital, the amount, availability and cost of which is currently unascertainable. If we are required to seek additional capital, we could seek such additional capital through loans or additional investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or their affiliates, but such persons are not under any obligation to advance funds to, or invest in, us.
Commencing on the date of this prospectus, we have agreed to pay DEHC LLC, an affiliate of Daniel Huber, our Chief Financial Officer, service and administrative fees of $20,000 per month for 18 months (upon completion of our initial business combination, any portion of the amounts due that have not yet been paid will accelerate).
Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. This loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the earlier of June 30, 2022 and the closing of this offering; provided that amounts due under the note may, at the option of our sponsor, be converted into working capital loans described elsewhere in this prospectus that, at the option of our
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sponsor, may be converted into working capital warrants. If the note is not converted into working capital loans, the loan will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the offering proceeds not held in the trust account. As of December 31, 2021, we had borrowed $200,000 under the note.
In addition, 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, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans could be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants, at a price of $0.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. Other than the $300,000 promissory note which may be converted into these working capital loans at the option of our sponsor, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor 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 seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase public shares or public warrants or a combination thereof in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit on the number of shares our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and the rules of the NYSE. 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. If they engage in such transactions, they will be subject to restrictions in making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will be required to comply with such rules.
Our sponsor has expressed to us an interest to purchase an aggregate of $32,675,000 of the units in this offering, or approximately 16.3% of the units in this offering, and we have agreed to direct the underwriters to sell to our sponsor such number of units.
We will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. If public shareholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the initial business combination, and instead may search for an alternate business combination.
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A public shareholder will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (a) the completion of our initial business combination and then, only in connection with those public shares that such shareholder has properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described in this prospectus, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed our business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. Shareholders who do not exercise their rights to the funds in connection with an amendment to our memorandum and articles of association would still have rights to the funds in connection with a subsequent business combination. In no other circumstances will a public shareholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. Holders of warrants will not have any rights of proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive (i) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, and (ii) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. In addition, our initial shareholders have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our business combination within the prescribed time frame. However, if our sponsor or any of our officers, directors or affiliates acquires public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. Permitted transferees of the founder shares will be subject to the same restrictions.
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We have not paid any cash dividends on our ordinary shares to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to our initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. If we increase the size of this offering, we will effect a division of shares, a forfeiture of shares, issue of shares or other appropriate mechanism with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the percentage of founder shares at 30% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering. Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
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The difference between the public offering price per Class A ordinary share, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units we are offering pursuant to this prospectus or the private placement warrants, and the pro forma net tangible book value per ordinary share after this offering constitutes the dilution to investors in this offering. Such calculation does not reflect any dilution associated with the sale and exercise of warrants, including the private placement warrants, which would cause the actual dilution to the public shareholders to be higher, particularly where a cashless exercise is utilized. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our net tangible book value, which is our total tangible assets less total liabilities (including the value of Class A ordinary shares which may be redeemed for cash), by the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares.
At December 31, 2021, our net tangible book deficit was $(341,554) or approximately ($0.03) per ordinary share. After giving effect to the sale of 20,000,000 Class A ordinary shares included in the units we are offering by this prospectus, the sale of the private placement warrants and the deduction of underwriting commissions and estimated expenses of this offering, our pro forma net tangible book deficit at December 31, 2021 would have been $(18,602,311), or approximately $(2.17) per share, representing an immediate decrease in net tangible book value (as decreased by the value of 20,000,000 Class A ordinary shares that may be redeemed for cash and assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) of $(2.14) per share to our initial shareholders as of the date of this prospectus and an immediate dilution of $12.17 per share or 121.7% to our public shareholders. The dilution to new investors if the underwriters exercise the over-allotment option in full would be an immediate dilution of $12.17 per share or 121.7%.
The following table illustrates the dilution to the public shareholders on a per-share basis, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units or the private placement warrants (assuming no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option):
| Without Over- allotment |
With Over- allotment |
|||||||||||||||
| Public offering price |
$ | 10.00 | $ | 10.00 | ||||||||||||
| Net tangible book deficit before this offering |
(0.03 | ) | (0.03 | ) | ||||||||||||
| Decrease attributable to public shareholders |
(2.14 | ) | (2.14 | ) | ||||||||||||
| Pro forma net tangible book deficit after this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants |
(2.17 | ) | (2.17 | ) | ||||||||||||
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| Dilution to public shareholders |
$ | 12.17 | $ | 12.17 | ||||||||||||
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|
|
|
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| Percentage of dilution to public shareholders |
121.7 | % | 121.7 | % | ||||||||||||
For purposes of presentation, we have reduced our pro forma net tangible book value after this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) by $200,000,000 because holders of our public shares may redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account at a per-share redemption price equal to the amount in the trust account, calculated as of two business days prior to 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, net of taxes payable, divided by the number of Class A ordinary shares sold in this offering.
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The following table sets forth information with respect to our initial shareholders and the public shareholders:
| Shares Purchased | Total Consideration | Average Price | ||||||||||||||||||
| Number | Percentage | Amount | Percentage | Per Share | ||||||||||||||||
| Initial Shareholders(1) |
8,571,428 | 30.00 | % | $ | 25,000 | 0.01 | % | $ | 0.003 | |||||||||||
| Public Shareholders |
20,000,000 | 70.00 | % | 200,000,000 | 99.99 | % | $ | 10.00 | ||||||||||||
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| 28,571,428 | 100.00 | % | $ | 200,025,000 | 100.00 | % | ||||||||||||||
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|
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| (1) | Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the corresponding forfeiture of 1,285,714 Class B ordinary shares held by our sponsor. |
The pro forma net tangible book value per share after the offering is calculated as follows (assuming no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option):
| Without Over- allotment |
With Over- allotment |
|||||||
| Numerator: |
||||||||
| Net tangible book deficit before this offering |
$ | (341,554 | ) | $ | (341,554 | ) | ||
| Net proceeds from this offering and sale of the private placement warrants |
202,700,000 | 232,700,000 | ||||||
| Plus: Offering costs paid in advance, excluded from tangible book deficit before this offering |
307,243 | 307,243 | ||||||
| Less: Deferred underwriting commissions(1) |
(7,000,000 | ) | (8,050,000 | ) | ||||
| Less: Derivative warrant liabilities |
(14,268,000 | ) | (15,990,000 | ) | ||||
| Less: Proceeds held in trust subject to redemption |
(200,000,000 | ) | (230,000,000 | ) | ||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| $ | (18,602,311 | ) | $ | (21,374,311 | ) | |||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Denominator: |
||||||||
| Ordinary shares outstanding prior to this offering |
9,857,142 | 9,857,142 | ||||||
| Ordinary shares forfeited if over-allotment is not exercised |
(1,285,714 | ) | — | |||||
| Ordinary shares included in the units offered |
20,000,000 | 23,000,000 | ||||||
| Less: Ordinary shares subject to redemption |
(20,000,000 | ) | (23,000,000 | ) | ||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| 8,571,428 | 9,857,142 | |||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| (1) | The underwriters’ right to receive up to one-half of such amount placed in trust is subject to forfeiture by the underwriters on a dollar-for-dollar basis in the event of any redemptions in our initial business combination. |
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The following table sets forth our capitalization at December 31, 2021, and as adjusted to give effect to the sale of our units and the private placement warrants and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities:
| December 31, 2021 | ||||||||
| Actual | As Adjusted(1) | |||||||
| Note payable to related party(2) |
$ | 200,000 | $ | — | ||||
| Deferred underwriting commissions(3) |
— | 7,000,000 | ||||||
| Derivative warrant liabilities(4) |
— | 14,268,000 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| New Units, including Class A ordinary shares and Class 2 Warrants; and 20,000,000 units are subject to possible redemption, respectively(5) |
— | 200,000,000 | ||||||
| Preference shares, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 and 5,000,000 shares authorized, actual and as adjusted, respectively; none issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted |
— | — | ||||||
| Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 100,000,000 and 500,000,000 shares authorized, actual and as adjusted, respectively; no non-redeemable shares issued or outstanding |
— | — | ||||||
| Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 10,000,0000 and 50,000,000 shares authorized, actual and as adjusted, respectively; 9,857,142 and 8,571,428 shares issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted, respectively |
986 | 857 | ||||||
| Additional paid-in capital |
24,014 | — | ||||||
| Accumulated deficit(6) |
(59,311 | ) | (18,603,168 | ) | ||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Total shareholders' deficit |
$ | (34,311 | ) | $ | (18,602,311 | ) | ||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Total capitalization |
$ | 165,689 | $ | 202,665,689 | ||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| (1) | Assumes the underwriters’ over-allotment option has not been exercised and the resulting forfeiture of 1,285,714 founder shares have occurred. |
| (2) | Our sponsor has agreed to loan as up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. Amounts due under the loan may, at the option of our sponsor, be converted into working capital loans described elsewhere in this prospectus that, at the option of our sponsor, may be converted into working capital warrants. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had borrowed $200,000 under the note. |
| (3) | The underwriters’ right to receive up to one-half of such amount placed in trust is subject to forfeiture by the underwriters on a dollar-for-dollar basis in the event of any redemptions in our initial business combination. |
| (4) | Each unit consists of one Class A ordinary share, one Class 1 redeemable warrant and one Class 2 redeemable warrant. The separation of the Class 1 redeemable warrant will result in a new unit upon such separation (the “New Unit”), comprising one Class A ordinary share and one Class 2 redeemable warrant. All of the 20,000,000 New Units (consisting of one Class A ordinary share and one Class 2 redeemable warrant) sold as part of the units in the offering contain a redemption feature which allows for the redemption of such Class A ordinary shares (and if such shareholders redeem their Class A ordinary shares, the embedded Class 2 redeemable warrant will terminate) in connection with our liquidation, if there is a shareholder vote or tender offer in connection with our initial business combination and in connection with certain amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. In accordance with ASC 480-10-S99, redemption provisions not solely within the control of a company require ordinary share subject to redemption to be classified outside of permanent equity. Accordingly, all of the outstanding New Units are presented as temporary equity, outside of the shareholders’ equity section of the Company’s balance sheet. Given that the 20,000,000 New Units sold as part of the units in the offering will be issued with other freestanding instruments (i.e., Class 1 redeemable warrants), the initial carrying value of New Units classified as temporary equity will be the allocated proceeds determined in accordance with ASC 470-20. The resulting discount to the initial carrying value of temporary equity will be remeasured upon closing the Initial Public Offering such that the carrying value will equal the redemption value on such date. The remeasurement will be recognized as a reduction to retained earnings, |
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Capitalization
| or in absence of retained earnings, additional paid-in capital, to the extent available). Accretion associated with the redeemable New Units is excluded from earnings per share as the redemption value approximates fair value. The warrant liabilities include liabilities in respect of both public and private warrants. |
| (5) | Actual share amount is prior to any forfeiture of founder shares by our sponsor and as adjusted amount assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. |
| (6) | As adjusted accumulated deficit includes the immediate remeasurement of the carry value of the New Units subject to redemption value. |
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Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations
Overview
We are a newly organized blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company and incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. We have not selected any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. We intend to complete our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our shares, debt or a combination of cash, shares and debt.
The issuance of additional shares in a business combination:
| Ø | may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B ordinary shares resulted in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares; |
| Ø | may subordinate the rights of holders of ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our ordinary shares; |
| Ø | could cause a change of control if a substantial number of ordinary shares is issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; |
| Ø | may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the share ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us; |
| Ø | may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A ordinary shares and/or warrants; and |
| Ø | may not result in adjustment to the exercise price of our warrants. |
Similarly, if we issue debt securities or otherwise incur significant debt to bank or other lenders or owners of a target, it could result in:
| Ø | default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations; |
| Ø | 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; |
| Ø | our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt is payable on demand; |
| Ø | our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt is outstanding; |
| Ø | our inability to pay dividends on our ordinary shares; |
| Ø | 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 ordinary shares if declared, our ability to pay expenses, make capital expenditures and acquisitions, and fund other general corporate purposes; |
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| Ø | limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate; |
| Ø | increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; |
| Ø | limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, and execution of our strategy; and |
| Ø | other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt. |
As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, at December 31, 2021, we had approximately $77,000 in cash and a working capital deficit of approximately $342,000. Further, we expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to complete our initial business combination will be successful.
Results of operations and known trends or future events
We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our only activities since inception have been organizational activities and those necessary to prepare for this offering. Following this offering, we will not generate any operating revenues until after completion of our initial business combination. We will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents after this offering. There has been no significant change in our financial or trading position and no material adverse change has occurred since the date of our audited financial statements. After this offering, we expect to incur increased expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses. We expect our expenses to increase substantially after the closing of this offering.
Liquidity and capital resources
Our liquidity needs have been satisfied prior to the completion of this offering through a capital contribution from our sponsor of $25,000 and a loan to us of up to $300,000 by our sponsor under an unsecured promissory note. Amounts due under the note may, at the option of our sponsor, be converted into working capital loans described elsewhere in this prospectus that, at the option of our sponsor, may be converted into working capital warrants. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our financing and acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this uncertainty through this offering are discussed above. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to complete an initial business combination will be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
We estimate that the net proceeds from (i) the sale of the units in this offering, after deducting offering expenses of approximately $700,000, underwriting commissions of $4,000,000 ($4,6000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) (excluding deferred underwriting commissions of $7,000,000 (or $8,050,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full)), and (ii) the sale of the private placement warrants for a purchase price of $7,400,000 (or $8,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), will be $202,700,000 (or $232,700,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). Of this amount, $200,000,000 (or $230,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be held in the trust account, which includes $7,000,000 (or $8,050,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of deferred underwriting commissions (the underwriters’ right to receive up to one-half of such amount placed in trust is subject to forfeiture by the underwriters on a dollar-for-dollar basis in the event of any redemptions in our initial business combination). The remaining approximately
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$2,700,000 will not be held in the trust account. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $700,000, we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $700,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account (less amounts released to us for taxes payable and deferred underwriting commissions) to complete our initial business combination. We may withdraw interest to pay taxes. Our annual income tax obligations will depend on the amount of interest and other income earned on the amounts held in the trust account. To the extent that our shares or debt are used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.
Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we will have available to us the approximately $2,700,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account. We will use these funds primarily to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, and structure, negotiate and complete a business combination.
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, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants, at a price of $0.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. Other than the $300,000 promissory note which may be converted into these working capital loans at the option of our sponsor, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
We expect our primary liquidity requirements during that period to include approximately $250,000 for legal, accounting, due diligence, travel and other expenses in connection with any business combination; $150,000 for legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations; $150,000 for consulting, travel and miscellaneous expenses incurred during search for initial business combination target; $300,000 for director & officer liability insurance premiums; $360,000 for payment of service and administrative fees to DEHC LLC, an affiliate of Daniel Huber, our Chief Financial Officer, of $20,000 per month for 18 months commencing on the date of this prospectus (upon completion of our initial business combination, any portion of the amounts due that have not yet been paid will accelerate); $170,000 for NYSE listing fees; and $1,320,000 for working capital that will be used to cover miscellaneous expenses.
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These amounts are estimates and may differ materially from our actual expenses. In addition, we could use a portion of the funds not being placed in trust to pay commitment fees for financing, fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business or as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into an agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business, the amount that would be used as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision would be determined based on the terms of the specific business combination and the amount of our available funds at the time. Our forfeiture of such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise) could result in our not having sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conducting due diligence with respect to, prospective target businesses.
We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds following this offering in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, if our estimates of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating an initial business combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our business combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to complete our business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon completion of our business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination, which may include a specified future issuance. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. In addition, following our initial business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations.
Controls and procedures
We are not currently required to maintain an effective system of internal controls as defined by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We will be required to comply with the internal control reporting requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022. Only in the event that 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 as defined in the JOBS Act, we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement.
Prior to the closing of this offering, we have not completed an assessment, nor have our auditors tested our systems, of internal controls. We expect to assess the internal controls of our target business or businesses prior to the completion of our initial business combination and, if necessary, to implement and test additional controls as we may determine are necessary in order to state that we maintain an effective system of internal controls. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding the adequacy of internal controls. Many small and mid-sized target businesses we may consider for our initial business combination may have internal controls that need improvement in areas such as:
| Ø | staffing for financial, accounting and external reporting areas, including segregation of duties; |
| Ø | reconciliation of accounts; |
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| Ø | proper recording of expenses and liabilities in the period to which they relate; |
| Ø | evidence of internal review and approval of accounting transactions; |
| Ø | documentation of processes, assumptions and conclusions underlying significant estimates; and |
| Ø | documentation of accounting policies and procedures. |
Because it will take time, management involvement and perhaps outside resources to determine what internal control improvements are necessary for us to meet regulatory requirements and market expectations for our operation of a target business, we may incur significant expense in meeting our public reporting responsibilities, particularly in the areas of designing, enhancing, or remediating internal and disclosure controls. Doing so effectively may also take longer than we expect, thus increasing our exposure to financial fraud or erroneous financing reporting.
Once our management’s report on internal controls is complete, we will retain our independent auditors to audit and render an opinion on such report when required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The independent auditors may identify additional issues concerning a target business’s internal controls while performing their audit of internal control over financial reporting.
Quantitative and qualitative disclosures about market risk
The net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be invested in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk.
Related party transactions
In March 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000 for certain of our offering costs in exchange for issuance of 7,475,000 founder shares. 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 30% of the outstanding shares upon completion of this offering. The per share purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the aggregate number of founder shares issued. On November 30, 2021, we effected a share issue of our Class B ordinary shares, resulting in an increase in the total number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding from 7,475,000 to 9,857,142. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a division of shares, a forfeiture of shares, issue of shares or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the percentage of founder shares at 30% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering. Up to 1,285,714 founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised.
We have agreed to pay DEHC LLC, an affiliate of Daniel Huber, our Chief Financial Officer, service and administrative fees of $20,000 per month for 18 months commencing on the date of this prospectus (upon completion of our initial business combination, any portion of the amounts due that have not yet been paid will accelerate).
Our sponsor, officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying
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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 by us 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.
Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. This loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the earlier of June 30, 2022 and the closing of this offering; provided that amounts due under the note may, at the option of our sponsor, be converted into working capital loans described elsewhere in this prospectus that, at the option of our sponsor, may be converted into working capital warrants. If the note is not converted into working capital loans, the loan will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the offering proceeds not held in the trust account. As of December 31, 2021, we had borrowed $200,000 under the note.
In addition, 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, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants, at a price of $0.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. Other than the $300,000 promissory note which may be converted into these working capital loans at the option of our sponsor, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
Our sponsor has expressed to us an interest to purchase an aggregate of $32,675,000 of the units in this offering, or approximately 16.3% of the units in this offering, and we have agreed to direct the underwriters to sell to our sponsor such number of units. Because this expression of interest is not a binding agreement or commitment to purchase, our sponsor may determine to purchase more, fewer or no units in this offering. In addition, the underwriters may determine to sell more, fewer or no units to our sponsor.
Our sponsor and the direct investors have committed to purchase an aggregate of 14,800,000 private placement warrants (or 16,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $0.50 per warrant ($7,400,000 in the aggregate or $8,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Each private placement warrant is exercisable for one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. Our sponsor will be permitted to transfer the private placement warrants held by it to certain permitted transferees, including our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with or related to it or them, but the transferees receiving such securities will be subject to the same agreements with respect to such securities as the sponsor. Otherwise, these warrants will not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferable or saleable until 30 days after the completion of our business combination. The private placement warrants will be non-redeemable so long as they are held by the sponsor or its permitted transferees (except as described
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under “Description of Securities—Redeemable Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants— Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00”), and will be entitled to registration right as described below. The private placement warrants may also be exercised by the sponsor or its permitted transferees for cash or on a cashless basis. Otherwise, the private placement warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period.
Pursuant to a registration rights agreement that we will enter into with our initial shareholders on or prior to the closing of this offering, we may be required to register certain securities for sale under the Securities Act. These holders, and holders of warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans, if any, are entitled under the registration rights agreement to make up to three demands that we register certain of our securities (and the underlying Class A ordinary shares) held by them for sale under the Securities Act and to have the securities covered thereby registered for resale pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. In addition, these holders have the right to include their securities in other registration statements filed by us. We will bear the costs and expenses of filing any such registration statements. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”
Off-balance sheet arrangements; commitments and contractual obligations; quarterly results
As of December 31, 2021, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K and did not have any commitments or contractual obligations. No unaudited quarterly operating data is included in this prospectus, as we have conducted no operations to date.
JOBS Act
On April 5, 2012, the JOBS Act was signed into law. The JOBS Act contains provisions that, among other things, relax certain reporting requirements for qualifying public companies. We will qualify as an “emerging growth company” and under the JOBS Act will be allowed to comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements based on the effective date for private (not publicly traded) companies. We are electing to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards, and as a result, we may not comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.
Additionally, we are in the process of evaluating the benefits of relying on the other reduced reporting requirements provided by the JOBS Act. Subject to certain conditions set forth in the JOBS Act, if, as an “emerging growth company”, we choose to rely on such exemptions we may not be required to, among other things, (i) provide an auditor’s attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, (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 this offering or until we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” whichever is earlier.
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COVID-19
In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus was reported to have surfaced in Wuhan, China, which has and is continuing to spread throughout China and other parts of the world, including the United States. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.” On January 31, 2020, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II declared a public health emergency for the United States to aid the U.S. healthcare community in responding to COVID-19, and on March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization characterized the outbreak as a “pandemic”. The COVID-19 outbreak has adversely affected, and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) that could adversely affect, the economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we seek to consummate, or consummate, a business combination could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if continued concerns relating to COVID-19 continues to restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target company’s personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected.
In addition, our ability to consummate a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by COVID-19 and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases), including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity in third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all.
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Overview
We are a newly incorporated, blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company and incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any stage of its corporate evolution or in any industry, sector or geographic location (subject to certain limitations described in this prospectus), we intend to focus our search in the automotive and automotive-related sector.
We intend to source initial business combination opportunities through our management team’s extensive network of automotive and automotive-related sector business owners, public and private company executives and board members, investment bankers, private equity and debt investors, high net worth families and their advisors, commercial bankers, attorneys, management consultants, accountants and other transaction intermediaries. We believe this approach, as well as our management team’s recognized track record of completing acquisitions across a variety of subsectors within the automotive and automotive-related sector will provide meaningful opportunities to drive value creation for shareholders.
Our directors have significant experience with acquisitions, divestitures and corporate strategy and implementation, as well as the public markets, which we believe will meaningfully benefit us as we evaluate potential initial business combinations, as well as after completing an initial business combination, to the extent they remain on our board of directors following the completion of our initial business combination.
All of our executive officers and directors other than Dieter Zetsche and Nicole Nason also served as the executive officers and directors, respectively, of Kensington SPAC I, a blank check company that consummated its initial public offering in June 2020. On November 25, 2020, Kensington SPAC I completed its initial business combination with QuantumScape Corporation, or QuantumScape, pursuant to the business combination agreement among Kensington SPAC I, QuantumScape and Kensington Capital Merger Sub Corp. dated September 2, 2020. QuantumScape is developing next generation battery technology for EVs and other applications. All of our executive officers and directors other than Dieter Zetsche served as the executive officers and directors, respectively, of Kensington SPAC II, a blank check company that consummated its initial public offering in March 2021. On October 1, 2021, Kensington SPAC II completed its initial business combination with Wallbox Chargers, S.L., or Wallbox, pursuant to the business combination agreement among Kensington SPAC II, Wallbox, Wallbox B.V. and Orion Merger Sub Corp. dated June 9, 2021. Wallbox is a provider of EV charging solutions. Additionally, Justin Mirro, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer serves as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kensington SPAC V, a blank check company, Daniel Huber, our Chief Financial Officer, serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Kensington SPAC V and Anders Pettersson and Mitchell Quain, both of whom have agreed to serve on our board of directors, also serve on the board of directors of Kensington SPAC V. Kensington SPAC V is a blank check company that consummated its initial public offering in August 2021, in which it sold 27,600,000 units for an offering price of $10.00 per unit, generating aggregate proceeds of $276,000,000. Kensington SPAC V’s units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants currently trade on the NYSE under the symbols “KCGI.U,” “KCGI” and “KCGI.W,” respectively.
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Past performance by our management team and their respective affiliates, including with respect to the Other Kensington SPACs, is not a guarantee either (i) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (ii) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team’s and their respective affiliates’ performance, including with respect to the Other Kensington SPACs, as indicative of our future performance of an investment in us or the returns we will, or are likely to, generate going forward.
Our management team
Our management team (in addition to our director nominees discussed below) includes Justin Mirro, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; Dieter Zetsche, our Vice Chairman and President; Robert Remenar, our Chief Operating Officer; Daniel Huber, our Chief Financial Officer; and Simon Boag, our Chief Technology Officer. These members of our management team bring on average 30 years of operating and transactional experience as well as a broad industry network that encompasses a wide array of subsectors within the automotive and automotive-related sector. We believe our management team has complementary skills and experience relevant to our target market, as well as a track record of working together and providing creative solutions for complex transactions, which we believe represents a competitive advantage. This experience is supplemented with an in-depth network of relationships that extend to corporations across automotive and automotive-related subsectors as well as private equity firms.
Our management team has experience in:
| Ø | sourcing, structuring, acquiring, financing and selling automotive and automotive-related businesses; |
| Ø | operating companies as senior executives and active board members, and setting clear and effective business strategies for companies in the automotive and automotive-related sector; |
| Ø | leveraging strategic insight from their mergers and acquisitions and capital structuring experience based on debt and equity capital executions; and |
| Ø | deploying a broad value creation toolkit including identifying value enhancements and delivering operating efficiency. |
Justin Mirro serves as our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Mirro has over 25 years of operating, M&A and financing experience in the automotive and automotive-related sector. He began his career at GM as a Tool and Die Manufacturing Engineer, with successive positions at Car and Driver Magazine, Toyota Motor Corporation and Itochu International Inc. prior to transitioning to automotive investment banking at Schroder & Co. Inc. / Salomon Smith Barney, Inc. / ABN Amro Inc. in 1996. In 1999, Mr. Mirro formed Kensington Capital Partners, LLC, where he has served as President since 2015, to invest in automotive and automotive-related sector businesses. In 2005, Mr. Mirro transitioned to Jefferies & Company, Inc. as Head of Automotive Investment Banking, and later served as the Head of Automotive Investment Banking at Moelis and RBC Capital Markets from 2008 to 2011 and 2011 to 2014, respectively. In his role, Mr. Mirro played a key role in leading and executing all aspects of capital raising, M&A and restructurings, and has advised on over 70 transactions totaling more than $60 billion of value for OEMs, suppliers and automotive-related industries. From 2016 to 2019, Mr. Mirro served as Chairman of the board of directors and audit committee of Pure Power one of the largest aftermarket suppliers of diesel fuel injectors, which was later sold to Stanadyne. In his role, Mr. Mirro focused on deal sourcing, structuring, capital raising, executive recruitment and the eventual sale process. Mr. Mirro served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kensington SPAC I from April 2020 until it consummated its initial business combination with QuantumScape, a company that is developing next generation battery technology for EVs and other applications, in November 2020, currently serves as the
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lead independent director of QuantumScape and served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kensington SPAC II from January 2021 until it consummated its business combination with Wallbox N.V., a leader in electric vehicle charging and energy management solutions, in October 2021. He has served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kensington SPAC V since March 2021. Mr. Mirro has sat on the board of Cooper-Standard Holdings Inc. (“Cooper-Standard Holdings”) since 2015 and sat on the board of Transtar Industries, Inc., from 2017 through January 2021, focusing on M&A, capital structuring and public market strategy.
Dieter Zetsche serves as our Vice Chairman and President. Mr. Zetsche is the former Chief Executive Officer of Daimler and former Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars where he completed the demerger of Daimler and Chrysler in 2007 and helped lead Daimler to become a global leader for premium passenger cars and trucks. Mr. Zetsche has over 45 years of global automotive experience with broad experience in automotive engineering, sales, management, and leadership. Mr. Zetsche started his career in 1976 in the research department of what was then Daimler-Benz AG. During his time at Daimler, Mr. Zetsche held various roles across the globe until he left the company in 2019. After multiple operational and engineering roles at Daimler, Mr. Zetsche served as Chief Engineer for Mercedes-Benz Brazil from 1987 to 1989, President of Mercedes-Benz Argentina from 1989 to 1990 and Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Freightliner Corp. from 1991 to 1992. Mr. Zetsche also served as Chief Engineer of Mercedes Cars from 1992 to 1995, Head of Sales for Daimler globally from 1995 to 1998, Chief Executive Officer of Daimler Truck Group from 1998 to 1999 and Chief Executive Officer and President of Chrysler Group from 2000 to 2005 leading the demerger of Chrysler from Daimler in 2007. Mr. Zetsche became the Chief Executive Officer of Daimler and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars from 2006 to 2019 leading one of the world’s leading premium brands. Mr. Zetsche served on the board of RWE AG, a global renewable energy company, from 2009 to 2016 and has served as Chairman of TUI AG, a global leisure, travel and tourism company, since 2018. Mr. Zetsche has served on the Advisory Boards of Aldi Sued, a global supermarket chain, since 2019, Adobe since 2021, Volocopter, a pioneer in Urban Air Mobility (UAM), since 2020, Factorial Energy, a pioneer in battery technology, since 2021, Luminar Technologies Inc., a producer of advanced sensor technologies for the autonomous vehicle industry, since 2020, and Applied Intuition, Inc., a software company for the Automotive Industry, since 2021.
Robert Remenar serves as our Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Remenar has over 35 years of operational, manufacturing and management experience within the automotive and automotive-related sector. Mr. Remenar has over two decades of experience leading global, multi-billion dollar manufacturing enterprises, serving as President and Chief Executive Officer of Aludyne, Inc. (formerly known as Chassix Inc.) from 2012 to 2014, and as Chief Executive Officer and President of Nexteer Automotive from 2009 to 2012 and from 2002 to 2009, respectively. In his leadership roles, Mr. Remenar demonstrated a track record of turning distressed and developing businesses into profitable, successful and global enterprises through customer diversity, lean manufacturing, portfolio and footprint optimization and competitive cost structures. Mr. Remenar previously held multiple executive positions within Delphi where he most notably served as Vice President and, as discussed above, President of Delphi’s Steering Division (now Nexteer Automotive) from 2002 to 2009. Prior to joining Delphi in 1998, Mr. Remenar held several executive and managerial positions at GM from 1985 to 1998. Mr. Remenar was formerly on the board of directors of Highland Industries, Pure Power, Nexteer Automotive, Stackpole International and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, offering extensive leadership strategy and operational experience. As a board member, Mr. Remenar provided strategic insight during the successful sales of Highland Industries, Pure Power and Stackpole International and Nexteer Automotive’s Hong Kong initial public offering. Mr. Remenar has served as a director of PKC Group Oyj, a subsidiary of the Samvardhana Motherson Group since 2012, and as a director of Cooper-Standard Holdings since 2015, serving as Chairman of the compensation committee since 2017. Since February 2021, Mr. Remenar has served as a director of Stanadyne PPT Group Holdings, Inc. and since
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January 2022 as a director on the board of Motherson Sumi Systems Limited. Mr. Remenar served as Vice Chairman and President of Kensington SPAC I from April 2020 until it consummated its initial business combination in November 2020 and served as Vice Chairman and President of Kensington SPAC II from January 2021 until it consummated its business combination in October 2021.
Daniel Huber serves as our Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Huber has over 20 years of experience in investment banking, consulting, business development and operational management across a wide range of industries. Mr. Huber began his career as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy as a Surface Warfare (Nuclear) officer. While in the Navy, Mr. Huber led multiple divisions of sailors during complex missions and operations on U.S. warships in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Following his service, Mr. Huber was a manager in the public services consulting group of BearingPoint Inc. managing projects and engagements within the Department of State. From 2009 to 2018, Mr. Huber worked across several investment banks within the automotive and automotive-related investment banking industry, specifically at Moelis from 2009 to 2011, RBC Capital Markets from 2011 to 2014, Sterne Agee CRT (part of CRT Capital Group LLC) from 2015 to 2016 and PI Capital International LLC from 2016 to 2018. Mr. Huber has also served as the managing member of DEHC LLC since 2014. Mr. Huber served as Director of Corporate Development and M&A at Conduent, Inc. from 2018 until 2020 leading all aspects of deal execution across multiple industry verticals including the preparation and presentation of materials to senior executives outlining the strategic rationale of potential transactions. Mr. Huber served as the Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of Kensington SPAC I from April 2020 until it consummated its initial business combination in November 2020 and served as the Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of Kensington SPAC II from January 2021 until it consummated its business combination in October 2021. He has served as the Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of Kensington SPAC V since March 2021. Mr. Huber’s transaction experience includes public and private transactions across a variety of end markets, with a focus on automotive and automotive-related businesses.
Simon Boag serves as our Chief Technology Officer. Mr. Boag has over 30 years of leadership, manufacturing, operational and technological experience, with an extensive understanding of automotive supply chains and emerging automotive technologies. Mr. Boag served as President of CAMI Automotive Inc., a joint venture between GM and Suzuki Motor Corporation, from 2000 to 2002. From 2002 to 2009, Mr. Boag held multiple roles in the automotive and automotive-related sector, including President of GM Argentina, Executive Vice President of Chrysler Purchasing, President of Chrysler Mopar (Chrysler’s parts, service and customer care organization) and Executive Vice President of CNH Industrial N.V. (Case New Holland Industrial). While President of Chrysler Purchasing, Mr. Boag was responsible for billions of dollars in annual purchases from numerous suppliers. Additionally, while President of Chrysler Mopar, Mr. Boag was responsible for the dealer network and aftermarket service, parts and accessories. Since 2013, Mr. Boag has served as a Managing Partner at IncWell, a venture capital fund based in Birmingham, MI, that invested in 40 companies across the automotive, industrial, healthcare, business services, software and consumer product segments. Since 2016, Mr. Boag has served as the Chairman of iWater Tech LLC, a startup company, of which he was the Chief Executive Officer from 2016 through 2020. Mr. Boag served as the Chief Technology Officer of Kensington SPAC I from April 2020 until it consummated its initial business combination in November 2020 and served as the Chief Technology Officer of Kensington SPAC II from January 2021 until it consummated its business combination in October 2021.
Our independent director nominees
Our executive management team’s efforts to seek a suitable business combination target will be complemented and augmented by the expertise and network of relationships of our director nominees.
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We believe that our access to and affiliation with our director nominees represents a competitive advantage.
Thomas LaSorda, who has agreed to serve as a director following the completion of this offering, is the former Chief Executive Officer of Chrysler and provides exceptional insights to traditional and emerging vehicle technologies and senior-level access to the executives running these companies. Mr. LaSorda has over 40 years of experience working with vehicle manufactures around the world, with specific expertise evaluating management and technology. Mr. LaSorda started his career at GM in 1977, holding multiple manufacturing positions across the globe until 2000, when he transitioned to Chrysler. Mr. LaSorda served as Senior Vice President of Powertrain Manufacturing from 2000 to 2002 and Executive Vice President of Manufacturing from 2002 to 2004, where he focused on manufacturing, procurement and global business development. In 2004, Mr. LaSorda became Chief Operating Officer of Chrysler and a member of the Daimler Board of Management. In 2005, Mr. LaSorda was appointed Chief Executive Officer and President of Chrysler. In 2007, Daimler sold Chrysler to Cerberus Capital Management, L.P. and Mr. LaSorda was appointed as President and Vice Chairman of Chrysler until his retirement from Chrysler in 2009. Mr. LaSorda was the Chief Executive Officer of Fisker in 2012 and was Chief Executive Officer of HANS Power & Water LLC from 2018 to 2019. Mr. LaSorda served on the boards of AGCO Corporation from 2009 to 2012, Fisker from 2011 to 2012 and US Steel from 2013 to 2015. Mr. LaSorda served as Chairman of LaSorda Group LLC from 2009 to 2020 and has served as Chairman of IncWell since 2013. Mr. LaSorda served as a director of Kensington SPAC I from June 2020 until it consummated its initial business combination in November 2020 and as a director of Kensington SPAC II from February 2021 until it consummated its business combination in October 2021.
Nicole Nason, who has agreed to serve as a director following the completion of this offering, is currently the Chief Safety Officer and Head of External Affairs at Cavnue, a company that combines technology and road infrastructure to unlock the full potential of connected and autonomous vehicles. Ms. Nason is the former Administrator of the U.S. Federal Highway Administration (“FHWA”) and a leading advocate for critical advances in autonomous vehicles and safety. Before serving at FHWA, Ms. Nason was the Assistant Secretary at the State Department’s Bureau of Administration, responsible for managing the global supply, shipping, logistics, and transportation services to more than 260 overseas locations. Ms. Nason was also the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Assistant Secretary for Governmental Affairs at U.S. Department of Transportation. She also served at the U.S. Customs Service, and as Counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary. Ms. Nason has served as Chief Safety Officer and Head of External Affairs of Cavnue since January 2021, and as a Member of the Advisory Board of TuSimple Holdings Inc since March 2021. Ms. Nason earned a J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and a B.A. in Political Science from American University. Ms. Nason served as a director of Kensington SPAC II from April 2021 until it consummated its initial business combination in October 2021.
Anders Pettersson, who has agreed to serve as a director following the completion of this offering, is the former Chief Executive Officer of Thule, a leading automotive aftermarket company. Under Mr. Pettersson’s leadership, he transformed Thule from an automotive aftermarket accessories business into a lifestyle consumer brand company. Mr. Pettersson brings over 30 years of experience in sourcing, evaluating and acquiring automotive businesses around the world. Mr. Pettersson has served as Chairman of Brink Group B.V., a leading towing hitch business in Europe, since 2014, and has served as a director at ZetaDisplay AB since 2014, at KlaraBo Sverige AB since 2014, at Skabholmen Invest AB since 2009 and at PS Enterprise AB since 2005. As noted above, Mr. Pettersson served as Chief Executive Officer of Thule from 2002 to 2010, where he oversaw international expansion through the strategic acquisitions of Konig, Omnistor, Case Logic, TrackRac and Sportrack. Mr. Pettersson has also served as Chief Executive Officer of Hilding Anders AB from 2011 to 2014 and Capital Safety Group Inc. from
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2010 to 2012, and previously held executive and managerial positions with AkzoNobel N.V. and Trelleborg AB. Mr. Pettersson served as a director of Pure Safety from 2010 to 2020, a director of Pure Power from 2016 to 2019, a director of Alite International AB from 2014 to 2019, a director of Victoria Park AB from 2011 to 2019, Chairman of Hilding Anders AB from 2012 to 2014 and a member of the operating review board of Arle Capital Partners Limited from 2012 to 2014. Since February 2021, Mr. Pettersson has served as Chairman of Stanadyne PPT Group Holdings, Inc. Mr. Pettersson served as a director of Kensington SPAC I from June 2020 until it consummated its initial business combination in November 2020 and served as a director of Kensington SPAC II from February 2021 until it consummated its business combination in October 2021. Mr. Pettersson is Chairman of Wallbox N.V., a provider of EV charging solutions. He is also a director of Kensington SPAC V.
Mitchell Quain, who has agreed to serve as a director following the completion of this offering, is an investor and board member of multiple public companies serving the automotive and broader industrial segments, with vast knowledge of public equity markets. Mr. Quain has over 45 years of experience evaluating companies as both an equity research analyst and seasoned private equity investor. Mr. Quain has served as a member of the Executive Council at American Securities Inc. since 2020, having retired as a Partner at One Equity Partners (part of JPMorgan Chase & Co.). Previously, he served on the boards of multiple public and private companies including DeCrane Aircraft Holdings Inc., Handy & Harman Ltd, Hardinge, Inc., HEICO Corporation, MagneTek, Inc., Mechanical Dynamics, Inc., RBC Bearings, Inc., Strategic Distribution Inc., Tecumseh Products Company, Titan International, Inc., Xerium, Inc. and Jason Industries, Inc., and was Executive Chairman of Register.com. Mr. Quain was a Senior Advisor at Carlyle Group Inc. from 2014 to 2020. He has served on the board of directors of AstroNova, Inc., Star Equity Holdings, Inc. (f/k/a Digirad Corporation) and Williams Industrial Services Group Inc. since 2009, 2019 and 2020, respectively. Mr. Quain served as a director of Kensington SPAC I from June 2020 until it consummated its initial business combination in November 2020 and served as a director of Kensington SPAC II from February 2021 until it consummated its business combination in October 2021. He also serves as a director of Kensington SPAC V.
Donald Runkle, who has agreed to serve as a director following the completion of this offering, is a highly recognized vehicle engineer, with a deep understanding of emerging automotive technologies and broad relationships with automotive executives and investors globally. Mr. Runkle has over 50 years of experience, including senior leadership experience as Chairman or Vice Chairman at public and private automotive companies such as Delphi, EaglePicher, Autocam and EcoMotors and as Vice President of GM’s Engineering Staff. Mr. Runkle began his career at GM, where he held several roles, including Chief Engineer of Chevrolet, Chief Engineer of Powertrain and Racing in the Buick Division, Director of Advanced Vehicle Engineering, Vice President of GM’s Advanced Engineering Staff and Vice President of GM’s North American Engineering Center. Mr. Runkle was President of Delphi’s Steering Division (formerly the Saginaw Steering Division of GM) in 1993, where he led a significant turnaround and divestiture of uncompetitive assets. From 1998 to 1999, he co-led the initial public offering spin-off of Delphi from GM, subsequently assuming the role of Executive Vice President of the Dynamics & Propulsion Sector in 2000. From 2003 to 2005, Mr. Runkle assumed the role of Vice Chairman and Chief Technology Officer of Delphi, later transitioning to EaglePicher as Chairman from 2006 to 2011 and Autocam as Chairman from 2007 to 2009. Additionally, Mr. Runkle served as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman of EcoMotors from 2009 to 2014 and Executive Chairman of Ioxus, Inc. from 2015 to 2017. Mr. Runkle previously served as a director of several public companies including Lear, Delphi and Outboard Marine Corporation, and was a director of Asia Automotive Acquisition Corporation, a special purpose acquisition corporation from 2005 to 2008. Mr. Runkle has served as a director of VIA Motors Inc. since 2014, senior consultant to Tennenbaum Capital Partners LLC since 2005, advisor to General Fusion Inc. since 2014, advisor to Tula Technology Inc. since 2014,
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advisor to ClearFlame Engines since 2019, advisor to The Holdsworth Group since 2017, and President of Runkle Enterprises LLC since 2005 on topics including technology and business strategy, electronics, fuel cells, energy development and storage, electrified vehicles and lean implementation strategy. Mr. Runkle also served as advisor to Soar Technology from 2017 to 2020, director of WinCup from 2009 to 2015, a director of the nonprofit Lean Enterprise Institute Inc., from 2008 to 2017 and director of Transonic Combustion from 2010 to 2015. Mr. Runkle served as a director of Kensington SPAC I from June 2020 until it consummated its initial business combination in November 2020 and served as a director of Kensington SPAC II from February 2021 until it consummated its business combination in October 2021.
Matthew Simoncini, who has agreed to serve as a director following the completion of this offering, is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Lear from 2011 to 2018, with significant strategic and financial expertise in the automotive and automotive-related sector and extensive relationships with suppliers, business owners and intermediaries. Mr. Simoncini has over 35 years of experience in the automotive and automotive-related sector in evaluating companies, emerging technologies and management teams, with significant expertise in due diligence and assessing the suitability of acquisition opportunities. While President and Chief Executive Officer of Lear, Mr. Simoncini was responsible for the strategic direction and operational leadership of the company. From 2007 to 2011, Mr. Simoncini was Chief Financial Officer of Lear, responsible for Lear’s global finance operations, including external financial reporting, corporate business planning, corporate strategy and business development. Mr. Simoncini joined Lear in 1999 after Lear acquired UTA, where he was director of global financial planning & analysis. Before UTA, Mr. Simoncini held financial and manufacturing positions with Varity Corporation’s Kelsey-Hayes Company and Horizon Enterprises Inc., including several senior financial roles in Europe. Mr. Simoncini began his career at Touche Ross & Co. and is a certified public accountant. Mr. Simoncini served as a director of Cooper-Standard Holdings from 2018 to 2020. Since 2020, Mr. Simoncini has served as a director of Luminar Technologies, Inc. Mr. Simoncini served as a director of Kensington SPAC I from June 2020 until it consummated its initial business combination in November 2020 and served as a director of Kensington SPAC II from February 2021 until it consummated its business combination in October 2021.
Market opportunity
Our focus will be on the global automotive and automotive-related sector. We believe the market opportunity is both highly diverse and large, representing a total addressable market of more than $5.5 trillion across three main segments: the automotive aftermarket, emerging technologies and OEMs and OE suppliers.
The automotive aftermarket (including the secondary market for used vehicle sales) represents a large segment within our total addressable market opportunity. We estimate an approximately $2.0 trillion market based on total used vehicle sales (approximately $1.5 trillion according to Navigant Research) and passenger car and light truck parts sales (approximately $440 billion according to Frost & Sullivan estimates) and medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicle aftermarket sales (approximately $100 billion according to Frost & Sullivan estimates). Parts and services providers include manufacturers, retailers, distributors, e-commerce platforms, tech-enabled services and financial and insurance services. Automotive aftermarket replacement demand is largely driven by vehicle miles driven, vehicle parc (population) and vehicle parc age. Historically, the automotive aftermarket industry has demonstrated demand resiliency given a stable and aging vehicle parc that requires higher vehicle repairs. A large and growing global parc of approximately 1.4 billion vehicles in operation represents a stable demand driver for aftermarket parts and services.
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In addition to the traditional automotive aftermarket industry, we believe the emerging automotive technology market provides a highly attractive investment opportunity. According to PitchBook, the global mobility technology market is estimated to be approximately $475 billion across a wide array of high-growth technologies including autonomous driving, ridesharing, active safety, sensors and software, micro-mobility, car-sharing, digital auto commerce, last-mile delivery, fleet management & connectivity and electrification. We expect that these emerging technologies will offer a rapidly growing market with significant expansion over the next decade. According to PitchBook, these emerging technology subsectors are expected to grow to approximately $1.1 trillion by 2025. At this rate, the automotive technology market is expected to significantly exceed new vehicle sales growth, which is estimated to grow at a 3% CAGR from 2020 to 2030 according to McKinsey & Company. Additional industry growth is expected from environmental and safety regulatory requirements, driving both governments and businesses to meet emissions targets and increased consumer demands for safety. These challenges are expected to create enormous savings for all stakeholders, further incentivizing adoption of these technologies.
The OEM and OE supplier segment is primarily comprised of traditional light vehicle OEMs, commercial and specialty vehicle OEMs, Tier I/II/III suppliers, powersports and scooters / e-bikes. In total, we estimate the OEM and OE supplier addressable market is approximately $3.1 trillion. While new vehicle sales (for both light and commercial vehicles) are expected to experience lower growth compared to other automotive-related markets, we believe the proliferation of new EV sales provides a compelling long-term investment thesis.
Ultimately, we believe equity capital will be in high demand given the stress imposed on otherwise healthy businesses due to the COVID pandemic. We also believe that the customers of potential targets for our initial business combinations will be supportive of re-capitalizations to ensure supply continuity. Our management team has expertise, relationships and deep operational experience in the automotive and automotive-related sector in both up and down industry cycles. Additionally, the COVID pandemic has disrupted the global automotive and automotive-related sector, traditional M&A and capital markets activity, and we believe it presents an opportunity for founder-owned and private equity-owned companies to benefit from a public listing and access to new capital and ownership expertise. This disruption creates a unique opportunity for our team to leverage their operational and financial experience to identify a business that would benefit from a business combination with a special purpose acquisition company and access to the public markets as they emerge from the pandemic. We believe our identified target strategy and focus in the automotive and automotive-related sector offers clear differentiators in the marketplace for companies and owners seeking solutions and strategic alternatives in a post-COVID market.
Business strategy
Our business strategy is to identify and complete a business combination with a company in the automotive and automotive-related sector that demonstrates significant growth potential and/or value creation opportunities for our shareholders. Identified target companies may demonstrate the characteristics set out under “Our Acquisition Criteria” below. We believe our management team’s operational, financial and transaction experience in good and bad economic environments along with our deep understanding of the automotive and automotive-related sector will allow us to effectively and efficiently identify and evaluate potential opportunities for our initial business combination. Moreover, we believe our collective relationships and operational credibility will facilitate deal flow and resonate with the management, customers, and owners of prospective target companies.
To achieve a successful initial business combination, our management team will leverage their experience in the automotive and automotive-related sector and data analysis proficiency to quickly identify a
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company with a strong competitive position that can benefit from being a public company to execute its growth strategy and create value. We believe our targeted automotive and automotive-related sector focus and our management team’s background and experience will make us an attractive partner for strong management teams and owners looking to enter the next phase of business growth.
Following the completion of this offering, we intend to begin the process of communicating with the network of relationships of our management team and their affiliates to articulate the parameters for our search for a potential initial business combination target and begin the process of pursuing and reviewing potential opportunities.
Our acquisition criteria
Consistent with our business strategy, we expect to identify companies that have compelling growth potential and a combination of the following characteristics. We will use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating acquisition opportunities, but we may decide to enter our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet these criteria and guidelines. We seek to acquire companies or assets with a significant share of the following characteristics:
| Ø | Automotive and automotive-related businesses. We will seek businesses that are in or may enter the automotive and automotive-related sector where businesses can benefit from our management team’s deep operational experience and vast network of industry relationships. Additionally, our operational and financial experience in the automotive and automotive-related space will allow us to effectively evaluate the soundness of a potential target’s business plans, management executional capabilities and potential impact of future mobility trends. Our management team’s collective profile enables us to conduct diligence efficiently, rapidly assess opportunities and identify value creation opportunities for our shareholders; |
| Ø | Middle-market businesses. We will seek middle-market businesses with an enterprise value greater than $500,000,000, determined at the sole discretion of our management team according to reasonably accepted valuation standards and methodologies; |
| Ø | Solid financial performance with financial visibility. We will seek businesses with either proven or attractive future financial performance, or the near-term opportunity to buttress profitable revenue streams, improve financial performance, and generate strong, sustainable cash flow; |
| Ø | Strong competitive position and growth potential. We will seek businesses that have intellectual property, brand value or innovation in automotive and automotive-related segments that can create growth opportunities or higher profitability compared to their competitors; |
| Ø | Established management teams. We will seek businesses that have established, competent management teams that can benefit from our team’s experience and networks; |
| Ø | Consolidation opportunities. We will seek businesses that could serve as a solid foundation for industry consolidations and roll-ups; |
| Ø | COVID-impacted businesses. We expect the global pandemic will leave previously strong businesses, with otherwise solid business plans, in a fragile operational state with limited liquidity options. We can utilize our equity capital, along with our management team’s operational, financial and industry experience, to stabilize the capital structure and revenue base of such businesses; |
| Ø | Entrepreneurs / unnatural owners. We will seek businesses that are owned by entrepreneurs and / or unnatural owners that are looking for a partner with our expertise and background to help execute the next stage of their growth; and |
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| Ø | Can benefit from being a public company. We will seek businesses that can benefit from being a public company, including broader access to equity and debt capital markets, the public profile associated with being a publicly-traded company and increased governance discipline as compared to being private. |
These criteria and guidelines are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general criteria and guidelines as well as other considerations, factors, criteria and guidelines that our management may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria and guidelines in our shareholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials that we would file with the SEC.
Our acquisition process
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review which may encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial and other information that will be made available to us. We will also utilize our operational and capital allocation experience.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business 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 that is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Members of our management team will directly or indirectly own founder shares and/or private placement warrants following this offering and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Our sponsor has committed to purchase 14,800,000 private placement warrants (or 16,000,000 private placement warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $0.50 per warrant ($7,400,000 in the aggregate, or $8,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Our officers and directors are members of our sponsor, and they will lose their entire investment in the event we are unable to complete our initial business combination and, as a result, may have interests that are different from those of the holders of our public shares who are entitled to have their shares redeemed for $10.00 per share if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering.
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 is included by a target business as a condition to our initial business combination.
We currently have not selected a target business with which to consummate our initial business combination.
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities, such as Kensington SPAC V, pursuant to which
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such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities, including the obligation to present to Kensington SPAC V all target business opportunities that have a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account of Kensington SPAC V. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability complete our business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we renounce our interest in any to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue. Our sponsor and certain of our officers and directors are involved with Kensington SPAC V and also not prohibited from sponsoring, investing or otherwise becoming involved with, any other blank check companies, including in connection with their initial business combinations, prior to us completing our initial business combination. Any such entities, including Kensington SPAC V, may access business combination opportunities ahead of us. Any other special purpose acquisition company may also have terms that are the same or different than our terms, including terms that are more favorable to its investors and/or potential target businesses. All of our executive officers and directors other than Dieter Zetsche served as the executive officers and directors, respectively, of Kensington SPAC II. Additionally, Justin Mirro, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer serves as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kensington SPAC V, Daniel Huber, our Chief Financial Officer, serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Kensington SPAC V and Anders Pettersson and Mitchell Quain, both of whom have agreed to serve on our board of directors, also serve on the board of directors of Kensington SPAC V.
Initial business combination
Our initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if permitted, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discount). The requirement that the target business or businesses together have an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account will be set forth in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, and will continue to apply to us even if our securities are no longer listed on the NYSE. 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 that is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own or acquire shares will own or acquire 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons. However, 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
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otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target, or issue a substantial number of new shares to third-parties in connection with financing our initial business combination. In such cases, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the outstanding 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 by us is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. If our initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking shareholder approval, as applicable. In addition, we have agreed not to enter into a definitive agreement regarding an initial business combination without the prior consent of our sponsor.
Corporate Information
We are an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands. Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies conducting business mainly outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Act. As an exempted company, we have obtained a tax exemption undertaking from the Cayman Islands government that, in accordance with Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, for a period of 20 years from the date of the undertaking, no law which is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations will apply to us or our operations and, in addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax will be payable (i) on or in respect of our shares, debentures or other obligations or (ii) by way of the withholding in whole or in part of a payment of dividend or other distribution of income or capital by us to our shareholders or a payment of principal or interest or other sums due under a debenture or other obligation of us.
Status as a public company
We believe our structure will make us an attractive business combination partner to target businesses. As an existing public company, we offer a target business an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger or other business combination. In this situation, the owners of the target business would exchange their shares of stock in the target business for our shares or for a combination of our shares and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. Although there are various costs and obligations associated with being a public company, we believe target businesses will find this method a more certain and cost effective method to becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering. In a typical initial public offering, there are additional expenses incurred in marketing, road show and public reporting efforts that may not be present to the same extent in connection with a business combination with us.
Furthermore, once a proposed business combination is completed, the target business will have effectively become public, whereas an initial public offering is always subject to the underwriters’ ability
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to complete the offering, as well as general market conditions, which could delay or prevent the offering from occurring or could have negative valuation consequences. Once public, we believe the target business would then have greater access to capital and an additional means of providing management incentives consistent with shareholders’ interests. It can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our ordinary shares that are held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter; and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.00 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter.
Financial position
With funds available for a business combination initially in the amount of $195,700,000 after payment of $7,000,000 of deferred underwriting fees (or $224,650,000 after payment of up to $8,050,000 of deferred underwriting fees if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) (the underwriters’ right to receive up to one-half of such amount placed in trust is subject to forfeiture by the underwriters on a dollar-for-dollar basis in the event of any redemptions in our initial business combination), which includes funds not held in the trust account, in each case before fees and expenses associated with our initial business combination, 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 or leverage ratio. Because we are able
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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
We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations for an indefinite period of time following this offering. We intend to complete our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our shares, 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, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemptions of our Class A ordinary shares, we may 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 assets, companies or for working capital.
We may seek to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt or equity in connection with the completion of our initial business combination (which may include a specified future issuance), and we may complete our initial business combination using the proceeds of such offering or loans rather than using the amounts held in the trust account. In the case of an initial business combination funded with assets other than the trust account assets, our tender offer documents or proxy materials disclosing the business combination would disclose the terms of the financing and, only if required by applicable law or we decide to do so for business or other reasons, we would seek shareholder approval of such financing. There are no prohibitions on our ability to raise funds privately, including pursuant to any specified future issuance, or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. At this time, we are not a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities or otherwise.
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 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.
Sources of target businesses
We expect to receive a number of proprietary transaction opportunities to originate as a result of the business relationships, direct outreach, and deal sourcing activities of our management team. In addition to the proprietary deal flow, we anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment banking firms, consultants, accounting firms, private equity groups, large business enterprises, and other market participants. These sources may also introduce us to target businesses in which they think we may be interested on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read this prospectus and know what types of businesses we are
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targeting. Our management team, as well as some of their affiliates, may also bring to our attention target business candidates that they become aware of through their business contacts as a result of formal or informal inquiries or discussions they may have, as well as attending trade shows or conventions. Some of our officers and directors may enter into employment or consulting agreements with the post-transaction company following our initial business combination. The presence or absence of any such fees or arrangements will not be used as a criterion in our selection process of an acquisition candidate. In no event will our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any entity with which they are affiliated, be paid any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation 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). We may pay such financial consulting fee in the event such party or parties provide us with specific target company, industry, financial or market expertise, as well as insights, relationships, services or resources that we believe are necessary in order to assess, negotiate and consummate an initial business combination. The amount of any such financial consulting fee we pay will be based upon the prevailing market for similar services for comparable transactions at such time, and will be subject to the review of our audit committee pursuant to the audit committee’s policies and procedures relating to transactions that may present conflicts of interest.
Additionally, we have not contacted any of the prospective target businesses that Kensington SPAC I had considered and rejected as a target business to acquire. However, we may contact such targets subsequent to the closing of this offering if we believe that such targets may be interested in a potential initial business combination with us and we believe such transaction would be attractive to our shareholders. Accordingly, there is no current basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the target business with which we may ultimately complete our initial business combination.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors or making the acquisition through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context. As more fully discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may be required to present such business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such business combination opportunity to us. Any such entity may co-invest with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the acquisition by making a specified future issuance to any such entity.
Lack of business diversification
We may complete 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 complete 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,
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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. In addition, we intend to focus our search for an initial business combination in a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:
| Ø | solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset; or |
| Ø | dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services. |
This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our initial business combination.
Limited ability to evaluate the target’s management team
Although we intend to closely scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with that business, our assessment of the target business’ management may not prove to be correct. 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. 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 presently unknown if any of them will devote their full efforts to our affairs subsequent to our 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. The determination as to whether any members of our management team will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
Following our initial business combination, to the extent that we deem it necessary, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management team of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.
Shareholders may not have the ability to approve our initial business combination
We may conduct redemptions without a shareholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC. However, we will seek shareholder approval if it is required by applicable law or stock exchange rule, or we may decide to seek shareholder approval for business or other reasons. Under the NYSE’s listing rules, shareholder approval would typically be required for our initial business combination if, for example:
| Ø | we issue (other than in a public offering for cash) ordinary shares that will either (a) be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of ordinary shares then outstanding or (b) have voting power equal to or in excess of 20% of the voting power then outstanding; |
| Ø | any of our directors, officers or substantial security holders (as defined by the NYSE rules) has a 5% or greater interest, directly or indirectly, in the target business or assets to be acquired and if the number of ordinary shares to be issued, or if the number of ordinary shares into which the securities may be convertible or exercisable, exceeds either (a) 1% of the number of ordinary shares or 1% of |
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| the voting power outstanding before the issuance in the case of any of our directors and officers or (b) 5% of the number of ordinary shares or 5% of the voting power outstanding before the issuance in the case of any substantial security holders; or |
| Ø | the issuance or potential issuance of ordinary shares will result in our undergoing a change of control. |
The Companies Act and Cayman Islands law do not currently require, and we are not aware of any other applicable law that will require, shareholder approval of our initial business combination.
The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination in those instances in which shareholder approval is not required by applicable law or stock exchange rules 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:
| Ø | the timing of the transaction, including in the event we determine shareholder approval would require additional time and there is either not enough time to seek shareholder approval or doing so would place the company at a disadvantage in the transaction or result in other additional burdens on the company; |
| Ø | the expected cost of holding a shareholder vote; |
| Ø | the risk that the shareholders would fail to approve the proposed business combination; |
| Ø | other time and budget constraints of the company; and |
| Ø | additional legal complexities of a proposed business combination that would be time-consuming and burdensome to present to shareholders. |
Permitted purchases of, and other transactions with respect to, our securities
In the event we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase public shares or public warrants or a combination thereof in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit on the number of securities such persons may purchase. Additionally, at any time at or prior to our initial business combination, subject to applicable securities laws (including with respect to material nonpublic information), our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire public shares, vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination or not redeem their public shares. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such purchases or other transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such purchases or other transactions. None of the funds held in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or warrants in such transactions. Such persons will be subject to restrictions in making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such shareholder, although still the record holder of our shares, is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. Subsequent to the consummation of this offering, we will adopt an insider trading policy which will require insiders to refrain from purchasing our securities during certain blackout periods and when they are in possession of any material non-public information and to clear all trades with our legal counsel prior to execution. We cannot currently determine whether our insiders will make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan, as such purchases will be dependent upon several
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factors, including, but not limited to, the timing and size of such purchases. Depending on such circumstances, our insiders may either make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan or determine that such a plan is not necessary.
In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase public shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights or submitted a proxy to vote against our initial business combination, such selling shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares and any proxy to vote against our initial business combination. 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 be required to comply with such rules.
The purpose of any such transaction could be to (i) vote such shares in favor of the initial business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of the initial business combination, (ii) 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 or (iii) satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. Any such transactions 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 ordinary shares or warrants and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, possibly making it difficult to obtain or maintain 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 shareholders with whom our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates may pursue privately negotiated transactions by either the shareholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by shareholders (in the case of public shares) 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 transaction, they would identify and contact only potential selling or redeeming shareholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against our initial business combination. Our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates will be restricted from purchasing shares if such purchases comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.
Any purchases by our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates who are affiliated purchasers under Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act will be restricted unless such purchases are 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 be restricted from making purchases of ordinary shares if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act.
Redemption rights for public shareholders upon completion of our initial business combination
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in
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cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, net of taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share. The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the 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, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination.
Manner of conducting redemptions
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. Except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rule, the decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow shareholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek shareholder approval. Asset acquisitions and share purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would typically require shareholder approval. If we structure a business combination transaction with a target company in a manner that requires shareholder approval, we will not have discretion as to whether to seek a shareholder vote to approve the proposed business combination. We intend to conduct redemptions without a shareholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless shareholder approval is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements or we choose to seek shareholder approval for business or other reasons.
If a shareholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association:
| Ø | conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers, and |
| Ø | 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 and our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase our Class A ordinary shares 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 that 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
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offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public shareholders not tendering more than a specified number of public shares which are not purchased by our sponsor, which number will be based on the requirement that we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we are do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. If public shareholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the initial business combination, and instead may search for an alternate business combination.
If, however, shareholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association:
| Ø | 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 |
| Ø | file proxy materials with the SEC. |
In the event that we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection therewith, provide our public shareholders with the redemption rights described above upon completion of the initial business combination.
If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an Ordinary Resolution (as defined in the company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association), which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. Our sponsor, officers and directors will count toward this quorum and have agreed to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding ordinary shares 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 their founder shares, we would need 5,714,287, or 28.6% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) (or 2,446,787, or 12.2% assuming our sponsor purchases $32,675,000 of the units sold in this offering), or no shares (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted), of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction in order to have our initial business combination approved (in each case assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised). We intend to give approximately 30 days (but not less than 10 days nor more than 60 days) prior written notice of any such meeting, if required, at which a vote shall be taken to approve our initial business combination. These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our sponsor, officers and directors, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem its public shares without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we are do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained
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in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. If public shareholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the initial business combination, and instead may search for an alternate 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 Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, and all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and instead may search for an alternate business combination.
Unlike other blank check company offerings, we have structured our offering to be an offering of units that consist of one Class A ordinary share, one Class 1 redeemable warrant and one Class 2 redeemable warrant. We have structured our offering in this fashion in order to maximize cash available for use following our initial business combination. We are effectively providing an incentive to our shareholders to not redeem their Class A ordinary shares in connection with either our shareholder vote or our pre-business combination tender offer as they would forfeit the Class 2 redeemable warrant in the event they elect to redeem. The goal of the foregoing is to seek to maximize the amount of cash in trust that will be available for our use following our initial business combination. However, the cash proceeds available following our initial business combination would be reduced to the extent shareholders elect to redeem their Class A ordinary shares and forfeit the Class 2 redeemable warrants. The more redemptions, the less cash that will be in trust for use following our initial business combination. Further, we expect that warrant holders will not elect to exercise their warrants in the event that, following our initial business combination, the market price of our shares is less than the exercise price of the warrants. In that case, our ability to receive cash onexercise of the warrants (and our cash position) would be negatively affected.
We believe this structure may be viewed more favorably by potential candidates for our initial business combination than the traditional structure as it provides an additional incentive for shareholders to not redeem and helps us to maximize cash following our initial business combination.
Limitation on redemption upon completion of our initial business combination if we seek shareholder approval
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares,” without our prior consent. We believe this restriction will discourage shareholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to exercise their redemption rights against a proposed business combination as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public shareholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’
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ability to redeem to no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will not restrict our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination.
Tendering share certificates in connection with a tender offer or redemption rights
We may require our public shareholders 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 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 using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option. The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public shareholders to satisfy such delivery requirements, which will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Accordingly, a public shareholder would have from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, or up to two business days prior to the 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 exercise period, it is advisable for shareholders to use electronic delivery of their public shares.
There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced 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 shareholders’ 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 shareholder to arrange for him or her to deliver his or her certificate to verify ownership. As a result, the shareholder then had an “option window” after the completion of the business combination during which he or she could monitor the price of the company’s shares in the market. If the price rose above the redemption price, he or she could sell his or her shares in the open market before actually delivering his or her shares to the company for cancellation. As a result, the redemption rights, to which shareholders 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 holder’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 the date set forth in the tender offer materials or two business days prior to the date of the general meeting set forth in our
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proxy materials, as applicable (unless we elect to allow additional withdrawal rights). 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 shareholders who elected to exercise their redemption rights would not be entitled to redeem their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account. In such case, we will promptly return any certificates delivered by public holders who elected to redeem their shares.
If our initial proposed business combination is not completed, we may continue to try to complete a different business combination until 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period.
Redemption of public shares and liquidation if no initial business combination
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we will have only 24 months from the closing of this offering to complete our initial business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period or during any Extension Period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, net of taxes payable (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further 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 shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time period.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time period. However, if our sponsor, officers or directors acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted 24-month time period.
Our sponsor, officers, and directors have agreed, pursuant to a letter agreement with us (filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part), that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to
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redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. However, we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we are do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. If public shareholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the initial business combination, and instead may search for an alternate business combination.
We expect that all costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, as well as payments to any creditors, will be funded from amounts remaining out of the approximately $2,700,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. However, if those funds are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, to the extent that there is any interest accrued in the trust account not required to pay taxes on interest income earned on the trust account balance, we may request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $100,000 of such accrued interest to pay those costs and expenses.
If we were to expend all of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account and any tax payments or expenses for the dissolution of the trust, the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders upon our dissolution would be $10.00. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to the claims of our creditors which would have higher priority than the claims of our public shareholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption amount received by shareholders will not be substantially less than $10.00. While we intend to pay such amounts, if any, we cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims.
Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest and claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public shareholders, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements or even if they execute such agreements that they would be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account including but not limited to fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will 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. Marcum LLP, our independent registered public accounting
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firm will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, nor will the underwriters of this offering.
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. Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (except for the company’s independent registered public accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to us, or by a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, then our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor, which is a newly formed entity, has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per public share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers 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 (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, due to reductions in value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its indemnification obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations and we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per-share redemption price will not be less than $10.00 per 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, 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 monies held in the trust account. Our sponsor will also not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We will have access to up to approximately $2,700,000 from the
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proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants with which to pay any such potential claims. In the event that we liquidate and it is subsequently determined that the reserve for claims and liabilities is insufficient, shareholders who received funds from our trust account could be liable for claims made by creditors. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $700,000, we may fund such excess with funds from the funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $700,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
If we file a bankruptcy or 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 shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy or insolvency claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.00 per share to our public shareholders. 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 shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy or insolvency court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.
Our public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only on the earliest of (a) the completion of our initial business combination and then, only in connection with those public shares that such shareholder has properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described in this prospectus, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed our business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. Shareholders who do not exercise their rights to the funds in connection with an amendment to our memorandum and articles of association would still have rights to the funds in connection with a subsequent business combination. In no other circumstances will a shareholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. In the event we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, a shareholder’s voting in connection with the business combination alone will not result in a shareholder’s redeeming its shares to us for an applicable pro rata share of the trust account. Such shareholder must have also exercised its redemption rights as described above. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, may be amended with a shareholder vote. Holders of warrants will not have any rights of proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants.
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Comparison of redemption or purchase prices in connection with our initial business combination and if we fail to complete our initial business combination
The following table compares the redemptions and other permitted purchases of public shares that may take place in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period.
| Redemptions in Connection with our Initial Business Combination |
Other Permitted Purchases of Public Shares by us or our Affiliates |
Redemptions if we fail to Complete an Initial Business Combination | ||||
| Calculation of redemption or repurchase price | Redemptions at the time of our initial business combination may be made pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a shareholder vote. The redemption price will be the same whether we conduct redemptions pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a shareholder vote. In either case, our public shareholders may redeem their public shares for cash equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination (which is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share), including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, net of taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitation that we will only redeem our | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit to the prices that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may pay in these transactions. | If we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, we will redeem all public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount, then on deposit in the trust account (which is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share), including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, net of taxes payable (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. |
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| Redemptions in Connection with our Initial Business Combination |
Other Permitted Purchases of Public Shares by us or our Affiliates |
Redemptions if we fail to Complete an Initial Business Combination | ||||
| public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we are do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. | ||||||
| Impact to remaining Shareholders |
The redemptions in connection with our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for our remaining shareholders, who will bear the burden of the deferred underwriting commissions, taxes payable released to us. | If the permitted purchases described above are made there would be no impact to our remaining shareholders because the purchase price would not be paid by us. | The redemption of our public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for the shares held by our initial shareholders, who will be our only remaining shareholders after such redemptions. | |||
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Comparison of this offering to those of blank check companies subject to Rule 419
The following table compares the terms of this offering to the terms of an offering by a blank check company subject to the provisions of Rule 419. This comparison assumes that the gross proceeds, underwriting commissions and underwriting expenses of our offering would be identical to those of an offering undertaken by a company subject to Rule 419, and that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option. None of the provisions of Rule 419 apply to our offering.
| Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
| Escrow of offering proceeds | $202,700,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. | Approximately $170,100,000 of the offering proceeds would be deposited into either an escrow account with an insured depositary institution or in a separate bank account established by a broker-dealer in which the broker-dealer acts as trustee for persons having the beneficial interests in the account. | ||
| Investment of net proceeds | $202,700,000 of the net offering proceeds and the sale of the private placement warrants held in trust will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. | Proceeds could be invested only in specified securities such as a money market fund meeting conditions of the Investment Company Act or in securities that are direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed as to principal or interest by, the United States. | ||
| Receipt of interest on escrowed funds | Interest on proceeds from the trust account to be paid to shareholders is reduced by (i) any taxes paid or payable; and (ii) in the event of our liquidation for failure to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time, up to $100,000 of net interest that may be released to us should we have no or insufficient working capital to fund the costs and expenses of our dissolution and liquidation. | Interest on funds in escrow account would be held for the sole benefit of investors, unless and only after the funds held in escrow were released to us in connection with our completion of a business combination. | ||
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| Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
| Limitation on fair value or net assets of target business | Our initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if permitted, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discount). | The fair value or net assets of a target business must represent at least 80% of the maximum offering proceeds. | ||
| Trading of securities issued | The units will begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class 1 warrants and new units consisting of Class A ordinary shares and Class 2 warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day), unless UBS Securities LLC informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, an additional or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. | No trading of the units or the underlying Class A ordinary shares and warrants would be permitted until the completion of a business combination. During this period, the securities would be held in the escrow or trust account. | ||
| Exercise of the warrants | The warrants cannot be exercised until 30 days after the | The warrants could be exercised prior to the completion of a | ||
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| Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
| completion of our initial business combination. | business combination, but securities received and cash paid in connection with the exercise would be deposited in the escrow or trust account. | |||
| Election to remain an investor | We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, net of taxes payable, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein. We may not be required by applicable law or stock exchange rules to hold a shareholder vote. If we are not required by applicable law or stock exchange rules and do not otherwise decide to hold a shareholder vote, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC and file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, we hold a shareholder vote, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in | A prospectus containing information pertaining to the business combination required by the SEC would be sent to each investor. Each investor would be given the opportunity to notify the company in writing, within a period of no less than 20 business days and no more than 45 business days from the effective date of a post-effective amendment to the company’s registration statement, to decide if it elects to remain a shareholder of the company or require the return of its investment. If the company has not received the notification by the end of the 45th business day, funds and interest or dividends, if any, held in the trust or escrow account are automatically returned to the shareholder. Unless a sufficient number of investors elect to remain investors, all funds on deposit in the escrow account must be returned to all of the investors and none of the securities are issued. | ||
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| Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
| conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if it we obtain approval of an Ordinary Resolution (as defined in the company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association), which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem its public shares without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of outstanding shares of the company representing one-third of the voting power of all outstanding shares of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. | ||||
| Business combination deadline | If we have not completed an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the | If an acquisition has not been completed within 18 months after the effective date of the company’s registration statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account are returned to investors. | ||
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| Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
| funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, net of taxes payable (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. | ||||
| Release of funds | Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our tax obligations, the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (a) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our | The proceeds held in the escrow account are not released until the earlier of the completion of a business combination and the failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time. |
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| Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
| public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (b) with respect to any other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of 100% of our public shares if we have not completed a business combination within the required time frame (subject to the requirements of applicable law). Shareholders who do not exercise their rights to the funds in connection with an amendment to our memorandum and articles of association would still have rights to the funds in connection with a subsequent business combination. We will use these funds to pay amounts due to any public shareholders who exercise their redemption rights as described above under “Redemption rights for public shareholders upon completion of our initial business combination,” to pay the underwriters their deferred underwriting commissions, to pay all or a portion of the consideration payable to the target or owners of the target of our initial business combination and to pay other expenses associated with our initial business combination. |
Competition
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
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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. Additionally, the number of blank check companies looking for business combination targets has increased compared to recent years and many of these blank check companies are sponsored by entities or persons that have significant experience with completing business combinations. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement 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.
Facilities
Our executive offices are located at 1400 Old Country Road, Suite 301, Westbury, New York 11590 and our telephone number is (703) 674-6514. Our executive offices are provided to us by an affiliate of our sponsor. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
Employees
We currently have five 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 initial business combination process we are in. We do not intend to have any full time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination.
Periodic reporting and financial information
We will register our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual reports will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accountants.
We will provide shareholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials sent to shareholders to assist them in assessing the target business. In all likelihood, these financial statements will need to be prepared in accordance with GAAP and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with PCAOB standards. We cannot assure you that any particular target business selected by us as a potential acquisition candidate will have financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP and PCAOB standards or that the potential target business will be able to prepare its financial statements in accordance with GAAP and PCAOB standards. To the extent that this requirement cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business. While this may limit the pool of potential business combination candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.
We will be required to evaluate our internal control procedures for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements on our internal control over financial reporting. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.
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We are a Cayman Islands exempted company. Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies conducting business mainly outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Act. As an exempted company, we have received a tax exemption undertaking from the Cayman Islands government that, in accordance with Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Act (As Amended) of the Cayman Islands, for a period of 20 years from the date of the undertaking, no law which is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations will apply to us or our operations and, in addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax will be payable (i) on or in respect of our shares, debentures or other obligations or (ii) by way of the withholding in whole or in part of a payment of dividend or other distribution of income or capital by us to our shareholders or a payment of principal or interest or other sums due under a debenture or other obligation of us.
Legal proceedings
There is no material litigation, arbitration or governmental proceeding currently pending against us or any members of our management team in their capacity as such.
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Officers, directors and director nominees
Our officers and directors are as follows:
| Name | Age | Position | ||
| Justin Mirro | 53 | Chief Executive Officer and Chairman | ||
| Dieter Zetsche | 68 | Vice Chairman and President | ||
| Robert Remenar | 66 | Chief Operating Officer | ||
| Simon Boag | 56 | Chief Technology Officer | ||
| Daniel Huber | 46 | Chief Financial Officer | ||
| Thomas LaSorda | 67 | Director Nominee | ||
| Nicole Nason | 51 | Director Nominee | ||
| Anders Pettersson | 62 | Director Nominee | ||
| Mitchell Quain | 70 | Director Nominee | ||
| Donald Runkle | 76 | Director Nominee | ||
| Matthew Simoncini | 61 | Director Nominee |
Officers and directors
Justin Mirro serves as our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Mirro has over 25 years of operating, M&A and financing experience in the automotive and automotive-related sector. He began his career at GM as a Tool and Die Manufacturing Engineer, with successive positions at Car and Driver Magazine, Toyota Motor Corporation and Itochu International Inc. prior to transitioning to automotive investment banking at Schroder & Co. Inc. / Salomon Smith Barney, Inc. / ABN Amro Inc. in 1996. In 1999, Mr. Mirro formed Kensington Capital Partners, LLC, where he has served as President since 2015, to invest in automotive and automotive-related sector businesses. In 2005, Mr. Mirro transitioned to Jefferies & Company, Inc. as Head of Automotive Investment Banking, and later served as the Head of Automotive Investment Banking at Moelis and RBC Capital Markets from 2008 to 2011 and 2011 to 2014, respectively. In his role, Mr. Mirro played a key role in leading and executing all aspects of capital raising, M&A and restructurings, and has advised on over 70 transactions totaling more than $60 billion of value for OEMs, suppliers and automotive-related industries. From 2016 to 2019, Mr. Mirro served as Chairman of the board of directors and audit committee of Pure Power one of the largest aftermarket suppliers of diesel fuel injectors, which was later sold to Stanadyne. In his role, Mr. Mirro focused on deal sourcing, structuring, capital raising, executive recruitment and the eventual sale process. Mr. Mirro served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kensington SPAC I from April 2020 until it consummated its initial business combination with QuantumScape, a company that is developing next generation battery technology for EVs and other applications, in November 2020, currently serves as the lead independent director of QuantumScape and served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kensington SPAC II from January 2021 until it consummated its business combination with Wallbox N.V., a leader in electric vehicle charging and energy management solutions, in October 2021. He has served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kensington SPAC V since March 2021. Mr. Mirro has sat on the board of Cooper-Standard Holdings Inc. (“Cooper-Standard Holdings”) since 2015 and sat on the board of Transtar Industries, Inc., from 2017 through January 2021, focusing on M&A, capital structuring and public market strategy. We believe Mr. Mirro is well qualified to serve on our board of directors based on his extensive experience in financing in the automotive and automotive-related sector.
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Dieter Zetsche serves as our Vice Chairman and President. Mr. Zetsche is the former Chief Executive Officer of Daimler and former Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars where he completed the demerger of Daimler and Chrysler in 2007 and helped lead Daimler to become a global leader for premium passenger cars and trucks. Mr. Zetsche has over 45 years of global automotive experience with broad experience in automotive engineering, sales, management, and leadership. Mr. Zetsche started his career in 1976 in the research department of what was then Daimler-Benz AG. During his time at Daimler, Mr. Zetsche held various roles across the globe until he left the company in 2019. After multiple operational and engineering roles at Daimler, Mr. Zetsche served as Chief Engineer for Mercedes-Benz Brazil from 1987to 1989, President of Mercedes-Benz Argentina from 1989 to 1990 and Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Freightliner Corp. from 1991 to 1992. Mr. Zetsche also served as Chief Engineer of Mercedes Cars from 1992 to 1995, Head of Sales for Daimler globally from 1995 to 1998, Chief Executive Officer of Daimler Truck Group from 1998 to 1999 and Chief Executive Officer and President of Chrysler Group from 2000 to 2005 leading the demerger of Chrysler from Daimler in 2007. Mr. Zetsche became the Chief Executive Officer of Daimler and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars from 2006 to 2019 leading one of the world’s leading premium brands. Mr. Zetsche served on the board of RWE AG, a global renewable energy company, from 2009 to 2016 and has served as Chairman of TUI AG, a global leisure, travel and tourism company, since 2018. Mr. Zetsche has served on the Advisory Boards of Aldi Sued, a global supermarket chain, since 2019, Adobe since 2021, Volocopter, a pioneer in Urban Air Mobility (UAM), since 2020, Factorial Energy, a pioneer in battery technology, since 2021, Luminar Technologies Inc., a producer of advanced sensor technologies for the autonomous vehicle industry, since 2020, and Applied Intuition, Inc., a software company for the Automotive Industry, since 2021. We believe Mr. Zetsche is well qualified to serve on our board of directors based on his extensive experience in the automotive and automotive-related sector.
Robert Remenar serves as our Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Remenar has over 35 years of operational, manufacturing and management experience within the automotive and automotive-related sector. Mr. Remenar has over two decades of experience leading global, multi-billion dollar manufacturing enterprises, serving as President and Chief Executive Officer of Aludyne, Inc. (formerly known as Chassix Inc.) from 2012 to 2014, and as Chief Executive Officer and President of Nexteer Automotive from 2009 to 2012 and from 2002 to 2009, respectively. In his leadership roles, Mr. Remenar demonstrated a track record of turning distressed and developing businesses into profitable, successful and global enterprises through customer diversity, lean manufacturing, portfolio and footprint optimization and competitive cost structures. Mr. Remenar previously held multiple executive positions within Delphi where he most notably served as Vice President and, as discussed above, President of Delphi’s Steering Division (now Nexteer Automotive) from 2002 to 2009. Prior to joining Delphi in 1998, Mr. Remenar held several executive and managerial positions at GM from 1985 to 1998. Mr. Remenar was formerly on the board of directors of Highland Industries, Pure Power, Nexteer Automotive, Stackpole International and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, offering extensive leadership strategy and operational experience. As a board member, Mr. Remenar provided strategic insight during the successful sales of Highland Industries, Pure Power and Stackpole International and Nexteer Automotive’s Hong Kong initial public offering. Mr. Remenar has served as a director of PKC Group Oyj, a subsidiary of the Samvardhana Motherson Group since 2012, and as a director of Cooper-Standard Holdings since 2015, serving as Chairman of the compensation committee since 2017. Since February 2021, Mr. Remenar has served as a director of Stanadyne PPT Group Holdings, Inc. and since January 2022 as a director on the board of Motherson Sumi Systems Limited. Mr. Remenar served as Vice Chairman and President of Kensington SPAC I from April 2020 until it consummated its initial business combination in November 2020 and served as Vice Chairman and President of Kensington SPAC II from January 2021 until it consummated its business combination in October 2021.
Daniel Huber serves as our Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Huber has over 20 years of experience in investment banking, consulting, business development and operational management across a wide range
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of industries. Mr. Huber began his career as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy as a Surface Warfare (Nuclear) officer. While in the Navy, Mr. Huber led multiple divisions of sailors during complex missions and operations on U.S. warships in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Following his service, Mr. Huber was a manager in the public services consulting group of BearingPoint Inc. managing projects and engagements within the Department of State. From 2009 to 2018, Mr. Huber worked across several investment banks within the automotive and automotive-related investment banking industry, specifically at Moelis from 2009 to 2011, RBC Capital Markets from 2011 to 2014, Sterne Agee CRT (part of CRT Capital Group LLC) from 2015 to 2016 and PI Capital International LLC from 2016 to 2018. Mr. Huber has also served as the managing member of DEHC LLC since 2014. Mr. Huber served as Director of Corporate Development and M&A at Conduent, Inc. from 2018 until 2020 leading all aspects of deal execution across multiple industry verticals including the preparation and presentation of materials to senior executives outlining the strategic rationale of potential transactions. Mr. Huber served as the Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of Kensington SPAC I from April 2020 until it consummated its initial business combination in November 2020 and served as the Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of Kensington SPAC II from January 2021 until it consummated its business combination in October 2021. He has served as the Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of Kensington SPAC V since March 2021. Mr. Huber’s transaction experience includes public and private transactions across a variety of end markets, with a focus on automotive and automotive-related businesses.
Simon Boag serves as our Chief Technology Officer. Mr. Boag has over 30 years of leadership, manufacturing, operational and technological experience, with an extensive understanding of automotive supply chains and emerging automotive technologies. Mr. Boag served as President of CAMI Automotive Inc., a joint venture between GM and Suzuki Motor Corporation, from 2000 to 2002. From 2002 to 2009, Mr. Boag held multiple roles in the automotive and automotive-related sector, including President of GM Argentina, Executive Vice President of Chrysler Purchasing, President of Chrysler Mopar (Chrysler’s parts, service and customer care organization) and Executive Vice President of CNH Industrial N.V. (Case New Holland Industrial). While President of Chrysler Purchasing, Mr. Boag was responsible for billions of dollars in annual purchases from numerous suppliers. Additionally, while President of Chrysler Mopar, Mr. Boag was responsible for the dealer network and aftermarket service, parts and accessories. Since 2013, Mr. Boag has served as a Managing Partner at IncWell, a venture capital fund based in Birmingham, MI, that invested in 40 companies across the automotive, industrial, healthcare, business services, software and consumer product segments. Since 2016, Mr. Boag has served as the Chairman of iWater Tech LLC, a startup company, of which he was the Chief Executive Officer from 2016 through 2020. Mr. Boag served as the Chief Technology Officer of Kensington SPAC I from April 2020 until it consummated its initial business combination in November 2020 and served as the Chief Technology Officer of Kensington SPAC II from January 2021 until it consummated its business combination in October 2021.
Director Nominees
Thomas LaSorda, who has agreed to serve as a director following the completion of this offering, is the former Chief Executive Officer of Chrysler and provides exceptional insights to traditional and emerging vehicle technologies and senior-level access to the executives running these companies. Mr. LaSorda has over 40 years of experience working with vehicle manufactures around the world, with specific expertise evaluating management and technology. Mr. LaSorda started his career at GM in 1977, holding multiple manufacturing positions across the globe until 2000, when he transitioned to Chrysler. Mr. LaSorda served as Senior Vice President of Powertrain Manufacturing from 2000 to 2002 and Executive Vice President of Manufacturing from 2002 to 2004, where he focused on manufacturing, procurement and
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global business development. In 2004, Mr. LaSorda became Chief Operating Officer of Chrysler and a member of the Daimler Board of Management. In 2005, Mr. LaSorda was appointed Chief Executive Officer and President of Chrysler. In 2007, Daimler sold Chrysler to Cerberus Capital Management, L.P. and Mr. LaSorda was appointed as President and Vice Chairman of Chrysler until his retirement from Chrysler in 2009. Mr. LaSorda was the Chief Executive Officer of Fisker in 2012 and was Chief Executive Officer of HANS Power & Water LLC from 2018 to 2019. Mr. LaSorda served on the boards of AGCO Corporation from 2009 to 2012, Fisker from 2011 to 2012 and US Steel from 2013 to 2015. Mr. LaSorda served as Chairman of LaSorda Group LLC from 2009 to 2020 and has served as Chairman of IncWell since 2013. Mr. LaSorda served as a director of Kensington SPAC I from June 2020 until November 2020 and served as a director of Kensington SPAC II from February 2021 until it consummated its business combination in October 2021. We believe Mr. LaSorda is well qualified to serve on our board of directors based on his extensive experience and expertise evaluating management and technology.
Nicole Nason, who has agreed to serve as a director following the completion of this offering, is currently the Chief Safety Officer and Head of External Affairs at Cavnue, a company that combines technology and road infrastructure to unlock the full potential of connected and autonomous vehicles. Ms. Nason is the former Administrator of the U.S. Federal Highway Administration (“FHWA”) and a leading advocate for critical advances in autonomous vehicles and safety. Before serving at FHWA, Ms. Nason was the Assistant Secretary at the State Department’s Bureau of Administration, responsible for managing the global supply, shipping, logistics, and transportation services to more than 260 overseas locations. Ms. Nason was also the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Assistant Secretary for Governmental Affairs at U.S. Department of Transportation. She also served at the U.S. Customs Service, and as Counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary. Ms. Nason has served as Chief Safety Officer and Head of External Affairs of Cavnue since January 2021, and as a Member of the Advisory Board of TuSimple Holdings Inc since March 2021. Ms. Nason earned a J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and a B.A. in Political Science from American University. Ms. Nason served as a director of Kensington SPAC II from April 2021 until it consummated its initial business combination in October 2021.
Anders Pettersson, who has agreed to serve as a director following the completion of this offering, is the former Chief Executive Officer of Thule, a leading automotive aftermarket company. Under Mr. Pettersson’s leadership, he transformed Thule from an automotive aftermarket accessories business into a lifestyle consumer brand company. Mr. Pettersson brings over 30 years of experience in sourcing, evaluating and acquiring automotive businesses around the world. Mr. Pettersson has served as Chairman of Brink Group B.V., a leading towing hitch business in Europe, since 2014, and has served as a director at ZetaDisplay AB since 2014, at KlaraBo Sverige AB since 2014, at Skabholmen Invest AB since 2009 and at PS Enterprise AB since 2005. As noted above, Mr. Pettersson served as Chief Executive Officer of Thule from 2002 to 2010, where he oversaw international expansion through the strategic acquisitions of Konig, Omnistor, Case Logic, TrackRac and Sportrack. Mr. Pettersson has also served as Chief Executive Officer of Hilding Anders AB from 2011 to 2014 and Capital Safety Group Inc. from 2010 to 2012, and previously held executive and managerial positions with AkzoNobel N.V. and Trelleborg AB. Mr. Pettersson served as a director of Pure Safety from 2010 to 2020, a director of Pure Power from 2016 to 2019, a director of Alite International AB from 2014 to 2019, a director of Victoria Park AB from 2011 to 2019, Chairman of Hilding Anders AB from 2012 to 2014 and a member of the operating review board of Arle Capital Partners Limited from 2012 to 2014. Since February 2021, Mr. Pettersson has served as Chairman of Stanadyne PPT Group Holdings, Inc. Mr. Pettersson served as a director of Kensington SPAC I from June 2020 until November 2020 and served as a director of Kensington SPAC II from February 2021 until it consummated its business combination in October 2021. Mr. Pettersson is Chairman of Wallbox N.V., a provider of EV charging solutions. He is a director
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of Kensington SPAC V. We believe Mr. Pettersson is well qualified to serve on our board of directors based on his extensive experience sourcing, evaluating and acquiring automotive businesses.
Mitchell Quain, who has agreed to serve as a director following the completion of this offering, is an investor and board member of multiple public companies serving the automotive and broader industrial segments, with vast knowledge of public equity markets. Mr. Quain has over 45 years of experience evaluating companies as both an equity research analyst and seasoned private equity investor. Mr. Quain has served as a member of the Executive Council at American Securities Inc. since 2020, having retired as a Partner at One Equity Partners (part of JPMorgan Chase & Co.). Previously, he served on the boards of multiple public and private companies including DeCrane Aircraft Holdings Inc., Handy & Harman Ltd, Hardinge, Inc., HEICO Corporation, MagneTek, Inc., Mechanical Dynamics, Inc., RBC Bearings, Inc., Strategic Distribution Inc., Tecumseh Products Company, Titan International, Inc., Xerium, Inc. and Jason Industries, Inc., and was Executive Chairman of Register.com. Mr. Quain was a Senior Advisor at Carlyle Group Inc. from 2014 to 2020. He has served on the board of directors of AstroNova, Inc., Star Equity Holdings, Inc. (f/k/a Digirad Corporation) and Williams Industrial Services Group Inc. since 2009, 2019 and 2020, respectively. Mr. Quain served as a director of Kensington SPAC I from June 2020 until November 2020 and served as a director of Kensington SPAC II from February 2021 until it consummated its business combination in October 2021. He also serves as a director of Kensington SPAC V. We believe Mr. Quain is well qualified to serve on our board of directors based on his extensive board experience in the automotive and broader industrial segments and his audit committee financial expertise.
Donald Runkle, who has agreed to serve as a director following the completion of this offering, is a highly recognized vehicle engineer, with a deep understanding of emerging automotive technologies and broad relationships with automotive executives and investors globally. Mr. Runkle has over 50 years of experience, including senior leadership experience as Chairman or Vice Chairman at public and private automotive companies such as Delphi, EaglePicher, Autocam and EcoMotors and as Vice President of GM’s Engineering Staff. Mr. Runkle began his career at GM, where he held several roles, including Chief Engineer of Chevrolet, Chief Engineer of Powertrain and Racing in the Buick Division, Director of Advanced Vehicle Engineering, Vice President of GM’s Advanced Engineering Staff and Vice President of GM’s North American Engineering Center. Mr. Runkle was President of Delphi’s Steering Division (formerly the Saginaw Steering Division of GM) in 1993, where he led a significant turnaround and divestiture of uncompetitive assets. From 1998 to 1999, he co-led the initial public offering spin-off of Delphi from GM, subsequently assuming the role of Executive Vice President of the Dynamics & Propulsion Sector in 2000. From 2003 to 2005, Mr. Runkle assumed the role of Vice Chairman and Chief Technology Officer of Delphi, later transitioning to EaglePicher as Chairman from 2006 to 2011 and Autocam as Chairman from 2007 to 2009. Additionally, Mr. Runkle served as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman of EcoMotors from 2009 to 2014 and Executive Chairman of Ioxus, Inc. from 2015 to 2017. Mr. Runkle previously served as a director of several public companies including Lear, Delphi and Outboard Marine Corporation, and was a director of Asia Automotive Acquisition Corporation, a special purpose acquisition corporation from 2005 to 2008. Mr. Runkle has served as a director of VIA Motors Inc. since 2014, senior consultant to Tennenbaum Capital Partners LLC since 2005, advisor to General Fusion Inc. since 2014, advisor to Tula Technology Inc. since 2014, advisor to ClearFlame Engines since 2019, advisor to The Holdsworth Group since 2017, and President of Runkle Enterprises LLC since 2005 on topics including technology and business strategy, electronics, fuel cells, energy development and storage, electrified vehicles and lean implementation strategy. Mr. Runkle also served as advisor to Soar Technology from 2017 to 2020, director of WinCup from 2009 to 2015, a director of the nonprofit Lean Enterprise Institute Inc., from 2008 to 2017 and director of Transonic Combustion from 2010 to 2015. Mr. Runkle served as a director of Kensington SPAC I
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from June 2020 until November 2020 and served as a director of Kensington SPAC II from February 2021 until it consummated its business combination in October 2021. We believe Mr. Runkle is well qualified to serve on our board of directors based on his extensive engineering knowledge, management experience and global contacts in the automotive and broader industrial segments.
Matthew Simoncini, who has agreed to serve as a director following the completion of this offering, is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Lear from 2011 to 2018, with significant strategic and financial expertise in the automotive and automotive-related sector and extensive relationships with suppliers, business owners and intermediaries. Mr. Simoncini has over 35 years of experience in the automotive and automotive-related sector in evaluating companies, emerging technologies and management teams, with significant expertise in due diligence and assessing the suitability of acquisition opportunities. While President and Chief Executive Officer of Lear, Mr. Simoncini was responsible for the strategic direction and operational leadership of the company. From 2007 to 2011, Mr. Simoncini was Chief Financial Officer of Lear, responsible for Lear’s global finance operations, including external financial reporting, corporate business planning, corporate strategy and business development. Mr. Simoncini joined Lear in 1999 after Lear acquired UTA, where he was director of global financial planning & analysis. Before UTA, Mr. Simoncini held financial and manufacturing positions with Varity Corporation’s Kelsey-Hayes Company and Horizon Enterprises Inc., including several senior financial roles in Europe. Mr. Simoncini began his career at Touche Ross & Co. and is a certified public accountant. Mr. Simoncini served as a director of Cooper-Standard Holdings from 2018 to 2020. Since 2020, Mr. Simoncini has served as a director of Luminar Technologies, Inc. Mr. Simoncini served as a director of Kensington SPAC I from June 2020 until November 2020 and served as a director of Kensington SPAC II from February 2021 until it consummated its business combination in October 2021. We believe Mr. Simoncini is well qualified to serve on our board of directors based on his strategic and financial expertise in the automotive and automotive-related sector and his expertise in evaluating companies, emerging technologies and management teams.
Number and terms of office of officers and directors
We intend to have seven directors upon completion of this offering. Our board of directors will be 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 shareholders) serving a three-year term. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of Messrs. Quain and Simoncini, will expire at our first annual meeting of shareholders. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of Messrs. Zetsche and Runkle, will expire at the second annual meeting of shareholders. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of Messrs. LaSorda, Mirro and Pettersson, will expire at the third annual meeting of shareholders. We may not hold an annual meeting of shareholders until after we consummate our initial business combination.
Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors during such time. In addition, prior to the completion of our initial business combination, holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution passed by the holders of our Class B ordinary shares.
Our officers are appointed by the board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board of directors, rather than for specific terms of office. Our board of directors will be authorized to appoint officers as it deems appropriate pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
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Director independence
The NYSE listing standards require that a majority of our board of directors be independent. 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, shareholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with the company). Our board of directors has determined that Thomas LaSorda, Mitchell Quain, Anders Pettersson, Donald Runkle, Nicole Nason and Matthew Simoncini are “independent directors” as defined in the NYSE listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
Officer and director compensation
None of our officers or directors has received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Other than the payment to DEHC LLC, an affiliate of Daniel Huber, our Chief Financial Officer, of service and administrative fees of $20,000 per month for 18 months commencing on the date of this prospectus (upon completion of our initial business combination, any portion of the amounts due that have not yet been paid will accelerate), no compensation of any kind, including finder’s and consulting fees, will be paid by us to our sponsor, officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates.
After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting or management fees from the combined company. All of these fees will be fully disclosed to shareholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our shareholders in connection with a proposed business combination. We have not established any limit on the amount of such fees that may be paid by the combined company to our directors or members of management. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of the proposed business combination, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers will be determined, or recommended to the board of directors for determination, either by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors or by a majority of the independent directors on our board of directors. We are not party to any agreements with our officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.
Following a business combination, to the extent we deem it necessary, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management team of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.
Committees of the board of directors
Following the consummation of this offering, our board of directors will have three standing committees: an audit committee; a compensation committee; and a nominating and corporate governance committee. Subject to phase-in rules, the rules of NYSE and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors, and the rules of NYSE require that the compensation committee and the nominating and corporate governance committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors. Each committee will operate under a
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charter that will be approved by our board of directors and will have the composition and responsibilities described below. The charter of each committee will be available on our website following the consummation of this offering.
Audit committee
Prior to consummation of this offering, we will establish an audit committee of the board of directors. Messrs. Simoncini, Quain and Runkle will serve as members of our audit committee. Mr. Simoncini will serve as chair of the audit committee. Under the NYSE listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least three members of the audit committee, all of whom must be independent. Messrs. Simoncini, Quain and Runkle meet the independent director standard under the NYSE listing standards and under Rule 10-A-3(b)(1) of the Exchange Act.
Each member of the audit committee will be financially literate, and our board of directors will determine that Mr. Simoncini qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules.
We will adopt an audit committee charter, which will detail the purpose and principal functions of the audit committee, including:
| Ø | assisting board oversight of (1) the integrity of our financial statements, (2) our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, (3) our independent auditor’s qualifications and independence, and (4) the performance of our internal audit function and independent auditors; |
| Ø | the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent auditors and any other independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us; |
| Ø | pre-approving all audit and permitted non-audit services to be provided by the independent auditors or any other registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures; |
| Ø | reviewing and discussing with the independent auditors all relationships the auditors have with us in order to evaluate their continued independence; |
| Ø | setting clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent auditors; |
| Ø | setting clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations; |
| Ø | obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the independent auditors describing (i) the independent auditor’s internal quality-control procedures and (ii) any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review, or peer review, of the audit firm, or by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities within the preceding five years respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the firm and any steps taken to deal with such issues; |
| Ø | meeting to review and discuss our annual audited financial statements and quarterly financial statements with management and the independent auditor, including reviewing our specific disclosures under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”; |
| Ø | reviewing and approving any related party transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC prior to us entering into such transaction; and |
| Ø | reviewing with management, the independent auditors, and our legal advisors, as appropriate, any legal, regulatory or compliance matters, including any correspondence with regulators or |
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| government agencies and any employee complaints or published reports that raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies and any significant changes in accounting standards or rules promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. |
Compensation committee
Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will establish a compensation committee of the board of directors. Messrs. LaSorda and Pettersson will serve as members of our compensation committee. Mr. LaSorda will serve as chair of the compensation committee. Under the NYSE listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least two members of the compensation committee, all of whom must be independent, subject to certain phase-in provisions. Messrs. LaSorda, and Pettersson meet the independent director standard under the NYSE listing standards applicable to members of the compensation committee.
We will adopt a compensation committee charter, which will detail the purpose and responsibilities of the compensation committee, including:
| Ø | reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our Chief Executive Officer based on such evaluation; |
| Ø | reviewing and approving on an annual basis the compensation of all of our other officers; |
| Ø | reviewing on an annual basis our executive compensation policies and plans; |
| Ø | implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans; |
| Ø | assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements; |
| Ø | approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our officers and employees; |
| Ø | if required, producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and |
| Ø | reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors. |
Notwithstanding the foregoing, as indicated above, other than the payment to DEHC LLC, an affiliate of Daniel Huber, our Chief Financial Officer, of service and administrative fees of $20,000 per month for 18 months commencing on the date of this prospectus (upon completion of our initial business combination, any portion of the amounts due that have not yet been paid will accelerate), no compensation of any kind, including finders, consulting or other similar fees, will be paid to any of our initial shareholders, officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates, prior to, or for any services they render in order to complete the consummation of our initial business combination. We may pay such financial consulting fee in the event such party or parties provide us with specific target company, industry, financial or market expertise, as well as insights, relationships, services or resources that we believe are necessary in order to assess, negotiate and consummate an initial business combination. The amount of any such financial consulting fee we pay will be based upon the prevailing market for similar services for comparable transactions at such time, and will be subject to the review of our audit committee pursuant to the audit committee’s policies and procedures relating to transactions that may
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present conflicts of interest. Accordingly, it is likely that prior to the consummation of an initial business combination, the compensation committee will only be responsible for the review and recommendation of any compensation arrangements to be entered into in connection with such initial business combination.
The charter will also provide that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser and will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by the NYSE and the SEC.
Nominating and corporate governance committee
Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will establish a nominating and corporate governance committee of the board of directors. The members of our nominating and corporate governance will consist of Messrs. Quain and Pettersson and Mrs. Nason. Mr. Quain will serve as chair of the nominating and corporate governance committee. We will adopt a nominating and corporate governance committee charter, which will detail the purpose and responsibilities of the nominating and corporate governance committee, including:
| Ø | identifying, screening and reviewing individuals qualified to serve as directors, consistent with criteria approved by the board, and recommending to the board of directors candidates for nomination for election at the annual meeting of shareholders or to fill vacancies on the board of directors; |
| Ø | developing and recommending to the board of directors and overseeing implementation of our corporate governance guidelines; |
| Ø | coordinating and overseeing the annual self-evaluation of the board of directors, its committees, individual directors and management in the governance of the company; and |
| Ø | reviewing on a regular basis our overall corporate governance and recommending improvements as and when necessary. |
The charter will also provide that the nominating and corporate governance committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of, and terminate, any search firm to be used to identify director candidates, and will be directly responsible for approving the search firm’s fees and other retention terms.
We have not formally established any specific, minimum qualifications that must be met or skills that are necessary for directors to possess. In general, in identifying and evaluating nominees for director, the board of directors considers educational background, diversity of professional experience, knowledge of our business, integrity, professional reputation, independence, wisdom, and the ability to represent the best interests of our shareholders. Prior to our initial business combination, holders of our public shares will not have the right to recommend director candidates for nomination to our board of directors.
Code of ethics
Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will adopt a code of ethics and business conduct (our “Code of Ethics”) applicable to our directors, officers and employees. A copy of the Code of Ethics will
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be provided without charge upon request from us. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Where You Can Find Additional Information.”
Conflicts of interest
Under Cayman Islands law, directors and officers owe the following fiduciary duties:
(i) duty to act in good faith in what the director or officer believes to be in the best interests of the company as a whole;
(ii) duty to exercise powers for the purposes for which those powers were conferred and not for a collateral purpose;
(iii) duty not to improperly fetter the exercise of future discretion;
(iv) duty not to put themselves in a position in which there is a conflict between their duty to the company and their personal interests; and
(v) duty to exercise independent judgment.
In addition to the above, directors also owe a duty of care which is not fiduciary in nature. This duty has been defined as a requirement to act as a reasonably diligent person having both the general knowledge, skill and experience that may reasonably be expected of a person carrying out the same functions as are carried out by that director in relation to the company and the general knowledge skill and experience of that director.
As set out above, directors have a duty not to put themselves in a position of conflict and this includes a duty not to engage in self-dealing, or to otherwise benefit as a result of their position. However, in some instances what would otherwise be a breach of this duty can be forgiven and/or authorized in advance by the shareholders provided that there is full disclosure by the directors. This can be done by way of permission granted in the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or alternatively by shareholder approval at general meetings.
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities, such as Kensington SPAC V, pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities, including the obligation to present to Kensington SPAC V all target business opportunities that have a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account of Kensington SPAC V. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability complete our business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we renounce our interest in any to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction
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or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue. Our sponsor and certain of our officers and directors are involved with Kensington SPAC V and also not prohibited from sponsoring, investing or otherwise becoming involved with, any other blank check companies, including in connection with their initial business combinations, prior to us completing our initial business combination. Any such entities, including Kensington SPAC V, may access business combination opportunities ahead of us. Any other special purpose acquisition company may also have terms that are the same or different than our terms, including terms that are more favorable to its investors and/or potential target businesses. All of our executive officers and directors other than Dieter Zetsche served as the executive officers and directors, respectively, of Kensington SPAC II. Additionally, Justin Mirro, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer serves as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kensington SPAC V, Daniel Huber, our Chief Financial Officer, serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Kensington SPAC V and Anders Pettersson and Mitchell Quain, both of whom have agreed to serve on our board of directors, also serve on the board of directors of Kensington SPAC V.
Our sponsor, officers and directors may become involved with subsequent special purpose acquisition companies similar to our company and are involved with Kensington SPAC V and may become involved in other affiliated blank check companies. Any such entities, including Kensington SPAC V, may access business combination opportunities ahead of us. Any other special purpose acquisition company may also have terms that are the same or different than our terms, including terms that are more favorable to its investors and/or potential target businesses. Potential investors should also be aware of the following other potential conflicts of interest:
| Ø | None of our officers or directors is required to commit his or her full time to our affairs and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating his or her time among various business activities. |
| Ø | In the course of their other business activities, our officers and directors may become aware of investment and business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us as well as the other entities with which they are affiliated. Our management may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. |
| Ø | Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Additionally, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within 24 months after the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. If we do not complete our initial business combination within such applicable time period, the proceeds of the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, and the private placement warrants will expire worthless. With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares will not be transferable, assignable or saleable by our sponsor or its permitted transferees until the earlier of: (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which |
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| we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. With certain limited exceptions, the private placement warrants, the warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans and the Class A ordinary shares underlying such warrants, will not be transferable, assignable or saleable by our sponsor or its permitted transferees until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. Since our sponsor, officers and directors may directly or indirectly own ordinary shares and warrants following this offering, our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to complete our initial business combination. |
| Ø | 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 our initial business combination. |
| Ø | Our sponsor, officers or directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a business combination and financing arrangements as we may obtain loans from our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or any of our officers or directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. Up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $0.50 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. |
Below is a table summarizing the entities to which our officers, directors and director nominees will have fiduciary duties or contractual obligations upon completion of this offering that may present a conflict of interest:
| Individual | Entity | Entity’s Business | Affiliation | |||
| Justin Mirro | Kensington Capital Partners, LLC | Investor in automotive and automotive-related sector businesses | President | |||
| QuantumScape Corporation | Company developing next generation battery technology for EVs and other applications | Director | ||||
| Cooper-Standard Holdings Inc. | Global supplier of systems and components for the automotive industry | Director | ||||
| Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp. V | Blank check company | Chief Executive Officer and Chairman | ||||
| Dieter Zetsche | TUI AG | Leisure, travel and tourism | Chairman | |||
| Aldi Sued Dienstleistungs-GmbH | Supermarket | Member of Advisory Board | ||||
| Adobe Inc. | Computer software | Member of International Advisory Board | ||||
| Volocopter GmbH | Urban Air Mobility | Member of Advisory Board |
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| Individual | Entity | Entity’s Business | Affiliation | |||
| Veta Health LLC | Remote patient care | Member of Supervisory Board | ||||
| Factorial Energy | Battery technology | Member of Advisory Board | ||||
| Luminar Technologies Inc. | Autonomous vehicles | Member of Advisory Board | ||||
| Applied Intuition, Inc. | Software for automotive industry | Member of Advisory Board | ||||
| Robert Remenar | PKC Group | Designer and manufacturer of tailored electrical distribution systems and related architecture components, vehicle electronics, wires and cables | Director | |||
| Cooper-Standard Holdings Inc. | Global supplier of systems and components for the automotive industry | Director | ||||
| Stanadyne PPT Group Holdings, Inc. | Fuel systems innovation company | Director | ||||
| Motherson Sumi Systems Limited | Automotive component manufacturer | Director | ||||
| Daniel Huber | DEHC LLC | Provider of consulting and administrative services | Managing member | |||
| Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp. V | Blank check company | Chief Financial Officer | ||||
| Simon Boag | IncWell LLC | Venture capital fund | Managing Partner | |||
| iWater Tech LLC | Seller of integrated smart water technology system | Chairman | ||||
| Symbiotic Partners LLC | Venture capital fund | Managing member | ||||
| Thomas LaSorda | IncWell LLC | Venture capital fund | Chairman and member | |||
| Nicole Nason | Cavnue | Technology and road infrastructure company | Chief Safety Officer and Head of External Affairs | |||
| TuSimple Holdings Inc | Autonomous technology company | Member of Advisory Board | ||||
| Anders Pettersson | Zeta Display AB | Supplier of visual communication solutions | Director | |||
| KlaraBo Sverige AB | Construction and real estate | Director | ||||
| Brink Group B.V. | Manufacturer of tow bars | Chairman | ||||
| Skabholmen Invest AB | Private equity firm | Director | ||||
| PS Enterprise AB | Holding company | Director |
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| Individual | Entity | Entity’s Business | Affiliation | |||
| Stanadyne PPT Group Holdings, Inc. | Manufacturer of engine-based fuel and air management systems | Chairman | ||||
| Wallbox N.V. | EV charging solutions | Chairman | ||||
| Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp. V | Blank check company | Director | ||||
| Stanadyne PPT Group Holdings, Inc. | Fuel systems innovation company | Chairman | ||||
| Mitchell Quain | American Securities Inc. | Private equity firm | Member of Executive Council | |||
| AstroNova, Inc. | Designer and developer of data visualization solutions | Director | ||||
| Star Equity Holdings, Inc. (f/k/a Digirad Corporation) | Developer, manufacturer, and distributor of solid-state medical imaging products | Director | ||||
| Williams Industrial Services Group Inc. | Engineering services | Director | ||||
| Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp. V | Blank check company | Director | ||||
| Donald Runkle | VIA Motors International Inc. | Developer and manufacturer of EVs | Director | |||
| Runkle Enterprises | Provider of consulting services | President | ||||
| The Holdsworth Group | Investment company | Member of Advisory Board | ||||
| Tennenbaum Capital Partners | Private equity firm | Member of Advisory Board | ||||
| General Fusion | Nuclear Fusion company | Member of Tech Advisory Board | ||||
| Tula Technology | Software company | Member of Advisory Board | ||||
| ClearFlame Engines | Advanced engine company | Member of Advisory Board | ||||
| Matthew Simoncini | Luminar Technologies, Inc. | Producer of advanced sensor technologies for the autonomous vehicle industry | Director |
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors or making the acquisition through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
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In the event that we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination.
Limitation on liability and indemnification of officers and directors
Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against willful default, actual fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide for indemnification of our officers and directors to the maximum extent permitted by law, including for any liability incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own actual fraud, willful default or willful neglect. We expect to purchase a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors. We also intend to enter into indemnity agreements with them.
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. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied by us if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination.
A shareholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against 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.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.
We will enter into indemnification agreements with each of our officers and directors a form of which is to be filed as an exhibit to this Registration Statement. These agreements will require us to indemnify these individuals to the fullest extent permitted under Cayman Islands law against liabilities that may arise by reason of their service to us, and to advance expenses incurred as a result of any proceeding against them as to which they could be indemnified.
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The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares as of the date of this prospectus, and as adjusted to reflect the sale of our ordinary shares included in the units offered by this prospectus, and assuming no purchase of units in this offering, by:
| Ø | each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding ordinary shares; |
| Ø | each of our executive officers, directors and director nominees; and |
| Ø | all our executive officers, directors and director nominees as a group. |
Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all ordinary shares beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect record or beneficial ownership of the private placement warrants as these warrants are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this prospectus.
In March 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000 for certain of our offering costs in exchange for issuance of 7,475,000 founder shares. The following table presents the number and percentage of our ordinary shares owned by our initial shareholders before and after this offering. On November 30, 2021, the sponsor effected a share issue of our Class B ordinary shares, resulting in an increase in the total number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding from 7,475,000 to 9,857,142. The post-offering numbers and percentages presented assume that the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option, that our sponsor forfeits 1,285,714 founder shares and that there are 28,571,428 ordinary shares issued and outstanding after this offering. The table does not reflect any units that may be purchased in this offering, including through the directed unit program, as described under “Underwriting—Directed Unit Program.”
| Before Offering | After Offering | |||||||||||||||
| Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1) | Number of Shares Beneficially Owned(2) |
Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Ordinary |
Number of Shares Beneficially Owned(2) |
Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Ordinary |
||||||||||||
| Kensington Capital Sponsor IV LLC (our sponsor)(3) |
9,857,142 | 100.0 | % | 8,571,428 | 30.0 | % | ||||||||||
| Justin Mirro(3) |
9,857,142 | 100.0 | % | 8,571,428 | 30.0 | % | ||||||||||
| Dieter Zetsche |
— | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Robert Remenar |
— | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Simon Boag |
— | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Daniel Huber |
— | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Thomas LaSorda |
— | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Nicole Nason |
— | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Anders Pettersson |
— | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Mitchell Quain |
— | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Donald Runkle |
— | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Matthew Simoncini |
— | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| All executive officers, directors and director nominees as a group (11 individuals) |
9,857,142 | 100.0 | % | 8,571,428 | 30.0 | % | ||||||||||
| * | less than 1%. |
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Principal shareholders
| (1) | Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following entities or individuals is c/o Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp. IV, 1400 Old Country Road, Suite 301, Westbury, New York 11590. |
| (2) | Interests shown consist solely of founder shares, classified as Class B ordinary shares. Class B ordinary shares are convertible into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment, as described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities.” |
| (3) | Our sponsor is the record holder of such shares. Justin Mirro, our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman is the managing member of the managing member of our sponsor. Consequently, such person may be deemed the beneficial owner of the shares held by our sponsor and have voting and dispositive control over such securities. Such person disclaims beneficial ownership of any shares other than to the extent he may have a pecuniary interest therein, directly or indirectly. Each of our other officers and directors are non-managing members of our sponsor. |
Immediately after this offering, our initial shareholders will beneficially own 30.0% (or if our sponsor purchases $32,675,000 of the units issued in this offering, 41.4% and, if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised, 39.9%) of the then-issued and outstanding ordinary shares (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a division of shares, a forfeiture of shares, issue of shares or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the percentage of founder shares at 30% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering. Because of this ownership block, our initial shareholders may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all matters requiring approval by our shareholders, including the appointment of directors, amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approval of significant corporate transactions, including approval of our initial business combination.
Our sponsor has expressed to us an interest to purchase an aggregate of $32,675,000 of the units in this offering, or approximately 16.3% of the units in this offering, and we have agreed to direct the underwriters to sell to our sponsor such number of units. Because this expression of interest is not a binding agreement or commitment to purchase, our sponsor may determine to purchase more, fewer or no units in this offering. In addition, the underwriters may determine to sell more, fewer or no units to our sponsor.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed (i) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination and (ii) not to redeem any shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination.
Our officers and sponsor are deemed to be our “promoters” as such term is defined under the federal securities laws.
Restrictions on transfers of founder shares and private placement warrants
The founder shares and private placement warrants and any Class A ordinary shares issued upon conversion or exercise thereof are subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to lock-up provisions in a letter agreement with us to be entered into by our sponsor, officers and directors. Those lock-up provisions provide that such securities are not transferable or saleable (i) in the case of the founder shares, until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share
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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, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property, and (ii) in the case of the private placement warrants, the warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans and the Class A ordinary shares underlying such warrants, until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except in each case (a) to our officers or directors, any affiliates or family members of any of our officers or directors, any members of our sponsor or any affiliate of the members of our sponsor, any affiliates of our sponsor or any employees of such affiliates, (b) in the case of an individual, transfers by gift to a member of the individual’s immediate family, to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of the individual’s immediate family or an affiliate of such person, or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, transfers by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of the individual; (d) in the case of an individual, transfers pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) transfers by private sales or transfers made in connection with the consummation of a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the securities were originally purchased; (f) transfers in the event of our liquidation prior to the completion of our initial business combination; (g) transfers by virtue of the laws of the Cayman Islands or our sponsor’s limited liability company agreement upon dissolution of our sponsor; (h) to us for no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of an initial business combination or forfeiture of founder shares by the initial shareholders for no consideration to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part; or (i) in the event of our liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination, provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (g) these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions and the other restrictions contained in the letter agreement and by the same agreements entered into by our sponsor with respect to such securities (including provisions relating to voting, the trust account and liquidation distributions described elsewhere in this prospectus).
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Certain relationships and related party transactions
In March 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000 for certain of our offering costs in exchange for issuance of 7,475,000 founder shares. 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 upon completion of this offering. On November 30, 2021, the sponsor effected a share issue of our Class B ordinary shares, resulting in an increase in the total number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding from 7,475,000 to 9,857,142. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a division of shares, a forfeiture of shares, issue of shares or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the percentage of founder shares at 30% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering. Up to 1,285,714 founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. The founder shares (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise thereof) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder.
Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 14,800,000 (or 16,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) private placement warrants for a purchase price of $0.50 per warrant in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. As such, our sponsor’s interest in this transaction is valued at between $7,400,000 and $8,000,000, depending on the number of private placement warrants purchased. Each private placement warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. The private placement warrants (including the warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of such warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our founder shares or warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our business combination within the 24-month time period or during any Extension Period.
As more fully discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Management—Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has 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 to other entities that may take priority over their duties to us.
Other than the payment to DEHC LLC, an affiliate of Daniel Huber, our Chief Financial Officer, of service and administrative fees of $20,000 per month for 18 months (upon completion of our initial business combination, any portion of the amounts due that have not yet been paid will accelerate), no compensation of any kind, including finder’s and consulting fees, will be paid by us 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. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us 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.
Our sponsor has expressed to us an interest to purchase an aggregate of $32,675,000 of the units in this offering, or approximately 16.3% of the units in this offering, and we have agreed to direct the
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underwriters to sell to our sponsor such number of units. Because this expression of interest is not a binding agreement or commitment to purchase, our sponsor may determine to purchase more, fewer or no units in this offering. In addition, the underwriters may determine to sell more, fewer or no units to our sponsor.
Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. This loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the earlier of June 30, 2022 and the closing of this offering; provided that amounts due under the note may, at the option of our sponsor, be converted into working capital loans described elsewhere in this prospectus that, at the option of our sponsor, may be converted into working capital warrants. If the note is not converted into working capital loans, the loan will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the offering proceeds not held in the trust account. The value of our sponsor’s interest in this transaction corresponds to the principal amount outstanding under any such loan. As of December 31, 2021, we had borrowed $200,000 under the note.
In addition, 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, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. 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 $2,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants, at a price of $0.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. Other than the $300,000 promissory note which may be converted into these working capital loans at the option of our sponsor, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us, if any, may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to our shareholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, furnished to our shareholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of distribution of such tender offer materials or at the time of a general meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive (i) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this
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offering or during any Extension Period, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. If we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an Ordinary Resolution (as defined in the company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association), which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company.
We will enter into a registration rights agreement with respect to the founder shares, private placement warrants, and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (and their respective component securities) and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the foregoing and upon conversion of the founder shares, which is described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities—Registration Rights.”
Directed unit program
The underwriters have reserved up to 10% of the units being offered by this prospectus (excluding the underwriters’ over-allotment option) for sale at the initial public offering price to our directors, officers, employees and other individuals associated with us and members of their families. The sales will be made by UBS Financial Services Inc., a selected dealer affiliated with UBS Securities LLC, an underwriter of this offering, through a directed unit program. We do not currently know the extent to which these related persons will participate in our directed unit program, if at all. We will offer these units to the extent permitted under applicable regulations.
Related party policy
We have not yet adopted a formal policy for the review, approval or ratification of related party transactions. Accordingly, the transactions discussed above were not reviewed, approved or ratified in accordance with any such policy.
Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will adopt our Code of Ethics requiring us to avoid, wherever possible, all conflicts of interests, except under guidelines or resolutions approved by our board of directors (or the appropriate committee of our board) or as disclosed in our public filings with the SEC. Under our Code of Ethics, conflict of interest situations will include any financial transaction, arrangement or relationship (including any indebtedness or guarantee of indebtedness) involving the company. A form of the Code of Ethics that we plan to adopt prior to the consummation of this offering will be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.
In addition, our audit committee, pursuant to a written charter that we will adopt prior to the consummation of this offering, will be responsible for reviewing and approving related party transactions to the extent that we enter into such transactions. An affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the audit committee present at a meeting at which a quorum is present will be required in order to approve a related party transaction. A majority of the members of the entire audit committee will constitute a quorum. Without a meeting, the unanimous written consent of all of the members of the audit committee will be required to approve a related party transaction. Our audit committee charter will be available on our website following the consummation of this offering. We will also require each of our directors and executive officers to complete a directors’ and officers’ questionnaire that elicits information about related party transactions.
These procedures are intended to determine whether any such related party transaction impairs the independence of a director or presents a conflict of interest on the part of a director, employee or officer.
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In light of the involvement of our sponsor, officers and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor (or its affiliates), officers or directors or otherwise acquire a business that later becomes affiliated with our sponsor (or its affiliates) or otherwise carry out non-arm’s length transactions with any of such parties. To minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our sponsor, officers or directors unless we, or a committee of independent directors, have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. Furthermore, no finder’s fees, reimbursements or cash payments made by us to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. However, the following payments will be made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates, none of which will be made from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination:
| Ø | Repayment of an aggregate of up to $300,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor under a note; As of December 31, 2021, we had borrowed $200,000 under the note. Amounts due under the note may, at the option of our sponsor, be converted into the working capital loans described below; |
| Ø | Payment of service and administrative fees to DEHC LLC, an affiliate of Daniel Huber, our Chief Financial Officer, of $20,000 per month for 18 months (upon completion of our initial business combination, any portion of the amounts due that have not yet been paid will accelerate); |
| Ø | Reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination; and |
| Ø | Repayment of loans which may be made by our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. Other than the $300,000 promissory note which may be converted into these working capital loans at the option of our sponsor, the terms of these loans have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto. Up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants, at a price of $0.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. |
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We are a Cayman Islands exempted company (company number WC-373236) and our affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act and the common law of the Cayman Islands. Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association which will be adopted upon the consummation of this offering, we will be authorized to issue an aggregate of 110,000,000 ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value each, including 100,000,000 Class A ordinary shares and 10,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, as well as 1,000,000 preference shares, $0.0001 par value each. The following description summarizes certain terms of our shares as set out more particularly in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Because it is only a summary, it may not contain all the information that is important to you.
Units
Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one Class A ordinary share, one Class 1 redeemable warrant and one Class 2 redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus.
The Class 1 warrants will separate and begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day), unless UBS Securities LLC informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our filing a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC, containing an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds of this offering and issuing a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the Class 1 warrants separate and begin separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate the Class 1 warrants from the units. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into Class 1 warrants and new units consisting of one Class A ordinary share and one Class 2 warrant. Additionally, the units and the new units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination.
In no event will the Class 1 warrants and new units be traded separately until we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC containing an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
Ordinary Shares
Upon the closing of this offering, 28,571,428 ordinary shares will be outstanding (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the corresponding forfeiture of 1,285,714 founder shares by our sponsor), consisting of:
| Ø | 20,000,000 Class A ordinary shares underlying the units being offered in this offering; and |
| Ø | 8,571,428 Class B ordinary shares held by our initial shareholders. |
If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a division of shares, a forfeiture of shares, issue of shares or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B
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ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the percentage of founder shares at 30% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering.
Ordinary shareholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by shareholders; provided that, prior to the completion of our initial business combination, holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to elect all of our directors and remove members of our board of directors for any reason. Holders of the Class A ordinary shares and holders of the Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders, except as required by law and as described below. Unless specified in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or as required by applicable provisions of the Companies Act or applicable stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of our ordinary shares that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our shareholders. Approval of certain actions will require a special resolution under Cayman Islands law, and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association; such actions include amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approving a statutory merger or consolidation with another company. Our board of directors will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the appointment of directors, with the result that the holders of more than 50% of the shares voted for the appointment of directors can elect all of the directors. Our shareholders are entitled to receive ratable dividends when, as and if declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available therefor. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors during such time. In addition, prior to the completion of our initial business combination, holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. The provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association governing the appointment or removal of directors prior to our initial business combination may only be amended by a special resolution passed by at least two-thirds (2/3) of all holders (which must include a simple majority of the holders of Class B ordinary shares).
Because our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will authorize the issuance of up to 100,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, if we were to enter into a business combination, we may (depending on the terms of such a business combination) be required to increase the number of Class A ordinary shares which we are authorized to issue at the same time as our shareholders vote on the business combination to the extent we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination.
In accordance with the NYSE’s 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 NYSE. There is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual or extraordinary general meetings to appoint directors. We may not hold an annual meeting of shareholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination.
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, net of taxes payable, divided
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by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share. The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial owner must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination or certain amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Unlike many blank check companies that hold shareholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business combinations and provide for related redemptions of public shares for cash upon completion of such initial business combinations even when a vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, if a shareholder vote is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will 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, shareholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other 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 shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an Ordinary Resolution (as defined in the company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association), which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of outstanding shares of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. However, the participation of our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates in privately-negotiated transactions (as described in this prospectus), if any, could result in the approval of our initial business combination even if a majority of our public shareholders vote, or indicate their intention to vote, against such business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding ordinary shares voted, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. We intend to give approximately 30 days (but not less than 10 days nor more than 60 days) prior written notice of any such meeting, if required, at which a vote shall be taken to approve our initial business combination. These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our initial shareholders, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the ordinary shares sold in this offering, which we refer to as the Excess Shares, without our prior consent. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Our shareholders’ inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination, and such shareholders could suffer a material loss in
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their investment if they sell such Excess Shares on the open market. Additionally, such shareholders will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete the business combination. And, as a result, such shareholders will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose such shares would be required to sell their shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
If we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to their founder shares, we would need 5,714,287, or 28.6% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) (or 2,446,787, or 12.2% assuming our sponsor purchases $32,675,000 of the units sold in this offering), or no shares (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted), of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction in order to have our initial business combination approved (in each case assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised). Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem its public shares without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. (subject to the limitation described in the preceding paragraph).
Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 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, net of taxes payable (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, subject to applicable law, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Our initial shareholders have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period. However, if our initial shareholders acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our business combination within the prescribed time period.
In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the company after a business combination, our shareholders are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining available for distribution to them after payment of liabilities and after provision is made for each class of shares, if any, having preference over the ordinary shares. Our shareholders have no preemptive or other subscription rights. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to the ordinary shares, except that we will provide our shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein.
Founder shares
The founder shares are initially designated as Class B Shares and are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, and holders of founder shares have the same
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shareholder rights as public shareholders, except that (i) prior to the completion of our initial business combination, only holders of the Class B ordinary shares have the right to vote on the appointment of directors and holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares may remove members of our board of directors for any reason; (ii) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below, (iii) our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive (A) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (B) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (x) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (y) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (C) their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame; (iv) the founder shares are Class B ordinary shares that will automatically convert into our Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier, at the option of the holders, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights as described herein and in the amended and restates memorandum and articles of association, (v) are entitled to registration rights and (vi) if we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed pursuant to the letter agreement to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. Permitted transferees of the founder shares and private placement warrants and their component securities will be subject to the same restrictions.
The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into our Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier, at the option of the holders, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as described herein. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts issued in this offering and related to the closing of our initial business combination, including pursuant to a specified future issuance, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares shall convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the then-outstanding Class B ordinary shares agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance, including a specified future issuance) so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 30% of the sum of the total number of all ordinary shares outstanding upon the completion of this offering plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued or issuable to any seller in the initial business combination). We cannot determine at this time whether a majority of the holders of our Class B ordinary shares at the time of any future issuance would agree to waive such adjustment to the conversion ratio. They may waive such adjustment due to (but not limited to) the following: (i) closing conditions which are part of the agreement for our initial business combination; (ii) negotiation with Class A shareholders on structuring an initial business combination; or (iii) negotiation with parties providing financing which would trigger the anti-dilution provisions of the Class B ordinary shares. If such adjustment is not waived, the issuance would not reduce the percentage ownership of holders of our
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Class B ordinary shares, but would reduce the percentage ownership of our public shareholders. If such adjustment is waived, the issuance would reduce the percentage ownership of holders of both classes of our ordinary shares. Securities could be “deemed issued” for purposes of the conversion rate adjustment if such shares are issuable upon the conversion or exercise of convertible securities, warrants or similar securities.
With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares are not transferable, assignable or saleable (except to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with our sponsor, each of whom will be subject to the same transfer restrictions) until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property.
Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors during such time. In addition, prior to the completion of our initial business combination, holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution passed by at least two-thirds (2/3) of all holders (which must include a simple majority of the holders of Class B ordinary shares). With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, holders of the Class A ordinary shares and holders of the Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders, except as required by law. Each ordinary share will have one vote on all such matters.
Register of members
Under Cayman Islands law, we must keep a register of members and there will be entered therein:
| Ø | the names and addresses of the members, a statement of the shares held by each member, and of the amount paid or agreed to be considered as paid, on the shares of each member and the voting rights of the shares of each member; |
| Ø | whether voting rights are attached to the share in issue; |
| Ø | the date on which the name of any person was entered on the register as a member; and |
| Ø | the date on which any person ceased to be a member. |
Under Cayman Islands law, the register of members of our company is prima facie evidence of the matters set out therein (i.e., the register of members will raise a presumption of fact on the matters referred to above unless rebutted) and a member registered in the register of members will be deemed as a matter of Cayman Islands law to have legal title to the shares as set against its name in the register of members. Upon the closing of this public offering, the register of members will be immediately updated to reflect the issue of shares by us. Once our register of members has been updated, the shareholders recorded in the register of members will be deemed to have legal title to the shares set against their name. However, there are certain limited circumstances where an application may be made to a Cayman Islands
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court for a determination on whether the register of members reflects the correct legal position. Further, the Cayman Islands court has the power to order that the register of members maintained by a company should be rectified where it considers that the register of members does not reflect the correct legal position. If an application for an order for rectification of the register of members were made in respect of our ordinary shares, then the validity of such shares may be subject to re-examination by a Cayman Islands court.
Preference shares
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that preference shares may be issued from time to time in one or more series. Our board of directors will be authorized to fix the voting rights, if any, designations, powers, preferences, the relative, participating, optional or other special rights and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, applicable to the shares of each series. Our board of directors will be able to, without shareholder approval, issue preference shares with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of the ordinary shares and could have anti-takeover effects. The ability of our board of directors to issue preference shares without shareholder approval could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of us or the removal of existing management. We have no preference shares outstanding at the date hereof. Although we do not currently intend to issue any preference shares, we cannot assure you that we will not do so in the future. No preference shares are being issued or registered in this offering.
Redeemable warrants
Public shareholders’ warrants
Each whole warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except as described below. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of Class A ordinary shares. The warrants will (except for Class 2 warrants attached to shares that are redeemed in connection with our initial business combination, which Class 2 warrants will expire upon redemption of such shares) expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
We will not be obligated to deliver any Class A ordinary shares pursuant to the exercise of a warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to our satisfying our obligations described below with respect to registration. No warrant will be exercisable and we will not be obligated to issue Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of a warrant unless Class A ordinary shares issuable upon such warrant exercise have been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the warrants. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to a warrant, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant. In the event that a registration statement is not effective for the exercised warrants, the purchaser of a unit containing such warrant will have paid the full purchase price for the unit solely for the Class A ordinary share 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, and within 60
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business days following our initial business combination to have declared effective, a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or a new registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants. We will use our commercially reasonable efforts to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. If a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will be required to use our best efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00. Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants (except for the private placement warrants):
| Ø | in whole and not in part; |
| Ø | at a price of $0.01 per warrant; |
| Ø | upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption (the “30-day redemption period”) to each warrant holder; and |
| Ø | if, and only if, the last reported sale price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and as described under the heading “—Anti-dilution Adjustments” below) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. |
We will not redeem the warrants unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares (or a security other than the Class A ordinary shares into which the Class A ordinary share have been converted or exchanged for in the event we are not the surviving company in our initial business combination) issuable upon exercise of the warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares is available throughout the 30-day redemption period, except if the warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise the warrants.
We have established the $18.00 per share (subject to adjustment) 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 warrants, each warrant holder will be entitled to exercise its warrant prior to the scheduled redemption
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date. However, the price of the Class A ordinary shares may fall below the $18.00 redemption trigger price (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) as well as the $11.50 (for whole shares) warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.
If we call the public warrants for redemption for cash as described above, our management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise its warrant to do so on a “cashless basis.” In determining whether to require all holders thereof to exercise their warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our shareholders of issuing the maximum number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of our warrants. If our management takes advantage of this option, all holders of warrants would pay the exercise price by surrendering their warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the average last reported sale price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. If our management takes advantage of this option, the notice of redemption will contain the information necessary to calculate the number of Class A ordinary shares 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.
None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us.
Exercise Limitation. A holder of a warrant may notify us in writing in the event it elects to be subject to a requirement that such holder will not have the right to exercise such warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), to the warrant agent’s actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 4.8% or 9.8% (or such other amount as a holder may specify) of the Class A ordinary shares outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise.
Anti-Dilution Adjustments. If the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares is increased by a share capitalization payable in Class A ordinary shares, or by a sub-divide of Class A ordinary shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such share capitalization, sub-divide or similar event, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable on exercise of each warrant will be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding Class A ordinary shares. A rights offering to holders of Class A ordinary shares entitling holders to purchase Class A ordinary shares at a price less than the fair market value will be deemed a share capitalization of a number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the product of (i) the number of Class A ordinary shares actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for Class A ordinary shares) multiplied by (ii) one (1) minus the quotient of (x) the price per Class A ordinary share paid in such rights offering divided by (y) the fair market value. For these purposes (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for Class A ordinary shares, in determining the price payable for Class A ordinary shares, there will be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (ii) fair market value means the volume weighted average price of Class A ordinary shares as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the Class A ordinary shares trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights.
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In addition, if we, at any time while the warrants are outstanding and unexpired, pay a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to the holders of Class A ordinary shares on account of such Class A ordinary shares (or other securities into which the warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described above, (b) certain ordinary cash dividends, (c) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A ordinary shares in connection with a proposed initial business combination, (d) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A ordinary shares in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, or (e) in connection with the redemption of our public shares upon our failure to complete our initial business combination, then the warrant exercise price will be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such event, by the amount of cash and/or the fair market value of any securities or other assets paid on each Class A ordinary share in respect of such event.
If the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse division of shares or reclassification of Class A ordinary shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse division of shares, reclassification or similar event, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable on exercise of each warrant will be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding Class A ordinary shares.
Whenever the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants is adjusted, as described above, the warrant exercise price will be adjusted by multiplying the warrant exercise price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which will be the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which will be the number of Class A ordinary shares so purchasable immediately thereafter.
In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding Class A ordinary shares (other than those described above or that solely affects the par value of such Class A ordinary shares), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of us with or into another corporation (other than a consolidation or merger in which we are the continuing corporation and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of our outstanding Class A ordinary shares), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of us as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which we are dissolved, the holders of the warrants will thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the warrants and in lieu of the Class A ordinary shares immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the warrants would have received if such holder had exercised their warrants immediately prior to such event. However, if the holders of the Class A ordinary shares were entitled to exercise a right of election as to the kind or amount of securities, cash or other assets receivable upon such consolidation or merger, then the kind and amount of securities, cash or other assets 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 of Class A ordinary shares in such consolidation or merger that affirmatively make such election, and if a tender, exchange or redemption offer has been made to and accepted by such holders (other than a tender, exchange or redemption offer made by us in connection with redemption rights held by our shareholders as will be
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provided for in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or as a result of the redemption of Class A ordinary shares by us if a proposed initial business combination is presented to our shareholders for approval) under circumstances in which, upon completion of such tender or exchange offer, the maker thereof, together with members of any group (within the meaning of Rule 13d-5(b)(1) under the Exchange Act (or any successor rule)) of which such maker is a part, and together with any affiliate or associate of such maker (within the meaning of Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act (or any successor rule)) and any members of any such group of which any such affiliate or associate is a part, own beneficially (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act (or any successor rule)) more than 50% of the outstanding Class A ordinary shares, the holder of a warrant will be entitled to receive the highest amount of cash, securities or other property to which such holder would actually have been entitled as a shareholder if such warrant holder had exercised the warrant prior to the expiration of such tender or exchange offer, accepted such offer and all of the Class A ordinary shares held by such holder had been purchased pursuant to such tender or exchange offer, subject to adjustments (from and after the consummation of such tender or exchange offer) as nearly equivalent as possible to the adjustments provided for in the warrant agreement. Additionally, if less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of Class A ordinary shares in such a transaction is payable in the form of ordinary shares in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the registered holder of the warrant properly exercises the warrant within thirty days following public disclosure of such transaction, the warrant exercise price will be reduced as specified in the warrant agreement based on the Black-Scholes value (as defined in the warrant agreement) of the warrant. The warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. You should review a copy of the warrant agreement, which will be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, for a complete description of the terms and conditions applicable to the warrants. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants and, solely with respect to any amendment to the terms of the private placement warrants or working capital warrants or any provision of the warrant agreement with respect to the private placement warrants or working capital warrants, 50% of the number of the then outstanding private placement warrants or working capital warrants, as applicable
In addition, if (x) we issue additional shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, rights issuances, subdivisions, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and the Market Value is below $9.20 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, rights issuances, subdivisions, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like), then the exercise price of each warrant will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) such that the effective exercise price per full share will be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described under “—Redeemable Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
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The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of Class A ordinary shares or any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive Class A ordinary shares. After the issuance of Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of the warrants, each holder will be entitled to one (1) vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by shareholders.
No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the warrants. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the warrant holder.
We have agreed that, subject to applicable law, any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction will be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. See “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to our Securities—Our warrant agreement will designate the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.” This provision applies to claims under the Securities Act but does not apply to claims under the Exchange Act or any claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum.
Private placement warrants
The private placement warrants (including the warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of such warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or saleable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except that, among other limited exceptions as described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Shareholders—Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants” made to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with or related to our sponsor, each of which will be subject to the same transfer restrictions) so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees. Our sponsor, or its permitted transferees, has the option to exercise the private placement warrants on a cashless basis and our sponsor and its permitted transferees will also have certain registration rights related to the private placement warrants (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants), as described below. Otherwise, the private placement warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period. If the private placement warrants are held by holders other than our sponsor or its permitted transferees, the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us in all redemption scenarios and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the units being sold in this offering. Each of the warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans shall be identical to the private placement warrants.
If holders of the private placement warrants elect to exercise them on a cashless basis, they would pay the exercise price by surrendering their warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “sponsor fair market value” (defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the sponsor fair market value. The “sponsor fair market value” shall mean the average last reported sale price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of warrant exercise is sent to the warrant agent.
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The reason that we have agreed that these warrants will be exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by the sponsor or its permitted transferees is because it is not known at this time whether they will be affiliated with us following an initial business combination. If they remain affiliated with us, their ability to sell our securities in the open market will be significantly limited. We expect to have policies in place that prohibit insiders from selling our securities except during specific periods of time. Even during such periods of time when insiders will be permitted to sell our securities, an insider cannot trade in our securities if he or she is in possession of material non-public information. Accordingly, unlike public shareholders who could sell the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants freely in the open market, the insiders could be significantly restricted from doing so. As a result, we believe that allowing the holders to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis is appropriate.
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, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. Up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants, at a price of $0.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants.
Dividends
We have not paid any cash dividends on our ordinary shares to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of 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 conditions 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 increase the size of this offering, we will effect a division of shares, a forfeiture of shares, issue of shares or other appropriate mechanism with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the percentage of founder shares at 30% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering. Further, if we incur any indebtedness, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
Our transfer agent and warrant agent
The transfer agent for our ordinary shares 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 shareholders, directors, officers and employees against all claims and losses that may arise out of acts performed or omitted for its activities in that capacity, except for any liability due to any gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith of the indemnified person or entity.
Certain differences in corporate law
Cayman Islands companies are governed by the Companies Act. The Companies Act is modeled on English law but does not follow recent English law statutory enactments, and differs from laws applicable to United States corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of the material differences between the provisions of the Companies Act applicable to us and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders.
Mergers and Similar Arrangements. In certain circumstances, the Companies Act allows for mergers or consolidations between two Cayman Islands companies, or between a Cayman Islands exempted
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company and a company incorporated in another jurisdiction (provided that is facilitated by the laws of that other jurisdiction).
Where the merger or consolidation is between two Cayman Islands companies, the directors of each company must approve a written plan of merger or consolidation containing certain prescribed information. That plan or merger or consolidation must then be authorized by either (a) a special resolution (usually a majority of 66 2/3% of the voting shares voted at a general meeting) of the shareholders of each company; and (b) such other authorization, if any, as may be specified in such constituent company’s articles of association. No shareholder resolution is required for a merger between a parent company (i.e., a company that holds issued shares that together represent at least 90% of the votes at a general meeting of the subsidiary company) and its subsidiary company, if a copy of the plan of merger is provided to every member of each subsidiary company to be merged unless such member agrees otherwise. The consent of each holder of a fixed or floating security interest of a constituent company must be obtained, unless the court waives such requirement. The directors of each company are required to provide a declaration of the assets and liabilities of the company made up to the latest practicable date before the making of the declaration, and are further required to make a declaration to the effect that: (i) the company is able to pay its debts as they fall due and that the merger or consolidation is bona fide and not intended to defraud unsecured creditors of the company; (ii) no petition or other similar proceeding has been filed and remains outstanding and that no order has been made or resolution adopted to wind up the company in any jurisdiction; (iii) no receiver, trustee, administrator or other similar person has been appointed in any jurisdiction and is acting in respect of the company, its affairs or its property or any part thereof; (iv) no scheme, order, compromise or other similar arrangement has been entered into or made in any jurisdiction whereby the rights of creditors of the company are and continue to be suspended or restricted; (v) in the case of constituent company that is not a surviving company, the constituent company has retired from any fiduciary office held or will do so immediately prior to the merger or consolidation; and (vi) where relevant, the company has complied with any applicable requirements under Cayman Islands regulatory laws. If the Cayman Islands Registrar of Companies is satisfied that the requirements of the Companies Act (which includes certain other formalities) have been complied with, the Registrar of Companies will register the plan of merger or consolidation.
Where the merger or consolidation involves a foreign company, the procedure is similar, save that with respect to the foreign company, the directors of the Cayman Islands exempted company are also required to make a declaration to the effect that, having made due enquiry, they are of the opinion that the requirements set out below have been met: (i) that the merger or consolidation is permitted or not prohibited by the constitutional documents of the foreign company and by the laws of the jurisdiction in which the foreign company is incorporated, and that those laws and any requirements of those constitutional documents have been or will be complied with; (ii) that no petition or other similar proceeding has been filed and remains outstanding or order made or resolution adopted to wind up or liquidate the foreign company in any jurisdictions; (iii) that no receiver, trustee, administrator or other similar person has been appointed in any jurisdiction and is acting in respect of the foreign company, its affairs or its property or any part thereof; (iv) that no scheme, order, compromise or other similar arrangement has been entered into or made in any jurisdiction whereby the rights of creditors of the foreign company are and continue to be suspended or restricted; and (v) that there is no other reason why it would be against the public interest to permit the merger or consolidation.
Where the surviving company is the Cayman Islands exempted company, the directors of the Cayman Islands exempted company are required to make a declaration to the effect that, in addition to the declarations set out above, having made due enquiry, they are of the opinion that the requirements set
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out below have been met: (i) that the foreign company is able to pay its debts as they fall due and that the merger or consolidated is bona fide and not intended to defraud unsecured creditors of the foreign company; (ii) that in respect of the transfer of any security interest granted by the foreign company to the surviving or consolidated company (a) consent or approval to the transfer has been obtained, released or waived, (b) the transfer is permitted by and has been approved in accordance with the constitutional documents of the foreign company, and (c) the laws of the jurisdiction of the foreign company with respect to the transfer have been or will be complied with; (iii) that the foreign company will, upon the merger or consolidation becoming effective, cease to be incorporated, registered or exist under the laws of the relevant foreign jurisdiction; and (iv) that there is no other reason why it would be against the public interest to permit the merger or consolidation.
Where the above procedures are adopted, the Companies Act provides for a right of dissenting shareholders to be paid a payment of the fair value of his shares upon their dissenting to the merger or consolidation if they follow a prescribed procedure. In essence, that procedure is as follows (a) the shareholder must give his written objection to the merger or consolidation to the constituent company before the vote on the merger or consolidation, including a statement that the shareholder proposes to demand payment for his shares if the merger or consolidation is authorized by the vote; (b) within 20 days following the date on which the merger or consolidation is approved by the shareholders, the constituent company must give written notice to each shareholder who made a written objection; (c) a shareholder must within 20 days following receipt of such notice from the constituent company, give the constituent company a written notice of his intention to dissent including, among other details, a demand for payment of the fair value of his shares; (d) within seven days following the date of the expiration of the period set out in clause (b) above or seven days following the date on which the plan of merger or consolidation is filed, whichever is later, the constituent company, the surviving company or the consolidated company must make a written offer to each dissenting shareholder to purchase his shares at a price that the company determines is the fair value and if the company and the shareholder agree the price within 30 days following the date on which the offer was made, the company must pay the shareholder such amount; and (e) if the company and the shareholder fail to agree a price within such 30-day period, within 20 days following the date on which such 30-day period expires, the company must (and any dissenting shareholder may) file a petition with the Cayman Islands Grand Court to determine the fair value and such petition must be accompanied by a list of the names and addresses of the dissenting shareholders with whom agreements as to the fair value of their shares have not been reached by the company. At the hearing of that petition, the court has the power to determine the fair value of the shares together with a fair rate of interest, if any, to be paid by the company upon the amount determined to be the fair value. Any dissenting shareholder whose name appears on the list filed by the company may participate fully in all proceedings until the determination of fair value is reached. These rights of a dissenting shareholder are not available in certain circumstances, for example, to dissenters holding shares of any class in respect of which an open market exists on a recognized stock exchange or recognized interdealer quotation system at the relevant date or where the consideration for such shares to be contributed are shares of any company listed on a national securities exchange or shares of the surviving or consolidated company.
Moreover, Cayman Islands law has separate statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction or amalgamation of companies in certain circumstances, schemes of arrangement will generally be more suited for complex mergers or other transactions involving widely held companies, commonly referred to in the Cayman Islands as a “scheme of arrangement” which may be tantamount to a merger. In the event that a merger was sought pursuant to a scheme of arrangement (the procedures for which are more rigorous and take longer to complete than the procedures typically required to consummate a merger in the United States), the arrangement in question must be approved by a majority in number of each class
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of shareholders and creditors with whom the arrangement is to be made and who must in addition represent three-fourths in value of each such class of shareholders or creditors, as the case may be, that are present and voting either in person or by proxy at a meeting, or meeting summoned for that purpose. The convening of the meetings and subsequently the terms of the arrangement must be sanctioned by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. While a dissenting shareholder would have the right to express to the court the view that the transaction should not be approved, the court can be expected to approve the arrangement if it satisfies itself that:
| Ø | we are not proposing to act illegally or beyond the scope of our corporate authority and the statutory provisions as to majority vote have been complied with; |
| Ø | the shareholders have been fairly represented at the meeting in question; |
| Ø | the arrangement is such as a businessman would reasonably approve; and |
| Ø | the arrangement is not one that would more properly be sanctioned under some other provision of the Companies Act or that would amount to a “fraud on the minority.” |
If a scheme of arrangement or takeover offer (as described below) is approved, any dissenting shareholder would have no rights comparable to appraisal rights (providing rights to receive payment in cash for the judicially determined value of the shares), which would otherwise ordinarily be available to dissenting shareholders of United States corporations.
Squeeze-out Provisions. When a takeover offer is made and accepted by holders of 90% of the shares to whom the offer relates is made within four months, the offeror may, within a two-month period, require the holders of the remaining shares to transfer such shares on the terms of the offer. An objection can be made to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands but this is unlikely to succeed unless there is evidence of fraud, bad faith, collusion or inequitable treatment of the shareholders.
Further, transactions similar to a merger, reconstruction and/or an amalgamation may in some circumstances be achieved through means other than these statutory provisions, such as a share capital exchange, asset acquisition or control, or through contractual arrangements, of an operating business.
Shareholders’ Suits. Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, is not aware of any reported class action having been brought in a Cayman Islands court. Derivative actions have been brought in the Cayman Islands courts, and the Cayman Islands courts have confirmed the availability for such actions. In most cases, we will be the proper plaintiff in any claim based on a breach of duty owed to us, and a claim against (for example) our officers or directors usually may not be brought by a shareholder. However, based both on Cayman Islands authorities and on English authorities, which would in all likelihood be of persuasive authority and be applied by a court in the Cayman Islands, exceptions to the foregoing principle apply in circumstances in which:
| Ø | a company is acting, or proposing to act, illegally or beyond the scope of its authority; |
| Ø | the act complained of, although not beyond the scope of the authority, could be effected if duly authorized by more than the number of votes which have actually been obtained; or those who control the company are perpetrating a “fraud on the minority.” |
A shareholder may have a direct right of action against us where the individual rights of that shareholder have been infringed or are about to be infringed.
Enforcement of Civil Liabilities. The Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States and provides less protection to investors. Additionally, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to sue before the federal courts of the United States.
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We have been advised by Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, and or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
Special Considerations for Exempted Companies. We are an exempted company with limited liability under the Companies Act.
“Limited liability” means that the liability of each shareholder is limited to the amount unpaid by the shareholder on the shares of the company (except in exceptional circumstances, such as involving fraud, the establishment of an agency relationship or an illegal or improper purpose or other circumstances in which a court may be prepared to pierce or lift the corporate veil).
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the completion of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without the approval of a special resolution adopted by the affirmative vote of at least a two-thirds (2/3) majority; provided that amendments relating to the appointment or removal of directors prior to our initial business combination must also be approved by a simple majority of holders of Class B ordinary shares. Our initial shareholders, who will collectively beneficially own 30.0% (or if our sponsor purchases $32,675,000 of the units issued in this offering, 41.4% and, if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised, 39.9%) of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), may participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Specifically, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide, among other things, that:
| Ø | If we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 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, net of taxes payable (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such |
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| redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law; |
| Ø | We may not issue additional securities that would entitle the holders thereof, prior to our initial business combination, to (1) receive funds from the trust account or (2) vote as a class with our public shares (a) on any initial business combination or (b) to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association; |
| Ø | In the event we enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or our officers, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm that such a business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view; |
| Ø | If a shareholder vote on our initial business combination is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing rules and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons, we will offer to redeem our public shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, and will file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act; |
| Ø | Our initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if permitted, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discount); |
| Ø | If our shareholders approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, net of taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares; |
| Ø | We will not complete our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations; and |
| Ø | Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, only holders of the Class B ordinary shares have the right to vote on the appointment of directors and holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares may remove members of our board of directors for any reason. |
In addition, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we are do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. If public shareholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the initial business combination, and instead may search for an alternate business combination.
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The Companies Act permits a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands to amend its memorandum and articles of association with the approval of a special resolution. A company’s articles of association may specify that the approval of a higher majority is required but, provided the approval of the required majority is obtained, any Cayman Islands exempted company may amend its memorandum and articles of association regardless of whether its memorandum and articles of association provides otherwise. Accordingly, although we could amend any of the provisions relating to our proposed offering, structure and business plan which are contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, we view all of these provisions as binding obligations to our shareholders and neither we, nor our officers or directors, will take any action to amend or waive any of these provisions unless we provide dissenting public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares.
Anti-Money Laundering, Counter-Terrorist Financing, Prevention of Proliferation Financing and Financial Sanctions Compliance—Cayman Islands
If any person resident in the Cayman Islands knows or suspects, or has reasonable grounds for knowing or suspecting, that another person is engaged in criminal conduct or money laundering or is involved with terrorism, terrorist financing and property or proliferation financing or is the target of a financial sanction and the information for that knowledge or suspicion came to their attention in the course of business in the regulated sector or other trade, profession, business or employment, the person will be required to report such knowledge or suspicion to (i) the Financial Reporting Authority of the Cayman Islands, pursuant to the Proceeds of Crime Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands if the disclosure relates to criminal conduct, money laundering, terrorist financing, proliferation financing or a financial sanctions breach or (ii) a police officer of the rank of constable or higher, or the Financial Reporting Authority, pursuant to the Terrorism Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, if the disclosure relates to involvement with terrorism or terrorist financing and property. Such a report shall not be treated as a breach of confidence or of any restriction upon the disclosure of information imposed by any enactment or otherwise.
Cayman Islands Data Protection
We have certain duties under the Data Protection Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands (the “DPA”) based on internationally accepted principles of data privacy.
Privacy Notice
Introduction
This privacy notice puts our shareholders on notice that through your investment in the company you will provide us with certain personal information which constitutes personal data within the meaning of the DPA (“personal data”).
In the following discussion, the “company” refers to us and our affiliates and/or delegates, except where the context requires otherwise.
Investor Data
We will collect, use, disclose, retain and secure personal data to the extent reasonably required only and within the parameters that could be reasonably expected during the normal course of business. We will only process, disclose, transfer or retain personal data to the extent legitimately required to conduct our activities of on an ongoing basis or to comply with legal and regulatory obligations to which we are
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subject. We will only transfer personal data in accordance with the requirements of the DPA, and will apply appropriate technical and organizational information security measures designed to protect against unauthorized or unlawful processing of the personal data and against the accidental loss, destruction or damage to the personal data.
In our use of this personal data, we will be characterized as a “data controller” for the purposes of the DPA, while our affiliates and service providers who may receive this personal data from us in the conduct of our activities may either act as our “data processors” for the purposes of the DPA or may process personal information for their own lawful purposes in connection with services provided to us.
We may also obtain personal data from other public sources. Personal data includes, without limitation, the following information relating to a shareholder and/or any individuals connected with a shareholder as an investor: name, residential address, email address, contact details, corporate contact information, signature, nationality, place of birth, date of birth, tax identification, credit history, correspondence records, passport number, bank account details, source of funds details and details relating to the shareholder’s investment activity.
Who this Affects
If you are a natural person, this will affect you directly. If you are a corporate investor (including, for these purposes, legal arrangements such as trusts or exempted limited partnerships) that provides us with personal data on individuals connected to you for any reason in relation your investment in the company, this will be relevant for those individuals and you should transmit the content of this Privacy Notice to such individuals or otherwise advise them of its content.
How the Company May Use a Shareholder’s Personal Data
The company, as the data controller, may collect, store and use personal data for lawful purposes, including, in particular:
(i) where this is necessary for the performance of our rights and obligations under any purchase agreements;
(ii) where this is necessary for compliance with a legal and regulatory obligation to which we are subject (such as compliance with anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing, prevention of proliferation financing, financial sanctions and FATCA/CRS requirements); and/or
(iii) where this is necessary for the purposes of our legitimate interests and such interests are not overridden by your interests, fundamental rights or freedoms.
Should we wish to use personal data for other specific purposes (including, if applicable, any purpose that requires your consent), we will contact you.
Why We May Transfer Your Personal Data
In certain circumstances we may be legally obliged to share personal data and other information with respect to your shareholding with the relevant regulatory authorities such as the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority or the Tax Information Authority. They, in turn, may exchange this information with foreign authorities, including tax authorities.
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We anticipate disclosing personal data to persons who provide services to us and their respective affiliates (which may include certain entities located outside the United States, the Cayman Islands or the European Economic Area), who will process your personal data on our behalf.
The Data Protection Measures We Take
Any transfer of personal data by us or our duly authorized affiliates and/or delegates outside of the Cayman Islands shall be in accordance with the requirements of the DPA.
We and our duly authorized affiliates and/or delegates shall apply appropriate technical and organizational information security measures designed to protect against unauthorized or unlawful processing of personal data, and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data.
We shall notify you of any personal data breach that is reasonably likely to result in a risk to your interests, fundamental rights or freedoms or those data subjects to whom the relevant personal data relates.
Certain anti-takeover provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that our board of directors will be classified into three classes of directors. 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. In addition, prior to the completion of our initial business combination, only holders of the Class B ordinary shares have the right to vote on the appointment of directors and holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares may remove members of our board of directors for any reason, which provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a resolution passed by the holders of a majority of our Class B ordinary shares.
Our authorized but unissued ordinary shares and preference shares are available for future issuances without shareholder approval (including a specified future issuance) and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved ordinary shares and preference shares could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.
Advance notice requirements for shareholder proposals and director nominations
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that shareholders seeking to bring business before our annual meeting of shareholders, or to nominate candidates for election as directors at our annual meeting of shareholders, must provide timely notice of their intent in writing. To be timely, a shareholder’s notice will need to be received by the company secretary at our principal executive offices not later than the close of business on the 90th day nor earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of shareholders. 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 memorandum and articles of association will also specify certain requirements as to the form and content of a shareholders’ meeting. These provisions may preclude our shareholders from bringing matters before our annual meeting of shareholders or from making nominations for directors at our annual meeting of shareholders.
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Action by written consent
Subsequent to the consummation of the offering, any action required or permitted to be taken by our ordinary shareholders must be effected by a duly called annual or special meeting of such shareholders and may not be effected by written consent of the shareholders other than with respect to our Class B ordinary shares.
Classified board of directors
Our board of directors will initially be divided into three classes, Class I, Class II and Class III, with members of each class serving staggered three-year terms. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that the authorized number of directors may be changed only by resolution of the board of directors. Subject to the terms of any preference shares, any or all of the directors may be removed from office at any time, but only for cause and only by the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the voting power of all then outstanding shares entitled to vote generally in the appointment 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 ordinary share consent right
For so long as any Class B ordinary shares remain outstanding, we may not, without the prior vote or written consent of the holders of a majority of the Class B ordinary shares then outstanding, voting separately as a single class, amend, alter or repeal any provision our memorandum and articles of association, 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 ordinary shares. Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the holders of Class B ordinary shares 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 ordinary shares 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 Class B ordinary shares were present and voted.
Securities eligible for future sale
Immediately after the consummation of this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) we will have 28,571,428 (or 32,857,142 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) ordinary shares outstanding. Of these shares, the 20,000,000 shares (or 23,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) sold in this offering will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, except for any shares purchased by one of our affiliates within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act. All of the remaining 8,571,428 (or 9,857,142 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) shares and all 14,800,000 (or 16,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) private placement warrants are restricted securities under Rule 144, in that they were issued in private transactions not involving a public offering, and the Class B ordinary shares and private placement warrants are subject to transfer restrictions as set forth elsewhere in this prospectus. These restricted securities will be subject to registration rights as more fully described below under “—Registration Rights.”
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Rule 144
Pursuant to Rule 144, a person who has beneficially owned restricted ordinary 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 ordinary share 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:
| Ø | 1% of the total number of Class A ordinary shares then outstanding, which will equal 200,000 shares immediately after this offering (or 230,000 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full); or |
| Ø | the average weekly reported trading volume of the Class A ordinary shares during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to the sale. |
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:
| Ø | the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company; |
| Ø | the issuer of the securities is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act; |
| Ø | the issuer of the securities has filed all Exchange Act reports and materials required to be filed, as applicable, during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than Current Reports on Form 8-K; and |
| Ø | at least one year has elapsed from the time that the issuer filed current Form 10 type information with the SEC reflecting its status as an entity that is not a shell company. |
As a result, our initial shareholders will be able to sell their founder shares and private placement warrants, as applicable, pursuant to Rule 144 without registration one year after we have completed our initial business combination.
Registration rights
We will enter into a registration rights agreement with our sponsor with respect to the founder shares, private placement warrants, and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the foregoing and upon conversion of the founder shares. The holders of the founder shares, private placement warrants, and warrants that may be
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issued upon conversion of working capital loans will have registration rights to require us to register the sale of any of our securities held by them pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering. The holders of the majority of these securities will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration demands, that we register such securities for sale under the Securities Act. In addition, these holders will have certain “piggy-back” registration rights to include their securities in other registration statements filed subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination and rights to require us to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Listing of securities
We will apply to list on the NYSE under the symbol “KCAC.U.” We expect that our Class 1 warrants and new units will be listed under the symbols “KCAC.W” and “KCA.U,” respectively, once the Class 1 warrants begin separate trading. Our Class A ordinary shares will not trade separately unless and until consummation of our initial business combination and we expect them to be then listed under the symbol “KCAC.”
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Taxation
The following summary of certain Cayman Islands and U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to an investment in our units, each consisting of one Class A ordinary share, one Class 1 redeemable warrant and one Class 2 redeemable warrant, which we refer to collectively as our securities, is based upon laws and relevant interpretations thereof in effect as of this prospectus date, all of which are subject to change. This summary does not deal with all possible tax consequences relating to an investment in our Class A ordinary shares and warrants, such as the tax consequences under state, local and other tax laws.
Prospective investors should consult their advisors on the possible tax consequences of investing in our securities under the laws of their country of citizenship, residence or domicile.
Cayman Islands tax considerations
The following is a discussion on certain Cayman Islands income tax consequences of an investment in the securities of the company. The discussion is a general summary of present law, which is subject to prospective and retroactive change. It is not intended as tax advice, does not consider any investor’s particular circumstances, and does not consider tax consequences other than those arising under Cayman Islands law.
Under Existing Cayman Islands Laws
Payments of dividends and capital in respect of our securities will not be subject to taxation in the Cayman Islands and no withholding will be required on the payment of a dividend or capital to any holder of the securities nor will gains derived from the disposal of the securities be subject to Cayman Islands income or corporate tax. The Cayman Islands currently has no income, corporate or capital gains tax and no estate duty, inheritance tax or gift tax.
No stamp duty is payable in respect of the issue of the warrants. An instrument of transfer in respect of a warrant is stampable if executed in or brought into the Cayman Islands.
No stamp duty is payable in respect of the issue of our Class A ordinary shares or on an instrument of transfer in respect of such shares.
The company has been incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands as an exempted company with limited liability and, as such, has applied for and received an undertaking from the Financial Secretary of the Cayman Islands in the following form:
| The Tax Concessions Act | ||
| (As Revised) | ||
| Undertaking as to Tax Concessions | ||
In accordance with the provision of Section 6 of The Tax Concessions Act (As Revised), the
Financial Secretary undertakes with Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp. IV (the “Company”):
1. That no law which is hereafter enacted in the Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations shall apply to the company or its operations; and
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2. In addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax shall be payable:
2.1 On or in respect of the shares, debentures or other obligations of the company; or
2.2 by way of the withholding in whole or part, of any relevant payment as defined in Section 6(3) of the Tax Concessions Act ( As Revised).
These concessions shall be for a period of 20 years from the date hereof.
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United States federal income tax considerations
The following is a discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our units, new units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants, which we refer to collectively as our securities. This discussion applies only to securities that are held as capital assets for U.S. federal income tax purposes and is applicable only to holders who purchased units in this offering.
This discussion is a summary only and does not describe all of the tax consequences that may be relevant to you in light of your particular circumstances, including but not limited to the alternative minimum tax, the Medicare tax on certain investment income and the different consequences that may apply if you are subject to special rules that apply to certain types of investors, including but not limited to:
| Ø | financial institutions or financial services entities; |
| Ø | broker-dealers; |
| Ø | governments or agencies or instrumentalities thereof; |
| Ø | regulated investment companies; |
| Ø | real estate investment trusts; |
| Ø | expatriates or former long-term residents of the United States; |
| Ø | persons that actually or constructively own five percent or more of our voting shares; |
| Ø | insurance companies; |
| Ø | dealers or traders subject to a mark-to-market method of accounting with respect to the securities; |
| Ø | persons holding the securities as part of a “straddle,” hedge, integrated transaction or similar transaction; |
| Ø | U.S. holders (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar; |
| Ø | partnerships or other pass-through entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes and any beneficial owners of such entities; and |
| Ø | tax-exempt entities. |
If you are a partnership (or entity or arrangement classified as a partnership) for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of your partners will generally depend on the status of the partners and your activities.
This discussion is based on the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and administrative pronouncements, judicial decisions and final, temporary and proposed Treasury regulations as of the date hereof, which are subject to change, possibly on a retroactive basis, and changes to any of which subsequent to the date of this prospectus may affect the tax consequences described herein. This discussion does not address any aspect of state, local or non-U.S. taxation, or any U.S. federal taxes other than income taxes (such as gift and estate taxes).
We have not sought, and will not seek, a ruling from the IRS as to any U.S. federal income tax consequence described herein. The IRS may disagree with the discussion herein, and its determination may be upheld by a court. Moreover, there can be no assurance that future legislation, regulations,
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administrative rulings or court decisions will not adversely affect the accuracy of the statements in this discussion. You are urged to consult your tax advisor with respect to the application of U.S. federal tax laws to your particular situation, as well as any tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, local or foreign jurisdiction.
THIS DISCUSSION IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY, IS ONLY A SUMMARY OF CERTAIN U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR SECURITIES, AND IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR CAREFUL TAX PLANNING. EACH PROSPECTIVE INVESTOR IN OUR SECURITIES IS URGED TO CONSULT ITS TAX ADVISOR WITH RESPECT TO THE PARTICULAR TAX CONSEQUENCES TO SUCH INVESTOR OF THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR SECURITIES, INCLUDING THE APPLICABILITY AND EFFECT OF U.S. FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, AND NON-UNITED STATES TAX LAWS, AS WELL AS UNDER ANY APPLICABLE TAX TREATY.
Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit and New Unit
No statutory, administrative or judicial authority directly addresses the treatment of a unit or a new unit or an instrument similar to a unit or new unit for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, therefore, that treatment is not entirely clear. The acquisition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as the acquisition of one new unit and one Class 1 redeemable warrant to acquire one Class A ordinary share, and the owner of a unit should generally be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as the owner of a new unit and a Class 1 redeemable warrant. We intend to treat the acquisition of a unit in this manner and, by purchasing a unit, you agree to adopt such treatment for tax purposes.
The treatment of the acquisition and ownership of a new unit is unclear and depends on whether the Class 2 redeemable warrants are treated as outstanding for U.S. federal income tax purposes from the time of issuance of the units, as opposed to not being outstanding prior to a business combination. If the Class 2 redeemable warrants are treated as outstanding at the time of issuance of the units, then the acquisition of a new unit should be treated as the acquisition of one Class A ordinary share and one Class 2 redeemable warrant to acquire one Class A ordinary share, and the owner of a new unit should generally be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as the owner of a Class A ordinary share and a Class 2 redeemable warrant. In such a case, the treatment of a disposition of a new unit (including as a result of a redemption) should be similar to the treatment of a disposition of a unit, described below. Subject to the discussion under “—Alternative Characterization of the New Units,” below, the remainder of this discussion assumes that the Class 2 redeemable warrants will be treated as outstanding at the time of issuance of the units and that the characterization of the units and new units described above is respected for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
For U.S. federal income tax purposes, each holder of a unit must allocate the purchase price paid by such holder for such unit between the one Class A ordinary share, one Class 1 redeemable warrant and one Class 2 redeemable warrant based on the relative fair market value of each at the time of acquisition. Similarly, each holder of a new unit must allocate the purchase price paid by such holder for such new unit between the one Class A ordinary share and one Class 2 redeemable warrant based on the relative fair market value of each at the time of acquisition. Under U.S. federal income tax law, each investor must make his or her own determination of such value based on all the relevant facts and circumstances. Therefore, we strongly urge each investor to consult his or her tax adviser regarding the determination of value for these purposes.
The price allocated to each Class A ordinary share, Class 1 redeemable warrant and Class 2 redeemable warrant should be the shareholder’s tax basis in such share or warrant, as the case may be. Any
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disposition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a disposition of the Class A ordinary share and Class 1 and Class 2 warrants comprising the unit, and the amount realized on the disposition should be allocated between the Class A ordinary share and the Class 1 and Class 2 warrants based on their respective relative fair market values (as determined by each such unit holder on all the relevant facts and circumstances) at the time of disposition. Similarly, any disposition of a new unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a disposition of the Class A ordinary share and the Class 2 warrant comprising the new unit, and the amount realized on the disposition should be allocated between the Class A ordinary share and the Class 2 warrant based on their respective relative fair market values (as determined by each such new unit holder on all the relevant facts and circumstances) at the time of disposition. The separation of a unit into a new unit and a Class 1 warrant, and the separation of a new unit into a Class A ordinary share and a Class 2 warrant should not be a taxable event for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
The foregoing treatment of the Class A ordinary shares and warrants and a holder’s purchase price allocation are not binding on the IRS or the courts. Because there are no authorities that directly address instruments that are similar to the units and new units, no assurance can be given that the IRS or the courts will agree with the characterization described above. Accordingly, each prospective investor is urged to consult its own tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of an investment in a unit or new unit (including alternative characterizations).
Alternative Characterization of the New Units
If the Class 2 redeemable warrants are not treated as outstanding during the period between the issuance of the units and the consummation of a business combination, the acquisition of a new unit will be treated as the acquisition of a Class A ordinary share and the owner of a new unit should generally be treated as the owner of a Class A ordinary share. Holders that do not elect to redeem their new units in connection with a business combination and who receive in exchange for their new units Class A ordinary shares and Class 2 redeemable warrants at the time of a business combination should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as having received a distribution of Class 2 redeemable warrants at such time.
Although the authorities governing transactions such as the distribution of such Class 2 warrants are complex and unclear in certain respects, we expect that a holder of new units deemed to receive Class 2 warrants in connection with a business combination should not be treated as receiving a taxable distribution. This general rule is subject to exceptions, including for “disproportionate distributions.” A disproportionate distribution is a distribution or a series of distributions, including deemed distributions, that has the effect of the receipt of cash or other property by some shareholders and an increase in the proportionate interest of other shareholders in a corporation’s assets or earnings and profits. For this purpose, distributions of cash or other property incident to an “isolated” redemption of stock do not cause a distribution or series of distributions to be disproportionate. Although not entirely clear, under these rules, we do not expect the distribution (for tax purposes) of Class 2 warrants in connection with the consummation of a business combination to be treated as a disproportionate distribution.
If the distribution is non-taxable to a U.S. holder (as defined below), and the Class 2 warrants that the U.S. holder is deemed to receive in the distribution have a fair market value equal to 15% or more of the fair market value of the U.S. holder’s Class A ordinary shares on the date of the distribution, the U.S. holder must allocate its adjusted tax basis in its Class A ordinary shares between those shares and the Class 2 warrants in proportion to their relative fair market values at that time. Otherwise, the U.S. holder’s tax basis in the Class 2 warrants that the U.S. holder is deemed to receive in the distribution will
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be zero unless the U.S. holder irrevocably elects, in its U.S. federal income tax return for the taxable year in which the Class 2 warrants are deemed received, to allocate its adjusted tax basis in its Class A ordinary shares between those shares and the Class 2 warrants as described in the foregoing sentence.
If the treatment of the distribution as tax-free is determined by the IRS or a court to be incorrect, or if a business combination is consummated in a manner that denies holders of the U.S. federal income tax treatment described above, holders receiving the Class 2 warrants may be treated as receiving a distribution in an amount equal to the fair market value of such Class 2 warrants at that time. Investors are urged to consult their tax advisors in this regard.
U.S. Holders
This section applies to you if you are a “U.S. holder.” A U.S. holder is a beneficial owner of our units, new units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants who or that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:
| Ø | an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States; |
| Ø | a corporation (or other entity taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia; |
| Ø | an estate the income of which is includible in gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes regardless of its source; or |
| Ø | a trust, if (i) a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more United States persons (as defined in the Code) have authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (ii) it has a valid election in effect under Treasury Regulations to be treated as a United States person. |
Taxation of Distributions. Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, a U.S. holder generally will be required to include in gross income as a dividend the amount of any distribution paid on our Class A ordinary shares to the extent the distribution is paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles). Such dividends paid by us will be taxable to a corporate U.S. holder at regular rates and will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction generally allowed to domestic corporations in respect of dividends received from other domestic corporations. Subject to the PFIC rules described below, distributions in excess of such earnings and profits generally will be applied against and reduce the U.S. holder’s basis in its Class A ordinary shares (but not below zero) and, to the extent in excess of such basis, will be treated as gain from the sale or exchange of such Class A ordinary shares (see “—Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants” below).
With respect to non-corporate U.S. holders, under tax laws currently in effect and subject to certain exceptions (including, but not limited to, dividends treated as investment income for purposes of investment interest deduction limitations), dividends generally will be taxed at the lower applicable long-term capital gains rate (see “—Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants” below) only if our Class A ordinary shares are readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States (including the New York Stock Exchange, on which we intend to list the Class A ordinary shares), we are not treated as a PFIC at the time the dividend was paid or in the preceding year, and provided certain holding period and other requirements are met. It is unclear, however, whether certain redemption rights described in this prospectus suspend the running of the applicable holding period for this purpose. U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the availability of such lower rate for any dividends paid with respect to our Class A ordinary shares.
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Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants. Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, a U.S. holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss on the sale or other taxable disposition of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants (including on our dissolution and liquidation if we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period). Any such capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. holder’s holding period for such Class A ordinary shares or warrants exceeds one year. It is unclear, however, whether certain redemption rights described in this prospectus suspend the running of the applicable holding period for this purpose.
The amount of gain or loss recognized by a U.S. holder on a sale or other taxable disposition generally will be equal to the difference between (i) the sum of the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received in such disposition (or, if the Class A ordinary shares or warrants are held as part of units or new units upon the disposition, the portion of the amount realized on such disposition that is allocated to the Class A ordinary shares or warrants based upon the then relative fair market values of the Class A ordinary shares and the warrants included in the units or new units, as applicable) and (ii) the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A ordinary shares or warrants so disposed of. A U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A ordinary shares and warrants generally will equal the U.S. holder’s acquisition cost (that is, the portion of the purchase price of a unit or new unit allocated to a Class A ordinary share or warrant, as described above under “—Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit and New Unit”) reduced by any prior distributions treated as a return of capital. Long-term capital gain realized by a non-corporate U.S. holder is currently eligible to be taxed at reduced rates. See “—Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant” below for a discussion regarding a U.S. holder’s tax basis in the Class A ordinary shares acquired pursuant to the exercise of a warrant. The deduction of capital losses is subject to certain limitations.
Redemption of New Units or Class A Ordinary Shares. In the event that a U.S. holder’s Class A ordinary shares are redeemed pursuant to the redemption provisions described in this prospectus under the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities—Ordinary Shares” or if we purchase a U.S. holder’s new units in an open market transaction, the redemption or purchase should be treated as a redemption of each of the Class A ordinary share and the Class 2 redeemable warrant comprising the new unit, and the redemption price or purchase price should be allocated between the Class A ordinary share and the Class 2 redeemable warrant based upon their then relative fair market values. The redemption of the Class 2 redeemable warrants generally will be treated as a taxable disposition to the U.S. holder, taxed as described above under “—Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants,” subject to the PFIC rules described below.
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the redemption of a U.S. holder’s Class A ordinary shares, including the purchase of new units in an open market transaction (each of which we refer to below as a “redemption”), will depend on whether the redemption qualifies as a sale of the Class A ordinary shares under Section 302 of the Code. If the redemption qualifies as a sale of ordinary shares, the U.S. holder will be treated as described under “U.S. Holders—Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants” above. If the redemption does not qualify as a sale of ordinary shares, the U.S. holder will be treated as receiving a corporate distribution with the tax consequences described above under “U.S. Holders—Taxation of Distributions”. Whether a redemption qualifies for sale treatment will depend largely on the total number of our shares treated as held by the U.S. holder (including any shares constructively owned by the U.S. holder described in the following paragraph) relative to all of our shares outstanding both before and after the redemption. The redemption of Class A ordinary shares generally will be treated as a sale of
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the Class A ordinary shares (rather than as a corporate distribution) if the redemption (i) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the U.S. holder, (ii) results in a “complete termination” of the U.S. holder’s interest in us or (iii) is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the U.S. holder. These tests are explained more fully below.
In determining whether any of the foregoing tests is satisfied, a U.S. holder takes into account not only shares actually owned by the U.S. holder, but also our shares that are constructively owned by it. A U.S. holder may constructively own, in addition to shares owned directly, shares owned by certain related individuals and entities in which the U.S. holder has an interest or that have an interest in such U.S. holder, as well as any shares the U.S. holder has a right to acquire by exercise of an option, which would generally include Class A ordinary shares which could be acquired pursuant to the exercise of the warrants. In order to meet the substantially disproportionate test, the percentage of our outstanding voting shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder immediately following the redemption of Class A ordinary shares must, among other requirements, be less than 80% of the percentage of our outstanding voting shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder immediately before the redemption. Prior to our initial business combination, the ordinary shares may not be treated as voting shares for this purpose and, consequently, this substantially disproportionate test may not be applicable. There will be a complete termination of a U.S. holder’s interest if either (i) all of our shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder are redeemed or (ii) all of our shares actually owned by the U.S. holder are redeemed and the U.S. holder is eligible to waive, and effectively waives in accordance with specific rules, the attribution of shares owned by certain family members and the U.S. holder does not constructively own any other of our shares. The redemption of the Class A ordinary shares will not be essentially equivalent to a dividend if the redemption results in a “meaningful reduction” of the U.S. holder’s proportionate interest in us. Whether the redemption will result in a meaningful reduction in a U.S. holder’s proportionate interest in us will depend on the particular facts and circumstances.
However, the IRS has indicated in a published ruling that even a small reduction in the proportionate interest of a small minority shareholder in a publicly held corporation who exercises no control over corporate affairs may constitute such a “meaningful reduction.” A U.S. holder should consult with its own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of a redemption.
If none of the foregoing tests is satisfied, the redemption will be treated as a corporate distribution and the tax effects will be as described under “U.S. Holders—Taxation of Distributions,” above. After the application of those rules, any remaining tax basis of the U.S. holder in the redeemed Class A ordinary shares will be added to the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its remaining shares, or, if it has none, to the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its warrants or possibly in other shares constructively owned by it. U.S. holders who actually or constructively own five percent (or, if Class A ordinary shares are not then publicly traded, one percent) or more of our shares (by vote or value) may be subject to special reporting requirements with respect to a redemption, and such holders are urged to consult with their tax advisors with respect to their reporting requirements.
Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant. Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below and except as discussed below with respect to the cashless exercise of a warrant, a U.S. holder generally will not recognize taxable gain or loss on the acquisition of ordinary shares upon exercise of a warrant for cash. The U.S. holder’s tax basis in the share of our Class A ordinary shares received upon exercise of the warrant for cash generally will be an amount equal to the sum of the U.S. holder’s initial investment in the warrant (i.e., the portion of the U.S. holder’s purchase price for a unit or new unit that is allocated to the warrant, as described above under “—Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit and New Unit”) and the exercise price. It is unclear whether the U.S. holder’s holding period for the
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Class A ordinary shares received upon exercise of the warrant will begin on the date following the date of exercise or on the date of exercise of the warrant; in either case, the holding period will not include the period during which the U.S. holder held the warrant. If a warrant is allowed to lapse unexercised, a U.S. holder generally will recognize a capital loss equal to such holder’s tax basis in the warrant.
The tax consequences of a cashless exercise of a warrant are not clear under current tax law. Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, a cashless exercise may be tax-free, either because the exercise is not a realization event or because the exercise is treated as a recapitalization for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In either tax-free situation, a U.S. holder’s basis in the Class A ordinary shares received would equal the holder’s basis in the warrants. If the cashless exercise were treated as not being a realization event, it is unclear whether a U.S. holder’s holding period in the Class A ordinary shares will commence on the date following the date of exercise or on the date of exercise of the warrant. If the cashless exercise were treated as a recapitalization, the holding period of the Class A ordinary shares would include the holding period of the warrants.
It is also possible that a cashless exercise could be treated in part as a taxable exchange in which gain or loss would be recognized. In such event, a U.S. holder could be deemed to have surrendered a number of warrants having an aggregate fair market value equal to the exercise price for the total number of warrants to be exercised. Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, the U.S. holder would recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the fair market value of the warrants deemed surrendered and the U.S. holder’s tax basis in such warrants. In that case, a U.S. holder’s tax basis in the Class A ordinary shares received would equal the sum of the U.S. holder’s initial investment in the warrants exercised (i.e., the portion of the U.S. holder’s purchase price for a unit that is allocated to the warrant, as described above under “—Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit and New Unit”) and the exercise price of such warrants. It is unclear whether a U.S. holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares would commence on the date following the date of exercise or on the date of exercise of the warrant; in either case, the holding period would not include the period during which the U.S. holder held the warrant. There may also be alternative characterizations of any such taxable exchange that would result in similar tax consequences, except that a U.S. Holder’s gain or loss would be short-term.
Due to the absence of authority on the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a cashless exercise, including when a U.S. holder’s holding period would commence with respect to the Class A ordinary shares received, there can be no assurance which, if any, of the alternative tax consequences and holding periods described above would be adopted by the IRS or a court of law. Accordingly, U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of a cashless exercise.
Subject to the PFIC rules described below, if we redeem warrants for cash pursuant to the redemption provisions described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities—Redeemable Warrants” or if we purchase warrants in an open market transaction, such redemption or purchase generally will be treated as a taxable disposition to the U.S. holder, taxed as described above under “—Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants.”
Possible Constructive Distributions. The terms of each warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of Class A ordinary shares for which the warrant may be exercised or to the exercise price of the warrant in certain events, as discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities—Redeemable Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants.” An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution generally is not taxable. The U.S. holders of the warrants would, however, be
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treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment to the number of such shares or to such exercise price increases the warrant holders’ proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of Class A ordinary shares that would be obtained upon exercise or through a decrease in the exercise price of the warrant) as a result of a distribution of cash or other property, such as other securities, to the holders of our Class A ordinary shares, or as a result of the issuance of a share dividend to holders of our Class A ordinary shares, in each case which is taxable to the U.S. holders of such shares as a distribution. Such constructive distribution would be subject to tax in the same manner as if the U.S. holders of the warrants received a cash distribution from us equal to the fair market value of such increased interest resulting from the adjustment.
Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules. A foreign (i.e., non-U.S.) corporation will be classified as a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes if either (i) at least 75% of its gross income in a taxable year, including its pro rata share of the gross income of any corporation in which it is considered to own at least 25% of the shares by value, is passive income or (ii) at least 50% of its assets in a taxable year (ordinarily determined based on fair market value and averaged quarterly over the year), including its pro rata share of the assets of any corporation in which it is considered to own at least 25% of the shares by value, are held for the production of, or produce, passive income. Passive income generally includes dividends, interest, rents and royalties (other than rents or royalties derived from the active conduct of a trade or business) and gains from the disposition of passive assets.
Because we are a blank check company, with no current active business, we believe that it is likely that we will meet the PFIC asset or income test for our current taxable year. However, pursuant to a start-up exception, a corporation will not be a PFIC for the first taxable year the corporation has gross income (the “start-up year”), if (1) no predecessor of the corporation was a PFIC; (2) the corporation satisfies the IRS that it will not be a PFIC for either of the two taxable years following the start-up year; and (3) the corporation is not in fact a PFIC for either of those years. The applicability of the start-up exception to us is uncertain and will not be known until after the close of our current taxable year (or possibly not until after the close of the first two taxable years following our start-up year, as described under the start-up exception). After the acquisition of a company or assets in a business combination, we may still meet one of the PFIC tests depending on the timing of the acquisition and the amount of our passive income and assets as well as the passive income and assets of the acquired business. If the company that we acquire in a business combination is a PFIC, then we will likely not qualify for the start-up exception and will be a PFIC for our current taxable year. Our actual PFIC status for our current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year, however, will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year. Accordingly, there can be no assurance with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year or any future taxable year.
Although our PFIC status is determined annually, an initial determination that our company is a PFIC will generally apply for subsequent years to a U.S. holder who held (or is deemed to have held) Class A ordinary shares or warrants (including indirectly as units or new units) while we were a PFIC, whether or not we meet the test for PFIC status in those subsequent years. If we are determined to be a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. holder of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants and, in the case of our Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. holder did not make either a timely and valid qualified electing fund (“QEF”) election for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. holder held (or was deemed to hold) Class A ordinary shares, a QEF election along with a purging election, or a mark-to-market election, each as described below, such U.S. holder generally will be subject to special rules with respect to (i) any gain recognized by the U.S. holder on the sale or other disposition of its Class A ordinary shares or warrants and (ii) any “excess distribution” made to the U.S.
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holder (generally, any distributions to such U.S. holder during a taxable year of the U.S. holder that are greater than 125% of the average annual distributions received by such U.S. holder in respect of the Class A ordinary shares during the three preceding taxable years of such U.S. holder or, if shorter, such U.S. holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares).
Under these rules:
| · | the U.S. holder’s gain or excess distribution will be allocated ratably over the U.S. holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares or warrants; |
| · | the amount allocated to the U.S. holder’s taxable year in which the U.S. holder recognized the gain or received the excess distribution, or to the period in the U.S. holder’s holding period before the first day of our first taxable year in which we are a PFIC, will be taxed as ordinary income; |
| · | the amount allocated to other taxable years (or portions thereof) of the U.S. holder and included in its holding period will be taxed at the highest tax rate in effect for that year and applicable to the U.S. holder; and |
| · | an additional tax equal to the interest charge generally applicable to underpayments of tax will be imposed on the U.S. holder with respect to the tax attributable to each such other taxable year of the U.S. holder. |
In general, if we are determined to be a PFIC, a U.S. holder may avoid the PFIC tax consequences described above in respect of our Class A ordinary shares (but not our warrants) by making a timely and valid QEF election (if eligible to do so) to include in income its pro rata share of our net capital gains (as long-term capital gain) and other earnings and profits (as ordinary income), on a current basis, in each case whether or not distributed, in the taxable year of the U.S. holder in which or with which our taxable year ends. A U.S. holder generally may make a separate election to defer the payment of taxes on undistributed income inclusions under the QEF rules, but if deferred, any such taxes will be subject to an interest charge.
A U.S. holder may not make a QEF election with respect to its warrants to acquire our Class A ordinary shares. As a result, if a U.S. holder sells or otherwise disposes of such warrants (other than upon exercise of such warrants) and we were a PFIC at any time during the U.S. holder’s holding period of such warrants, any gain recognized generally will be treated as an excess distribution, taxed as described above. If a U.S. holder that exercises such warrants properly makes a QEF election with respect to the newly acquired Class A ordinary shares (or has previously made a QEF election with respect to our Class A ordinary shares), the QEF election will apply to the newly acquired Class A ordinary shares. Notwithstanding such QEF election, the adverse tax consequences relating to PFIC shares, adjusted to take into account the current income inclusions resulting from the QEF election, will continue to apply with respect to such newly acquired Class A ordinary shares (which generally will be deemed to have a holding period for purposes of the PFIC rules that includes the period the U.S. holder held the warrants), unless the U.S. holder makes a purging election under the PFIC rules. Under one type of purging election, the U.S. holder will be deemed to have sold such shares at their fair market value and any gain recognized on such deemed sale will be treated as an excess distribution, as described above. As a result of such purging election, the U.S. holder will generally have additional basis (to the extent of any gain recognized on the deemed sale) and, solely for purposes of the PFIC rules, a new holding period in the Class A ordinary shares acquired upon the exercise of the warrants. U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors as to the application of the rules governing purging elections to their particular circumstances (including a potential separate “deemed dividend” purging election that may be available if we are a controlled foreign corporation).
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The QEF election is made on a shareholder-by-shareholder basis and, once made, can be revoked only with the consent of the IRS. A U.S. holder generally makes a QEF election by attaching a completed IRS Form 8621 (Information Return by a Shareholder of a Passive Foreign Investment Company or Qualified Electing Fund), including the information provided in a PFIC Annual Information Statement, to a timely filed U.S. federal income tax return for the tax year to which the election relates. Retroactive QEF elections generally may be made only by filing a protective statement with such return and if certain other conditions are met or with the consent of the IRS. U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the availability and tax consequences of a retroactive QEF election under their particular circumstances.
In order to comply with the requirements of a QEF election, a U.S. holder must receive a PFIC Annual Information Statement from us. If we determine we are a PFIC for any taxable year, upon written request, we will endeavor to provide to a U.S. holder such information as the IRS may require, including a PFIC Annual Information Statement, in order to enable the U.S. holder to make and maintain a QEF election. However, there is no assurance that we will timely provide such required information or that we will continue to endeavor to provide such information following an initial business combination. There is also no assurance that we will have timely knowledge of our status as a PFIC in the future or of the required information to be provided.
If a U.S. holder has made a QEF election with respect to our Class A ordinary shares, and the excess distribution rules discussed above do not apply to such shares (because of a timely QEF election for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. holder holds (or is deemed to hold) such shares or a purge of the PFIC taint pursuant to a purging election, as described above), any gain recognized on the sale of our Class A ordinary shares generally will be taxable as capital gain and no additional tax or interest charge will be imposed under the PFIC rules. As discussed above, if we are a PFIC for any taxable year, a U.S. holder of our Class A ordinary shares that has made a QEF election will be currently taxed on its pro rata share of our earnings and profits, whether or not distributed for such year. A subsequent distribution of such earnings and profits that were previously included in income generally should not be taxable when distributed to such U.S. holder. The tax basis of a U.S. holder’s shares in a QEF will be increased by amounts that are included in income, and decreased by amounts distributed but not taxed as dividends, under the above rules. In addition, if we are not a PFIC for any taxable year, such U.S. holder will not be subject to the QEF inclusion regime with respect to our Class A ordinary shares for such taxable year.
Alternatively, if we are a PFIC and our Class A ordinary shares constitute “marketable stock,” a U.S. holder may avoid the adverse PFIC tax consequences discussed above if such U.S. holder, at the close of the first taxable year in which it holds (or is deemed to hold) our Class A ordinary shares, makes a mark-to-market election with respect to such shares for such taxable year. Such U.S. holder generally will include for each of its taxable years as ordinary income the excess, if any, of the fair market value of its Class A ordinary shares at the end of such year over its adjusted basis in its Class A ordinary shares. The U.S. holder also will recognize an ordinary loss in respect of the excess, if any, of its adjusted basis of its Class A ordinary shares over the fair market value of its Class A ordinary shares at the end of its taxable year (but only to the extent of the net amount of previously included income as a result of the mark-to-market election). The U.S. holder’s basis in its Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted to reflect any such income or loss amounts, and any further gain recognized on a sale or other taxable disposition of its Class A ordinary shares will be treated as ordinary income. Currently, a mark-to-market election may not be made with respect to warrants.
The mark-to-market election is available only for “marketable stock,” generally, stock that is regularly traded on a national securities exchange that is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
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including the New York Stock Exchange (on which we intend to list the Class A ordinary shares), or on a foreign exchange or market that the IRS determines has rules sufficient to ensure that the market price represents a legitimate and sound fair market value. If made, a mark-to-market election would be effective for the taxable year for which the election was made and for all subsequent taxable years unless the ordinary shares ceased to qualify as “marketable stock” for purposes of the PFIC rules or the IRS consented to the revocation of the election. U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the availability and tax consequences of a mark-to-market election with respect to our Class A ordinary shares under their particular circumstances.
If we are a PFIC and, at any time, have a foreign subsidiary that is classified as a PFIC, U.S. holders generally would be deemed to own a portion of the shares of such lower-tier PFIC, and generally could incur liability for the deferred tax and interest charge described above if we receive a distribution from, or dispose of all or part of our interest in, the lower-tier PFIC or the U.S. holders otherwise were deemed to have disposed of an interest in the lower-tier PFIC. We will endeavor to cause any lower-tier PFIC to provide to a U.S. holder the information that may be required to make or maintain a QEF election with respect to the lower-tier PFIC. There can be no assurance that we will have timely knowledge of the status of any such lower-tier PFIC. In addition, we may not hold a controlling interest in any such lower-tier PFIC and thus there can be no assurance we will be able to cause the lower-tier PFIC to provide such required information. A mark-to-market election generally would not be available with respect to such lower-tier PFIC. U.S. holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the tax issues raised by lower-tier PFICs.
A U.S. holder that owns (or is deemed to own) shares in a PFIC during any taxable year of the U.S. holder, may have to file an IRS Form 8621 (whether or not a QEF or market-to-market election is made) and such other information as may be required by the U.S. Treasury Department. Failure to do so, if required, will extend the statute of limitations until such required information is furnished to the IRS.
The rules dealing with PFICs and with the QEF and mark-to-market elections are very complex and are affected by various factors in addition to those described above. Accordingly, U.S. holders of our Class A ordinary shares and warrants should consult their own tax advisors concerning the application of the PFIC rules to our securities under their particular circumstances.
Tax Reporting. Certain U.S. holders may be required to file an IRS Form 926 (Return by a U.S. Transferor of Property to a Foreign Corporation) to report a transfer of property (including cash) to us. Substantial penalties may be imposed on a U.S. holder that fails to comply with this reporting requirement and the period of limitations on assessment and collection of U.S. federal income taxes will be extended in the event of a failure to comply. Furthermore, certain U.S. holders who are individuals and certain entities will be required to report information with respect to such U.S. holder’s investment in “specified foreign financial assets” on IRS Form 8938 (Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets), subject to certain exceptions. An interest in the company constitutes a specified foreign financial asset for these purposes. Persons who are required to report specified foreign financial assets and fail to do so may be subject to substantial penalties and the period of limitations on assessment and collection of U.S. federal income taxes will be extended in the event of a failure to comply. Potential investors are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the foreign financial asset and other reporting obligations and their application to an investment in our Class A ordinary shares and warrants.
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Non-U.S. Holders
This section applies to you if you are a “Non-U.S. holder.” As used herein, the term “Non-U.S. holder” means a beneficial owner of our units, new units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants who or that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes:
| Ø | a non-resident alien individual (other than certain former citizens and residents of the United States subject to U.S. tax as expatriates); |
| Ø | a foreign corporation or |
| Ø | an estate or trust that is not a U.S. holder; |
but generally does not include an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of disposition. If you are such an individual, you should consult your tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership or sale or other disposition of our securities.
Dividends (including constructive dividends) paid or deemed paid to a Non-U.S. holder in respect of our Class A ordinary shares generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax, unless the dividends are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, are attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base that such holder maintains in the United States). In addition, a Non-U.S. holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on any gain attributable to a sale or other taxable disposition of our units, new units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants unless such gain is effectively connected with its conduct of a trade or business in the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, is attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base that such holder maintains in the United States). For purposes of determining whether a taxable disposition of warrants has occurred upon a cashless exercise or redemption of the warrants, the same rules described under “—U.S. Holders—Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant,” apply.
Dividends (including constructive dividends) and gains that are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business in the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, are attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base in the United States) generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the same regular U.S. federal income tax rates applicable to a comparable U.S. holder and, in the case of a Non-U.S. holder that is a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, also may be subject to an additional branch profits tax at a 30% rate or a lower applicable tax treaty rate.
The discussion above under “—U.S. Holders—Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant,” generally applies to Non-U.S. holders that hold warrants as part of a trade or business in the United States (that, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, is attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base that such holder maintains in the United States), upon the exercise, lapse or redemption of such warrants. However, corporate Non-U.S. holders may also be subject to an additional branch profits tax at a 30% rate or a lower applicable treaty rate.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding. Dividend payments with respect to our Class A ordinary shares and proceeds from the sale, exchange or redemption of our Class A ordinary shares may be subject to information reporting to the IRS and possible United States backup withholding. Backup withholding will not apply, however, to a U.S. holder who furnishes a correct taxpayer identification number and makes other required certifications, or who is otherwise exempt from backup withholding
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and establishes such exempt status. A Non-U.S. holder generally will eliminate the requirement for information reporting and backup withholding by providing certification of its foreign status, under penalties of perjury, on a duly executed applicable IRS Form W-8 or by otherwise establishing an exemption.
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Amounts withheld as backup withholding may be credited against a holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, and a holder generally may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules by timely filing the appropriate claim for refund with the IRS and furnishing any required information.
The U.S. federal income tax discussion set forth above is included for general information only and may not be applicable depending upon a holder’s particular situation. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to the tax consequences to them of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our units, new units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants, including the tax consequences under state, local, estate, foreign and other tax laws and tax treaties and the possible effects of changes in U.S. or other tax laws.
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UBS Securities LLC and Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated are acting as the joint book-running managers of this offering and UBS Securities LLC is acting as a representative of the underwriters named below. Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement dated the date of this prospectus, each underwriter named below has severally agreed to purchase, and we have agreed to sell to such underwriter, the number of units set forth opposite the underwriter’s name.
| Underwriter | Number of Units |
|||
| UBS Securities LLC |
||||
| Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated |
||||
| Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated |
||||
| Drexel Hamilton, LLC |
||||
| Total |
20,000,000 | |||
The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the underwriters to purchase the units included in this offering are subject to approval of legal matters by counsel and to other conditions. The underwriters are obligated to purchase all of the units (other than those covered by the underwriters’ over-allotment option described below) if they purchase any of the units.
The offering of the units by the underwriters is subject to receipt and acceptance and subject to the underwriters’ right to reject any order in whole or in part.
Units sold by the underwriters to the public will initially be offered at the initial public offering price set forth on the cover of this prospectus. Any units sold by the underwriters to securities dealers may be sold at a discount from the initial public offering price not to exceed $ per unit. If all of the units are not sold at the initial offering price, the underwriters may change the offering price and the other selling terms after completion of the initial public offering. The representative has advised us that the underwriters do not intend to make sales to discretionary accounts.
If the underwriters sell more units than the total number set forth in the table above, we have granted to the underwriters an option, exercisable for 45 days from the date of this prospectus, to purchase up to 3,000,000 additional units at the public offering price less the underwriting discount. The underwriters may exercise this option solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments, if any, in connection with this offering. To the extent the option is exercised, each underwriter must purchase a number of additional units approximately proportionate to that underwriter’s initial purchase commitment. Any units issued or sold under the option will be issued and sold on the same terms and conditions as the other units that are the subject of this offering.
We, our sponsor and our officers and directors have agreed that, for a period of 180 days from the date of this prospectus, they will not, without the prior written consent of UBS Securities LLC, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, any units, warrants, ordinary shares or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, any of the foregoing, subject to certain exceptions. UBS Securities LLC in its sole discretion may release any of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements at any time without notice, other than in the case of the officers and directors, which shall be with notice. Our sponsor, officers and directors are also subject to separate transfer restrictions on their founder shares and private placement warrants pursuant to the letter agreement described herein.
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Our initial shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earlier to occur of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property (except with respect to permitted transferees as described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Shareholders—Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”). The private placement warrants and the warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of such warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or saleable by our sponsor or its permitted transferees until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except with respect to permitted transferees as described herein under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Shareholders—Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Placement Warrants”).
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our securities. Consequently, the initial public offering price for the units was determined by negotiations between us and the representative. Among the factors considered in determining the initial public offering price were the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies, prior offerings of those companies, our management, our capital structure, and currently prevailing general conditions in equity securities markets, including current market valuations of publicly traded companies considered comparable to our company. We cannot assure you, however, that the price at which the units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants will sell in the public market after this offering will not be lower than the initial public offering price or that an active trading market in our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants will develop and continue after this offering.
We will apply to list on the NYSE under the symbol “KCAC.U.” We expect that our Class 1 warrants and new units will be listed under the symbols “KCAC.W” and “KCA.U,” respectively, once the Class 1 warrants begin separate trading. Our Class A ordinary shares will not trade separately unless and until consummation of our initial business combination and we expect them to be then listed under the symbol “KCAC.”
The following table shows the underwriting discounts and commissions that we are to pay to the underwriters in connection with this offering. These amounts are shown assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
| Payable by Kensington Capital | ||||||||
| Acquisition Corp. IV | ||||||||
| No Exercise | Full Exercise | |||||||
| Per Unit(1) |
$ | 0.55 | $ | 0.55 | ||||
| Total(1) |
$ | 11,000,000 | $ | 12,650,000 | ||||
| (1) | Includes $0.35 per unit, or $7,000,000 (or $8,050,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in the aggregate payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions to be placed in a trust account located in the United States as described herein. The deferred commissions will be released to the underwriters only on completion of an initial business combination, in an amount equal to $0.35 multiplied by the number of Class A ordinary shares sold as part of the units in this offering, as described in this prospectus. The underwriters’ right to receive up to one-half of such amount placed in trust is subject to forfeiture by the underwriters on a dollar-for-dollar basis in the event of any redemptions in our initial business combination. |
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At our request, the underwriters have reserved up to 10% of the units being offered by this prospectus (excluding the underwriters’ over-allotment option) for sale at the initial public offering price to our directors, officers, employees and other individuals associated with us and members of their families. The sales will be made by UBS Financial Services Inc., a selected dealer affiliated with UBS Securities LLC, an underwriter of this offering, through a directed unit program. We do not know if these persons will choose to purchase all or any portion of these reserved units, but any purchases they do make will reduce the number of units available to the general public. Any reserved units not so purchased will be offered by the underwriters to the general public on the same terms as the other units. Participants in the directed unit program who purchase more than $1,000,000 of units will be subject to a 25-day lock-up with respect to any units sold to them pursuant to that program. This lock-up will have similar restrictions to the 180-day lock-up arrangement described above. Any units sold in the directed unit program to our directors or officers shall be subject to the lock-up agreements described in this prospectus.
If we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period and subsequently liquidate, the trustee and the underwriters have agreed that (i) they will forfeit any rights or claims to their deferred underwriting discounts and commissions, including any accrued interest thereon, then in the trust account upon liquidation, and (ii) that the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions will be distributed on a pro rata basis, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, net of taxes payable, to the public shareholders.
In connection with the offering, the underwriters may purchase and sell units in the open market. Purchases and sales in the open market may include short sales, purchases to cover short positions, which may include purchases pursuant to the over-allotment option and stabilizing purchases, in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act.
| Ø | Short sales involve secondary market sales by the underwriters of a greater number of units than they are required to purchase in the offering. |
| Ø | “Covered” short sales are sales of units in an amount up to the number of units represented by the underwriters’ over-allotment option. |
| Ø | “Naked” short sales are sales of units in an amount in excess of the number of units represented by the underwriters’ over-allotment option. |
| Ø | Covering transactions involve purchases of units either pursuant to the over-allotment option or in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover short positions. |
| Ø | To close a naked short position, the underwriters must purchase units in the open market after the distribution has been completed. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the units in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering. |
| Ø | To close a covered short position, the underwriters must purchase units in the open market after the distribution has been completed or must exercise the over-allotment option. In determining the source of units to close the covered short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of units available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase units through the over-allotment option. |
| Ø | Stabilizing transactions involve bids to purchase units so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum. |
Purchases to cover short positions and stabilizing purchases, as well as other purchases by the underwriters for their own accounts, may have the effect of preventing or retarding a decline in the
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market price of the units. They may also cause the price of the units to be higher than the price that would otherwise exist in the open market in the absence of these transactions. The underwriters may conduct these transactions in the over-the-counter market or otherwise. If the underwriters commence any of these transactions, they may discontinue them at any time.
The underwriters may also impose a penalty bid. This occurs when a particular underwriter repays to the underwriters a portion of the underwriting discount received by it because the representative has repurchased units sold by or for the account of such underwriter in stabilizing or short covering transactions.
We estimate that our portion of the total expenses of this offering payable by us will be $700,000 (which includes $45,000 of accounting fees and expenses), excluding underwriting discounts and commissions. We have agreed to reimburse the underwriters for all expenses and fees related to the review by FINRA, which will not exceed $25,000.
We have granted UBS Securities LLC a “right of first refusal” to participate in certain future financings for a period of not more than three years from the date of commencement of sales of this offering. Such right of first refusal is deemed to be underwriting compensation in connection with this offering and has a value of one percent of the gross proceeds of this offering.
We have agreed to indemnify the several underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make because of any of those liabilities.
Other than the ROFR described above, we are not under any contractual obligation to engage any of the underwriters to provide any services for us after this offering, but we may do so at our discretion. For example, any of the underwriters may introduce us to potential target businesses, provide financial advisory services to us in connection with a business combination or assist us in raising additional capital in the future, including by acting as a placement agent in a private offering or underwriting or arranging debt financing. The proceeds will be held in a brokerage account (“Brokerage Account”) located in the United States at UBS Financial Services, Inc. with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. The proceeds will be invested at the direction of the Trustee. If any of the underwriters provide services to us after this offering, we may pay such underwriter fair and reasonable fees that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with any of the underwriters and no fees for such services will be paid to any of the underwriters prior to the date that is 60 days from the date of this prospectus, unless such payment would not be deemed underwriters’ compensation in connection with this offering. We may pay the underwriters of this offering or any entity with which they are affiliated, a finder’s fee or other compensation for services rendered to us in connection with the completion of a business combination. Any fees we may pay the underwriters or their affiliates for services rendered to us after this offering may be contingent on the completion of a business combination and may include non-cash compensation. The underwriters or their affiliates that provide these services to us may have a potential conflict of interest given that the underwriters are entitled to the deferred portion of their underwriting compensation for this offering only if an initial business combination is completed within the specified timeframe.
The underwriters and their respective affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include sales and trading, commercial and investment banking, advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, market making, brokerage and other financial and non-financial activities and services. Some of the underwriters and their affiliates
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have engaged in, and may in the future engage in, investment banking and other commercial dealings in the ordinary course of business with us or our affiliates, including in connection with acting in an advisory capacity or as a potential financing source in conjunction with our potential acquisition of a company. They have received, or may in the future receive, customary fees and commissions for these transactions.
In the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriters and their respective affiliates, officers, directors and employees may purchase, sell or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade securities, derivatives, loans, commodities, currencies, credit default swaps and other financial instruments for their own account and for the accounts of their customers, and such investment and trading activities may involve or relate to assets, securities and/or instruments of the issuer (directly, as collateral securing other obligations or otherwise) and/or persons and entities with relationships with the issuer. The underwriters and their respective affiliates may also communicate independent investment recommendations, market color or trading ideas and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such assets, securities or instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they should acquire, long and/or short positions in such assets, securities and instruments.
Notice to prospective investors in the European Economic Area
In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area (each a “Relevant State”), no units have been offered or will be offered pursuant to this offering to the public in that Relevant State prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the units which has been approved by the competent authority in that Relevant State or, where appropriate, approved in another Relevant State and notified to the competent authority in that Relevant State, all in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation, except that offers of units may be made to the public in that Relevant State at any time under the following exemptions under the Prospectus Regulation:
| Ø | to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under the Prospectus Regulation; |
| Ø | to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under the Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the Representative for any such offer; or |
| Ø | (c) in any other circumstances falling within Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation, |
provided that no such offer of units shall require the issuer or any underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the Prospectus Regulation.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to any units in any Relevant State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any units to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any units, and the expression “Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.
Notice to Prospective Investors in the Cayman Islands
No offer or invitation, whether directly or indirectly, may be made to the public in the Cayman Islands to subscribe for our securities.
Notice to prospective investors in the United Kingdom
In relation to the United Kingdom, no units have been offered or will be offered pursuant to this offering to the public in the United Kingdom prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the units that
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either (i) has been approved by the Financial Conduct Authority, or (ii) is to be treated as if it had been approved by the Financial Conduct Authority in accordance with the transitional provision in Regulation 74 of the Prospectus (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, except that offers of units may be made to the public in the United Kingdom at any time under the following exemptions under the UK Prospectus Regulation:
| Ø | to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation; |
| Ø | to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the Representative for any such offer; or |
| Ø | in any other circumstances falling within section 86 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, as amended (the “FSMA”), |
provided that no such offer of units shall require the issuer or any underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to section 85 of the FSMA or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the UK Prospectus Regulation.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to any units in the United Kingdom means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any units to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any units, and the expression “UK Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.
Each underwriter has represented and agreed that:
| Ø | it has only communicated or caused to be communicated and will only communicate or cause to be communicated an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the FSMA) received by it in connection with the issue or sale of any units in circumstances in which Section 21(1) of the FSMA does not apply to the issuer; and |
| Ø | it has complied and will comply with all applicable provisions of the FSMA with respect to anything done by it in relation to any units in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom. |
Notice to prospective investors in France
Neither this prospectus nor any other offering material relating to the units described in this prospectus has been submitted to the clearance procedures of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers or by the competent authority of another member state of the European Economic Area and notified to the Autorité des Marchés Financiers. The units have not been offered or sold and will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, to the public in France. Neither this prospectus nor any other offering material relating to the units has been or will be:
| Ø | released, issued, distributed or caused to be released, issued or distributed to the public in France; or |
| Ø | used in connection with any offer for subscription or sale of the units to the public in France. |
Such offers, sales and distributions will be made in France only:
| Ø | to qualified investors (investisseurs qualifiés) and/or to a restricted circle of investors (cercle restreint d’investisseurs), in each case investing for their own account, all as defined in, and in accordance with, articles L.411-2, D.411-1, D.411-2, D.734-1, D.744-1, D.754-1 and D.764-1 of the French Code monétaire et financier; |
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| Ø | to investment services providers authorized to engage in portfolio management on behalf of third parties; or |
| Ø | in a transaction that, in accordance with article L.411-2-II-1° -or-2° -or 3° of the French Code monétaire et financier and article 211-2 of the General Regulations (Règlement Général) of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers, does not constitute a public offer (appel public à l’épargne). |
The units may be resold directly or indirectly, only in compliance with articles L.411-1, L.411-2, L.412-1 and L.621-8 through L.621-8-3 of the French Code monétaire et financier.
Notice to prospective investors in Hong Kong
The units may not be offered or sold in Hong Kong by means of any document other than (i) in circumstances which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32, Laws of Hong Kong), or (ii) to “professional investors” within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder, or (iii) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32, Laws of Hong Kong) and no advertisement, invitation or document relating to the units may be issued or may be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere), which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to units which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder.
Notice to prospective investors in Singapore
This prospectus has not been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the units may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the units be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the “SFA”), (ii) to a relevant person pursuant to Section 275(1), or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA, in each case subject to compliance with conditions set forth in the SFA.
Where the units are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is
| Ø | a corporation (which is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA)) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or |
| Ø | a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary is an accredited investor, shares, debentures and units of shares and debentures of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferred within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the shares pursuant to an offer made under Section 275 of the SFA except: |
| Ø | to an institutional investor (for corporations, under Section 274 of the SFA) or to a relevant person defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA, or to any person pursuant to an offer that is made on terms |
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| that such shares, debentures and units of shares and debentures of that corporation or such rights and interest in that trust are acquired at a consideration of not less than $200,000 (or its equivalent in a foreign currency) for each transaction, whether such amount is to be paid for in cash or by exchange of securities or other assets, and further for corporations, in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA; |
| Ø | where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer; or |
| Ø | where the transfer is by operation of law. |
Notification under Section 309B of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore: The units are prescribed capital markets products (as defined in the Securities and Futures (Capital Markets Products) Regulations 2018 and Excluded Investment Products (as defined in MAS Notice SFA 04-N12: Notice on the Sale of Investment Products and MAS Notice FAA-N16: Notice on Recommendations on Investment Products).
Notice to prospective investors in Japan
The securities have not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan (the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law) and each underwriter has agreed that it will not offer or sell any securities, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan (which term as used herein means any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan), or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to a resident of Japan, except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise in compliance with, the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law and any other applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines of Japan.
Notice to prospective investors in Canada
The units may be sold in Canada only to purchasers purchasing, or deemed to be purchasing, as principal that are accredited investors, as defined in National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions or subsection 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), and are permitted clients, as defined in National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations. Any resale of the units must be made in accordance with an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the prospectus requirements of applicable securities laws.
Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if this prospectus (including any amendment thereto) contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory. The purchaser should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.
Pursuant to section 3A.3 of National Instrument 33-105 Underwriting Conflicts (NI 33-105), the underwriters are not required to comply with the disclosure requirements of NI 33-105 regarding underwriter conflicts of interest in connection with this offering.
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Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP, New York, New York, is acting as counsel in connection with the registration of our securities under the Securities Act, and as such, will pass upon the validity of the securities offered in this prospectus (except to the extent passed on my Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP). An affiliate of a partner at Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP owns equity interests in our sponsor. Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP, will pass upon the validity of the securities offered in this prospectus with respect to the ordinary shares and matters of Cayman Islands law. In connection with this offering, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, New York, New York is acting as counsel to the underwriters.
The financial statements of Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp. IV at December 31, 2021 and for the period from March 19, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 included in this prospectus have been audited by Marcum LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon (which contains an explanatory paragraph relating to substantial doubt about the ability of Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp. IV to continue as a going concern as described in Note 1 to the financial statements), appearing elsewhere in this prospectus, and are included in reliance on the report of such firm given upon the authority of such firm as experts in auditing and accounting.
Where you can find additional information
We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act with respect to the securities we are offering by this prospectus. This prospectus does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. For further information about us and our securities, you should refer to the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed with the registration statement. Whenever we make reference in this prospectus to any of our contracts, agreements or other documents, the references are materially complete but may not include a description of all aspects of such contracts, agreements or other documents, and you should refer to the exhibits attached to the registration statement for copies of the actual contract, agreement or other document.
Upon completion of this offering, we will be subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act and will file annual, quarterly and current event reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You can read our SEC filings, including the registration statement, over the Internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
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| Audited Financial Statements of Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp. IV: |
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| F-2 | ||||
| F-3 | ||||
| Statement of Operations for the period from March 19, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 |
F-4 | |||
| F-5 | ||||
| Statement of Cash Flows for the period from March 19, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 |
F-6 | |||
| F-7 | ||||
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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Shareholders and Board of Directors of
Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp. IV
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp. IV (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2021, the related statement of operations, changes in shareholder’s deficit, and cash flows for the period from March 19, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from March 19, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Explanatory Paragraph – Going Concern
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As more fully described in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company’s ability to execute its business plan is dependent upon its completion of the proposed initial public offering described in Note 3 to the financial statements. The Company had a working capital deficit as of December 31, 2021 and lacks the financial resources it needs to sustain operations for a reasonable period of time, which is considered to be one year from the issuance date of the financial statements. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are also described in Notes 1 and 3 to the financial statements. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that may become necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/S/ Marcum LLP
Marcum LLP
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021.
Houston, Texas
February 23, 2022
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KENSINGTON CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP. IV
December 31, 2021
| Assets |
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| Current assets: |
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| Cash |
$ | 77,151 | ||
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| Total current assets |
77,151 | |||
| Deferred offering costs associated with proposed public offering |
307,243 | |||
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| Total Assets |
$ | 384,394 | ||
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| Liabilities and Shareholders’ Deficit |
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| Current liabilities: |
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| Accounts payable |
$ | 63,628 | ||
| Accrued expenses |
155,077 | |||
| Note payable - related party |
200,000 | |||
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| Total current liabilities |
418,705 | |||
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| Commitments and Contingencies |
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| Shareholders’ Deficit |
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| Preference shares, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding |
- | |||
| Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding |
- | |||
| Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; 9,857,142 shares issued and outstanding (1) |
986 | |||
| Additional paid-in capital |
24,014 | |||
| Accumulated deficit |
(59,311 | ) | ||
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| Total shareholders’ Deficit |
(34,311 | ) | ||
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| Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Deficit |
$ | 384,394 | ||
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| (1) | This number includes up to 1,285,714 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters. |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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KENSINGTON CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP. IV
For the period from March 19, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021
| Formation and General and administrative expenses |
$ | 59,311 | ||
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| Net loss |
$ | (59,311 | ) | |
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| Weighted average Class B ordinary shares outstanding, basic and diluted (1) |
8,571,428 | |||
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| Basic and diluted net loss per ordinary share |
$ | (0.01 | ) | |
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| (1) | This number excludes an aggregate of up to 1,285,714 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters. |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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KENSINGTON CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP. IV
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
For the period from March 19, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021
| Ordinary Shares | Additional Paid-In Capital |
Accumulated Deficit |
Total Shareholders’ Deficit |
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| Class A | Class B | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance—March 19, 2021 (inception) |
— | $ | — | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of Class B ordinary shares to Sponsor(1) |
— | — | 9,857,142 | 986 | 24,014 | — | 25,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Net loss |
— | — | — | — | — | (59,311 | ) | |
(59,311 |
) | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Balance – December 31, 2021 |
— | $ | — | 9,857,142 | $ | 986 | $ | 24,014 | $ | (59,311 | ) | $ | (34,311 | ) | ||||||||||||||
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| (1) | This number includes up to 1,285,714 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters. |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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KENSINGTON CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP. IV
For the period from March 19, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021
| Cash Flows from Operating Activities: |
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| Net loss |
$ | (59,311 | ) | |
| Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: |
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| General and administrative expenses paid by related party in exchange for issuance of Class B ordinary shares |
25,000 | |||
| Changes in operating assets and liabilities: |
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| Accounts payable |
13,628 | |||
| Accrued expenses |
20,683 | |||
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| Net cash used in operating activities |
— | |||
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| Cash Flows from Financing Activities: |
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| Proceeds from note payable to related party |
200,000 | |||
| Payment of deferred offering costs |
(122,849 | ) | ||
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| Net cash provided by financing activities |
77,151 | |||
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| Net change in cash |
77,151 | |||
| Cash—beginning of the period |
— | |||
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| Cash—end of the period |
$ | 77,151 | ||
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| Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing activities: |
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| Deferred offering costs included in accounts payable |
$ | 50,000 | ||
| Deferred offering costs included in accrued expenses |
$ | 134,394 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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KENSINGTON CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP. IV
Note 1—Description of Organization, Business Operations and Basis of Presentation
Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp. IV (the “Company”) was incorporated on March 19, 2021, as a Cayman Islands exempted company. The Company was incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (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, 2021, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from March 19, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 relates to the Company’s formation and the proposed initial public offering described below. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of its initial Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents from the proceeds derived from the Proposed Public Offering (as defined below). The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.
The Company’s sponsor is Kensington Capital Sponsor IV LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”). The Company’s ability to commence operations is contingent upon obtaining adequate financial resources through a proposed public offering (the “Proposed Public Offering”) of 20,000,000 units (each, a “Unit” and collectively, the “Units”) at $10.00 per Unit (or 23,000,000 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), which is discussed in Note 3, and the sale of 14,800,000 warrants (or 16,000,000 warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) (each, a “Private Placement Warrant” and collectively, the “Private Placement Warrants”), at a price of $0.50 per Private Placement Warrant in a private placement to the Sponsor that will close simultaneously with the Proposed Public Offering.
Each Unit will consist of one Class A ordinary share, one Class 1 redeemable warrant (“Class 1 Warrants”) and one Class 2 redeemable warrant (“Class 2 Warrants”). Each whole Class 1 and Class 2 Warrant (together, the “Public Warrants”) entitles the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. The warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of the initial Business Combination, and will (except for Class 2 Warrants attached to Class A ordinary shares that are redeemed prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination, which Class 2 warrants will expire upon redemption of such shares) expire five years after the completion of the initial Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully. The Company must complete an initial Business Combination with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (as defined below) (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if permitted, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discount). However, the Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the
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KENSINGTON CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP. IV
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)
Investment Company Act 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). Upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, management has agreed that an amount equal to at least $10.00 per Unit sold in the Proposed Public Offering, including proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants to the Sponsor, will be held in a trust account (“Trust Account”) located in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and invested 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, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the Trust Account as described below.
The Company will provide holders of the Company’s outstanding Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, sold in the Proposed Public Offering (the “Public Shareholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares (as defined below) upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. If the Public Shareholders redeem their Public Shares prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination, the embedded Class 2 warrants will expire.
The decision as to whether the Company will seek shareholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion. The Public Shareholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then held in the Trust Account (initially anticipated to be $10.00 per Public Share), calculated as of two business days prior to the initial Business Combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to the Company to pay the Company’s taxes, net of taxes payable. The per-share amount to be distributed to Public Shareholders who redeem their Public Shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions the Company will pay to the underwriters (as discussed in Note 5). In the event a Class A ordinary share that is part of a New Unit is redeemed in connection with the initial Business Combination, the Class 2 Warrant (as defined in Note 3) that is attached to such New Unit will expire. The expiration of the Class 2 Warrant will be deemed a “redemption” under applicable accounting rules. In accordance with guidance on redeemable equity instruments issued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the ‘‘SEC’’), (this guidance has been codified in the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity” (“ASC 480”), paragraph 10-S99), redemption provisions not solely within the control of a company require shares subject to redemption to be classified outside of permanent equity. Accordingly, all of the New Units will be presented as temporary equity, outside of the shareholders’ equity section of the Company’s balance sheet. Given that the New Unit will be issued with other freestanding instruments (i.e., Class 1 warrants), the initial carrying value of the New Units classified as temporary equity will be the allocated proceeds determined in accordance with ASC 470-20. The New Units will be subject to ASC 480-10-S99. If it is probable that the equity instrument will become redeemable, the Company has the option to either (i) accrete changes in the redemption value over the period from the date of issuance (or from the date that it becomes probable that the instrument will become redeemable, if later) to the earliest redemption date of the instrument or (ii) recognize changes in the redemption value immediately as they occur and adjust the carrying amount of the instrument to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. The Company will elect to recognize the changes in redemption value immediately. The changes in redemption value will be recognized as a one-time charge against additional paid-in capital (to the extent available) and accumulated deficit. While redemptions cannot cause the Company’s net tangible assets to
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KENSINGTON CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP. IV
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)
fall below $5,000,001, the New Units are redeemable and will be classified as such on the balance sheet until such date that a redemption event takes place.
If a shareholder vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange rule and the Company does not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (the “Memorandum and Articles”), 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, shareholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange rule, or the Company decides to obtain shareholder approval for business or reasons, the Company will offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. Additionally, each Public Shareholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. If the Company seeks shareholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the initial shareholders (as defined below) have agreed to vote any Founder Shares (as defined below in Note 4) and any Public Shares held by them in favor of a Business Combination. In addition, the initial shareholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any Founder Shares and any Public Shares held by them in connection with the completion of a Business Combination.
The Memorandum and Articles will provide that a Public Shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% or more of the Public Shares, without the prior consent of the Company.
The Sponsor and the Company’s officers and directors (the “initial shareholders”) have agreed, pursuant to a letter agreement with the Company, that they will not propose any amendment to the Memorandum and Articles of Association (A) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with the initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period (as defined below) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity, unless the Company provides the Public Shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares.
If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within 24 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering (as such period may be extended pursuant to the Memorandum and Articles, the “Combination Period”), the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay the Company’s taxes, net of taxes payable (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish Public Shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following
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KENSINGTON CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP. IV
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)
such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining shareholders and the Company’s board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the Company’s warrants, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete its initial Business Combination within the Combination Period.
The initial shareholders will agree to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to any Founder Shares held by them if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if the initial shareholders acquire Public Shares in or after the Proposed 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 have 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, or less than, $10.00. In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party (except for the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement (a “Target”), reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per Public Share and (ii) the actual amount per Public Share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account, if less than $10.00 per Public Share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or Target that executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the Trust Account nor will it apply to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the Proposed Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, then the Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. The Company will seek to reduce the possibility that the Sponsor will have to indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses and other entities with which the Company does business, execute agreements with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.
Going Concern Consideration
As of December 31, 2021 the Company had approximately $77,000 in cash and a working capital deficit of approximately $342,000. Further, the Company has incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of its financing and acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through the Proposed Public Offering. The Company cannot assure that its plans to raise capital or to consummate an initial Business Combination will be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for the next twelve months from the issuance of these financial statements. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from its inability to consummate the Proposed Public Offering or its inability to continue as a going concern.
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KENSINGTON CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP. IV
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying financial statements are presented in U.S. dollars in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.
Emerging Growth Company
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that 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.
Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Concentration of Credit Risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of cash accounts in a financial institution, which, at times, may exceed the Federal Depository Insurance Coverage limit of $250,000. As of December 31, 2021, the Company has not experienced losses on these accounts and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such accounts.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under FASB ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.
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KENSINGTON CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP. IV
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)
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 units comprising shares and warrants, issued stock purchase warrants and forward purchase agreements, 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, will be re-assessed at the end of each reporting period. Derivative warrant liabilities will be classified as non-current liabilities as their liquidation is not reasonably expected to require the use of current assets or require the creation of current liabilities.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. 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 during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Deferred Offering Costs Associated with the Proposed Public Offering
Deferred offering costs consist of legal, accounting and other costs incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the Proposed Public Offering. Upon completion of the Proposed Public Offering, offering costs will be allocated to the separable financial instruments issued in the Proposed
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KENSINGTON CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP. IV
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)
Public Offering based on a relative fair value basis, compared to total proceeds received. Offering costs associated with derivative warrant liabilities will be charged to operations. Offering costs associated with the Class A ordinary shares will be charged to the carrying value of temporary equity upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering. Should the Proposed Public Offering prove to be unsuccessful, these deferred costs, as well as additional expenses to be incurred, will be charged to operations.
Net Loss Per Ordinary Share
The Company complies with accounting and disclosure requirements of FASB ASC Topic 260, “Earnings Per Share.” Net loss per share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period excluding ordinary shares subject to forfeiture. Weighted average shares were reduced for the effect of an aggregate of 1,285,714 Class B ordinary shares that are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters (Note 4). As of December 31, 2021, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into ordinary shares and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted loss per share is the same as basic loss per share for the period presented.
Income Taxes
The Company follows the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes under FASB ASC 740, “Income Taxes.” Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statements carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that included the enactment date. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized. Deferred tax assets were deemed immaterial as of December 31, 2021.
FASB ASC 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, 2021. 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, 2021. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position.
There is currently no taxation imposed on income by the Government of the Cayman Islands. In accordance with Cayman income tax regulations, income taxes are not levied on the Company. Consequently, income taxes are not reflected in the Company’s financial statements. The Company’s management does not expect that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits will materially change over the next twelve months.
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KENSINGTON CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP. IV
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In August 2020, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2020-06, Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity (“ASU 2020-06”), which simplifies accounting for convertible instruments by removing major separation models required under current GAAP. The ASU also removes certain settlement conditions that are required for equity-linked contracts to qualify for the derivative scope exception, and it simplifies the diluted earnings per share calculation in certain areas. The Company adopted ASU 2020-06 on March 19, 2021 (inception). Adoption of the ASU did not impact the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
The Company’s management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards if currently adopted would have a material effect on the accompanying financial statements.
Note 3—Proposed Public Offering
Pursuant to the Proposed Public Offering, the Company intends to offer for sale 20,000,000 units at a price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one Class A ordinary share, one Class 1 Warrant and one Class 2 Warrant. Each whole Class 1 and Class 2 Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 6). The warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of the initial Business Combination, and will (except for Class 2 Warrants attached to Class A ordinary shares that are redeemed prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination, which Class 2 warrants will expire upon redemption of such shares) expire five years after the completion of the initial Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. As a result, if the Public Shareholders redeem their Public Shares prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination, the embedded Class 2 warrants will expire.
The Class 1 and Class 2 Warrant will have similar terms, except that the Class 1 Warrants will separate and begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of the effective date of the prospectus in connection with the Proposed Public Offering (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day), unless UBS Securities LLC informs the Company of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to the Company’s filing a Current Report on Form 8-K with SEC, containing an audited balance sheet reflecting the Company’s receipt of the gross proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering and issuing a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. The New Units resulting from such separation (each such New Unit consisting of one Class A ordinary share and one Class 2 Warrant) will not separate into Class A ordinary shares and redeemable warrants until consummation of the initial Business Combination.
The Company will grant the underwriters a 45-day option from the date of the final prospectus relating to the Proposed Public Offering to purchase up to 3,000,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, if any, at the Proposed Public Offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions.
The Sponsor has expressed an interest to purchase an aggregate of $32,675,000 of the Units in the Proposed Public Offering at the offering price. However, this expression of interest is not a binding agreement or commitment to purchase, and the Sponsor may determine to purchase more, fewer or no
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KENSINGTON CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP. IV
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)
Units in the Proposed Public Offering. In addition, the underwriters may determine to sell more, fewer or no Units to the Sponsor.
Note 4—Related Party Transactions
Founder Shares
On March 31, 2021, the Sponsor paid $25,000 for certain offering costs on behalf of the Company in exchange for issuance of 9,857,142 of the Company’s Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Founder Shares”). Shares and the associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share issue of Class B ordinary shares on November 30, 2021, resulting in an aggregate of 9,857,142 Class B ordinary shares outstanding. The initial shareholders have agreed to forfeit up to 1,285,714 Founder Shares to the extent that the over-allotment option is not exercised in full by the underwriters. The forfeiture will be adjusted to the extent that the over-allotment option is not exercised in full by the underwriters so that the Founder Shares will represent 30.0% of the Company’s issued and outstanding ordinary shares after the Proposed Public Offering.
The initial shareholders will agree, 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 or (B) subsequent to the initial Business Combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalization, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the initial Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of the Company’s shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property.
Private Placement Warrants
The Sponsor will agree to purchase an aggregate of 14,800,000 Private Placement Warrants (or 16,000,000 Private Placement Warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), at a price of $0.50 per Private Placement Warrant ($7.4 million in the aggregate, or $8.0 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of the Proposed Public Offering.
Each whole Private Placement Warrant is exercisable for one whole Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants to the Sponsor will be added to the proceeds from the Proposed Public Offering to be held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Private Placement Warrants will expire worthless.
Related Party Loans
The Sponsor agreed to loan the Company an aggregate of up to $300,000 to cover expenses related to the Proposed Public Offering pursuant to a promissory note, dated on March 24, 2021 and was later amended on November 16, 2021 (the “Note”). This loan is non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of June 30, 2022 and the completion of the Proposed Public Offering; provided that amounts due
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KENSINGTON CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP. IV
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)
under the Note may, at the option of the Sponsor, be converted into Working Capital Loans (as defined below). As of December 31, 2021, the Company had borrowed $200,000 under the Note.
In addition, in order to fund working capital deficiencies or 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 may repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans could 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 consummation of a Business Combination or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $2.0 million of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into warrants of the post Business Combination entity at a price of $0.50 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such Working Capital Loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had no borrowings under the Working Capital Loans.
Service and Administrative Fees
The Company has agreed to pay service and administrative fees of $20,000 per month to DEHC LLC, an affiliate of Daniel Huber, the Company’s Chief Financial Officer, for 18 months commencing on the date of consummation of the Proposed Public Offering (upon completion of the initial Business Combination, any portion of the amounts due that have not yet been paid will accelerate).
The Sponsor, executive officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on the Company’s behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable Business Combinations. The Company’s audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by the Company to the Sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates.
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 Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans and upon conversion of the Founder Shares will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering. These holders will be entitled to certain demand and “piggyback” registration rights. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Underwriting Agreement
The underwriters will be entitled to an underwriting discount of $0.20 per unit, or $4.0 million in the aggregate (or $4.6 million in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full),
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KENSINGTON CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP. IV
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)
payable upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. In addition, $0.35 per unit, or $7.0 million in the aggregate (or approximately $8.1 million in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions. The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that the Company completes a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement. In addition, the underwriters’ right to receive up to one-half of such amount is subject to forfeiture by the underwriters on a dollar-for-dollar basis in the event of any redemptions in the initial Business Combination.
Note 6— Shareholders’ Deficit
Preference Shares—The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 preference shares, par value $0.0001 per share, with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. As of December 31, 2021, there were no preference shares issued or outstanding.
Class A Ordinary Shares —The Company is authorized to issue 100,000,000 Class A ordinary shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. As of December 31, 2021, there were no Class A ordinary shares issued or outstanding.
Class B Ordinary Shares —The Company is authorized to issue 10,000,000 Class B ordinary shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. As of December 31, 2021, there were 9,857,142 Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding. Of the 9,857,142 Class B ordinary shares outstanding, an aggregate of up to 1,285,714 Class B ordinary shares are subject to forfeiture to the Company by the initial shareholders for no consideration to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part, so that the percentage of Founder Shares will equal 30% of the Company’s issued and outstanding ordinary shares after the Proposed Public Offering.
Shareholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by shareholders; provided that, prior to the completion of the initial Business Combination, holders of the Class B ordinary shares will have the right to elect all of the Company’s directors and remove members of the Company’s board of directors for any reason. Prior to the completion of the initial Business Combination, only holders of the Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the Company’s appointment of directors. Holders of the Public Shares will not be entitled to vote on the Company’s appointment of directors during such time. In addition, prior to the completion of the initial Business Combination, holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares may remove a member of the Company’s board of directors for any reason. These provisions of the Memorandum and Articles may only be amended by a resolution passed by at least two-thirds (2/3) of all holders (which must include a simple majority of the holders of Class B ordinary shares). With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of the Company’s shareholders, including any vote in connection with the initial Business Combination, holders of the Class A ordinary shares and holders of the Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of the Company’s shareholders, except as required by law.
The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of the initial Business Combination, or earlier at the option of the holders, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like,
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KENSINGTON CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP. IV
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)
and subject to further adjustment as described herein. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts issued in the Proposed Offering and related to the closing of the initial Business Combination, including pursuant to a specified future issuance, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares shall convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the then-outstanding Class B ordinary shares agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance, including a specified future issuance) so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 30% of the sum of the total number of all ordinary shares outstanding upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with the initial Business Combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued or issuable to any seller in the initial Business Combination).
Note 7—Warrants
As of December 31, 2021, there were no warrants outstanding.
Public Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares. No fractional Public Warrants will be issued upon separation of the Units and only whole Public Warrants will trade. The Public Warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination; provided that the Company has an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available and such shares are registered, qualified or exempt from registration under the securities, or blue sky, laws of the state of residence of the holder (or the Company permits holders to exercise their Public Warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the warrant agreement). The Company has agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days, after the closing of the initial Business Combination, the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to file, and within 60 business days following the initial Business Combination to have declared effective, a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or a new registration statement covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares until the warrants expire or are redeemed; provided, that if the Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, the Company may, at its option, require holders of Public Warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event the Company so elects, it will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but it will be required to use its best efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. The Public Warrants will (except for Class 2 warrants attached to shares that are redeemed in connection with our initial business combination, which Class 2 warrants will expire upon redemption of such shares) expire five years after the completion of a Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
The warrants will have an exercise price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustments. In addition, if (x) the Company issues additional shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of the initial Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, rights issuances,
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KENSINGTON CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP. IV
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)
subdivisions, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the Company’s board of directors, and in the case of any such issuance to the Sponsor, initial shareholders or their affiliates, without taking into account any Founder Shares held by them prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of the initial Business Combination on the date of the consummation of the Initial Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of the Company’s Class A ordinary shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company consummates the initial Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of each warrant will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) such that the effective exercise price per full share will be equal to 115% of the higher of (i) the Market Value and (ii) the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described below will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of (i) the Market Value and (ii) the Newly Issued Price.
The Private Placement Warrants will be identical to the Class 1 Warrants, except that (1) the Private Placement Warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions, (2) the Private Placement Warrants will be non-redeemable (except as described below) so long as they are held by the Sponsor or its permitted transferees, (3) the Private Placement Warrants may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis and (4) the holders of the Private Placement Warrants (including with respect to the ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants) are entitled to registration rights. If the Private Placement Warrants are held by someone other than the Sponsor or its permitted transferees, the Private Placement Warrants will be redeemable by the Company in all redemption scenarios and exercisable by such holders on the same basis as the Public Warrants.
Redemption of warrants for cash when the price per Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00:
Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the outstanding 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; and |
| · | if, and only if, the last reported sale price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within the 30-trading day period ending on the third business day prior to the date on which the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. |
The Company will not redeem the warrants unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares (or a security other than the Class A ordinary shares into which the Class A ordinary shares have been converted or exchanged for in the event the Company is not the surviving company in the initial Business Combination) issuable upon exercise of the warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares is available throughout the 30-day redemption period, except if the warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act.
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KENSINGTON CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP. IV
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)
If the Company calls the Public Warrants for redemption as described above, management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise the Public Warrants to do so on a “cashless basis”.
Note 8—Subsequent Events
The Company evaluated events that have occurred after the balance sheet date through the date that the 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 financial statements, except as noted below.
On November 16, 2021, the Company amended its Note to extend the maturity date from December 31, 2021 to June 30, 2022.
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Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp. IV
$200,000,000
20,000,000 Units
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
, 2022
| UBS Investment Bank | Stifel |
Baird
Drexel Hamilton
Until , 2022 (25 days after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade our securities, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers’ obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.
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PART II
Information not required in prospectus
Item 13. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.
The estimated expenses payable by us in connection with the offering described in this registration statement (other than the underwriting discount and commissions) will be as follows:
| SEC/FINRA expenses |
$ | 185,000 | ||
| Accounting fees and expenses |
$ | 45,000 | ||
| Printing and engraving expenses |
$ | 50,000 | ||
| Legal fees and expenses |
$ | 300,000 | ||
| NYSE listing and filing fees |
$ | 85,000 | ||
| Travel and road show expenses |
$ | 25,000 | ||
| Miscellaneous |
$ | 10,000 | ||
|
|
|
|||
| Total |
$ | 700,000 |
Item 14. Indemnification of Directors and officers.
Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against willful default, willful neglect, actual fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide for indemnification of our officers and directors to the maximum extent permitted by law, including for any liability incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own actual fraud, willful default or willful neglect. We may purchase a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors. We also intend to enter in indemnity agreements with them.
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. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied by us if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination.
A shareholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against 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.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore, unenforceable.
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We will enter into indemnification agreements with each of our officers and directors a form of which is to be filed as an exhibit to this Registration Statement. These agreements will require us to indemnify these individuals to the fullest extent permitted under Cayman Islands law against liabilities that may arise by reason of their service to us, and to advance expenses incurred as a result of any proceeding against them as to which they could be indemnified.
Pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement to be filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this Registration Statement, we have agreed to indemnify the underwriters and the underwriters have agreed to indemnify us against certain civil liabilities that may be incurred in connection with this offering, including certain liabilities under the Securities Act.
Item 15. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities.
In March 2021, Kensington Capital Sponsor IV LLC paid $25,000 for certain of the Company’s offering costs in exchange for issuance of 7,475,000 founder shares. On November 30, 2021, the Company effected a share issue of its founder shares, resulting in an increase in the total number of founder shares outstanding from 7,475,000 to 9,857,142. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 30% of the outstanding ordinary shares upon completion of this offering. Such securities were issued in connection with our organization pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. Kensington Capital Sponsor IV LLC is an accredited investor for purposes of Rule 501 of Regulation D.
In addition, Kensington Capital Sponsor IV LLC has subscribed to purchase from us an aggregate of 14,800,000 private placement warrants (or 16,000,000 warrants if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) at $0.50 per warrant (for an aggregate purchase price of $7,400,000 or $8,000,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full). This purchase will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the completion of our initial public offering. Any such issuances will be made pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.
No underwriting discounts or commissions were paid with respect to such sales.
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Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.
| (a) | Exhibits. The following exhibits are being filed herewith: |
| Exhibit | Description | |
| 1.1* | ||
| 3.1* | ||
| 3.2* | Form of Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association | |
| 4.1* | ||
| 4.2* | ||
| 4.3* | ||
| 4.4* | ||
| 4.5* | Form of Warrant Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Registrant | |
| 5.1* | ||
| 5.2* | Opinion of Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP, Cayman Islands legal counsel to the Registrant | |
| 10.1* | ||
| 10.2* | ||
| 10.5* | ||
| 10.6* | Form of Registration Rights Agreement between the Registrant and Kensington Capital Sponsor IV LLC | |
| 10.7* | ||
| 10.8* | Form of Services Agreement between the Registrant and DEHC LLC | |
| 10.9* | Warrants Subscription Agreement between the Registrant and Kensington Capital Sponsor IV LLC | |
| 10.10* | ||
| 14* | ||
| 23.1 | ||
| 23.2* | Consent of Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1) | |
| 23.3* | Consent of Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP (included in Exhibit 5.2) | |
| 24* | ||
| 99.1* | ||
| 99.2* | ||
| 99.3* | ||
| 99.4* | ||
| 99.5* | ||
| 99.6* | ||
| 107* | ||
| * | previously filed |
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| (b) | Financial Statements. See page F-1 for an index to the financial statements and schedules included in the registration statement. |
Item 17. Undertakings.
| (a) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes: |
| (1) | To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement: |
| (i) | To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933; |
| (ii) | To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and |
| (iii) | To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement. |
| (2) | That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
| (3) | To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering. |
| (4) | That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933 in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser: |
| (i) | Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424; |
| (ii) | Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant; |
| (iii) | The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and |
| (iv) | Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser. |
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| (5) | That for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser, if the registrant is subject to Rule 430C, each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness; provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use. |
| (b) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriters at the closing specified in the underwriting agreements, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriters to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser. |
| (c) | Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. |
| (d) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that: |
| (1) | For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective. |
| (2) | For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
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Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 the registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of New York, State of New York, on the 23rd of February, 2022.
| KENSINGTON CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORP. IV | ||
| By: | /s/ Justin Mirro | |
| Name: Justin Mirro | ||
| Title: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | ||
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| Signature |
Title |
Date | ||
| /s/ Justin Mirro | Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) |
February 23, 2022 | ||
| Justin Mirro | ||||
| /s/ Daniel Huber | Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
February 23, 2022 | ||
| Daniel Huber | ||||
| * | Vice Chairman and President | February 23, 2022 | ||
| Dieter Zetsche | ||||
| *By: | /s/ Justin Mirro | |
| Justin Mirro | ||
| Attorney-in-fact |
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Exhibit 23.1
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM’S CONSENT
We consent to the inclusion in this Registration Statement of Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp. IV on Amendment No. 2 to Form S-1 (File No. 333-262266) of our report dated February 23, 2022, which includes an explanatory paragraph as to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern, with respect to our audit of the financial statements of Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp. IV as of December 31, 2021 and for the period from March 19, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, which report appears in the Prospectus, which is part of this Registration Statement. We also consent to the reference to our Firm under the heading “Experts” in such Prospectus.
/s/ Marcum LLP
Marcum LLP
Houston, Texas
February 23, 2022