CXApp Inc 10-K/A, filed Dec 23, 2021
CXApp Inc. (CXAI)
About this 10-K/A
CXApp Inc filed this 10-K/A on December 23, 2021, covering the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020.
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K/A
(Amendment No.2)
(Mark One)
x ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the period from July 20, 2020 through
December 31, 2020
Or
¨ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from
to
To
Commission File No. 001-39642
KINS Technology Group Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 85-2104918 |
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
|
Four Palo Alto Square, Suite 200 |
94306 |
| (Address of Principal Executive Offices) | (Zip Code) |
(650) 575-4456
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
|
Title of each class |
Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||
| Units, each consisting of one share of Class A common stock and one-half of one redeemable warrant |
KINZU | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC | ||
| Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share | KINZ | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC | ||
| Redeemable warrants, each whole warrant exercisable for one share of Class A common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 |
KINZW | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ¨ No x
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ¨ No x
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes x No ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer | ¨ | Accelerated filer | ¨ |
| Non-accelerated filer | x | Smaller reporting company | x |
| Emerging growth company | x |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act): Yes x No ¨
As of June 30, 2020 (the last business day of the Registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter), the Registrant’s securities were not publicly traded. The Registrant’s shares of Class A Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share, began trading on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC separately from its Units on February 4, 2021. The aggregate market value of the Registrant’s shares of Class A common stock outstanding, other than shares held by persons who may be deemed affiliates of the Registrant, at December 31, 2020 was approximately $279,036,000.
As of June 17, 2021, there were 27,600,000 units of the Registrant’s shares of Class A common stock and 6,900,000 of the Registrant’s Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, issued and outstanding.
KINS TECHNOLOGY GROUP INC.
FORM 10-K/A FOR THE PERIOD ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2020
TABLE OF CONTENTS
i
EXPLANATORY NOTE
KINS Technology Group Inc. (the “Company,” “we”, “our” or “us”) is filing this Amendment No. 2 (“Amendment No. 2”) to the Annual Report on Form 10-K/A amends Amendment No. 1 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the period ended December 31, 2020, originally filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC”) on June 22, 2021 (the “First Amended Filing”).
The Company has re-evaluated the Company’s application of ASC 480-10-S99-3A to its accounting classification of the redeemable Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Public Shares”), issued as part of the units sold in the Company’s initial public offering (the “Initial Public Offering”) on December 7, 2020. Historically, a portion of the Public Shares were classified as permanent equity to maintain stockholders’ equity greater than $5 million on the basis that the Company will not redeem its Public Shares in an amount that would cause its net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001, as described in the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation (the “Charter”). Pursuant to such re-evaluation, the Company’s management has determined that the Public Shares include certain provisions that require classification of all of the Public Shares as temporary equity regardless of the net tangible assets redemption limitation contained in the Charter. In addition, in connection with the change in presentation for the Public Shares, the Company determined it should restate its earnings per share calculation to allocate income and losses shared pro rata between the two classes of common stock. This presentation contemplates a business combination as the most likely outcome, in which case, both classes of common stock share pro rata in the income and losses of the Company.
On December 22, 2021, the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company, (the “Audit Committee”) concluded, after discussion with the Company’s management, concluded that the Company’s previously issued (i) audited balance sheet as of December 17, 2020 (the "Post IPO Balance Sheet"), (ii) audited financial statements as of December 31, 2020 and for the period from July 20, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020 (the “FY 2020 Financial Statements”) included in the 2020 Form 10-K/A No. 1; (iii) unaudited interim financial statements as of and for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2021 (the “Q1 2021 Financial Statements”) included in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on July 13, 2021; and (iv) unaudited interim financial statements as of and for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 (the “Q2 2021 Financial Statements”) included in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2021, filed with the SEC on August 16, 2021 (collectively, the “Affected Periods”), should be restated to report all Public Shares as temporary equity and should no longer be relied upon. As such, the Company will restate its financial statements for the Affected Periods. The Post IPO Balance Sheet and the FY 2020 Financial Statements are being restated in this Amendment No. 2, and the Q1 2021 Financial Statements and Q2 2021 Financial Statements will be restated in an amendment to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q/A for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2021, to be filed with the SEC (the “Q3 Form 10-Q/A”).
The restatement does not have an impact on the Company’s cash position and the cash held in the trust account.
The Company’s management has concluded that a material weakness remains in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting and that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were not effective. The Company’s remediation plan with respect to such material weakness will be described in more detail in the Q3 Form 10-Q/A.
We are filing this Amendment No. 2 to amend and restate the First Amended Filing with modification as necessary to reflect the restatements. The following items have been amended to reflect the restatements:
Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors
Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
Part II, Item 9A Controls and Procedures
In addition, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have provided new certifications dated as of the date of this filing in connection with this Amendment No. 2 (Exhibits 31.1, 31.2, 32.1 and 32.2).
Except as described above, no other information included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of KINS Technology Group Inc., as of and for the period ended December 31, 2020, as filed with the SEC on March 30, 2021 (the “Original Filing”) or the First Amended Filing is being amended or updated by this Amendment No. 2 and, other than as described herein, this Amendment No. 2 does not purport to reflect any information or events subsequent to the Original Filing or the First Amended Filing. We have not amended our previously filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the periods affected by the restatement or the Current Report on Form 8-K with which the Post IPO Balance Sheet was originally filed as an exhibit. This Amendment No. 2 continues to describe the conditions as of the date of the Original Filing or the First Amended Filing and, except as expressly contained herein, we have not updated, modified or supplemented the disclosures contained in the Original Filing or the First Amended Filing. Accordingly, this Amendment No. 2 should be read in conjunction with the Original Filing and the First Amended Filing and with our filings with the SEC subsequent to the Original Filing.
ii
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND RISK FACTOR SUMMARY
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains statements that are forward-looking and as such are not historical facts. This includes, without limitation, statements under “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” regarding the our financial position, business strategy and the plans and objectives of management for future operations. These statements constitute projections, forecasts and forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. 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.
The forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K 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:
| • | our being a company with no operating history and no operating revenues; |
| • | our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses; |
| • | our ability to complete our initial business combination; |
| • | our expectations around the performance of the prospective target business or businesses; |
| • | our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination; |
| • | our officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination; |
| • | our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination; |
| • | our pool of prospective target businesses with proprietary network communications technology; |
| • | our ability to consummate an initial business combination due to the uncertainty resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic; |
| • | the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential business combination opportunities; |
| • | our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading; |
| • | the lack of a market for our securities; |
| • | the use of proceeds not held in the Trust Account (as defined below) or available to us from interest income on the Trust Account balance; |
| • | the Trust Account not being subject to claims of third parties; and |
| • | our financial performance. |
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.
2
References in this Annual Report on Form 10-K/A (this “Annual Report”) to “we,” “us,” “our” or the “Company” are to KINS Technology Group Inc., a blank check company incorporated as a Delaware corporation. References to our “management” or our “management team” refer to our officers and directors, and references to the “Sponsor” refer to KINS Capital LLC, a Delaware limited liability company. References to our “initial stockholders” refer to our Sponsor and certain funds and accounts managed by BlackRock, Inc.
| Item 1. | Business. |
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated in Delaware on July 20, 2020 for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”). We are not limited to a particular industry or sector for purposes of consummating a Business Combination, but we intend to focus on identifying and acquiring transformative technology businesses that are shaping the digital future and creating a new paradigm of communications and computing.
Our registration statements for our initial public offering (the “Initial Public Offering”) became effective on December 14, 2020. On December 17, 2020 the Company consummated the Initial Public Offering of 27,600,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the Class A common stock included in the Units sold, the “Public Shares”), which includes the full exercise by the underwriter of its over-allotment option in the amount of 3,600,000 Units, at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $276,000,000.
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, we consummated the sale of 10,280,000 warrants (the “Private Placement Warrants”) at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant in a private placement (the “Private Placement”) to KINS Capital LLC (the “Sponsor”) and certain funds and accounts managed by BlackRock, Inc. (the “Direct Anchor Investors” and which the Direct Anchor Investors, together with the Sponsor, are the “initial stockholders”), generating gross proceeds of $10,280,000.
Following the closing of the Initial Public Offering on December 17, 2020, an amount of $278,760,000 ($10.10 per Unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants was placed in a trust account (the “Trust Account”), located in the United States and invested only in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), with a maturity of 185 days or less or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund selected by the Company meeting certain conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the funds held in the Trust Account, as described below.
Our management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of 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 we will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully. We must complete one or more initial Business Combinations with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the interest earned on the Trust Account). We 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 Investment Company Act.
We intend to effectuate a Business Combination using the proceeds from the Initial Public Offering and Private Placement, and from additional issuances of, if any, our capital stock and our debt, or a combination of cash, stock and debt. We have not engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations until we complete a Business Combination, and we have not generated any operating revenue to date. We will not generate any operating revenues until after completion of our initial Business Combination, at the earliest. Our entire activity since July 20, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020 related to our formation, the preparation for the Initial Public Offering, and following the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the search for a prospective initial Business Combination. Based on our business activities, we are a “shell company” as defined under the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), because we have no operations and nominal assets consisting almost entirely of cash.
3
We will provide the holders of the outstanding Public Shares (the “Public Stockholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us. The Public Stockholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (initially $10.10 per Public Share, plus any pro rata interest then in the Trust Account, net of taxes payable). There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of a Business Combination with respect to our warrants.
If we have not completed a Business Combination by June 17, 2022 or during any extended time that we have to consummate a Business Combination beyond June 17, 2022 as a result of a stockholder vote to amend its certificate of incorporation (the “Combination 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 pay taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish Public Stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period.
Effecting a Business Combination
Our Business Strategy
We have identified the following general criteria and guidelines to evaluate prospective target businesses. We may, however, decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet these criteria and guidelines. We intend to seek to acquire one or more businesses that we believe:
| • | have differentiated, transformational technology with a focus on next generation network and communications technologies; | |
| • | operate within a significant and growing addressable market with runway for further growth; | |
| • | have a validated business model, ability to scale, and have already gained a foothold in their markets; | |
| • | have a rapid growth and sustainable profit margin profile; | |
| • | are ready to operate in the scrutiny of public markets, with strong management, corporate governance and reporting policies in place; | |
| • | will likely be well received by public investors and are expected to have continued access to the public capital markets; | |
| • | have a proven and sophisticated management team with a track record and ability to create long-term shareholder value; and | |
| • | will provide attractive return for shareholders with reasonable and appropriate valuation expectations and significant remaining upside. |
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 stockholder communications related to our initial Business Combination, which would be in the form of proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, that we would file with the SEC.
4
Additional Disclosures
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 initial stockholders, officers or directors, or any of their respective affiliates. In the event we seek to complete our initial Business Combination with a business that is affiliated with our initial stockholders, officers or directors, or any of their affiliates, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial Business Combination is fair to us from a financial point of view.
Members of our management team will directly or indirectly own founder shares and/or Private Placement Warrants following the Initial Public Offering and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial Business Combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular Business Combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors is included by a target business as a condition to our initial Business Combination.
Our officers and directors are from time to time made aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue, for a Business Combination, but we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf) contacted any prospective target business or had any substantive discussions, formal or otherwise, with respect to a Business Combination transaction with us.
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a Business Combination opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a Business Combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, he or she will honor these obligations and duties to present such Business Combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us. For more information, see the section entitled “Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance—Conflicts of Interest.”
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 certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.
Initial Business Combination
Nasdaq listing rules require that 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 assets held in the Trust Account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the Trust Account). We refer to this as the 80% fair market value test. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial Business Combination, although there is no assurance that will be the case.
5
We anticipate structuring our initial Business Combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders will own or acquire shares 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 stockholders 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 stockholders prior to our initial Business Combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial Business Combination transaction. 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 stockholders immediately prior to our initial Business Combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial Business Combination. If less than 100% of the 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 stockholder 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.
Competition
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our Business Combination, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, and operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting Business Combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess greater financial, technical, human and other resources than we do. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public stockholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial Business Combination and our outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Either of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial Business Combination.
Employees
We currently have two 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.
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| Item 1.A. | Risk Factors. |
Risks Relating to our Search for, Consummation of or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination
Our public stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial Business Combination, which means we may complete our initial Business Combination even though a majority of our public stockholders do not support such a combination.
We may not hold a stockholder vote to approve our initial Business Combination unless the Business Combination would require stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements or if we decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons. Except as required by applicable law, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed Business Combination or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval under stock exchange listing requirements. 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.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial Business Combination, our Sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their shares in favor of such initial Business Combination, regardless of how our public stockholders 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 only 10,350,001, or approximately 37.5% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted), of the 27,600,000 public shares sold in the Initial Public Offering to be voted in favor of a transaction in order to have our initial Business Combination approved. However, because we generally only need a majority of the outstanding shares to be voted in favor of a proposed Business Combination to have such transaction approved, the number of public shares needed to be voted in favor of any transaction decreases as the overall number of public shares voted decreases. Accordingly, we would need only 1,725,001, or approximately 6.25%, of the 27,600,000 public shares sold in the Initial Public Offering to be voted in favor of a transaction if only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted in order to have our initial Business Combination approved. In addition, as a result of the founder shares and Private Placement Warrants that our Direct Anchor Investors may hold (directly or indirectly), they may have different interests with respect to a vote on an initial Business Combination than other public stockholders. Our initial stockholders own shares representing at least 20.0% of our outstanding shares of common stock immediately following the completion of the Initial Public Offering. Accordingly, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial Business Combination, it is more likely that the necessary stockholder approval will be received than would be the case if our Sponsor, officers and directors agreed to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by our public stockholders.
Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential Business Combination will be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash, unless we seek stockholder approval of the Business Combination.
Since our board of directors may complete a Business Combination without seeking stockholder approval, public stockholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the Business Combination. Accordingly, if we do not seek stockholder approval, your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential Business Combination may be limited to exercising your redemption rights in connection with the consummation of an initial Business Combination.
The ability of our public stockholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential target businesses, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a Business Combination with a target.
We may seek to enter into a Business Combination transaction agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the Business Combination. Furthermore, 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 our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 immediately prior to or upon completion of our initial Business Combination or such greater amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition, each as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related Business Combination and may instead search for an alternate Business Combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a Business Combination transaction with us.
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The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable Business Combination, if at all, or optimize our capital structure.
At the time we enter into an agreement for our initial Business Combination, we will not know how many stockholders may exercise their redemption rights, and therefore will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted for redemption. If our initial Business Combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the Trust Account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, we will need to reserve a portion of the cash in the Trust Account to meet such requirements, or arrange for third-party financing. In addition, if a larger number of shares 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 stockholders 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 stockholders will reflect our obligation to pay the deferred underwriting commissions.
The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial Business Combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your stock.
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 stock in the open market; however, at such time our stock 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 stock 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 target businesses, in particular as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial Business Combination on terms that would produce value for our stockholders.
Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a Business Combination will be aware that we must complete our initial Business Combination within 18 months from the closing of the Initial Public 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. As a result, we may be forced to enter into an agreement for an initial Business Combination on terms that we would have rejected had we had more time to complete a transaction.
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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 stockholders may only receive $10.10 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our certificate of incorporation provides that we must complete our initial Business Combination within 18 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering. We may not be able to find a suitable target business 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 (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such case, our public stockholders may only receive $10.10 per share, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.10 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the Trust Account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.10 per share” and other risk factors in this section.
If we are unable to complete an initial Business Combination within the 18-month period, we may seek an amendment to our certificate of incorporation to extend the period of time we have to complete an initial Business Combination beyond 18 months. Our certificate of incorporation will require that such an amendment be approved by holders of at least 65% of our outstanding common stock.
Our search for a Business Combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a Business Combination, may be materially adversely affected by the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) 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, which has and is continuing to spread throughout 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, the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary 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) could adversely affect, the economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a Business Combination could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a Business Combination if concerns relating to COVID-19 continue 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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If we seek stockholder approval of our initial Business Combination, our initial stockholders, 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 stockholder approval of our initial Business Combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial Business Combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our initial stockholders, directors, officers, 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 stockholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. 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 stockholders, 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 stockholder 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 common stock 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.
If a stockholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our initial Business Combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.
We will comply with the 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 stockholder fails to receive our tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, such stockholder 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, if we hold a stockholder meeting to approve a transaction, we may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the Business Combination or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. In the event that a stockholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures, its shares may not be redeemed.
You are not entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
Because we had net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the successful completion of the Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement and filed a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors are not afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means we will have a longer period of time to complete our initial Business Combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, if the Initial Public 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.
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If we seek stockholder approval of our initial Business Combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of stockholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A common stock, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our Class A common stock.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial Business Combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial Business Combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in the Initial Public Offering, without our prior consent. However, our certificate of incorporation does not restrict our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial Business Combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial Business Combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial Business Combination. And as a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your stock in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for Business Combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial Business Combination. If we are unable to complete our initial Business Combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.10 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 providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of the Initial Public 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 shares of Class A common stock which our public stockholders 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 stockholders may receive only approximately $10.10 per share on the liquidation of our Trust Account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.10 per share upon our liquidation. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the Trust Account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.10 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.
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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.
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 stockholders may be less than $10.10 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 or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account for the benefit of our public stockholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the Trust Account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain 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. 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. 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 the Initial Public Offering.
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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 stockholders could be less than the $10.10 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 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) $10.10 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account due to reductions in 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 the Initial Public 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 believe it is unlikely our Sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the Trust Account, the funds available for our initial Business Combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.10 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial Business Combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per 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 stockholders.
In the event that the proceeds in the Trust Account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.10 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account due to reductions in 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 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 stockholders may be reduced below $10.10 per share.
The securities in which we invest the proceeds held in the Trust Account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the interest income available for payment of taxes or reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per share redemption amount received by public stockholders may be less than $10.10 per share.
The proceeds held in the Trust Account may only be invested in direct U.S. government securities with a maturity of 185 days or less, or in certain money market funds which invest only in direct U.S. 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 of very low or negative yields, the amount of interest income (which we may withdraw to pay income taxes, if any) would be reduced. In the event that we are unable to complete our initial Business Combination, our public stockholders are entitled to receive their share of the proceeds held in the Trust Account, plus any interest income. If the balance of the Trust Account is reduced below $242,400,000 as a result of negative interest rates, the amount of funds in the Trust Account available for distribution to our public stockholders may be reduced below $10.10 per share.
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If, after we distribute the proceeds in the Trust Account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy 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 stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our stockholders. In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, by paying public stockholders 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 stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over the claims of our stockholders and the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the Trust Account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the Trust Account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the Trust Account, the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial Business Combination.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including:
| · | restrictions on the nature of our investments; and |
| · | restrictions on the issuance of securities, each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial Business Combination. |
In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including:
| · | registration as an investment company with the SEC; |
| · | adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and |
| · | reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and compliance with other rules and regulations that we are currently not subject to. |
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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. The Trust Account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of an initial Business Combination; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial Business Combination within 18 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering or (B) with respect to any other provisions relating to stockholders’ 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 stockholders as part of our redemption of the public shares. Stockholders who do not exercise their rights to the funds in connection with an amendment to our certificate of incorporation 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 stockholders may receive only approximately $10.10 per share on the liquidation of our Trust Account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.10 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the Trust Account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.10 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 are required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial Business Combination, and results of operations.
Our stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.
Under the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our Trust Account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial Business Combination within the required time period may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If a corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. However, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following the 18th month from the closing of the Initial Public Offering (or the end of any Extension Period) in the event we do not complete our initial Business Combination and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with the foregoing procedures.
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Because we will not be complying with Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the 10 years following our dissolution. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses. If our plan of distribution complies with Section 281(b) of the DGCL, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would likely be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. We cannot assure you that we will properly assess all claims that may be potentially brought against us. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend beyond the third anniversary of such date. Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our Trust Account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial Business Combination within the required time period is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution.
We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after the consummation of our initial Business Combination, which could delay the opportunity for our stockholders to elect directors.
In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until no later than one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. Under Section 211(b) of the DGCL, we are, however, required to hold an annual meeting of stockholders for the purposes of electing directors in accordance with our bylaws unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of our initial Business Combination, and thus we may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the DGCL, which requires an annual meeting. Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to the consummation of our initial Business Combination, they may attempt to force us to hold one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court of Chancery in accordance with Section 211(c) of the DGCL. Until we hold an annual meeting of stockholders, public stockholders may not be afforded the opportunity to discuss company affairs with management. In addition, prior to our Business Combination (a) as holders of our Class A common stock, our public stockholders will not have the right to vote on the appointment of our directors and (b) holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our Class B common stock may remove a member of our board of directors for any reason.
The grant of registration rights to our initial stockholders 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 common stock.
At or after the time of our initial Business Combination, our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the resale of their founder shares, after those shares convert to shares of our Class A common stock. 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 shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants, and holders of warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans may demand that we register the resale of such warrants or the Class A common stock 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 common stock. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial Business Combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the 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 common stock that is expected when the common stock owned by our initial stockholders, holders of our Private Placement Warrants or holders of our working capital loans or their respective permitted transferees are registered for resale.
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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.
We may seek to complete our initial Business Combination with a target business in any industry, sector or geographic area. However, we will not, under our certificate of incorporation, 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 securities will ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a target business. Accordingly, any stockholders or warrant holders who choose to remain a stockholder 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.
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 the Initial Public 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 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 stockholders or warrant holders who choose to remain a stockholder 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.
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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 stockholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain stockholder approval of our initial Business Combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we are unable to complete our initial Business Combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.10 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 stockholders may receive less than $10.10 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the Trust Account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.10 per share” and other risk factors in this section.
We may seek acquisition opportunities with an early stage company, a private 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 may also 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 may not obtain an opinion from an independent valuation provider, and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that our initial Business Combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Unless we complete our Business Combination with an affiliated entity, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial Business Combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our stockholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, related to our initial Business Combination.
We may issue additional common stock or preferred stock to complete our initial Business Combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial Business Combination. We may also issue shares of Class A common stock upon the conversion of the Class B common stock at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial Business Combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our certificate of incorporation. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our stockholders and likely present other risks.
Our certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to 200,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 20,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 2,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. As of December 31, 2020, there were 172,400,000 and 13,100,000 authorized but unissued shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock, respectively, available for issuance, which amount does not take into account the shares of Class A common stock reserved for issuance upon exercise of any outstanding warrants or the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of Class B common stock. As of December 31, 2020, there were no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding. Shares of Class B common stock are convertible into shares of our Class A common stock 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 common stock or equity-linked securities related to our initial Business Combination.
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We may issue a substantial number of additional shares of common or preferred stock 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 shares of Class A common stock to redeem the warrants or upon conversion of the Class B common stock at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial Business Combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our certificate of incorporation. Our Class B common stock shall only be convertible at the time of our initial Business Combination. However, our certificate of incorporation 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 (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 certificate of incorporation. The restriction on issuing additional shares of capital stock described in the prior sentence will expire upon consummation of our initial Business Combination. The issuance of additional shares of common or preferred stock:
| · | may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in the Initial Public Offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B common stock resulted in the issuance of Class A shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B common stock; |
| · | may subordinate the rights of holders of our common stock if preferred stock is issued with rights senior to those afforded our common stock; |
| · | could cause a change of control if a substantial number of shares of our common stock is issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; |
| · | may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the stock ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us; |
| · | may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our Units, Class A common stock and/or warrants; and |
| · | may not result in adjustment to the exercise price of our warrants. |
Our initial Business Combination or reincorporation may result in taxes imposed on stockholders or warrant holders.
We may, subject to requisite stockholder approval by special resolution under the DGCL, effect a Business Combination with a target company in another jurisdiction, reincorporate in the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located, or reincorporate in another jurisdiction. Such transactions may result in tax liability for a stockholder or warrant holder in the jurisdiction in which the stockholder or warrant holder is a tax resident (or in which its members are resident if it is a tax transparent entity), in which the target company is located, or in which we reincorporate. In the event of a reincorporation pursuant to our initial Business Combination, such tax liability may attach prior to any consummation of redemptions. We do not intend to make any cash distributions to pay such taxes.
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 stockholders may receive only approximately $10.10 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 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 stockholders may receive only approximately $10.10 per share on the liquidation of our Trust Account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.10 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the Trust Account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.10 per share” and other risk factors in this section.
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Since our Sponsor, officers and directors will lose their entire investment in us if our Business Combination is not completed, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular target business is appropriate for our initial Business Combination.
Our initial stockholders hold 6,900,000 founder shares as of the date of this Annual Report, including 6,150,000 held by our Sponsor. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial Business Combination. In addition, our Sponsor and Direct Anchor Investors purchased an aggregate of 10,280,000 Private Placement Warrants, each exercisable for one share of our Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, for a purchase price in the aggregate of approximately $10,280,000, or $1.00 per warrant, that will also be worthless if we do not complete our initial Business Combination within the allocated time period.
In addition, we may obtain loans from our initial stockholders, officers, directors, or their affiliates. 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 stockholders’ investment in us.
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 kind in or to the monies held in the Trust Account. As such, no issuance of debt will affect the per-share amount available for redemption from the Trust Account. Nevertheless, the incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:
| · | default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial Business Combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations; |
| · | acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant; |
| · | our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt is payable on demand; |
| · | our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt is outstanding; |
| · | our inability to pay dividends on our common stock; |
| · | using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our common stock if declared, our ability to pay expenses, make capital expenditures and acquisitions, and fund other general corporate purposes; |
| · | limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate; |
| · | increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; |
| · | limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, and execution of our strategy; and |
| · | other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt. |
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We may only be able to complete one Business Combination with the proceeds of the Initial Public 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.
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, 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 initially intend to focus our search for an initial Business Combination in a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:
| · | solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset; or |
| · | dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services. |
This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory 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.
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We do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete our initial Business Combination with which a substantial majority of our stockholders do not agree.
Our certificate of incorporation 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 (such that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). As a result, we may be able to complete our initial Business Combination even though a substantial majority of our public stockholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial Business Combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our Business Combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our initial stockholders, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of Class A common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed Business Combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the Business Combination or redeem any shares, all shares of Class A common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate Business Combination.
In order to complete our initial Business Combination, we may seek to amend our certificate of incorporation 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 stockholders 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 certificate of incorporation or other governing instruments, including to extend the time we have to consummate an initial Business Combination in order to complete our initial Business Combination.
The provisions of our certificate of incorporation that relate to our pre-Business Combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our Trust Account) may be amended with the approval of holders of at least 65% of our outstanding common stock, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other blank check companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to facilitate the completion of an initial Business Combination that some of our stockholders may not support.
Some other blank check companies have a provision in their charter which prohibits the amendment of certain of its provisions, including those which relate to a company’s pre-Business Combination activity, without approval by holders of a certain percentage of the company’s stockholders. In those companies, amendment of these provisions typically requires approval by holders holding between 90% and 100% of the company’s public shares. Our certificate of incorporation will provide that any of its provisions related to pre-Business Combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of the Initial Public 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 stockholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our outstanding common stock entitled to vote thereon, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our Trust Account may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our outstanding common stock 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 shares of our Class B common stock. In all other instances, our certificate of incorporation may be amended by holders of a majority of our outstanding common stock entitled to vote thereon, subject to applicable provisions of the DGCL or applicable stock exchange rules. 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 certificate of incorporation. The restriction on issuing additional securities described in the prior sentence will expire upon consummation of our initial Business Combination. Our initial stockholders, who collectively beneficially own at least 20.0% of our common stock, may participate in any vote to amend our certificate of incorporation and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our certificate of incorporation 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 stockholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our certificate of incorporation.
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Our Sponsor, officers, and directors have agreed, pursuant to a letter agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial Business Combination within 18 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. Our stockholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our Sponsor, officers or directors for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our public stockholders would need to pursue a stockholder 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.
If the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants available to us prove to be insufficient, either because of the size of our initial Business Combination, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to repurchase for cash a significant number of shares from stockholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial Business Combination 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 financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors, or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial Business Combination.
If we are unable to complete our initial Business Combination, our public stockholders may only receive approximately $10.10 per share on the liquidation of our Trust Account, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.10 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “—If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the Trust Account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.10 per share” and other risk factors in this section.
Our initial stockholders will control the election of our board of directors until consummation of our initial Business Combination and will exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Our initial stockholders own shares representing 20.0% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock. In addition, prior to our initial Business Combination, holders of our Class B common stock will have the right to appoint all of our directors and may remove members of our board of directors for any reason. Holders of our public shares will have no right to vote on the election of directors during such time. These provisions of our certificate of incorporation may only be amended by a resolution passed by the holders of a majority of shares of our Class B common stock. As a result, you will not have any influence over the election of directors prior to our initial Business Combination.
In addition, prior to the completion of our initial Business Combination, only holders of the Class B common stock have the right to vote on the election of directors and holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our Class B common stock may remove members of our board of directors for any reason. In addition, our board of directors, whose members were elected by certain of our initial stockholders, 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 stockholders to elect new directors prior to the completion of our Business Combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the completion of the Business Combination. If there is an annual meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered” board of directors, only a minority of the board of directors will be considered for election and our Sponsor, because of its ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. Accordingly, our initial stockholders will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our Business Combination.
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A provision of our warrant agreement may make it more difficult for use to consummate an initial Business Combination.
If:
| · | we issue 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, 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 the Sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by the Sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), and |
| · | the volume weighted average trading price of our Class A common stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which we consummate our initial Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, |
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 applicable to our warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 per-share redemption trigger price applicable to our warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 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.
Our warrants and founder shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock and make it more difficult to complete our initial Business Combination.
We have issued warrants to purchase 13,800,000 shares of Class A common stock, as part of the Units and, simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, we issued in the Private Placement an aggregate of 10,280,000 Private Placement Warrants. Our initial stockholders currently own an aggregate of 6,900,000 founder shares. The founder shares are convertible into shares of Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as set forth herein. In addition, if our initial stockholders, officers, directors or their affiliates makes any working capital loans, up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants, at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants.
To the extent we issue shares of Class A common stock to complete a Business Combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares of Class A common stock 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 shares of our Class A common stock and reduce the value of the shares of Class A common stock 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 the Initial Public Offering except that, so long as they are held by our Sponsor, the Direct Anchor Investors or their permitted transferees, (i) they will not be redeemable by us, (ii) they (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold 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 shares of common stock 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.
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Because we must furnish our stockholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial Business Combination with some prospective target businesses.
The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on a Business Combination meeting certain financial significance tests include 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, 2021. 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.
If we complete our initial Business Combination with a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
If we complete our initial Business Combination with a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international setting, including any of the following:
| · | higher costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations and complying with different commercial and legal requirements of overseas markets; |
| · | rules and regulations regarding currency redemption; |
| · | complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals; |
| · | laws governing the manner in which future Business Combinations may be effected; |
| · | tariffs and trade barriers; |
| · | regulations related to customs and import/export matters; |
| · | longer payment cycles and challenges in collecting accounts receivable; |
| · | tax issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States; |
| · | currency fluctuations and exchange controls; |
| · | rates of inflation; |
| · | cultural and language differences; |
| · | employment regulations; |
| · | crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks, natural disasters and wars; |
| · | deterioration of political relations with the United States; and |
| · | government appropriations of assets. |
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We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, our operations might suffer, which may adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.
Risks Relating to the Post-Business Combination Company
We may face risks related to businesses in the proprietary network communications technology.
Business combinations with businesses with proprietary network communications technology 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:
| · | if we do not develop successful new products or improve existing ones, our business will suffer; |
| · | we may invest in new lines of business that could fail to attract or retain users or generate revenue; |
| · | we will face significant competition and if we are not able to maintain or improve our market share, our business could suffer; |
| · | the loss of one or more members of our management team, or our failure to attract and retain other highly qualified personnel in the future, could seriously harm our business; |
| · | if our security is compromised or if our platform is subjected to attacks that frustrate or thwart our users’ ability to access our products and services, our users, advertisers, and partners may cut back on or stop using our products and services altogether, which could seriously harm our business; |
| · | mobile malware, viruses, hacking and phishing attacks, spamming, and improper or illegal use of our products could seriously harm our business and reputation; |
| · | if we are unable to successfully grow our user base and further monetize our products, our business will suffer; |
| · | if we are unable to protect our intellectual property, the value of our brand and other intangible assets may be diminished, and our business may be seriously harmed; |
| · | we may be subject to regulatory investigations and proceedings in the future, which could cause us to incur substantial costs or require us to change our business practices in a way that could seriously harm our business; |
| · | components used in our products may fail as a result of a manufacturing, design, or other defect over which we have no control, and render our devices inoperable; |
| · | an inability to manage rapid change, increasing consumer expectations and growth; |
| · | an inability to build strong brand identity and improve subscriber or customer satisfaction and loyalty; |
| · | an inability to deal with our subscribers’ or customers’ privacy concerns; |
| · | an inability to license or enforce intellectual property rights on which our business may depend; |
| · | an inability by us, or a refusal by third parties, to license content to us upon acceptable terms; |
| · | potential liability for negligence, copyright, or trademark infringement or other claims based on the nature and content of materials that we may distribute; |
| · | competition for the leisure and entertainment time and discretionary spending of subscribers or customers, which may intensify in part due to advances in technology and changes in consumer expectations and behavior; and |
| · | 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. |
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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 stockholders or warrant holders who choose to remain a stockholder 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.
After our initial Business Combination, our results of operations and prospects could be subject, to a significant extent, to the economic, political, social and government policies, developments and conditions in the country in which we operate.
The economic, political and social conditions, as well as government policies, of the country in which our operations are located could affect our business. Economic growth could be uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy and such growth may not be sustained in the future. If in the future such country’s economy experiences a downturn or grows at a slower rate than expected, there may be less demand for spending in certain industries. A decrease in demand for spending in certain industries could materially and adversely affect our ability to find an attractive target business with which to consummate our initial Business Combination and if we effect our initial Business Combination, the ability of that target business to become profitable.
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 stockholders own or acquire shares will own less than 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of a target business, but we will only complete such Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for the post-transaction company 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 stockholders prior to our initial Business Combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post Business Combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial Business Combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares of common stock 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 shares of common stock, our stockholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares of common stock subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority stockholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger share of the company’s stock 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.
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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 stockholders’ 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 stockholders or warrant holders who choose to remain a stockholder 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 target business’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.
Risks Relating to Our Management Team
We are dependent upon our directors and officers and their departure could adversely affect our ability to operate.
Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our directors and officers, at least until we have completed our initial Business Combination. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our directors or officers. As a result, our directors and officers may resign before a Business Combination is completed. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or officers could have a detrimental effect on us.
Our ability to successfully 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 target business’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 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.
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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. 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 “Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.”
Certain of our officers and directors are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time and determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Until we consummate our initial Business Combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses or entities. Certain of our officers and directors are, and may in the future become, affiliated with entities (such as operating companies or investment vehicles) that are engaged in a similar business, although our officers and directors (excluding independent directors) may not participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of any other special purpose acquisition company with a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act which has publicly filed a registration statement with the SEC until we have entered into a definitive agreement regarding our initial Business Combination or we have failed to complete our initial Business Combination within 18 months after the closing of the Initial Public Offering or during any Extension Period.
Our officers and directors also may become aware of business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us and the other entities in the future to which they owe certain fiduciary or contractual duties or otherwise have an interest in any other special purpose acquisition company in which they may become involved with. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us.
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 “Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance,” “Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance—Conflicts of Interest” and “Item 13.—Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Administrative Services Agreement.”
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 initial stockholders, directors or officers, or any of their affiliates. 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.
Despite our agreement that, in the event we seek to complete our initial Business Combination with a company business that is affiliated with our initial stockholders, officers or directors, or any of their affiliates, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial Business Combination is fair to us from a financial point of view, potential conflicts of interest still may exist. As a result, the terms of the Business Combination may not be as advantageous to our company and our public stockholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.
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Risks Relating to Our Securities
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 stockholders 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 shares of Class A common stock that such stockholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial Business Combination within 18 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering or (ii) with respect to any other provisions relating to stockholders’ 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 18 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering, subject to applicable law. Stockholders who do not exercise their rights to the funds in connection with an amendment to our certificate of incorporation would still have rights to the funds in connection with a subsequent Business Combination within the allocated time period for any reason, compliance with Delaware law may require that we submit a plan of dissolution to our then-existing stockholders for approval prior to the distribution of the proceeds held in our Trust Account. In that case, public stockholders may be forced to wait beyond the end of such period before they receive funds from our Trust Account. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind in the Trust Account. Holders of warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the Trust Account with respect to the warrants. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Nasdaq may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
We cannot assure you that our securities will continue to be listed on Nasdaq 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 stock price levels. In general, we must maintain a minimum amount in stockholders’ equity (generally $2,500,000) and a minimum of 300 public holders. Additionally, in connection with our initial Business Combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with the applicable exchange’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.
If any of our securities are delisted from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list our securities on another national securities exchange, we expect such securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:
| · | a limited availability of market quotations for our securities; |
| · | reduced liquidity for our securities; |
| · | a determination that our Class A common stock is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A common stock to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities; |
| · | a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and |
| · | a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future. |
The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or pre-empts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Our Units, Class A common stock and warrants currently qualify as covered securities under such statute. Although the states are pre-empted 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 Nasdaq, our securities would not qualify as covered securities under such statute and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.
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You will not be permitted to exercise your warrants unless we register and qualify the issuance of the underlying shares of Class A common stock or certain exemptions are available.
Pursuant to terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days after the closing of our initial Business Combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file, and within 60 business days following our initial Business Combination to have declared effective, a registration statement covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock 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 to those shares of Class A common stock until the warrants expire or are redeemed. 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. 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 common stock is at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will be required to use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant. 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 shares of Class A common stock included in the Units. There may be a circumstance where an exemption from registration exists for holders of our Private Placement Warrants to exercise their warrants while a corresponding exemption does not exist for holders of the public warrants that were included as part of the Units. In such an instance, the initial purchasers and their permitted transferees (which may include our directors and officers) would be able to exercise their warrants and sell the common stock underlying their warrants while holders of our public warrants would not be able to exercise their warrants and sell the underlying common stock. 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 shares of Class A common stock 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.
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 shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.
Our warrants will be issued in registered form under 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 mistake or 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 any provision of the warrant agreement with respect to the Private Placement Warrants, 50% of the number of the then-outstanding Private Placement Warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 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 stock, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.
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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 common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share 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 (the “Reference Value”) 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.
In addition, unlike many other similarly structured blank check companies, we have the ability to redeem outstanding warrants 90 days after they become exercisable for $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption provided that holders will be able to exercise their warrants prior to redemption for a number of Class A common stock determined based on the redemption date and the fair market value of our Class A common stock and provided certain other conditions are met. We would redeem the warrants in this manner when we believe it is in our best interest to update our capital structure to remove the warrants and pay fair market value to the warrant holders. We can also redeem the warrants for common stock when the Class A common stock is trading at a price starting at $10.00, which is below the exercise price of $11.50, because it will provide certainty with respect to our capital structure and cash position while providing warrant holders with fair market value in the form of shares of Class A common stock. If we choose to redeem the warrants when the Class A common stock is trading at a price below the exercise price of the warrants, this could result in the warrant holders receiving fewer shares of Class A common stock than they would have received if they had chosen to wait to exercise their warrants for shares of Class A common stock if and when the Class A common stock trades at a price higher than the exercise price of $11.50. Any such redemption may have similar consequences to the redemption described in the above paragraph. In addition, such redemption may occur at a time when the warrants are “out-of-the-money,” in which case you would lose any potential embedded value from a subsequent increase in the value of the Class A common stock had your warrants remained outstanding. Finally, this redemption feature provides a ceiling to the value of your warrants since it locks in the redemption price in the number of Class A common stock to be received if we choose to redeem the warrants for common stock.
Because each Unit contains one-half of one redeemable warrant and only a whole warrant may be exercised, the Units may be worth less than Units of other blank check companies.
Each Unit contains one-half of one warrant. Because, pursuant to the warrant agreement, the warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares, only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one share of common stock and one whole warrant or a greater fraction of one whole warrant to purchase one whole share. We have established the components of the Units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a Business Combination since the warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for one-half of the number of shares compared to Units that each contain a warrant to purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive Business Combination partner for target businesses. Nevertheless, this Unit structure may cause our Units to be worth less than if they included one whole warrant or a greater fraction of one whole warrant to purchase one whole share.
Our warrant agreement designates the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our warrant agreement provides that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreement do not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal 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 of the forum provisions of the warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “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.
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This choice-of-forum provision may limit a warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this 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.
Our certificate of incorporation requires, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders for breach of fiduciary duty and other similar actions may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware and, if brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel, which may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders.
Our certificate of incorporation requires, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against our directors, officers and employees for breach of fiduciary duty and certain other actions may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware, except any action (A) as to which the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination), (B) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery or (C) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the forum provisions in our certificate of incorporation.
This choice of forum provision may make it more costly, or limit a stockholder’s ability, to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or any of our directors, officers or employees, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims. We cannot be certain that a court will decide that this provision is either applicable or enforceable, and if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, operating results and financial condition.
Our certificate of incorporation provides that the exclusive forum provision will be applicable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, subject to certain exceptions. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As a result, the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. In addition, the exclusive forum provision will not apply to actions brought under the Securities Act, or the rules and regulations thereunder.
By purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock and thereby consenting to the forum provisions in our certificate of incorporation, investors will not be deemed to have waived the Company’s compliance with the federal securities law and the rules and regulations thereunder.
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 businesses with proprietary network communications technology. 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.
Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and Delaware law may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our Class A common stock and could entrench management.
Our certificate of incorporation contains provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include a staggered board of directors and the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred shares and the fact that prior to the completion of our initial Business Combination only holders of our shares of Class B common stock, which are held by our initial stockholders, are entitled to vote on the election of directors and holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our Class B common stock 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.
We are also subject to anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law, which could delay or prevent a change of control. Together these provisions may make the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
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General Risk Factors
Our warrants are accounted for as liabilities and the changes in value of our warrants could have a material effect on our financial results.
On April 12, 2021, the Acting Director of the Division of Corporation Finance and Acting Chief Accountant of the SEC together issued a statement regarding the accounting and reporting considerations for warrants issued by special purpose acquisition companies entitled “Staff Statement on Accounting and Reporting Considerations for Warrants Issued by Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (“SPACs”)” (the “SEC Statement”). Specifically, the SEC Statement focused on certain settlement terms and provisions related to certain tender offers following a business combination, which terms are similar to those contained in the warrant agreement governing our warrants. As a result of the SEC Statement, we reevaluated the accounting treatment of our 13,800,000 public warrants and 10,280,000 private placement warrants, and determined to classify the warrants as derivative liabilities measured at fair value, with changes in fair value each period reported in earnings.
As a result, included on our balance sheet as of December 31, 2020 contained elsewhere in this Annual Report are derivative liabilities related to embedded features contained within our warrants. Accounting Standards Codification 815, Derivatives and Hedging (“ASC 815”), provides for the remeasurement of the fair value of such derivatives at each balance sheet date, with a resulting non-cash gain or loss related to the change in the fair value being recognized in earnings in the statement of operations. As a result of the recurring fair value measurement, our financial statements and results of operations may fluctuate quarterly, based on factors, which are outside of our control. Due to the recurring fair value measurement, we expect that we will recognize non-cash gains or losses on our warrants each reporting period and that the amount of such gains or losses could be material.
We have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. This material weakness could continue to adversely affect our ability to report our results of operations and financial condition accurately and in a timely manner.
Following the issuance of the SEC Staff Statement on April 12, 2021, after consultation with our independent registered public accounting firm, our management and our audit committee concluded that, in light of the SEC Statement, it was appropriate to restate previously issued and audited financial statements as of and for the period ended December 31, 2020.
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP. Our management is likewise required, on a quarterly basis, to evaluate the effectiveness of our internal controls and to disclose any changes and material weaknesses identified through such evaluation of those internal controls. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
As described elsewhere in Amendment No. 1, we identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting related to the accounting for a significant and unusual transaction related to the warrants we issued in connection with our initial public offering in December 2020. As a result of this material weakness, our management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of December 31, 2020. This material weakness resulted in a material misstatement of our derivative warrant liabilities, change in fair value of derivative warrant liabilities, Class A common stock subject to possible redemption, accumulated deficit and related financial disclosures for the Affected Periods (as defined in the First Amended Filing). For a discussion of management’s consideration of the material weakness identified related to our accounting for a significant and unusual transaction related to the warrants we issued in connection with the December 2020 initial public offering, see “Note 2—Restatement of Previously Issued Financial Statements” to the accompanying financial statements included in the First Amended Filing, as well as “Part II, Item 9A. Controls and Procedures included in this Annual Report” in the First Amended Filing.
As described elsewhere in this Amendment No. 2, we have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting related to the Company’s application of ASC 480-10-S99-3A to its accounting classification of the Public Shares and its presentation of earnings per share. As a result of this material weakness, our management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of December 31, 2020. Historically, a portion of the Public Shares was classified as permanent equity to maintain stockholders’ equity greater than $5 million on the basis that the Company will not redeem its Public Shares in an amount that would cause its net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001, as described in the Charter. Pursuant to the Company’s re-evaluation of the Company’s application of ASC 480-10-S99-3A to its accounting classification of the Public Shares, the Company’s management has determined that the Public Shares include certain provisions that require classification of all of the Public Shares as temporary equity regardless of the net tangible assets redemption limitation contained in the Charter. For a discussion of management’s consideration of the material weakness identified related to the Company’s application of ASC 480-10-S99-3A to its accounting classification of the Public Share, see “Note 2” to the accompanying financial statements, as well as Part II, Item 9A: Controls and Procedures included in this Amendment No. 2.
As described in “Part II, Item 9A. Controls and Procedures,” we have concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was ineffective as of December 31, 2020 because material weaknesses existed in our internal control over financial reporting. We have taken a number of measures to remediate the material weaknesses described therein; however, if we are unable to remediate our material weaknesses in a timely manner or we identify additional material weaknesses, we may be unable to provide required financial information in a timely and reliable manner and we may incorrectly report financial information. Likewise, if our financial statements are not filed on a timely basis, we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the stock exchange on which our Class A common stock are listed, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. Failure to timely file will cause us to be ineligible to utilize short form registration statements on Form S-3 or Form S-4, which may impair our ability to obtain capital in a timely fashion to execute our business strategies or issue shares to effect an acquisition. In either case, there could result a material adverse effect on our business. The existence of material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in internal control over financial reporting could adversely affect our reputation or investor perceptions of us, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of our stock. In addition, we will incur additional costs to remediate material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, as described in “Part II, Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.”
We can give no assurance that the measures we have taken and plan to take in the future will remediate the material weaknesses identified or that any additional material weaknesses or restatements of financial results will not arise in the future due to a failure to implement and maintain adequate internal control over financial reporting or circumvention of these controls. In addition, even if we are successful in strengthening our controls and procedures, in the future those controls and procedures may not be adequate to prevent or identify irregularities or errors or to facilitate the fair presentation of our financial statements.
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We may face litigation and other risks as a result of the material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting.
Following the issuance of the SEC Statement our management and our audit committee concluded that it was appropriate to restate our previously issued audited financial statements as of December 31, 2020 and for the period ended December 31, 2020 (the “Restatement”). See “—Our warrants are accounted for as liabilities and the changes in value of our warrants could have a material effect on our financial results.” As part of the Restatement, we identified a material weakness in our internal controls over financial reporting.
In addition, as described elsewhere in this Amendment No. 2, we have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting related to the Company’s application of ASC 480-10-S99-3A to its accounting classification of the Public Shares and its presentation of earnings per share.
As a result of such material weaknesses, the restatements, the changes in accounting for the warrantsand the Public Shares we face potential for litigation or other disputes which may include, among others, claims invoking the federal and state securities laws, contractual claims or other claims arising from the restatements and material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting and the preparation of our financial statements. As of the date of this Amendment No. 2, we have no knowledge of any such litigation or dispute. However, we can provide no assurance that such litigation or dispute will not arise in the future. Any such litigation or dispute, whether successful or not, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition or our ability to complete a Business Combination.
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We are a newly formed company with no operating history and no operating 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. 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 with our company and may be unable to complete our initial Business Combination. If we fail to complete our Business Combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.
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 is presented for informational purposes only. Past performance by our management team and their respective affiliates is not a guarantee either (i) that we will be able to locate a suitable candidate for our initial Business Combination or (ii) of success with respect to any Business Combination we may consummate. Our officers and directors have not had management experience with special purpose acquisition corporations in the past. You should not rely on the historical performance of our management team and their respective affiliates as an indication of the future performance of an investment in our company or the returns we will, or are likely to, generate going forward. In addition, an investment in our company 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.
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 stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates 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 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 common stock held by non-affiliates equals to or exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our common stock 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.
| Item 1.B. | Unresolved Staff Comments. |
None.
| Item 2. | Properties. |
Our executive offices are located at Four Palo Alto Square, Suite 200, 3000 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA 94306 and our telephone number is 650-575-4456. The cost for this space is included in the $20,000 per month fee that we will pay our Sponsor for office space, administrative and support services. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
| Item 3. | Legal Proceedings. |
We are not currently subject to any material legal proceedings, nor, to our knowledge, is any material legal proceeding threatened against us or any of our officers or directors in their corporate capacity.
| Item 4. | Mine Safety Disclosures. |
None.
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| Item 5. | Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities. |
| (a) | Market Information |
Our Units began trading on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC on December 15, 2020. Each Unit consists of one share of Class A common stock and one-half of one redeemable warrant to purchase one share of Class A common stock. On February 4, 2021, we announced that holders of the Units may elect to separately trade the shares of Class A common stock and redeemable warrants included in the Units commencing on February 4, 2021. Any Units not separated continue to trade on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC under the symbol “KINZU” Any underlying Shares of Class A common stock and redeemable warrants that were separated trade on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC under the symbols “KINZ” and “KINZW” respectively.
| (b) | Holders |
As of March 18, 2021, there was approximately 1 holder of record of our Units, approximately 1 holder of record of our separately traded shares of Class A common stock, 5 holders of record of shares of Class B common stock and approximately 6 holders of record of our redeemable warrants.
| (c) | Dividends |
We have not paid any cash dividends on our common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial Business Combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial Business Combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to our initial Business Combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any stock dividends in the foreseeable future. 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.
| (d) | Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans |
None.
| (e) | Performance Graph |
The performance graph has been omitted as permitted under rules applicable to smaller reporting companies.
| (f) | Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities; Use of Proceeds from Registered Offerings |
Unregistered Sales
On July 27, 2020, the Sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain offering costs of the Company in consideration for 5,750,000 shares of Class B common stock (the “Founder Shares”). In October 2020, the Sponsor forfeited 625,000 Founder Shares and the Direct Anchor Investors purchased 625,000 Founder Shares for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $2,717, or approximately $0.004 per share. In December 2020, the Company effected a 1:1.2 stock split of its Class B common stock, resulting in the Sponsor holding an aggregate of 6,150,000 Founder Shares, the Direct Anchor Investors holding an aggregate of 750,000 Founder Shares and there being an aggregate of 6,900,000 Founder Shares outstanding. All share and per-share amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the stock split.
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Sponsor and the Direct Anchor Investors purchased an aggregate of 10,280,000 Private Placement Warrants at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant, or $10,280,000. Each Private Placement Warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share. The proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants were added to the net proceeds from the Initial Public Offering held in the Trust Account. If we do not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants held in the Trust Account will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the Private Placement Warrants will expire worthless.
These issuance was 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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Use of Proceeds
On December 17, 2020, the Company consummated its Initial Public Offering of 27,600,000 Units, including 3,600,000 Over-Allotment Units, at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $276.0 million. UBS Securities LLC, Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated and BTIG, LLC acted as joint book-running managers for the Initial Public Offering. The securities sold in the Initial Public Offering were registered under the Securities Act on registration statements on Form S-1 (Registration No. 333-249177 and 333-251340). The SEC declared the registration statements effective on December 14, 2020.
Substantially concurrently with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the Private Placement of 10,280,000 Private Placement Warrants, at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant to the Sponsor, generating gross proceeds of $10.3 million.
In connection with the Initial Public Offering, we incurred offering costs of approximately $15.7 million (including deferred underwriting commissions of approximately $9.7 million). Other incurred offering costs consisted principally of preparation fees related to the Initial Public Offering. After deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions (excluding the deferred portion, which amount will be payable upon consummation of the initial Business Combination, if consummated) and the Initial Public Offering expenses, $276.0 million of the net proceeds from our Initial Public Offering and certain of the proceeds from the Private Placement of the Private Placement Warrants (or $10.00 per Unit sold in the Initial Public Offering) was placed in the Trust Account. The net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and certain proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants are held in the Trust Account and invested as described elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
There has been no material change in the planned use of the proceeds from the Initial Public Offering and Private Placement as is described in the Company’s final prospectus related to the Initial Public Offering. For a description of the use of the proceeds generated from the Initial Public Offering, see “Item 1. Business.”
| Item 6. | Selected Financial Data. |
Selected financial data has been omitted as permitted under rules applicable to smaller reporting companies.
| Item 7. | Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. |
References to the “Company,” “our,” “us” or “we” refer to KINS Technology Group Inc. The following discussion and analysis of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and the notes related thereto which are included in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Certain information contained in the discussion and analysis set forth below includes forward-looking statements. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors. Certain information contained in the discussion and analysis set forth below includes forward-looking statements. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those set forth under “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factor Summary,” “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The following discussion and analysis of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our audited financial statements and the notes related thereto which are included in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Certain information contained in the discussion and analysis set forth below includes forward-looking statements. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those set forth under “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
In this Amendment No. 2 (“Amendment No. 2”) to the Annual Report on Form 10-K of KINS Technology Group Inc. (the “Company”) for the period ended December 31, 2020, we are restating (i) the Post IPO Balance Sheet, and (ii) the FY 2020 Financial Statements as previously restated in the 2020 Form 10-K/A No. 1.
We have re-evaluated our application of ASC 480-10-S99-3A to our accounting and classification of the Public Shares, issued as part of the units sold in the initial public offering on December 17, 2020. Historically, a portion of the Public Shares was classified as permanent equity to maintain stockholders’ equity greater than $5 million on the basis that we will not redeem our Public Shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001, as described in the Charter. Pursuant to such re-evaluation, our management has determined that the Public Shares include certain provisions that require classification of all of the Public Shares as temporary equity regardless of the net tangible assets redemption limitation contained in the Charter. In addition, in connection with the change in presentation for the Public Shares, management determined it should restate earnings per share calculation to allocate income and losses shared pro rata between the two classes of common stock. This presentation contemplates a Business Combination as the most likely outcome, in which case, both classes of common stock share pro rata in the income and losses of our Company.
On December 22, 2021, the Audit Committee concluded, after discussion with the Company’s management, that our previously issued (i) Post IPO Balance Sheet, (ii) FY 2020 Financial Statements as previously restated in the 2020 Form 10-K/A No. 1, (iii) Q1 2021 Financial Statements included in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on July 13, 2021 and (iv) Q2 2021 Financial Statements included in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2021, filed with the SEC on August 16, 2021, should be restated to report all Public Shares as temporary equity and should no longer be relied upon. As such, the Company is restating the Post IPO Balance Sheet and the FY 2020 Financial Statements herein and intends to restate the Q1 2021 Financial Statements and the Q2 2021 Financial Statements in the Q3 Form 10-Q/A.
The restatement does not have an impact on our cash position.
Our management has concluded that in light of the classification error described above, a material weakness exists in our internal control over financial reporting and that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective.
In connection with the restatement, our management reassessed the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures for the periods affected by the restatement. As a result of that reassessment, we determined that our disclosure controls and procedures for such periods were not effective with respect to our internal controls around the proper accounting and classification of complex financial instruments. For more information, see Item 9A included in this Amendment No. 2.
The restatement is more fully described in Note 2 of the notes to the financial statements included herein.
38
Overview
We are a blank check company formed under the laws of the State of Delaware on July 20, 2020 for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or other similar Business Combination with one or more businesses. We intend to effectuate our Business Combination using cash from the proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, our capital stock, debt or a combination of cash, stock and debt.
We expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to complete a Business Combination will be successful.
Results of Operations
We have neither engaged in any operations (other than searching for a Business Combination after our Initial Public Offering) nor generated any revenues to date. Our only activities from July 20, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020 were organizational activities, those necessary to prepare for the Initial Public Offering, described below. We do not expect to generate any operating revenues until after the completion of our Business Combination. We expect to generate non-operating income in the form of interest earned on investments held after the Initial Public Offering. We incur expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses.
As a result of the restatement described in Note 2 of the notes to the financial statements included herein, we classify the Warrants issued in connection with our Initial Public Offering as liabilities at their fair value and adjust the warrant instrument to fair value at each reporting period. This liability is subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date until exercised, and any change in fair value is recognized in our statement of operations.
For the period from July 20, 2020, (inception) through December 31, 2020, we had a net loss of $4,084,500, which consists of operating costs of $252,783, transaction costs associated with Initial Public Offering of $468,315, and change in fair value of warrant liability of $3,371,200, offset by bank interest income and interest income on investments held in the Trust Account of $7,798.
39
Liquidity and Capital Resources
On December 17, 2020, we consummated the Initial Public Offering of 27,600,000 Units at a price of $10.00 per Unit, which includes the full exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option in the amount of 3,600,000, generating gross proceeds of $276,000,000. Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, we consummated the sale of 10,280,000 Private Placement Warrants at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant in a private placement to our initial stockholders, generating gross proceeds of $10,280,000.
Following the Initial Public Offering, the full exercise of the over-allotment option by the underwriters’ and the sale of the Private Placement Units, a total of $278,760,000 was placed in the Trust Account. We incurred $15,688,848 in transaction costs, including $5,520,000 of cash underwriting fees, $9,660,000 of deferred underwriting fees and $508,848 of other offering costs.
For the period from July 20, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020, cash used in operating activities was $514,705. Net loss of $4,084,500 was affected by change in fair value of warrant liability of $3,371,200, transaction costs associated with Initial Public Offering of $468,315, interest earned on marketable securities held in the Trust Account of $7,785, and $261,935 of changes in operating assets and liabilities.
As of December 31, 2020, we had cash and investments held in the Trust Account of $278,767,785. We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the Trust Account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the Trust Account to complete our Business Combination. We may withdraw interest to pay taxes. During the period ended December 31, 2020, we did not withdraw any interest income from the Trust Account. To the extent that our capital stock or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our 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.
As of December 31, 2020, we had $1,019,026 of cash held outside of the Trust Account. We intend to use the funds held outside the Trust Account primarily to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, and structure, negotiate and complete a Business Combination.
In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsors, or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete a Business Combination, we would repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to us. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, we 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, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into warrants of the post Business Combination entity. 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.
We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, if our estimate of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating a 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 consummation of our Business Combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such Business Combination. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only complete such financing simultaneously with the completion of our Business Combination. If we are unable to complete our 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 Business Combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations.
40
Off-Balance Sheet Financing Arrangements
We have no obligations, assets or liabilities, which would be considered off-balance sheet arrangements as of December 31, 2020. We do not participate in transactions that create relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, often referred to as variable interest entities, which would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements. We have not entered into any off-balance sheet financing arrangements, established any special purpose entities, guaranteed any debt or commitments of other entities, or purchased any non-financial assets.
Contractual Obligations
We do not have any long-term debt, capital lease obligations, operating lease obligations or long-term liabilities, other than an agreement to pay an affiliate of the Sponsor a monthly fee of $20,000 for office space, administrative and support services to us. We began incurring these fees on December 14, 2020 and will continue to incur these fees monthly until the earlier of the completion of the Business Combination and its liquidation.
The underwriters are entitled to a deferred fee of $0.35 per Unit, or up to $9,660,000 in the aggregate. The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that the Company completes a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.
Critical Accounting Policies
The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and income and expenses during the periods reported. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates. We have identified the following critical accounting policies:
Warrant Liability
We account for the Warrants in accordance with the guidance contained in ASC 815-40- under which the Warrants do not meet the criteria for equity treatment and must be recorded as liabilities. Accordingly, we classify the Warrants as liabilities at their fair value and adjust the Warrants to fair value at each reporting period. This liability is subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date until exercised, and any change in fair value is recognized in our statement of operations. The Private Placement Warrants and Public Warrants were initially and subsequently valued using a Binomial Lattice Model.
41
Class A Common Stock Subject to Possible Redemption
We account for our Class A common stock subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Shares of Class A common stock subject to mandatory redemption are classified as a liability instrument and are measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable common stock (including common stock that feature redemption rights that is either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within our control) is classified as temporary equity. At all other times, common stock is classified as stockholders’ equity. Our Class A common stock features certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of our control and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, all shares of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption are presented as temporary equity, outside of the stockholders’ equity section of our balance sheet.
Net Income (Loss) per Common Share
We comply with accounting and disclosure requirements of FASB ASC Topic 260, “Earnings Per Share.” We have two classes of shares, which are referred to as Class A common stock and Class B common stock. Income and losses are shared pro rata between the two classes of shares. Net income (loss) per common stock is calculated by dividing the net income (loss) by the weighted average shares of common stock outstanding for the respective period.
We did not consider the effect of the warrants issued in connection with the initial public offering in the calculation of diluted income (loss) per share because their exercise is contingent upon future events. As a result, diluted net income (loss) per common share is the same as basic net income (loss) per common share. Accretion associated with the redeemable Class A common stock is excluded from income (loss) per common share as the redemption value approximates fair value.
Recent Accounting Standards
Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on our financial statements.
| Item 7.A. | Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure About Market Risk. |
We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and are not required to provide the information otherwise required under this item.
| Item 8. | Financial Statements and Supplementary Data |
42
KINS TECHNOLOGY GROUP INC.
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
F-1
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of
KINS Technology Group Inc.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of KINS Technology Group Inc. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2020, the related statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ deficit and cash flows for the period from July 20, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020, 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, 2020, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from July 20, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Going Concern
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 1 to the financial statements, if the Company is unable to raise additional funds to alleviate liquidity needs and complete a business combination by June 17, 2022 then the Company will cease all operations except for the purpose of liquidating. The liquidity condition and date for mandatory liquidation and subsequent dissolution raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management's plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note 1. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Restatement of Financial Statements
As discussed in Note 2 to the financial statements, the 2020 financial statements have been restated to correct certain misstatements.
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/ WithumSmith+Brown, PC |
We have served as the Company's auditor since 2020.
New York, New York
June 21, 2021, except for the effects of the restatement disclosed in Note 2 as to which the date is December 22, 2021.
F-2
KINS TECHNOLOGY GROUP INC.
BALANCE SHEET
DECEMBER 31, 2020
As Restated - See Note 2
| ASSETS | ||||
| Current assets | ||||
| Cash | $ | 1,019,026 | ||
| Prepaid expenses | 456,634 | |||
| Total Current Assets | 1,475,660 | |||
| Cash and investments held in trust account | 278,767,785 | |||
| Total Assets | $ | 280,243,445 | ||
| LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT | ||||
| Current liabilities | ||||
| Accrued expenses | $ | 194,699 | ||
| Accrued offering costs | 17,579 | |||
| Total Current Liabilities | 212,278 | |||
| Derivative warrant liabilities | 21,912,800 | |||
| Deferred underwriting fee payable | 9,660,000 | |||
| Total Liabilities | 31,785,078 | |||
| Commitments and contingencies | ||||
| Class A common stock subject to possible redemption $0.0001 par value, 27,600,000 shares at $10.10 per share redemption value | 278,760,0000 | |||
| Stockholders’ Deficit | ||||
| Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding | — | |||
| Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value; 75,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued and outstanding (excluding 27,600,000 shares subject to possible redemption) | — | |||
| Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; 6,900,000 shares issued and outstanding | 690 | |||
| Additional paid-in capital | — | |||
| Accumulated deficit | (30,302,323 | ) | ||
| Total Stockholders’ Deficit | (30,301,633 | ) | ||
| Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Deficit | $ | 280,243,445 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F-3
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
FOR THE PERIOD FROM JULY 20, 2020 (INCEPTION) THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2020
As Restated - See Note 2
| Formation and operational costs | $ | 252,783 | ||
| Loss from operations | (252,783 | ) | ||
| Other income: | ||||
| Transaction costs allocated to derivative warrant liabilities | (468,315 | ) | ||
| Change in fair value of derivative warrant liabilities | (3,371,200 | ) | ||
| Interest income | 13 | |||
| Interest earned on marketable securities held in Trust Account | 7,785 | |||
| Other income, net | (3,831,717 | ) | ||
| Net loss | $ | (4,084,500 | ) | |
| Weighted average shares outstanding of Class A common stock | 2,356,098 | |||
| Basic and diluted loss per share, Class A common stock | $ | (0.50 | ) | |
| Weighted average shares outstanding of Class B common stock | 5,820,732 | |||
| Basic and diluted net loss per share, Class B common stock | $ | (0.50 | ) |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F-4
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
FOR THE PERIOD FROM JULY 20, 2020 (INCEPTION) THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2020
As Restated - See Note 2
Class A | Class B | Additional | Accumulated | Total Stockholders’ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount | Capital | Deficit | Equity | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance – July 20, 2020 (Inception) | — | $ | — | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of Class B common stock to the Sponsor | — | — | 6,900,000 | 690 | 24,310 | — | 25,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Accretion of Class A common stock subject to redemption | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| — | — | — | — | (2,388,710 | ) | (26,217,823 | ) | (28,606,533 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Cash paid in excess of fair value for Private Placement Warrants | — | — | — | — | 2,364,400 | — | 2,364,400 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Net loss | — | — | — | — | — | (4,084,500 | ) | (4,084,500 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Balance – December 31, 2020 | — | $ | — | 6,900,000 | $ | 690 | $ | — | $ | (30,302,323 | ) | $ | (30,301,633 | ) | ||||||||||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F-5
STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
FOR THE PERIOD FROM JULY 20, 2020 (INCEPTION) THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2020
As Restated - See Note 2
| Cash Flows from Operating Activities: | ||||
| Net loss | $ | (4,084,500 | ) | |
| Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: | ||||
| Change in fair value of derivative warrant liabilities | 3,371,200 | |||
| Transaction costs allocated to derivative warrant liabilities | 468,315 | |||
| Interest earned on marketable securities held in Trust Account | (7,785 | ) | ||
| Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | ||||
| Prepaid expenses | (456,634 | ) | ||
| Accrued expenses | 194,699 | |||
| Net cash used in operating activities | (514,705 | ) | ||
| Cash Flows from Investing Activities: | ||||
| Investment of cash into Trust Account | (278,760,000 | ) | ||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (278,760,000 | ) | ||
| Cash Flows from Financing Activities: | ||||
| Proceeds from sale of Units, net of underwriting discounts paid | 270,480,000 | |||
| Proceeds from sale of Private Placement Warrants | 10,280,000 | |||
| Proceeds from promissory note – related party | 38,087 | |||
| Repayment of promissory note – related party | (118,249 | ) | ||
| Payment of offering costs | (386,107 | ) | ||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | 280,293,731 | |||
| Net Change in Cash | 1,019,026 | |||
| Cash – Beginning of period | — | |||
| Cash – End of period | $ | 1,019,026 | ||
| Non-Cash Financing Activities: | ||||
| Deferred underwriting fee payable | $ | 9,660,000 | ||
| Offering costs paid through promissory note | $ | 80,162 | ||
| Offering costs included in accrued offering costs | $ | 17,579 | ||
| Offering costs paid by Sponsor in exchange for issuance of Founder Shares | $ | 25,000 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F-6
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 1 — DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS
KINS Technology Group Inc. (the “Company”) was incorporated in Delaware on July 20, 2020. The Company was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”). The Company is not limited to a particular industry or sector for purposes of consummating a Business Combination. The Company is an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early stage and emerging growth companies.
As of December 31, 2020, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from July 20, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020 relates to the Company’s formation, the initial public offering (“Initial Public Offering”), which is described below, and the search for a business combination. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of its initial Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the Initial Public Offering.
The registration statement for the Company’s Initial Public Offering became effective on December 14, 2020. On December 17, 2020, the Company consummated the Initial Public Offering of 27,600,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the Class A common stock included in the Units sold, the “Public Shares”), which includes the full exercise by the underwriter of its over-allotment option in the amount of 3,600,000 Units, at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $276,000,000 which is described in Note 4.
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the sale of 10,280,000 warrants (the “Private Placement Warrants”) at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant in a private placement to KINS Capital LLC (the “Sponsor”) and certain funds and accounts managed by BlackRock, Inc. (the “Direct Anchor Investors” and which the Direct Anchor Investors, together with the Sponsor, are the “initial stockholders”), generating gross proceeds of $10,280,000, which is described in Note 5.
Transaction costs incurred amounted to $15,688,848, consisting of $5,520,000 in cash underwriting fees, $9,660,000 of deferred underwriting fees and $508,848 of other offering costs, of which $15,220,533 was charged to equity and $468,315 was expensed through the Statement of Operations.
Following the closing of the Initial Public Offering on December 17, 2020, an amount of $278,760,000 ($10.10 per Unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants was placed in a trust account (the “Trust Account”), located in the United States and invested only in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), with a maturity of 185 days or less or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund selected by the Company meeting certain conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the funds held in the Trust Account, as described below.
The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of 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 one or more initial Business Combinations with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the interest earned on the Trust Account). 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 Investment Company Act.
F-7
The Company will provide the holders of the outstanding Public Shares (the “Public Stockholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek stockholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company. The Public Stockholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (initially $10.10 per Public Share, plus any pro rata interest then in the Trust Account, net of taxes payable). There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of a Business Combination with respect to the Company’s warrants.
The Company will only proceed with a Business Combination if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 following any related redemptions and, if the Company seeks stockholder approval, a majority of the shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination. If a stockholder vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements and the Company does not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Certificate of Incorporation”), conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, or the Company decides to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, the Company will offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If the Company seeks stockholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor has agreed to vote its Founder Shares (as defined in Note 5) and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Initial Public Offering in favor of approving a Business Combination. Additionally, each Public Stockholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company seeks stockholder approval of a Business Combination and it does not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, the Certificate of Incorporation will provide that a Public Stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the 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 20% of the Public Shares, without the prior consent of the Company.
The Sponsor has agreed (a) to waive its redemption rights with respect to the Founder Shares and Public Shares held by it in connection with the completion of a Business Combination and (b) not to propose an amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemptions in connection with a Business Combination or to redeem 100% of its Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period (as defined below) or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity, unless the Company provides the Public Stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares in conjunction with any such amendment.
If the Company has not completed a Business Combination by June 17, 2022 or during any extended time that the Company has to consummate a business combination beyond June 17, 2022 as a result of a stockholder vote to amend its certificate of incorporation (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 pay taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish Public Stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining stockholders and the Company’s board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the Company’s warrants, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period.
F-8
The Sponsor has agreed to waive its liquidation rights with respect to the Founder Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if the Sponsor acquires Public Shares in or after the Initial Public Offering, such Public Shares will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commission (see Note 6) held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the other funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the Public Shares. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the assets remaining available for distribution will be less than $10.10 per Unit.
In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below the lesser of (i) $10.10 per Public Share and (ii) the actual amount per Public Share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account, if less than $10.10 per Public Share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to monies held in the Trust Account nor will it apply to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the Initial Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, the Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. The Company will seek to reduce the possibility that the Sponsor will have to indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (except for the Company’s independent registered accounting firm), 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.
Liquidity and Capital Resources and Going Concern
As of December 31, 2020, the Company had approximately $1.0 million in its operating bank accounts and working capital of approximately $1.26 million.
Prior to the completion of the Initial Public Offering, the Company’s liquidity needs had been satisfied through a contribution of $25,000 from Sponsor to cover for certain offering costs in exchange for the issuance of the Founder Shares, the loan of up to $300,000 from the Sponsor pursuant to the Note (see Note 5), and the proceeds from the consummation of the Private Placement not held in the Trust Account. The Note was repaid subsequent to the Initial Public Offering. In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, provide the Company Working Capital Loans (see Note 5). As of December 31, 2020, there were no amounts outstanding under any Working Capital Loan.
In connection with the Company’s assessment of going concern considerations in accordance with Financial Accounting Standard Board’s Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-15, “Disclosures of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern,” the Company has until June 17, 2022 to consummate a Business Combination. It is uncertain that the Company will be able to consummate a Business Combination by this time. Additionally, the Company may not have sufficient liquidity to fund the working capital needs of the Company until one year from the issuance of these financial statements. If a Business Combination is not consummated by this date, there will be a mandatory liquidation and subsequent dissolution of the Company. Management has determined that the liquidity condition and mandatory liquidation, should a Business Combination not occur, and potential subsequent dissolution, raises substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. No adjustments have been made to the carrying amounts of assets or liabilities should the Company be required to liquidate after June 17, 2022. The Company intends to complete a Business Combination before the mandatory liquidation date.
F-9
NOTE 2. RESTATEMENT OF PREVIOUSLY ISSUED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The Company concluded it should restate its previously issued financial statements by amending Amendment No. 1 to its Annual Report on Form 10-K/A, filed with the SEC on June 22, 2021, to classify all Class A common stock subject to possible redemption in temporary equity. In accordance with ASC 480, paragraph 10-S99, redemption provisions not solely within the control of the Company require common stock subject to redemption to be classified outside of permanent equity. The Company had previously classified a portion of its Class A common stock in permanent equity, or total stockholders’ equity. Although the Company did not specify a maximum redemption threshold, its charter currently provides that the Company will not redeem its Public Shares in an amount that would cause its net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001. Previously, the Company did not consider redeemable stock classified as temporary equity as part of net tangible assets. Effective with these financial statements, the Company revised this interpretation to include temporary equity in net tangible assets. Also, in connection with the change in presentation for the Class A common stock subject to possible redemption, the Company also revised its earnings per share calculation to allocate income and losses shared pro rata between the two classes of common stock. This presentation contemplates a Business Combination as the most likely outcome, in which case, both classes of common stock share pro rata in the income and losses of the Company. As a result, the Company restated its previously filed financial statements to present all redeemable Class A common stock as temporary equity and to recognize accretion from the initial book value to redemption value at the time of its Initial Public Offering and in accordance with ASC 480. The Company’s previously filed financial statements that contained the error were initially reported in the Company’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on December 23, 2020 (the “Post-IPO Balance Sheet”) and the Company's Annual Report on 10-K for the annual period ended December 31, 2020, which were previously restated in the Company's Amendment No. 1 to its Form 10-K as filed with the SEC on June 22, 2021, as well as the Form 10-Qs for the quarterly periods ended March 31, 2021 and June 30, 2021 (the “Affected Periods”). These financial statements restate the Company’s previously issued audited financial statements covering the periods through December 31, 2020. The Company’s unaudited financial statements for the quarterly periods ended March 31, 2021 and June 30, 2021 will be restated in an amendment to the Company’s Form 10-Q/A for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2021 to be filed with the SEC. Refer to Note 3 and Note 8, which have been updated to reflect the restatement contained in this Annual Report.
The impact of the restatement on the Company’s historical financial statements is presented below:
| Balance Sheet as of December 17, 2020 (audited) | As
Reported | Adjustment | As Restated | |||||||||
| Class A common stock subject to possible redemption | $ | 247,073,563 | $ | 31,686,437 | $ | 278,760,000 | ||||||
| Class A common stock | $ | 314 | $ | (314 | ) | $ | — | |||||
| Additional paid-in capital | $ | 5,468,300 | $ | (5,468,300 | ) | $ | — | |||||
| Accumulated deficit | $ | (4,69,302 | ) | $ | (26,217,823 | ) | $ | (26,687,125 | ) | |||
| Total Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit) | $ | 5,000,002 | $ | (31,686,437 | ) | $ | (26,686,435 | ) | ||||
| Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2020 (audited) | ||||||||||||
| Class A common stock subject to possible redemption | $ | 243,458,359 | $ | 35,301,641 | $ | 278,760,000 | ||||||
| Class A common stock | $ | 350 | $ | (350 | ) | $ | — | |||||
| Additional paid-in capital | $ | 9,083,468 | $ | (9,083,468 | ) | $ | — | |||||
| Accumulated deficit | $ | (4,084,500 | ) | $ | (26,217,823 | ) | $ | (30,302,323 | ) | |||
| Total Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit) | $ | 5,000,008 | $ | (35,301,641 | ) | $ | (30,301,633 | ) | ||||
| Statement of Operations for Period from July 20, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020 (audited) | ||||||||||||
| Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding, Class A common stock | 27,600,000 | (25,243,902 | ) | 2,356,098 | ||||||||
| Basic and diluted net income (loss) per share, Class A common stock | $ | 0.00 | $ | (0.50 | ) | $ | (0.50 | ) | ||||
| Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding, Class B common stock | 6,085,987 | (259,523 | ) | 6,080,255 | ||||||||
| Basic and diluted net income (loss) per share, Class B common stock | $ | (0.67 | ) | $ | 0.17 | $ | (0.50 | ) | ||||
| Statement of Changes in Stockholders’ Deficit for the Year Ended December 31, 2020 (audited) | ||||||||||||
| Sale Units, in initial public offering, less fair value of public warrants, net of underwriting discounts and transaction costs | $ | 250,153,467 | $ | (250,153,467 | ) | $ | — | |||||
| Class A common stock subject to possible redemption | $ | (243,458,359 | ) | $ | 243,458,359 | $ | — | |||||
| Accretion of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption | $ | — | $ | (28,606,533 | ) | $ | (28,606,533 | ) | ||||
| Statement of Cash Flows for the Year Ended December 31, 2020 (audited) | ||||||||||||
| Initial classification of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption | $ | 247,073,563 | $ | (247,073,563 | ) | $ | — | |||||
| Change in value of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption | $ | (3,615,204 | ) | $ | 3,615,204 | $ | — | |||||
F-10
NOTE 3. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying financial statements are presented in U.S. dollars and have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and pursuant to the accounting and disclosure rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).
Emerging Growth Company
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements.
Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statement, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.
F-11
Class A Common Stock Subject to Possible Redemption
The Company accounts for its Class A common stock subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Shares of Class A common stock subject to mandatory redemption are classified as liability instruments and are measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable common stock (including common stock that features redemption rights that is either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) is classified as temporary equity. At all other times, common stock is classified as stockholders’ equity. The Company’s Class A common stock features certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, at December 31, 2020, 27,600,000 shares of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption are presented as temporary equity, outside of the stockholders’ equity section of the Company’s balance sheet.
The Company recognizes changes in redemption value immediately as they occur and adjusts the carrying value of redeemable common stock to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. Increases or decreases in the carrying amount of redeemable common stock are affected by charges against additional paid in capital (to the extent available) and accumulated deficit.
At December 31, 2020, the Class A common stock reflected in the balance sheet are reconciled in the following table:
| | | |||
| Gross proceeds | $ | 276,000,000 | ||
| Less: | | |||
| Proceeds allocated to Public Warrants | (10,626,000 | ) | ||
| Class A common stock issuance costs | (15,239,420 | ) | ||
| Plus: | ||||
| Accretion of carrying value to redemption value | 28,625,420 | |||
| | | |||
| Class A common stock subject to possible redemption | $ | 278,760,000 | ||
Offering Costs
Offering costs consisted of legal, accounting and other expenses incurred through the Initial Public Offering that were directly related to the Initial Public Offering. Offering costs were allocated to the separable financial instruments issued in the Initial Public Offering based on a relative fair value basis, compared to total proceeds received. Offering costs allocated to warrant liabilities were expensed as incurred in the statements of operations. Offering costs associated with the Class A common stock issued were initially charged to temporary equity. Offering costs incurred amounted to $15,688,848, consisting of $5,520,000 in cash underwriting fees, $9,660,000 of deferred underwriting fees and $508,848 of other offering costs, of which $15,239,420 was charged to temporary equity and $449,428 was allocated to the warrant liability and expensed through the statements of operations.
F-12
Derivative Warrant Liabilities
The Company accounts for warrants as either equity-classified or liability-classified instruments based on an assessment of the warrant’s specific terms and applicable authoritative guidance in Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (“ASC 480”) and ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging (“ASC 815”). The assessment considers whether the warrants are freestanding financial instruments pursuant to ASC 480, meet the definition of a liability pursuant to ASC 480, and whether the warrants meet all of the requirements for equity classification under ASC 815, including whether the warrants are indexed to the Company’s own common stock, among other conditions for equity classification. This assessment, which requires the use of professional judgment, is conducted at the time of warrant issuance and as of each subsequent quarterly period end date while the warrants are outstanding.
For issued or modified warrants that meet all of the criteria for equity classification, the warrants are required to be recorded as a component of additional paid-in capital at the time of issuance. For issued or modified warrants that do not meet all the criteria for equity classification, the warrants are required to be recorded at their initial fair value on the date of issuance, and each balance sheet date thereafter. The liabilities are subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date until exercised and changes. Changes in the estimated fair value of the warrants are recognized in the statements of operations. The fair value of the Private Placement Warrants and Public Warrants were initially and subsequently measured using a Binomial Lattice Model (see Note 9).
Income Taxes
The Company follows the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes under 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.
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. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. There were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties as of December 31, 2020. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position. The Company is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities since inception.
F-13
Net Income (Loss) per Common Share
The Company complies with accounting and disclosure requirements of FASB ASC Topic 260, “Earnings Per Share”. Net income (loss) per common share is computed by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding for the period. The Company applies the two-class method in calculating earnings per share. Accretion associated with the redeemable shares of Class A common stock is excluded from earnings per share as the redemption value approximates fair value.
The calculation of diluted income (loss) per share does not consider the effect of the Warrants issued in connection with the (i) Initial Public Offering, and (ii) the private placement since the exercise of the Warrants is contingent upon the occurrence of future events. The Warrants are exercisable to purchase 24,080,000 shares of Class A common stock in the aggregate. As of December 31, 2020, the Company did not have any other dilutive securities or other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into common stock and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted net loss per common share is the same as basic net loss per common share for the periods presented.
The following table reflects the calculation of basic and diluted net income (loss) per common share (in dollars, except per share amounts):
| | For the Period from July 20, | |||||||
| | 2020 (Inception) Through | |||||||
| | December 31, 2020 | |||||||
| | Class A | Class B | ||||||
| Basic and diluted net income (loss) per common share | | | ||||||
| Numerator: | | | ||||||
| Allocation of net income (loss), as adjusted | $ | (1,176,921 | ) | $ | (2,907,579 | ) | ||
| Denominator: | | | ||||||
| Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding | 2,356,098 | 5,820732 | ||||||
| | | | ||||||
| Basic and diluted net income per common share | $ | (0.50 | ) | $ | (0.50 | ) | ||
As of December 31, 2020, basic and diluted shares are the same as there are no non-redeemable securities that are dilutive to the Company’s stockholders.
F-14
Concentration of Credit Risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution, which, at times, may exceed the Federal Depository Insurance Coverage of $250,000. The Company has not experienced losses on this account and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such account.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurement,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.
Recent Accounting Standards
Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statement.
NOTE 4 — INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING
Pursuant to the Initial Public Offering, the Company sold 27,600,000 Units which includes a full exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option in the amount of 3,600,000 Units, at a price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one share of Class A common stock and one-half of one redeemable warrant (“Public Warrant”). Each whole Public Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 7).
NOTE 5 — PRIVATE PLACEMENT
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Sponsor and the Direct Anchor Investors purchased an aggregate of 10,280,000 Private Placement Warrants at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant, or $10,280,000. Each Private Placement Warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 7). The proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants were added to the net proceeds from the Initial Public Offering held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants held in the Trust Account will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the Private Placement Warrants will expire worthless.
NOTE 6 — RELATED PARTIES
Founder Shares
On July 27, 2020, the Sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain offering costs of the Company in consideration for 5,750,000 shares of Class B common stock (the “Founder Shares”). In October 2020, the Sponsor forfeited 625,000 Founder Shares and the Direct Anchor Investors purchased 625,000 Founder Shares for an aggregate purchase price of $2,717, or approximately $0.004 per share. In December 2020, the Company effected a 1:1.2 stock split of its Class B common stock, resulting in the Sponsor holding an aggregate of 6,150,000 Founder Shares, the Direct Anchor Investors holding an aggregate of 750,000 Founder Shares and there being an aggregate of 6,900,000 Founder Shares outstanding. The Founder Shares included an aggregate of up to 900,000 shares subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment was not exercised in full or in part, so that the number of Founder Shares would equal, on an as-converted basis, approximately 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding common stock after the Initial Public Offering. As a result of the underwriters’ election to fully exercise their over-allotment option, no Founder Shares are currently subject to forfeiture.
The initial stockholders have agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Founder Shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) one year after the completion of a Business Combination and (B) subsequent to a Business Combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after a Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Public Stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.
F-15
Administrative Services Agreement
The Company entered into an agreement, commencing on December 14, 2020 through the earlier of the Company’s consummation of a Business Combination and its liquidation, to pay the Sponsor a total of up to $20,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. For period from July 20, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020, the Company paid $20,000 in fees for these services.
Promissory Note — Related Party
On July 27, 2020, the Sponsor issued an unsecured promissory note to the Company (the “Promissory Note”), pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $300,000. The Promissory Note was non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of (i) December 31, 2020 or (ii) the consummation of the Initial Public Offering. The outstanding balance under the Promissory Note was repaid subsequent to the Initial Public Offering, at which point the note was terminated.
Related Party Loans
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). Such Working Capital Loans would be evidenced by promissory notes. The notes may be repaid upon completion of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted upon completion of a Business Combination into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant. Such warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants. 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. As of December 31, 2020, there were no amounts outstanding under the Working Capital Loans.
NOTE 7 — COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Risks and Uncertainties
Management continues to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of the financial statement. The financial statement does not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Registration Rights
Pursuant to a registration rights agreement entered into on December 14, 2020, the holders of the Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and securities that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement. The holders of at least 30% in interest 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 the completion of a Business Combination and rights to require us to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Underwriting Agreement
The underwriters are entitled to a deferred fee of $0.35 per Unit, or up to $9,660,000 in the aggregate. The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that the Company completes a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.
NOTE 8 — STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Preferred Stock — The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. At December 31, 2020, there were no shares of preferred stock issued or outstanding.
F-16
Class A Common Stock — The Company is authorized to issue 75,000,000 shares of Class A common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of Class A common stock are entitled to one vote for each share. At December 31, 2020, there were 27,600,000 shares of Class A common stock issued and outstanding were subject to possible redemption and presented as temporary equity.
Class B Common Stock — The Company is authorized to issue 10,000,000 shares of Class B common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of Class B common stock are entitled to one vote for each share. At December 31, 2020, there were 6,900,000 shares of Class B common stock issued and outstanding.
Only holders of the Class B common stock will have the right to vote on the election of directors prior to the Business Combination. Holders of Class A common stock and holders of Class B common stock will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders except as otherwise required by law.
The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into Class A common stock at the time of a Business Combination, or earlier at the option of the holder (except for any Founder Shares held by the Direct Anchor Investors who have agreed not to effect a conversion with respect to such Founder Shares until the consummation of the initial Business Combination), on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts issued in the Initial Public Offering and related to the closing of a Business Combination (including pursuant to a specified future issuance), the ratio at which shares of Class B common stock shall convert into shares of Class A common stock will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the then-outstanding shares of Class B common stock agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance, including pursuant to a specified future issuance) so that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon the completion of Initial Public Offering plus all shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with a Business Combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued or issuable to any seller in a Business Combination).
NOTE 9. DERIVATIVE WARRANT LIABILITIES
As of December 31, 2020, the Company had 13,800,000 Public Warrants and 10,280,000 Private Placement Warrants outstanding.
Public Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the Units and only whole warrants will trade. The Public Warrants will become exercisable on the later of (a) 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination and (b) 12 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering. The Public Warrants will expire five years after the completion of a Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
The Company will not be obligated to deliver any shares of Class A common stock pursuant to the exercise of a warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to the Company satisfying its obligations with respect to registration. No warrant will be exercisable and the Company will not be obligated to issue shares of Class A common stock upon exercise of a warrant unless Class A common stock issuable upon such warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the warrants.
The Company has agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days after the closing of a Business Combination, the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to file, and within 60 business days following a Business Combination to have declared effective, a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants. The Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock until the warrants expire or are redeemed. Notwithstanding the above, if the Class A common stock is 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, the Company will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will be required to use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.
F-17
Redemptions of warrants when the price of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 — Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the Public Warrants:
| ● | in whole and not in part; | |
| ● | at a price of $0.01 per warrant; |
| ● | upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, or the 30-day redemption period, to each warrant holder; and | |
| ● | if, and only if, the reported last sale price of the Company’s Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. |
If and when the warrants become redeemable by the Company, the Company may exercise its redemption right even if it is unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00 – Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the outstanding warrants:
| ● | in whole and not in part; | |
| ● | at a price of $0.10 per warrant provided that holders will be able to exercise their warrants prior to redemption and receive that number of shares of Class A common stock determined based on the redemption date and the “fair market value” of the Company’s Class A common stock; | |
| ● | upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption; |
| ● | if, and only if, the last reported sale price of the Company’s Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) on the trading day prior to the date on which the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrant holders; | |
| ● | if, and only if, there is an effective registration statement covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating thereto is available throughout the 30-day period after the written notice of redemption is given. |
In addition, if (x) the Company issues additional shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of a Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share of Class A common stock (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the Company’s board of directors, and, in the case of any such issuance to the Sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any Founder Shares held by the Sponsor or its affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of a Business Combination on the date of the completion of a Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of the Company’s Class A common stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day after the day on which the Company completes a Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 per share redemption trigger price will be adjusted will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
The Private Placement Warrants are identical to the Public Warrants underlying the Units sold in the Initial Public Offering, except that the Private Placement Warrants and the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions. Additionally, the Private Placement Warrants will be exercisable on a cashless basis and be non-redeemable, except as described above, so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees. If the Private Placement Warrants are held by someone other than the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees, the Private Placement Warrants will be redeemable by the Company and exercisable by such holders on the same basis as the Public Warrants.
F-18
NOTE 10. INCOME TAX
The Company’s net deferred tax assets are as follows as of December 31, 2020:
| Deferred tax asset | ||||
| Organizational costs/Startup expenses | $ | 50,401 | ||
| Net operating loss carryforward | 1,046 | |||
| Total deferred tax asset | 51,447 | |||
| Valuation allowance | (51,447 | ) | ||
| Deferred tax asset, net of allowance | $ | — | ||
The income tax provision consists of the following for the period from July 20, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020:
| Federal | ||||
| Current | $ | — | ||
| Deferred | (51,447 | ) | ||
| State | ||||
| Current | $ | — | ||
| Deferred | — | |||
| Change in valuation allowance | 51,447 | |||
| Income tax provision | $ | — | ||
As of December 31, 2020, the Company had a U.S. federal net operating loss carryover of approximately $5,000 available to offset future taxable income.
In assessing the realization of the deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion of all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which temporary differences representing net future deductible amounts become deductible. Management considers the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income and tax planning strategies in making this assessment. After consideration of all of the information available, management believes that significant uncertainty exists with respect to future realization of the deferred tax assets and has therefore established a full valuation allowance. For the period from July 20, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020, the change in the valuation allowance was $51,447.
A reconciliation of the federal income tax rate to the Company’s effective tax rate at December 31, 2020 is as follows:
| Statutory federal income tax rate | 21.0 | % | ||
| Transaction costs allocated to derivative warrant liabilities | (2.4 | )% | ||
| Change in fair value of derivative warrant liabilities | (17.3 | )% | ||
| Change in valuation allowance | (21.0 | )% | ||
| Income tax provision | — | % |
The Company files income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction in various state and local jurisdictions and is subject to examination by the various taxing authorities.
F-19
NOTE 11. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS
The fair value of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities reflects management’s estimate of amounts that the Company would have received in connection with the sale of the assets or paid in connection with the transfer of the liabilities in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. In connection with measuring the fair value of its assets and liabilities, the Company seeks to maximize the use of observable inputs (market data obtained from independent sources) and to minimize the use of unobservable inputs (internal assumptions about how market participants would price assets and liabilities). The following fair value hierarchy is used to classify assets and liabilities based on the observable inputs and unobservable inputs used in order to value the assets and liabilities:
| Level 1: | Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. An active market for an asset or liability is a market in which transactions for the asset or liability occur with sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis. |
| Level 2: | Observable inputs other than Level 1 inputs. Examples of Level 2 inputs include quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities and quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in markets that are not active. |
| Level 3: | Unobservable inputs based on our assessment of the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. |
The Company classifies its U.S. Treasury and equivalent securities as held-to-maturity in accordance with ASC Topic 320 “Investments - Debt and Equity Securities.” Held-to-maturity securities are those securities which the Company has the ability and intent to hold until maturity. Held-to-maturity treasury securities are recorded at amortized cost on the accompanying balance sheets and adjusted for the amortization or accretion of premiums or discounts.
At December 31, 2020, assets held in the Trust Account were comprised of $897 in cash and $278,766,888 in U.S. Treasury Securities. During the period ended December 31, 2020, the Company did not withdraw any interest income from the Trust Account.
The following table presents information about the Company’s assets that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis at December 31, 2020 and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation inputs the Company utilized to determine such fair value. The gross holding gain and fair value of held-to-maturity securities at December 31, 2020 are as follows:
| Held-To-Maturity | Level | Amortized Cost | Gross Holding Gain | Fair Value | |||||||||||||||
| December 31, 2020 | U.S. Treasury Securities (Matures on 03/18/21) | 1 | $ | 278,766,888 | $ | 7,079 | $ | 278,773,966 | |||||||||||
The following table presents information about the Company’s assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis at December 31, 2021 and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation inputs the Company utilized to determine such fair value:
| Description | Level | December 31, 2020 | ||||||
| Assets: | ||||||||
| Marketable securities held in Trust Account | 1 | 278,773,966 | ||||||
| Liabilities: | ||||||||
| Derivative warrant liabilities – Public Warrants | 3 | $ | 12,558,000 | |||||
| Derivative warrant liabilities – Private Placement Warrants | 3 | $ | 9,354,800 | |||||
The Warrants were accounted for as liabilities in accordance with ASC 815-40 and are presented within Derivative warrant liabilities on our accompanying December 31, 2020 balance sheet. The Derivative warrant liabilities are measured at fair value at inception and on a recurring basis, with changes in fair value presented within change in fair value of Derivative warrant liabilities in the statement of operations.
Initial Measurement
The Company established the initial fair value for the Warrants on December 17, 2020, the date of the Company’s Initial Public Offering, using a Binomial Lattice Model for the Private Placement Warrants and the Public Warrants. The Company allocated the proceeds received from (i) the sale of Units (which is inclusive of one share of Class A Common Stock and one-half of one Public Warrant), (ii) the sale of Private Placement Warrants, and (iii) the issuance of Class B Common stock, first to the Warrants based on their fair values as determined at initial measurement, with the remaining proceeds allocated to Class A Common stock subject to possible redemption, Class A Common stock and Class B Common stock based on their relative fair values at the initial measurement date. The Warrants were classified as Level 3 at the initial measurement date due to the use of unobservable inputs.
F-20
The key inputs into the binomial lattice simulation model for the Private Placement Warrants and Public Warrants were as follows at initial measurement:
| Input | December 31, 2020 | December 17,
2020 (Initial Measurement |
||||||
| Risk-free interest rate | 0.41 | % | 0.43 | % | ||||
| Dividend yield | 0.00 | % | 0.00 | % | ||||
| Implied volatility | 15.8 | % | 15.1 | % | ||||
| Exercise price | $ | 11.50 | $ | 11.50 | ||||
| Stock Price | $ | 9.83 | $ | 9.62 | ||||
On December 17, 2020, the Private Placement Warrants and Public Warrants were determined to be $0.77 per warrant for aggregate values of $7.92 million and $10.63 million, respectively. On December 31, 2020, the Private Placement Warrants and Public Warrants were determined to be $0.91 per warrant for aggregate values of $9.35 million and $12.56 million, respectively.
Subsequent Measurement
The Warrants are measured at fair value on a recurring basis. The subsequent measurement of the Public Warrants and Private Warrants as of December 31, 2020 is valued using the binomial lattice simulation model.
As of December 31, 2020, the aggregate values of the Private Placement Warrants and Public Warrants were $9.35 million and $12.56 million, respectively.
The following table presents the changes in the fair value of warrant liabilities (level 3 measurements):
| Private Placement | Public | Warrant Liabilities | ||||||||||
| Fair value as of July 20, 2020 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||
| Initial measurement on December 17, 2020 (IPO) | 7,915,600 | 10,626,000 | 18,541,600 | |||||||||
| Change in fair value | 1,439,200 | 1,932,000 | 3,371,200 | |||||||||
| Fair value as of December 31, 2020 | $ | 9,354,800 | $ | 12,558,000 | $ | 21,912,800 | ||||||
The Company recognizes transfers into and out of the fair value levels at the end of the reporting period. There were no transfers into or out of the levels during the period ended December 31, 2020.
Level 3 financial liabilities consist of the Public and Private Placement derivative warrant liabilities for which there is no current market for these securities such that the determination of fair value requires significant judgment or estimation. Changes in fair value measurements categorized within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy are analyzed each period based on changes in estimates or assumptions and recorded as appropriate.
NOTE 12. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date up to the date that the financial statements were issued. Based upon this review, other than as described below, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements, other than the restatement described in Note 2.
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| Item 9. | Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure. |
None.
| Item 9.A. | Controls and Procedures. |
Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Disclosure controls are procedures that are designed with the objective of ensuring that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Exchange Act, is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time period specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls are also designed with the objective of ensuring that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including the chief executive officer and chief financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. In connection with this Amendment, our management re-evaluated, with the participation of our current chief executive officer and chief financial officer (our “Certifying Officers”), the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2020, pursuant to Rule 13a-15(b) under the Exchange Act. Based upon that evaluation, our Certifying Officers concluded that, due to the Company’s restatement of its financial statements to reclassify the Company’s Warrants as described in the Explanatory Note to Amendment No. 1 and due to interpretation and accounting for certain complex features of the Class A common stock issued by the Company as described in the Explanatory Note to Amendment No. 2, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as December 31, 2020.
We do not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures will prevent all errors and all instances of fraud. Disclosure controls and procedures, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the disclosure controls and procedures are met. Further, the design of disclosure controls and procedures must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all disclosure controls and procedures, no evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures can provide absolute assurance that we have detected all our control deficiencies and instances of fraud, if any. The design of disclosure controls and procedures also is based partly on certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions.
Management’s Report on Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as defined in the Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f). Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance to our management and board of directors regarding the preparation and fair presentation of financial statements. A control system, no matter how well designed and operated, can only provide reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Because of these inherent limitations, management does not expect that our internal control over financial reporting will prevent all error and all fraud. Management conducted an evaluation of our internal control over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued in 2013 by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (the “2013 Framework”). Based on our evaluation under the 2013 Framework, management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of December 31, 2020.
In connection with the restatement of our financial statements included in this Annual Report, our management, including our principal executive and financial officers, have evaluated the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and concluded that we did not maintain effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020 because of a material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting described below related to the accounting for complex financial instruments. Notwithstanding the material weaknesses described below, our management has concluded that our restated and revised audited financial statements included in this Annual Report are fairly stated in all material respects in accordance with U.S. GAAP for each of the periods presented herein.
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In connection with the Amendment No. 1 restatement described in “Note 2— Restatement of Previously Issued Financial Statements” to the accompanying financial statements included in this Annual Report, management identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting related to the accounting for a significant and unusual transaction related to the warrants we issued in connection with the Initial Public Offering. This material weakness resulted in a material misstatement of our warrant liability, change in fair value of warrant liability, additional paid-in capital and accumulated deficit as of and for the period ended December 31, 2020.
In connection with this Amendment No. 2 restatement described in “Note 2— Restatement of Previously Issued Financial Statements” to the accompanying financial statements included in this Annual Report, management identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting related to the accounting for certain complex features of the Class A common stock resulting in the misclassification of a portion of the Class A common stock as permanent equity instead of temporary equity and changes to the Company’s net income (loss) per share calculations. This material weakness resulted in a material misstatement of our Class A common stock subject to redemption, Class A common stock, additional paid-in capital, accumulated deficit, and earnings per share of Class A and Class B common stock as of and for the period ended December 31, 2020.
To respond to these material weaknesses, we have devoted, and plan to continue to devote, significant effort and resources to the remediation and improvement of our internal control over financial reporting. While we have processes to identify and appropriately apply applicable accounting requirements, we plan to enhance these processes to better evaluate our research and understanding of the nuances of the complex accounting standards that apply to our financial statements. Our plans at this time include providing enhanced access to accounting literature, research materials and documents and increased communication among our personnel and third-party professionals with whom we consult regarding complex accounting applications. The elements of our remediation plan can only be accomplished over time, and we can offer no assurance that these initiatives will ultimately have the intended effects.
This Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include an attestation report of our independent registered public accounting firm due to a transition period established by rules of the SEC for newly public companies.
Restatement of Previously Issued Financial Statements
On June 17, 2021, we restated our prior position on accounting for warrants and concluded that our previously issued financial statements as of and for the period from July 20, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020 should not be relied on because of a misapplication in the guidance on warrant accounting. However, the non-cash adjustments to the financial statements do not impact the amounts previously reported for our cash and cash equivalents, total assets, revenue or cash flows.
On December 22, 2021, we restated our prior position on accounting for certain complex features of the Class A common stock and concluded that our previously issued financial statements as of and for the period from July 20, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020 should not be relied on because of a misapplication in the guidance. However, the non-cash adjustments to the financial statements do not impact the amounts previously reported for our cash and cash equivalents, total assets, revenue or cash flows.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act) during the most recent fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting as the circumstances that led to the restatement of our financial statements described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K/A had not yet been identified. Due solely to the events that led to our restatement of our financial statements, management has identified a material weakness in internal controls related to the accounting for complex financial instruments, as described in Note 2 to the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements. In light of the restatement of our Original Financial Statements included in this Amendment, we plan to enhance our processes to identify and appropriately apply applicable accounting requirements to better evaluate and understand the nuances of the complex accounting standards that apply to our financial statements. Our plans at this time include providing enhanced access to accounting literature, research materials and documents and increased communication among our personnel and third-party professionals with whom we consult regarding complex accounting applications. The elements of our remediation plan can only be accomplished over time, and we can offer no assurance that these initiatives will ultimately have the intended effects.
| Item 9.B. | Other Information. |
None.
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| Item 10. | Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance. |
Our officers and directors are as follows:
|
Name |
Age |
Title | ||
| Khurram Sheikh | 50 | Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer | ||
| Eric Zimits | 60 | Secretary and Chief Corporate Development Officer | ||
| Hassen Ahmed | 63 | Director | ||
| Di-Ann Eisnor | 48 | Director | ||
| Camillo Martino | 58 | Director | ||
| Atif Refiq | 47 | Director | ||
| Allen Salmasi | 66 | Director |
Mr. Khurram Sheikh has served as our Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer since our inception and Chief Financial Officer since August 2020. Mr. Sheikh has been at the forefront of innovation in the technology, mobile, semiconductor, telecom and media industries for the past 25 years with CEO and CTO roles at leading technology companies. Since March 2020, Mr. Sheikh has been the Founder, Executive Chairman & CEO of Aijaad, a boutique strategic advisory firm where he advises both large private equity firms as well as boards of public companies on the future of 5G, IoT, Edge Computing and AI technologies and is actively involved in M&A, technology strategy and market development. From 2016 to early 2020, Mr. Sheikh was the CEO of kwikbit, a private company building a “network as a service” solution using gigabit radios, edge compute, virtualization, and artificial intelligence. Prior to kwikbit, in 2014, Mr. Sheikh was appointed as the Chief Strategy and Technology Officer for Silicon Image (SIMG) and the President/CEO of its millimeter wave/5G subsidiary SiBEAM. SIMG was acquired by Lattice Semiconductor (Nasdaq:LSCC) in 2015 for $600 million after which Mr. Sheikh was appointed the Chief Strategy and Technology Officer of the combined company responsible for corporate strategy, roadmap, M&A and technology development and was there until 2016. From 2007 onwards, he was the CTO for Powerwave Technologies, a large wireless infrastructure vendor. Powerwave filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January 2013, and in April 2013 Mr. Sheikh was appointed as the CEO of Powerwave to help with the sale of the company. Later that year, Mr. Sheikh successfully facilitated the sale of approximately 1,400 patents owned by Powerwave to private equity firm Gores Group. From 2005 to 2007, Mr. Sheikh was Vice President, Wireless Strategy and Development at Time Warner Cable leading the cable company’s entry into the wireless space. From 1996 to 2005, Mr. Sheikh held senior technology roles at Sprint including CTO Mobile Broadband responsible for deploying the world’s first 4G system and acquisition of multi-billion dollar spectrum assets at 2.5GHz. Mr. Sheikh holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering with highest honors from the University of Engineering & Technology in Pakistan, as well as a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. Mr. Sheikh is well qualified to serve as Chairman of our board because of his extensive experience advising boards of directors of public and private companies and his extensive professional experience.
Mr. Eric Zimits has served as our Chief Corporate Development Officer since August 2020. Since 2016, Mr. Zimits has served as a Strategic Advisor to Netzyn, Inc., a company that has developed a distributed cloud platform that streams native applications and operating systems to any user device. In addition to his current role at Netzyn, he serves as advisor to early stage companies including Image Algorithmics and Nivasa. Prior to Netzyn, Mr. Zimits served as a Managing Director of Granite Ventures from 2000 until 2016. At Granite, he focused on investing in early-stage communications, security, and software companies including RF Magic (NYSE: MXL), Speakeasy (acquired by Best Buy), Mojo Networks (acquired by Arista), Percello (acquired by Broadcom), and Localmind (acquired by Airbnb). From 1996 to 2000, Mr. Zimits was Managing Director and head of the Communications Research Group at Hambrecht & Quist, and later ChaseH&Q after the acquisition of H&Q. At H&Q, he initiated and supported numerous venture investments including InterNAP, Sierra Wireless, Amber Networks, and Paragon Software. From 1992 to 1996, Mr. Zimits was a General Partner at Volpe, Welty & Company. Before that, he held analyst positions at Rauscher Pierce Refsnes and Morgan Keegan & Company. Mr. Zimits received a Bachelor’s degree from Purdue University in biomedical engineering and an M.B.A. from Tulane University’s A.B. Freeman School of Business.
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Mr. Hassan Ahmed has served as a member of our Board of Directors since August 2020. Mr. Ahmed most recently served as the Chairman and CEO of Affirmed Networks, which pioneered virtualization technologies for mobile, especially 5G, networks, from inception until the company was sold to Microsoft in March 2020. Before that, he was chief technology officer of Cascade Communications, which Ascend Communications acquired in 1997. Prior to Cascade, Mr. Ahmed served as CEO and Chairman of Sonus Networks. Mr. Ahmed currently serves on the board of Ciena Corp. (NYSE: CIEN) and Vesper. Mr. Ahmed holds Bachelor and Master’s degrees in Engineering from Carleton University and a Ph.D in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. Mr. Ahmed is well qualified to serve on our board because of his extensive experience advising boards of directors of public and private companies and his extensive professional experience.
Ms. Di-Ann Eisnor has served as a member of our Board of Directors since August 2020. Since November 2019, Ms. Eisnor has served as Co-Founder and CEO of Core, a venture-backed construction labor marketplace. Before that, from February 2019 until October 2019, she was an executive of The We Company, a part of the We Work Companies, where she was responsible for development of their cities platform. Prior to that, Ms. Eisnor served as Director of Urban Systems at Google, from June 2018 until February 2019. Previously, Ms. Eisnor was with Waze, Inc., a crowd-sourced navigation and real-time traffic application owned by Alphabet, Inc., for 10 years, most recently serving as the VP Platform and Director of Growth. Prior to joining Waze, Ms. Eisnor was co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Platial Inc., a collaborative, user-generated cartographic website. Ms. Eisnor currently serves on the board of Saia Inc. (Nasdaq: SAIA) and Gray Area Foundation for the Arts. She is a venture partner at Obvious Ventures and is co-founder with Lupe Fiasco of Neighborhood Start Fund, a neighborhood-based micro-fund in underserved urban neighborhoods. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Studio Art and Business Administration from New York University. She is a 2014 Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. Ms. Eisnor is well qualified to serve on our board because of her extensive experience advising boards of directors of public and private companies and her extensive professional experience.
Mr. Camillo Martino has served as a member of our Board of Directors since August 2020. Mr. Martino was a senior global semiconductor company executive and now serves as a board member and executive advisor to many global technology companies. Prior to his current board roles, Mr. Martino was a chief executive officer and C-suite executive of a number of high technology companies worldwide. He is currently Chair of the Board of Directors of Magnachip Semiconductor (NYSE: MX) and has served on this Board since August 2016. Since 2018, he has also served on the Board of Directors at Sensera (ASX: SE1), which is focused on MEMS technologies. Mr. Martino also serves on the Board of Directors at multiple privately-held companies, including VVDN Technologies (fastest growing ODM based in India with a focus on Wireless, Networking & IoT) and Sakuu Corporation (multi-material, multi-process Additive Manufacturing platform). Mr. Martino’s prior board service includes serving on the boards of Cypress Semiconductor from June 2017 through the sale of the company to Infineon in April 2020 and Moschip Technologies (BOM: 532407) from April 2017 to May 2019. As an operating executive, Mr. Martino served as Chief Executive Officer of Silicon Image, Inc. (where he also served as a director) from 2010 until the completion of its sale to Lattice Semiconductor Corporation (Nasdaq: LSCC) in March 2015, Chief Operating Officer of SAI Technology Inc. from January 2008 to December 2009 (where he also served as director from 2006 to 2010), and Chief Executive Officer of Cornice Inc. from 2005 to 2007 (where he also served as a director). From August 2001 to July 2005, Mr. Martino served as the executive vice president and chief operating officer at Zoran Corporation, a global SoC semiconductor company. Prior to that, Mr. Martino held multiple positions with National Semiconductor Corporation for a total of nearly 14 years. Mr. Martino holds a Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of Melbourne and a Graduate Diploma (in Digital Communications) from Monash University in Australia. Mr. Martino is well qualified to serve on our board because of his extensive experience advising boards of directors of public and private companies and his extensive professional experience.
Mr. Atif Rafiq has served as a member of our Board of Directors since August 2020. Since May 2019 until December 2020, Mr. Rafiq served as President of Commercial & Growth at MGM Resorts (NYSE: MGM), a global hospitality and entertainment company. Previously, from January 2017 until May 2019, he was the Chief Digital Officer and Global CIO for Volvo, the Swedish luxury automaker. Before Volvo, from 2013 to 2017, Mr. Rafiq served as Senior Vice President and Global Chief Digital Officer at McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE: MCD). Before McDonald’s Mr. Rafiq held roles at Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN), Yahoo and AOL. Mr. Rafiq was also the Founder and CEO of a Silicon Valley start-up, Covigna, which he led from inception to exit. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics-Economics from Wesleyan University and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Chicago. Mr. Rafiq is well qualified to serve on our board because of his extensive professional experience in the technology sector.
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Mr. Allen Salmasi has served as a member of our Board of Directors since August 2020. Since March 2014, Mr. Salmasi has served as CEO of Veea Inc., a provider of comprehensive full stack solutions for edge computing and communications. Since February 2013, he has also served as Chairman and CEO of NLabs Inc., a New York based family office investment firm. Prior to founding Veea in 2014, Mr. Salmasi was the Chairman, CEO and President of NextWave Wireless Inc. until its acquisition by AT&T (NYSE: ATT) in 2013. Prior to NextWave, he served as the President of Wireless Division, Chief Strategy Officer and a member of the Board of Directors at Qualcomm. Prior to Qualcomm, Mr. Salmasi was the CEO and President of Omninet Corporation. Mr. Salmasi began his career as a research engineer at NASA JPL, and holds Bachelor’s degrees and Master’s degree with honors in Electrical Engineering, Business Management and Economics from Purdue University and a Master’s Degree in Applied Mathematics from the University of Southern California. Mr. Salmasi is well qualified to serve on our board because of his experience advising boards of directors of public and private companies and his extensive professional experience.
Director Independence
Nasdaq listing standards require that a majority of our board of directors be independent. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person other than an officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship with the company which in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, could interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. We have five “independent directors” as defined in Nasdaq’s listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Our board of directors has determined that each of Hassan Ahmed, Di-Ann Eisnor, Camillo Martino, Atif Rafiq and Allen Salmasi are “independent directors” as defined in the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Our audit committee will be entirely composed of independent directors meeting Nasdaq’s additional requirements applicable to members of the audit committee. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
Number, Terms of Office and Election of Officers and Directors
Our board of directors consists of seven members. Our board of directors has been divided into three classes with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual meeting of stockholders) serving a three-year term. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of Di-Ann Eisnor and Atif Rafiq, will expire at our first annual meeting of stockholders. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of Allen Salmasi and Hassan Ahmed, will expire at the second annual meeting of stockholders. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of Camillo Martino and Khurram Sheikh, will expire at the third annual meeting of stockholders. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after we consummate our initial Business Combination.
Prior to the completion of our initial Business Combination, only holders of our Class B common stock will have the right to vote on the election of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such time. In addition, prior to the completion of our initial Business Combination, holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our Class B common stock may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. These provisions of our certificate of incorporation may only be amended by a resolution passed by the holders of a majority of shares of our Class B common stock.
Our officers are appointed by the board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board of directors, rather than for specific terms of office. Our board of directors is authorized to appoint persons to the offices set forth in our bylaws as it deems appropriate. Our bylaws provide that our officers may consist of one or more Chairmen of the Board, one or more Chief Executive Officers, a President, a Chief Financial Officer, Chief Investment Officer, Vice Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer and such other offices as may be determined by the board of directors.
47
Committees of the Board of Directors
Our board of directors has three standing committees: an audit committee, a compensation committee and a nominating committee. Each of our audit committee, compensation committee and nominating committee are comprised of independent directors. Each of our committees operates under a charter that has been approved by our board of directors and has the composition and responsibilities described below. The charter of each committee is available on our website.
Audit Committee
Each of Camillo Martino, Hassan Ahmed and Di-Ann Eisnor serve as members of our audit committee. Camillo Martino serves as chair of the audit committee. Each of Camillo Martino, Hassan Ahmed and Di-Ann Eisnor meet the independent director standard under Nasdaq listing standards and under Rule 10-A-3(b)(1) of the Exchange Act.
Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our board of directors has determined that Camillo Martino qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules.
We have adopted an audit committee charter, which details the principal functions of the audit committee, including:
| · | 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; |
| · | the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent auditors and any other independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us; |
| · | pre-approving all audit and permitted non-audit services to be provided by the independent auditors or any other registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures; |
| · | reviewing and discussing with the independent auditors all relationships the auditors have with us in order to evaluate their continued independence; |
| · | setting clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent auditors; |
| · | setting clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations; |
| · | obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the independent auditors describing (i) the independent auditor’s internal quality-control procedures and (ii) any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review, or peer review, of the audit firm, or by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities within the preceding five years respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the firm and any steps taken to deal with such issues; |
| · | 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 “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”; |
| · | reviewing and approving any related party transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC prior to us entering into such transaction; and |
| · | reviewing with management, the independent auditors, and our legal advisors, as appropriate, any legal, regulatory or compliance matters, including any correspondence with regulators or government agencies and any employee complaints or published reports that raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies and any significant changes in accounting standards or rules promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. |
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Compensation Committee
Di-Ann Eisnor, Camillo Martino and Allen Salmasi serve as members of our compensation committee. Di-Ann Eisnor serves as chair of the compensation committee. Di-Ann Eisnor, Camillo Martino and Allen Salmasi meet the independent director standard under Nasdaq listing standards applicable to members of the compensation committee.
We have adopted a compensation committee charter, which details the principal functions of the compensation committee, including:
| · | reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our Chief Executive Officer based on such evaluation; |
| · | reviewing and approving on an annual basis the compensation of all of our other officers; |
| · | reviewing on an annual basis our executive compensation policies and plans; |
| · | implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans; |
| · | assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements; |
| · | approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our officers and employees; |
| · | if required, producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and; |
| · | reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors. |
The charter provides that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser and will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by Nasdaq and the SEC.
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
We have established a nominating committee of the board of directors, which consists of Atif Rafiq, Allen Salmasi and Hassan Ahmed, each of whom is an independent director under Nasdaq listing standards. Atif Rafiq serves as chair of the nominating committee. The nominating committee is responsible for overseeing the selection of persons to be nominated to serve on our board of directors. The nominating committee considers persons identified by its members, management, stockholders, investment bankers and others.
Code of Ethics
We have filed a copy of our Code of Ethics as an exhibit to this Annual Report. We have also posted a copy of our Code of Ethics and the charters of our audit committee, compensation committee and nominating and corporate governance committee on our website (www.kins-tech.com) under “Governance—Governance Highlights.” 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 Annual Report. You are able to review these documents by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the Code of Ethics will be provided without charge upon request from us. In addition, a copy of our Code of Ethics will be provided without charge upon request from us. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K.
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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 pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a Business Combination opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a Business Combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. Our officers and directors are also not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs, and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential Business Combinations and monitoring the related due diligence.
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 certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of 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, officers and directors (excluding independent directors) have agreed not to participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other special purpose acquisition company with a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act which has publicly filed a registration statement with the SEC until we have entered into a definitive agreement regarding our initial Business Combination or we have failed to complete our initial Business Combination within 18 months after the closing of the Initial Public Offering or during any Extension Period.
Potential investors should also be aware of the following other potential conflicts of interest:
| · | 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. |
| · | 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. |
| · | Our Sponsor, officers, directors and the Direct Anchor Investors 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, directors and the Direct Anchor Investors 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 18 months after the closing of the Initial Public 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 allotted 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 salable by our initial stockholders 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 common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial Business Combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock 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 common stock underlying such warrants, will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our Sponsor or the Direct Anchor Investors or their permitted transferees until 30 days after the completion of our initial Business Combination. Since our officers and directors may directly or indirectly own common stock and warrants following the Initial Public 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. |
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| · | Our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular Business Combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial Business Combination. |
| · | Our 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 them or their affiliates to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial Business Combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period. |
In general, officers and directors of a corporation incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware are required to present business opportunities to a corporation if:
| · | the corporation could financially undertake the opportunity; |
| · | the opportunity is within the corporation’s line of business; and |
| · | it would not be fair to the corporation and its stockholders for the opportunity not to be brought to the attention of the corporation. |
Accordingly, as a result of multiple business affiliations, our officers and directors may have similar legal obligations relating to presenting business opportunities meeting the above-listed criteria to multiple entities. Furthermore, our certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.
Below is a table summarizing the entities to which our executive officers and directors currently have fiduciary duties or contractual obligations:
| Individual | Entity | Entity’s Business | Affiliation | |||
| Khurram Sheikh | Aijaad | Strategic Advisory Firm | Founder & CEO | |||
| Eric Zimits | Netzyn, Inc. | Network Solutions MEMS | Strategic Advisor | |||
| Hassan Ahmed | Vesper | MEMS | Member of the Board | |||
| Ciena Corp | Telecommunications | Member of the Board | ||||
| Di-Ann Eisnor | byCore | Construction Labor Market | Co-Founder & CEO | |||
| Saia Inc. | Freight Shipping | Member of the Board | ||||
| Gray Area Foundation for the Arts | Nonprofit Organization | Member of the Board | ||||
| Obvious Ventures | Investment Firm | Venture Partner | ||||
| Camillo Martino | Magnachip Semiconductor | Semiconductors | Chairman | |||
| Sensera Ltd. | MEMS Technology | Chairman | ||||
| VVDN Technologies Pvt. Ltd. | Wireless Networking | Member of the Board | ||||
| Sakuu Corporation | Additive Manufacturing | Member of the Board | ||||
| Atif Rafiq | MGM Resorts International | Hospitality | President of Commercial and Growth | |||
| Allen Salmasi | Veea Inc. | Edge Computing | Founder & CEO | |||
| NLabs Inc. | Investment Firm | Chairman & CEO | ||||
| Ostendo, Inc. | Quantum Computing | Member of the Board | ||||
| OncoSynergy Inc. | Oncology | Chairman | ||||
| Mimik Inc. | Hybrid Edge Applications | Member of the Board |
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Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a Business Combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, he or she will honor these obligations and duties to present such Business Combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us.
We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial Business Combination. Our restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial Business Combination with a target business that is affiliated with our initial stockholders, officers, or directors, or any of their respective affiliates. In the event we seek to complete our initial Business Combination with a target business that is affiliated with our initial stockholders, officers or directors, or any of their affiliates, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial Business Combination is fair to us from a financial point of view.
In the event that we submit our initial Business Combination to our public stockholders 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.
| Item 11. | Executive Compensation. |
None of our officers or directors has received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. 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, except that at the closing of our initial Business Combination, we may pay a customary financial consulting fee to our initial stockholders, officers and directors, which will not be made from the proceeds of the Initial Public Offering held in the Trust Account prior to the completion 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 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. We would disclose any such fee in the proxy or tender offer materials used in connection with a proposed Business Combination. However, these individuals will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable Business Combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our initial stockholders, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates.
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After the completion of our initial Business Combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting or management fees from the combined company. All of these fees will be fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders in connection with a proposed Business Combination. We have not established any limit on the amount of such fees that may be paid by the combined company to our directors or members of management. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of the proposed Business Combination, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers will be determined, or recommended to the board of directors for determination, either by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors or by a majority of the independent directors on our board of directors.
Following a Business Combination, to the extent we deem it necessary, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management team of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.
| Item 12. | Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters. |
The following table sets forth information available to us at March 30, 2021 with respect to our common stock held by:
| · | each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding shares of common stock; |
| · | each of our executive officers and directors; and |
| · | all our executive officers and directors upon completion of the Initial Public Offering as a group. |
Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect record or beneficial ownership of the Private Placement Warrants as these warrants are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of March 30, 2021:
| Shares of Class A Common Stock | Shares of Class B Common Stock | |||||||||||||||
| Name
and Address of Beneficial Owner (1) | Number
of Shares Beneficially Owned | Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Common Stock | Number
of Shares Beneficially Owned(2) | Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Common Stock(2) | ||||||||||||
| KINS Capital LLC(3) | — | — | 6,150,000 | 89.1 | % | |||||||||||
| BlackRock Inc. | 2,000,000 | (4) | 7.2 | % | 750,000 | (5) | 10.9 | % | ||||||||
| Khurram Sheikh(3) | — | — | 6,150,000 | 89.1 | % | |||||||||||
| Eric Zimits | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Hassan Ahmed | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Di-Ann Eisnor | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Camillo Martino | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Atif Rafiq | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Allen Salmasi | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Aristeia Capital, L.L.C.(6) | 1,850,000 | 6.7 | % | — | — | |||||||||||
| Castle Creek Arbitrage, LLC(7) | 1,880,441 | 6.8 | % | — | — | |||||||||||
| All executive officers and directors as a group (7 individuals) | — | — | 6,150,000 | 89.1 | % | |||||||||||
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| * | Less than 1%. |
| (1) | Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following entities or individuals is c/o KINS Technology Group Inc., Four Palo Alto Square, 3000 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA 94306. |
| (2) | Shares of Class B common stock are convertible into shares of Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment, as described in the section of entitled “Description of Securities” in our prospectus filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4) (File No. 333-249177). |
| (3) | KINS Capital LLC, our Sponsor, is the record holder of the Class B common stock reported herein. The managing member of the Sponsor is a limited liability company whose managing member is Mr. Sheikh. As such, Mr. Sheikh may be deemed to have beneficial ownership of the common stock held directly by our Sponsor. Each of our independent directors is, directly or indirectly, a non-managing member of our Sponsor. |
| (4) | According to a Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on February 8, 2021, BlackRock, Inc. has sole voting and dispositive power with regard to 2,000,000 shares of Class A common stock of the Company. The business address is Four Palo Alto Square, 3000 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA 94306. |
| (5) | The registered holders of the referenced shares are funds and accounts under management by BlackRock, Inc. BlackRock, Inc. is the ultimate parent holding company of such funds and accounts. On behalf of such funds and accounts, the applicable portfolio managers, as managing directors of such entities, have voting and investment power over the shares held by the funds and accounts which are the registered holders of the referenced shares. Such portfolio managers expressly disclaim beneficial ownership of all shares held by such funds and accounts. The address of such funds and accounts and such portfolio managers is 55 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10055. |
| (6) | According to a Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on February 16, 2021, Aristeia Capital, L.L.C. has sole voting and dispositive power with regard to 1,850,000 shares of Class A common stock of the Company. The business address is One Greenwich Plaza, 3rd Floor Greenwich, CT 06830. |
| (7) | According to a Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on February 16, 2021, each of Castle Creek Arbitrage, LLC and Mr. Allan Weine have shared voting and dispositive power with regard to 1,880,441 shares of Class A common stock of the Company. The business address of each is 190 South LaSalle Street, Suite 3050, Chicago, Illinois 60603. |
Our Initial Stockholders will beneficially own 20.0% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock. Each of our officers and directors is, directly or indirectly, a member of our Sponsor, and of which Khurram P. Sheikh, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, is the managing member. Because of this ownership block, our initial stockholders may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including the election of directors, amendments to our certificate of incorporation and approval of significant corporate transactions, including approval of our initial Business Combination.
| Item 13. | Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence. |
Founder Shares
On July 27, 2020, the Sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain offering costs of the Company in consideration for 5,750,000 Founder Shares. In October 2020, the Sponsor forfeited 625,000 Founder Shares and the Direct Anchor Investors purchased 625,000 Founder Shares for an aggregate purchase price of $2,717, or approximately $0.004 per share. In December 2020, the Company effected a 1:1.2 stock split of its Class B common stock, resulting in the Sponsor holding an aggregate of 6,150,000 Founder Shares, the Direct Anchor Investors holding an aggregate of 750,000 Founder Shares and there being an aggregate of 6,900,000 Founder Shares outstanding. The Founder Shares included an aggregate of up to 900,000 shares subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment was not exercised in full or in part, so that the number of Founder Shares would equal, on an as-converted basis, approximately 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding common stock after the Initial Public Offering. As a result of the underwriters’ election to fully exercise their over-allotment option, no Founder Shares are currently subject to forfeiture.
The Initial Stockholders have agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Founder Shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) one year after the completion of a Business Combination and (B) subsequent to a Business Combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after a Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Public Stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.
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Private Placement Warrants
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Sponsor and the Direct Anchor Investors purchased an aggregate of 10,280,000 Private Placement Warrants at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant, or $10,280,000. Each Private Placement Warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 7). The proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants were added to the net proceeds from the Initial Public Offering held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants held in the Trust Account will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the Private Placement Warrants will expire worthless.
If we do not complete an Initial Business Combination within 18 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering or during any Extension Period, the proceeds of the sale of the Private Placement Warrants 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.
Registration Rights
Pursuant to a registration rights agreement entered into on December 14, 2020, the holders of the Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and securities that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement. The holders of at least 30% in interest 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 the completion of a Business Combination and rights to require us to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Related Party Notes
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). Such Working Capital Loans would be evidenced by promissory notes. The notes may be repaid upon completion of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted upon completion of a Business Combination into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant. Such warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants. 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. As of December 31, 2020, there were no amounts outstanding under the Working Capital Loans.
Administrative Services Agreement
The Company entered into an agreement, commencing on December 14, 2020 through the earlier of the Company’s consummation of a Business Combination and its liquidation, to pay the Sponsor a total of up to $20,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. For period from July 20, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020, the Company paid $20,000 in fees for these services.
| Item 14. | Principal Accounting Fees and Services. |
The firm of WithumSmith+Brown, PC, or Withum, acts as our independent registered public accounting firm. The following is a summary of fees paid to Withum for services rendered.
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| For the period | ||||
| ended December | ||||
| 31, 2020 | ||||
| Audit Fees(1) | $ | 78,280 | ||
| Audit-Related Fees(2) | $ | — | ||
| Tax Fees(3) | $ | — | ||
| All Other Fees(4) | $ | — | ||
| Total | $ | |||
| (1) | Audit Fees. For the period from July 20, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020, fees for our independent registered public accounting firm were approximately $78,280, for the services Withum performed in connection with our Initial Public Offering and the audit of our December 31, 2020 financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. |
| (2) | Audit-Related Fees. For the period from July 20, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020, our independent registered public accounting firm did not render assurance and related services related to the performance of the audit or review of financial statements. |
| (3) | Tax Fees. For the period from July 20, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020, our independent registered public accounting firm did not render services to us for tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning. |
| (4) | All Other Fees. For the period from July 20, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020, there were no fees billed for products and services provided by our independent registered public accounting firm other than those set forth above. |
Policy on Board Pre-Approval of Audit and Permissible Non-Audit Services of the Independent Auditors
Our audit committee was formed upon the consummation of our Initial Public Offering. As a result, the audit committee did not pre-approve all of the foregoing services, although any services rendered prior to the formation of our audit committee were approved by our board of directors. Since the formation of our audit committee, and on a going-forward basis, the audit committee has and will pre-approve all auditing services and permitted non-audit services to be performed for us by our auditors, including the fees and terms thereof (subject to the de minimis exceptions for non-audit services described in the Exchange Act which are approved by the audit committee prior to the completion of the audit).
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| Item 15. | Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules. |
| (a) | The following documents are filed as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K: |
| (b) | Exhibits: The exhibits listed in the accompanying index to exhibits are filed or incorporated by reference as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. |
| * | Filed herewith. |
| ** | Furnished herewith. |
| (1) | Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 21, 2020. |
| (2) | Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Annual on Form 10-K filed on March 30, 2021 |
| Item 16. | Form 10-K Summary. |
None.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
| KINS TECHNOLOGY GROUP INC. | |
| Date: December 23, 2021 | /s/ Khurram Sheikh |
| By: Khurram Sheikh | |
| Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| /s/ Khurram Sheikh | ||
| Name: | Khurram Sheikh | |
| Title: | Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer | |
| Date: | December 23, 2021 | |
| /s/ Eric Zimits | ||
| Name: | Eric Zimits | |
| Title: | Secretary and Chief Corporate Development Officer | |
| Date: | December 23, 2021 | |
| /s/ Hassan Ahmed | ||
| Name: | Hassan Ahmed | |
| Title: | Director | |
| Date: | December 23, 2021 | |
| /s/ Di-Ann Eisnor | ||
| Name: | Di-Ann Eisnor | |
| Title: | Director | |
| Date: | December 23, 2021 | |
| /s/ Camillo Martino | ||
| Name: | Camillo Martino | |
| Title: | Director | |
| Date: | December 23, 2021 | |
| /s/ Atif Rafiq | ||
| Name: | Atif Rafiq | |
| Title: | Director | |
| Date: | December 23, 2021 | |
| /s/ Allen Salmasi | ||
| Name: | Allen Salmasi | |
| Title: | Director | |
| Date: | December 23, 2021 | |
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Exhibit 31.1
CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO
RULES 13a-14(a) AND 15d-14(a) UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934,
AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
I, Khurram Sheikh, certify that:
| 1. | I have reviewed this Annual Report on Form 10-K/A of KINS Technology Group Inc.; |
| 2. | Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report; |
| 3. | Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report; |
| 4. | The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the registrant and have: |
| (a) | Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared; |
| (b) | [Omitted]; |
| (c) | Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and |
| (c) | Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and |
| 5. | The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions): |
| (a) | All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and |
| (b) | Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting. |
Date: December 23, 2021
| /s/ Khurram Sheikh | |
| Khurram Sheikh | |
| Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer | |
| (Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
Exhibit 32.1
CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO
18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350, AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
In connection with the Annual Report of KINS Technology Group Inc. (the “Company”) on Form 10-K/A for the period ending December 31, 2020 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I Khurram Sheikh, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Company, certify, in the capacity and on the date indicated below, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 1350, as adopted pursuant to § 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:
1. The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and
2. The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.
Date: December 23, 2021
| /s/ Khurram Sheikh | |
| Khurram Sheikh | |
| Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer | |
| (Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |