GCT Semiconductor Holding, Inc S-1/A, filed Jul 1, 2021
GCT Semiconductor Holding, Inc. (GCTS)
As filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on June 30, 2021.
Registration No. 333-254789
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Amendment No. 2 to
FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
Concord
Acquisition Corp III
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 6770 | 86-2171699 | ||
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
477 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10022
Telephone: (212) 883-4330
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
Jeff Tuder
Chief Executive Officer
Concord Acquisition Corp III
477 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10022
Telephone: (212) 883-4330
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
| Alan I. Annex, Esq. Jason T. Simon, Esq. Greenberg Traurig, LLP 1750 Tysons Boulevard Suite 1000 McLean, VA 22102 (703) 749-1300 |
Michael D. Maline, Esq. Stephen P. Alicanti, Esq. DLA Piper LLP (US) 1251 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10020 (212) 335-4500
|
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 check the following box. ¨
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer | ¨ | Accelerated filer | ¨ | |||||
| Non-accelerated filer | 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 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ¨
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
| Title of Each Class of Security Being Registered | Amount Being Registered | Proposed
Maximum Offering Price per Security(1) | Proposed
Maximum Aggregate Offering Price(1) | Amount of Registration Fee | ||||||||||
| Units, each consisting of one share of Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, and one-third of one redeemable warrant(2) | 28,750,000 Units | $ | 10.00 | $ | 287,500,000 | $ | 31,367 | |||||||
| Shares of
Class A common stock included as part of the units(3)(4) | 28,750,000 Shares | — | — | — | (5) | |||||||||
| Redeemable warrants included as part of the units(3)(4) | 9,583,333 Warrants | — | — | — | (5) | |||||||||
| Total | $ | 287,500,000 | $ | 31,367 | (6) | |||||||||
| (1) | Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(a) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act. | |
| (2) | Includes 3,750,000 units which may be issued upon exercise of a 45-day over-allotment option granted to the underwriters. | |
| (3) | Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act, there are also being registered an indeterminable number of additional securities as may be issued to prevent dilution resulting from stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions. | |
| (4) | Maximum number of shares of Class A common stock and redeemable warrants, as applicable, included in the units described above, including those that may be issued upon exercise of a 45-day option granted to the underwriters described above. | |
| (5) | No fee pursuant to Rule 457(g) under the Securities Act. | |
| (6) | Previously paid. |
The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED JUNE 30, 2021
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
$250,000,000
Concord Acquisition Corp III
25,000,000 Units
_________________
Concord Acquisition Corp III is a newly incorporated blank check company 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. We have not selected any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target.
This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one share of our Class A common stock and one-third of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus, and only whole warrants are exercisable. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. The warrants will become exercisable on the later of 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and 12 months from the closing of this offering, and will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation, as described in this prospectus. Subject to the terms and conditions described in this prospectus, we may redeem the warrants once the warrants become exercisable. We have also granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 3,750,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of our Class A common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price described herein, payable in cash, subject to the limitations described herein. If we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, we will redeem 100% of the public shares at a per-share price described herein, payable in cash, subject to applicable law and as further described herein.
Our sponsor, Concord Sponsor Group III LLC (an affiliate of Atlas Merchant Capital LLC), and CA2 Co-Investment LLC (an affiliate of one of the underwriters of this offering) have agreed to purchase an aggregate of 5,000,000 warrants (or 5,500,000 warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, at a price of $1.50 per warrant, in a private placement to occur concurrently with the closing of this offering. We refer to our sponsor and CA2 Co-Investment LLC collectively as our “sponsors” throughout this prospectus.
As of the date of this prospectus, our initial stockholders hold 7,187,500 shares of our Class B common stock (up to 937,500 of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised). The shares of our Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. Prior to our initial business combination, holders of our Class B common stock will have the right to elect all of our directors and may remove members of our board of directors for any reason. On any other matter submitted to a vote of our stockholders, holders of our Class B common stock and holders of our Class A common stock will vote together as a single class, except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rule.
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our units, Class A common stock or warrants. We intend to apply to list our units on the New York Stock Exchange, or the NYSE, under the symbol “CNDB.U” on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on the NYSE. The Class A common stock and warrants constituting the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day), unless Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Cowen and Company, LLC inform us of their decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to certain conditions. Once the securities constituting the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Class A common stock and warrants will be listed on the NYSE under the symbols “CNDB” and “CNDB WS,” respectively.
We are an “emerging growth company” and “smaller reporting company” under applicable federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. Investing in our securities involves risks. Please see “Risk Factors” on page 33. Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings.
| Price to Public | Underwriting
Discounts and Commissions(1) |
Proceeds,
before expenses, to us |
||||||||||
| Per Unit | $ | 10.00 | $ | 0.55 | $ | 9.45 | ||||||
| Total | $ | 250,000,000 | $ | 13,750,000 | $ | 236,250,000 | ||||||
| (1) | Includes $0.20 per unit, or $5,000,000 in the aggregate (or $5,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), payable to the underwriters upon the closing of this offering. Also includes $0.35 per unit, or $8,750,000 in the aggregate (or up to $10,062,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in the aggregate, payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions to be placed in a trust account located in the United States as described herein. The deferred commissions will be released to the underwriters only on completion of an initial business combination, in an amount equal to $0.35 multiplied by the number of shares of Class A common stock sold as part of the units in this offering, as described in this prospectus. Does not include certain fees and expenses payable to the underwriters in connection with this offering. See also “Underwriting” for a description of compensation and other items of value payable to the underwriters. |
Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, $250.0 million, or $287.5 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.00 per unit in either case), will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account at Morgan Stanley, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee.
The underwriters are offering the units for sale on a firm commitment basis. Delivery of the units will be made on or about , 2021.
Neither the SEC nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Joint Book-Running Managers
| Citigroup | Cowen |
The date of this prospectus is , 2021
We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus. We have not, and the underwriters have not, authorized anyone to provide any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus. We and the underwriters take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the units offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this prospectus is current only as of its date.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Trademarks
This prospectus contains references to trademarks and service marks belonging to other entities. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus may appear without the ® or ™ symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that the applicable licensor will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, its rights to these trademarks and trade names. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trade names, trademarks or service marks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other companies.
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This summary only highlights the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. As this is a summary, it does not contain all of the information that you should consider in making an investment decision. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the information under “Risk Factors” and our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus, before investing.
Unless otherwise stated in this prospectus or the context otherwise requires, references to:
| · | “amended and restated certificate of incorporation” are to our certificate of incorporation to be in effect upon the completion of this offering; |
| · | “common stock” are to our Class A common stock and our Class B common stock; |
| · | “Concord,” “we,” “us,” “our” or the “company” are to Concord Acquisition Corp III, a Delaware corporation; |
| · | “CA2 Co-Investment” are to CA2 Co-Investment LLC, an affiliate of one of the underwriters of this offering; |
| · | “directors” are to our current directors and our director nominees named in this prospectus; |
| · | “equity-linked securities” are to any debt or equity securities that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for shares of our Class A common stock issued in a financing transaction in connection with our initial business combination, including but not limited to a private placement of equity or debt; |
| · | “founder shares” are to shares of our Class B common stock and the shares of our Class A common stock issued upon the conversion thereof; |
| · | “initial stockholders” are to our sponsor, CA2 Co-Investment and the other holders of our founder shares prior to this offering; |
| · | “management” or our “management team” are to our officers and directors; |
| · | “private placement warrants” are to the warrants being purchased by our sponsor and CA2 Co-Investment in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of this offering and upon conversion of working capital loans, if any; |
| · | “private placement” are to the private placement of 5,000,000 placement warrants (up to 5,500,000 placement warrants if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $1.50 per warrant, for an aggregate purchase price of $7,500,000 (up to $8,250,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), which will occur simultaneously with the completion of this offering; |
| · | “public shares” are to shares of our Class A common stock sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market); |
| · | “public stockholders” are to the holders of our public shares, including our sponsors, officers and directors to the extent our sponsors, officers or directors purchase public shares, provided that each of their status as a “public stockholder” shall only exist with respect to such public shares; |
| · | “public warrants” are to (1) our redeemable warrants sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market) and (2) any private placement warrants or warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans that are sold to third parties that are not the sponsors or their respective permitted transferees; |
| · | “sponsor” are to Concord Sponsor Group III LLC, a Delaware limited liability company; and |
| · | “warrants” are to our redeemable warrants, which includes the public warrants and the private placement warrants. |
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Unless we tell you otherwise, the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option and the forfeiture by our sponsors of 937,500 founder shares.
General
We are a newly incorporated blank check company incorporated as a Delaware corporation for the purpose of effecting a merger, stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any potential business combination targets and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any specific business combination targets. However, members of our management team have been actively in discussions with potential business combination targets in their capacity as officers and directors of Concord Acquisition Corp (“Concord I”), an existing special purpose acquisition company sponsored by affiliates of our sponsors, and we may pursue business combination partners that had previously been in discussion with Concord I. We may also pursue business combination targets that could be in discussions with Concord Acquisition Corp II (“Concord II”), a special purpose acquisition company sponsored by affiliates of our sponsors, which is in the process of engaging in an initial public offering.
While we may pursue a merger opportunity in any industry or sector, we intend to capitalize on the ability of our management team and Sponsor to identity, acquire and manage a business in the financial services and financial technology sectors, including payments, enterprise software, and data analytics, that can benefit from our differentiated deal flow and global network. We will seek to acquire established and growing businesses that we believe are fundamentally sound with an attractive financial profile and poised for continued and accelerating growth, but potentially in need of some form of financial, operational, strategic or managerial guidance to maximize value.
Our Management Team
Our sponsor is affiliated with Atlas Merchant Capital LLC (“Atlas”), an alternative asset manager with approximately $1.5 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2020 and over $3.0 billion of capital raised through its fund vehicles and its related co-investments in its fund’s portfolio companies since inception. We believe that the experience of our management team, Board of Directors and Advisors, and our relationship with Atlas will allow us to source, identify and execute an attractive transaction for our shareholders.
Founded in 2013, Atlas seeks to invest in compelling opportunities globally, primarily through its financial services-focused investment funds. Led by its co-founders, Bob Diamond and David Schamis, Atlas believes that changes in the regulatory landscape following the 2008 financial crisis led to an unprecedented level of disruption and created substantial investment opportunities in the financial services sector, broadly defined. Atlas takes a unique approach to financial services investments by taking a long-term merchant capital and partnership-based approach that is balanced with its significant operating and technical expertise to help increase the value of its portfolio companies. The executive and investment team at Atlas have decades of investment and operating experience, having previously held senior executive and investment positions at leading global financial services firms including Barclays Capital, Cerberus Capital Management, Citigroup, J.C. Flowers & Co, and Fortress Investment Group, among others.
We believe our team’s distinctive and complementary backgrounds can have a transformative impact on a target business. Our team will deploy a proactive, thematic sourcing strategy and will focus our efforts on companies where we believe the combination of our operating experience, transaction execution capabilities, professional relationships and capital markets expertise can serve as catalysts to enhance the growth potential and value of a target business and provide opportunities for an attractive return to our shareholders.
Jeff Tuder serves as our Chief Executive Officer and a director. Mr. Tuder is currently an Operating Partner of Atlas, having joined in September 2020. Previously, Mr. Tuder founded Tremson Capital Management, LLC to invest in undervalued public equities and to make private equity and credit investments in partnership with a number of family offices. Prior to founding Tremson, Mr. Tuder held various investment positions at JHL Capital Group, a multi-strategy hedge fund, KSA Capital Management, a deep value long/short equity fund, and CapitalSource Finance, where he was a Managing Director and Head of its Special Opportunity credit investment business. Mr. Tuder began his career as a private equity professional at Fortress Investment Group, where he underwrote and managed private equity investments for Fortress’ various investment vehicles; Nassau Capital, LLC, which managed the private assets of Princeton University’s Endowment; and ABS Capital Partners, a private equity firm affiliated with Alex. Brown & Sons. Mr. Tuder is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Inseego Corporation (NASDAQ: INSG) and Unico American (NASDAQ: UNAM). Mr. Tuder received a B.A. in English Literature from Yale College.
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Michele Cito serves as our Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Cito is Chief Financial Officer of Atlas Merchant Capital LLC, having joined in June 2014. Ms. Cito joined Atlas as Controller and later served as Vice President of Finance and Operations prior to becoming Chief Financial Officer. Previously, Ms. Cito worked as an Auditor at Deloitte & Touche LLP in financial services. Ms. Cito is a Certified Public Accountant and received a B.A. in Public Accounting, and an MBA from Pace University.
Bob Diamond serves as Chairman of our board of directors. Mr. Diamond is Founding Partner and Chief Executive Officer of Atlas Merchant Capital LLC. Until 2012, Mr. Diamond was Chief Executive of Barclays, having previously held the position of President of Barclays, responsible for Barclays Capital and Barclays Global Investors (“BGI”). He became an executive director of Barclays in 2005 and had been a member of the Barclays Executive Committee since 1997. Prior to Barclays, Mr. Diamond held senior executive positions at Credit Suisse First Boston and Morgan Stanley in the United States, Europe and Asia. Mr. Diamond worked at Credit Suisse First Boston from 1992 to 1996, where his roles included Vice Chairman and Head of Global Fixed Income and Foreign Exchange in New York, as well as Chairman, President and CEO of Credit Suisse First Boston Pacific. Mr. Diamond worked at Morgan Stanley from 1979 to 1992, including as the Head of European and Asian Fixed Income Trading. Mr. Diamond is currently a member of the Board of Directors of South Street Securities Holdings, Inc., Crux Informatics and Atlas Mara Limited. He is also a Trustee of The American Foundation of the Imperial War Museum Inc., a Life Member of The Council on Foreign Relations and is involved in several non-profit initiatives, including being a Director of the Diamond Foundation. He is also Life Trustee and former Chair of the Colby College Board of Trustees. Mr. Diamond received a B.A. in Economics from Colby College and an M.B.A. from the University of Connecticut.
In August 2020, members of our management team formed Concord I, a blank check company formed for substantially similar purposes as our company. Concord I completed its initial public offering in December 2020, in which it sold 27.6 million units, each unit consisting of one share of Class A common stock of Concord I and one-half of one warrant to purchase one share of Class A common stock of Concord I, for an offering price of $10.00 per unit, generating aggregate gross proceeds of $276 million. Concord I has not yet announced or completed its initial business combination. Each of the members of our management team serves in the same position with Concord I, other than Mr. Tuder, who serves as the Chief Executive Officer, but is not a director, of Concord I.
In February 2021, members of our management team formed Concord II, a blank check company incorporated for substantially similar purposes as our company and as Concord I. Concord II has not yet completed its initial public offering. Each of the members of our management teams serves in the same position with Concord II, other than Mr. Tuder, who serves as the Chief Executive Officer, but is not a director, of Concord II.
Independent Directors and Advisors
Thomas King has agreed to serve on our board of directors immediately upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Mr. King is an Operating Partner of Atlas. He has more than 30 years of experience in the investment banking and financial services industry. Most recently, Mr. King served as Chief Executive Officer of Investment Banking at Barclays and Chairman of the Investment Banking Executive Committee. Mr. King was also a member of the Barclays Group Executive Committee, which oversees all of the Barclays plc businesses. Mr. King began his career at Salomon Brothers, which was later acquired by Citigroup. During his tenure at Citi, he served as Global Head of Mergers and Acquisitions, Head of Investment Banking for the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) Region and Head of Corporate and Investment Banking for the EMEA region. In 2009, Mr. King moved to Barclays Investment Bank and held several senior roles before becoming CEO, including Head of European Investment Banking, Co-Head of Global Corporate Finance, Global Head of Investment Banking. Mr. King received his MBA with distinction from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and his Bachelor of Arts degree from Bowdoin College. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Radius Global Infrastructure, Inc. (LSE: RADI) (formerly known as Digital Landscape Group, Inc.) and Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CCO) and various private boards and Chairs the Board of Trustees at the King School in Stamford, Connecticut.
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Larry Leibowitz has agreed to serve on our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Mr. Leibowitz is a finance and technology entrepreneur who specializes in business transformation and capital markets. Mr. Leibowitz is an Operating Partner of Atlas, and is a Strategic Advisor and Board Director of Crux Informatics. Mr. Leibowitz currently serves on the Board of Directors of Cowen, Inc (NASDAQ: COWN), an independent investment bank, as well as Vice Chairman of XCHG Xpansiv, an intelligent commodities exchange focusing on renewable energy products, and is on the board of various other private companies in the cryptocurrency, asset management technology, and digital law businesses. Most recently, Mr. Leibowitz served as Chief Operating Officer, Head of Global Equities Markets and as a Member of the Board of Directors of NYSE Euronext, holding such positions from 2007 to 2013. Prior to that, Mr. Leibowitz served as Chief Operating Officer of Americas Equities at UBS, Co-head of Schwab Soundview Capital Markets, and CEO of Redibook. Mr. Leibowitz was formerly a founding partner at Bunker Capital, and Managing Director and Head of Quantitative Trading and Equities Technology at CS First Boston. Mr. Leibowitz received a B.A. in Economics from Princeton University.
Peter Ort has agreed to serve on our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Mr. Ort is Co-Founder of CurAlea Associates LLC, which provides customized software and advisory solutions to wealth and asset managers. Mr. Ort is also a General Partner at Cambium Capital Partners, an early stage venture capital firm focused on advanced computing in areas such as machine learning specific chips, quantum computing, and application specific devices. Previously, Mr. Ort spent the bulk of his career at Goldman Sachs, where he was a Managing Director and co-head of the Hedge Fund Strategies Group, overseeing manager selection for a $25 billion portfolio, and also worked in the firm’s Private Equity Group and Financial Institutions Group in New York and Tokyo. Mr. Ort was also a Managing Director at Karsch Capital, an equity long/short hedge fund. Mr. Ort is a member of the board or advisory board of a number of privately held technology companies. Mr. Ort graduated from Duke University, obtained J.D. and M.B.A. degrees from New York University, and is a member of the New York and New Jersey State Bars. He was a Fulbright Scholar in Japan, and is the Treasurer and a member of the board of the Fulbright Association’s New Jersey Chapter.
We will be further supported by our advisory committee which is comprised of current and former senior executives with significant investment and operating experience in a wide range of sub-sectors and functional areas within the financial services and financial technology industries generally. These executives will provide us with access to their expertise and extensive industry networks from which we intend to source and evaluate targets as well as to assist in the future value creation plans of any business that we acquire.
Key members of our advisory committee will initially include:
Henry Helgeson, the Founder and CEO of Cayan, a payments company which was sold to TSYS (now Global Payments) in 2018 for $1.05 billion. Mr. Helgeson grew Cayan into one of the largest merchant acquirers in the U.S. prior to its sale. Mr. Helgeson is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Electronic Payment Providers, Inc., Infinicept, Inc. and Resupply, Inc. We believe Mr. Helgeson’s deep operational experience, industry relationships, domain expertise and understanding of emerging trends in the financial technology industry will provide us with a competitive advantage as we evaluate merger targets in the financial technology sector. Mr. Helgeson has also agreed to serve on the board of directors of Concord II upon the effective date of the prospectus relating to its offering.
Rich Ricci, the CEO of Panmure Gordon & Co PLC (“Panmure”). Owned by Atlas’ investment fund, Panmure is a 150 year-old, UK-based middle market corporate advisory and brokerage firm. Prior to joining Panmure, Mr. Ricci was the CEO of Barclays Capital. We believe Mr. Ricci’s geographic focus in the U.K and Western Europe will provide us both with differentiated sourcing of potential opportunities as well as insight into overseas markets and economies as we diligence merger targets with international operations.
Competitive Advantages
The sourcing, valuation, diligence and execution capabilities of our management team, sponsor, Board of Directors, Advisory Committee and extended network of relationships should provide us with a significant pipeline of opportunities from which to evaluate and select a business to merge with that will benefit from our collective expertise. Our competitive strengths include the following:
| ● | Extensive Network of Industry Relationships. We believe the capabilities and connections of our management team and Sponsor within the financial services, technology, and private equity and venture capital industries will provide us with a differentiated pipeline of acquisition opportunities that would be difficult for other participants in the market to replicate. We believe that our industry relationships provide us with a competitive advantage not only with respect to transaction sourcing but also with respect to our ability to conduct differentiated due diligence on a target company. |
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| ● | Differentiated Operating Experience. We believe the executive-level operational experience and expertise resident within our management team, Board of Directors and Advisory Committee will make us an attractive partner to our prospective combination target companies. Our management team believes that its ability to identity and implement value creation initiatives has been an essential driver of past performance and value creation. |
| ● | Extensive Investing Experience. We believe that our Sponsor and our management team’s broad-based private equity experience, public equity investing and track record of identifying and sourcing attractive investment opportunities, positions us well to appropriately evaluate potential business combinations that will be well received by the public markets. |
| ● | Execution and Structuring Capability. Our management team and sponsor believe that our combined expertise and reputation will allow us to source and complete transactions that will provide a positive outcome for existing owners of prospective targets while at the same time creating an attractive investment for public equity investors. These types of transactions are typically complex and require creativity, industry knowledge and expertise, rigorous due diligence, and extensive negotiations and documentation. |
Business Strategy
Our business strategy is to identify and complete our initial business combination with a company that can benefit from the strategic, transactional and operational experience of our management team to create long-term shareholder value. We will leverage the team’s broad sourcing network in our selection process and will apply our diligence processes and structuring expertise to execute a value creating transaction.
Specifically, our strategy is to:
| ● | utilize our deep understanding of emerging trends within the financial services and financial technology sectors to identify the most attractive segments and to assess suitable merger candidates; |
| ● | develop a large pipeline of actionable investment opportunities through our long-standing relationships and proprietary deal sourcing networks; and, |
| ● | leverage the strategic, transactional and operating experience of our management team and sponsor to engage with and diligence likely business combination targets to consummate a transaction; |
Our selection process will leverage our sponsors’ broad and deep relationship network, unique investment and industry experiences and proven deal sourcing capabilities to access a broad spectrum of differentiated opportunities. This network has been developed through our sponsors’ decades of experience and demonstrated success in both investing in and operating businesses both in our target sectors and across a variety of other industries. We intend to deploy a pro-active, thematic sourcing strategy and to focus on companies where we believe the combination of our operating experience, relationships, and capital markets expertise can be catalysts to accelerate the target’s growth and profitability characteristics and performance over time. Upon completion of this offering, our sponsors will engage with their networks of relationships to articulate the parameters of our target company search and begin the process of pursuing and reviewing potential combinations.
Our team’s objectives are to generate attractive returns for shareholders and to enhance the value of the business we combine with by improving operational performance of the acquired company and assisting it in its transition into being a publicly-traded company. We expect to favor opportunities with certain industry and business characteristics.
Key industry characteristics include:
| ● | large addressable market; |
| ● | compelling long-term secular growth; |
| ● | attractive competitive dynamics; and, |
| ● | inorganic growth and consolidation opportunities. |
Key business characteristics of attractive consolidation targets include:
| ● | high-caliber executive and management team; |
| ● | market-leading product or service; |
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| ● | potential for growth in excess of relevant industry average; |
| ● | high barriers to entry; |
| ● | solid base of recurring revenue; |
| ● | resilient to economic cycles; |
| ● | established, high-quality customer base; |
| ● | long-term customer relationships / contracts; |
| ● | attractive overall financial profile; |
| ● | opportunity for operational improvements; |
| ● | attractive steady-state margins and free cash flow characteristics; and, |
| ● | will benefit from Atlas’ long-term sponsorship as it seeks to accelerate growth in the public markets. |
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as on other considerations, factors and criteria that our management and Sponsors may deem relevant.
Our selection process will leverage our Sponsor’s extensive investment sourcing network, which includes current and former industry executives within the financial services and financial technology industries, private equity, venture capital and alternative asset managers, and lending relationships, as well as existing relationships with the management teams of both public and private companies, investment bankers, restructuring advisers, attorneys and accountants, which we believe should provide us with a number of attractive business combination opportunities.
Our management team and Sponsor have decades of experience in:
| ● | developing and fostering relationships with business owners, management teams and various types of capital providers; |
| ● | sourcing, structuring, conducting diligence, and financing complex acquisitions; |
| ● | structuring and negotiating transaction terms favorable to investors; |
| ● | executing transactions in multiple geographies and under varying economic and financial market conditions; |
| ● | accessing the capital markets, including financing businesses and helping companies transition to public ownership; and, |
| ● | providing strategic guidance at the board level to assist in ongoing shareholder value creation as an independent public company. |
Atlas and its network of operating partners have deep domain expertise within the financial services and financial technology industries as well as broad transactional experience outside of our core focus areas, with particularly valuable experience:
| ● | operating large, complex, global businesses; |
| ● | establishing both short and long-term strategic directions; |
| ● | navigating and adapting to challenging macro environments; |
| ● | identifying, recruiting and assessing world-class executives; |
| ● | acquiring and integrating companies; |
| ● | structuring, negotiating and financing complex transactions with multiple counterparties; and, |
| ● | developing and growing companies in various ways; both organically through new product introductions and geographic expansion, and inorganically through acquisitions and other strategic joint-ventures and partnerships. |
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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, operational, legal and other information that will be made available to us.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, or from an independent accounting firm, that such initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Members of our management team may directly or indirectly own our securities following this offering, and accordingly, they may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Our initial stockholders acquired founder shares for approximately $0.003 per share and we are offering units at a price of $10.00 per unit in this offering; as a result, our initial stockholders could make a substantial profit after the initial business combination even if public investors experience substantial losses 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. (See “Risk Factors — Our initial stockholders paid an aggregate of $25,000 for the founder shares, or approximately $0.003 per founder share. As a result of this low initial price, our initial stockholders stand to make a substantial profit even if an initial business combination subsequently declines in value or is unprofitable for our public stockholders” and “— Since our initial stockholders will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed (other than with respect to any public shares they may hold), a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination”). Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
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, including Concord I and Concord II, pursuant to which such officer or director, is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. These entities, including Concord I and Concord II, may compete with us for acquisition opportunities. If these entities decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing such opportunities. 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. If any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, he or she may honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, including Concord I and Concord II, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us. Although we have no formal policy in place for vetting potential conflicts of interest, our board of directors will review any potential conflicts of interest on a case-by-case basis. For more information, see the section entitled “Management — Conflicts of Interest.”
We do not believe, however, that (aside from Concord I and Concord II) the fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.
In addition, our management team has, and may in the future, sponsor or form other special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. In particular, our management team is currently sponsoring two other blank check companies, Concord I and Concord II. Any such companies, businesses or investments, including Concord I and Concord II, may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination. While we expect that Concord I will have priority over us with respect to acquisition opportunities until it completes its initial business combination, our management team has significant experience in identifying and executing multiple acquisition opportunities simultaneously, and we believe there are multiple potential opportunities within the industries and geographies of our primary focus.
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Initial Business Combination
The NYSE rules require that an initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if permitted, and excluding the deferred underwriting commissions). We refer to this as the 80% of net assets 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.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own or acquire shares will own or acquire 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, 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.
Prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
Emerging Growth Company Status and Other Information
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
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We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of: (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter; and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.00 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter.
Our executive offices are located at 477 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022 and our telephone number is (212) 883-4330. Upon completion of this offering, our corporate website address will be . Our website and the information contained on, or that can be accessed through, the website is not deemed to be incorporated by reference in, and is not considered part of, this prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. You should not rely on any such information in making your decision whether to invest in our securities.
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The Offering
In making your decision whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the backgrounds of the members of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company and the fact that this offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section below entitled “Risk Factors.”
| Securities offered | 25,000,000 units (or 28,750,000 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of: |
|
• |
one share of Class A common stock; and | ||
| • | one-third of one redeemable warrant to purchase one share of Class A common stock. |
| NYSE symbols | Units: “CNDB.U” | |
| Class A Common Stock: “CNDB” | ||
| Warrants: “CNDB WS” | ||
| Trading commencement and separation of Class A common stock and warrants | The units will begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A common stock and warrants constituting the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day) unless Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Cowen and Company, LLC inform us of their decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the shares of Class A common stock and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into shares of Class A common stock and warrants. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least three units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant. | |
| Additionally, the units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination. | ||
| Separate trading of the Class A common stock and warrants is prohibited until we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K |
In no event will the Class A common stock and warrants be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet of our company reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. |
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| Units: | ||
| Number outstanding before this offering | 0 | |
| Number outstanding after this offering | 25,000,000(1) | |
| Common stock: | ||
| Number outstanding before this offering | 7,187,500(2)(3) | |
| Number outstanding after this offering | 31,250,000(1)(3) | |
| Warrants: | ||
| Number of warrants to be outstanding before this offering | 0 |
|
Number of private placement warrants to be sold in a private placement simultaneously with this offering
Number of warrants to be outstanding after this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants |
13,333,333(1)(4) |
| Exercisability |
Each whole warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of our Class A common stock, subject to adjustment as provided herein, and only whole warrants are exercisable. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade.
We structured each unit offered in this offering to contain one-third of one redeemable warrant, with each whole warrant exercisable for one share of Class A common stock, as compared to units issued by some other similar blank check companies which contain whole warrants exercisable for one whole share, in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of our initial business combination as compared to units that each contain a whole warrant to purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive business combination partner for target businesses. | |
| Exercise price | $11.50 per share of Class A common stock, subject to adjustment as described herein. | |
| Exercise period | The warrants will become exercisable on the later of: |
| • | 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination; and | ||
| • | 12 months from the closing of this offering; | ||
| provided in each case that we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available and such shares are registered, qualified or exempt from registration under the securities, or blue sky, laws of the state of residence of the holder (or we permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the warrant agreement). |
| (1) | Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. |
| (2) | Consists solely of founder shares and includes up to 937,500 shares that are subject to forfeiture by our sponsors depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. |
| (3) | Founder shares are classified as shares of Class B common stock, which shares will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described below adjacent to the caption “Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights.” |
| (4) | Comprised of 8,333,333 public warrants included in the units sold in this offering and 5,000,000 private placement warrants to be sold in a private placement. |
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| We are not registering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants at this time. However, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC, and 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 and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock until the warrants expire or are redeemed; provided that, 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 use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. | ||
| The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation; provided, however, that the private placement warrants issued to CA2 Co-Investment will not be exercisable more than five years after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8). On the exercise of any warrant, the warrant exercise price will be paid directly to us and not placed in the trust account. | ||
| Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 | Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding public warrants: |
| • | in whole and not in part; | ||
| • | at a price of $0.01 per warrant; | ||
| • | upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, which we refer to as the 30-day redemption period; and | ||
| • | if, and only if, the last reported sale price of our 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 we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. |
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|
We will not redeem the warrants for cash unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares of common stock is available throughout the 30-day redemption period, except if the warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
If we call the warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our stockholders of issuing the maximum number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of our warrants. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the lesser of (A) the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” of our Class A common stock (defined above) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value and (B) 0.361. Please see “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Stockholders’ Warrants” for additional information. | ||
| Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00 | Commencing ninety days after the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding public 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 on a cashless basis prior to redemption and receive that number of shares of Class A common stock determined by reference to the table set forth under “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Stockholders’ Warrants” based on the redemption date and the “fair market value” of our Class A common stock (as defined below) except as otherwise described in “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Stockholders’ Warrants”; | ||
| • | upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption; | ||
| • | if, and only if, the last reported sale price of our 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 we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders; and |
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| • | 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 available throughout the 30-day period after written notice of redemption is given. |
|
The “fair market value” of our Class A common stock shall mean the average last reported sale price of our Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. This redemption feature differs from the typical warrant redemption features used in many other blank check offerings. In no event will the warrants be exercisable in connection with this redemption feature for more than 0.361 shares of Class A common stock per warrant (subject to adjustment).
No fractional shares of Class A common stock will be issued upon redemption. If, upon redemption, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will round down to the nearest whole number of the number of shares of Class A common stock to be issued to the holder. Please see “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Stockholders’ Warrants” for additional information. | ||
| Pursuant to the warrant agreement, references above to Class A common stock shall include a security other than Class A common stock into which the Class A common stock has been converted or exchanged for in the event we are not the surviving company in our initial business combination. |
| Accounting for the public warrants and the private placement warrants | The public warrants that are to be issued in this offering and the private placement warrants that are to be issued concurrently with this offering will be accounted for outside of stockholders’ equity and included in our financial statements as a current liability measured at the estimated fair value of the total outstanding public warrants and private placement warrants. In addition, at each reporting period (1) the accounting treatment of the warrants will be re-evaluated for proper accounting treatment as a liability or equity and (2) the fair value of the liability of the public warrants and the private placement warrants will be remeasured and the change in the fair value of the liability will be recognized in our statement of operations. If the classification changes as a result of events during the period, the warrants will be reclassified as of the date of the event that causes the reclassification. |
| Election and removal of directors; voting rights | Prior to 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 the Class A common stock will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such time. In addition, prior to our initial business combination, 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. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended if approved by holders of a majority of at least 90% of the outstanding shares of our common stock voting at a stockholder meeting. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our stockholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rule, holders of our Class A common stock and holders of our Class B common stock will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote. |
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| Founder shares | On March 1, 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 7,187,500 founder shares for a capital contribution of $25,000. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares of common stock upon completion of this offering. On March 25, 2021, our sponsor sold 1,437,500 founder shares to CA2 Co-Investment and 25,000 to each of our independent director nominees, in each case at the original price per share. On May 6, 2021, CA2 Co-Investment sold 956,439 shares back to our sponsor at the original purchase price, resulting in our sponsor holding 6,631,439 founder shares and CA2 Co-Investment holding 481,061 founder shares. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by our initial stockholders, we had no assets, tangible or intangible. The per-share purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to us by the number of founder shares issued. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a stock dividend or share contribution back to capital or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of the outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering. Up to 937,500 founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our sponsors depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. If the over-allotment option is not fully exercised, our sponsor may forfeit up to 876,136 founder shares and CA2 Co-Investment may forfeit up to 61,364 founder shares. | |
| The founder shares are identical to the shares of Class A common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, except that: | ||
| • prior to 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; | ||
| • our initial stockholders, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive: (1) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them, as applicable, in connection with the completion of our initial business combination; (2) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any extended time that we have to consummate a business combination beyond 24 months as a result of a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (an “Extension Period”) (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame). If we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our initial stockholders, 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 our initial stockholders’ founder shares we would need 9,375,001, or 37.5% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), or an additional 1,562,501, or 6.3% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction, in order to have such initial business combination approved; |
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| • the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below; | ||
| • the founder shares are automatically convertible into shares of our Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described in more detail below; and | ||
| • the holders of the founder shares are entitled to registration rights. | ||
| The founder shares purchased by CA2 Co-Investment are deemed underwriters’ compensation by FINRA pursuant to Rule 5110 of the FINRA Manual. | ||
| Private placement warrants |
Our sponsors have committed, pursuant to written agreements, to purchase an aggregate of 5,000,000 placement warrants (or 5,500,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein, at a price of $1.50 per whole warrant ($7,500,000 or $8,250,000 in the aggregate if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Each whole private placement warrant is exercisable for one whole share of our Class A common stock at $11.50.
A portion of the purchase price of the private placement warrants will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account such that, at the time of closing, $250 million (or $287.5 million if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full) will be held in the trust account. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or following any Extension 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 (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the private placement warrants will expire worthless. The private placement warrants are identical to the public warrants, except that the private placement warrants (including the underlying securities) are subject to certain transfer restrictions and the holders thereof are entitled to certain registration rights, as described herein, and the underlying warrants: (1) will not be redeemable by us; (2) may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis; and (3) with respect to private placement warrants held by CA2 Co-Investment, will not be exercisable more than five years from the commencement of sales in this offering in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8). If the private placement warrants are held by holders other than the sponsors or their respective permitted transferees, then the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us in all redemption scenarios and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the public units. |
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The private placement warrants purchased by CA2 Co-Investment or its affiliates are deemed underwriters’ compensation by FINRA pursuant to Rule 5110 of the FINRA Manual. | ||
| Transfer restrictions on private placement warrants and underlying securities | The private placement warrants (including the warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans and the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except as described herein under “Principal Stockholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”). Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial stockholders with respect to such securities. | |
| Transfer restrictions on founder shares | Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any founder shares held by them until the earlier to occur of: (1) one year after the completion of our initial business combination; and (2) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property or (y) if the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination (except as described herein under “Principal Stockholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”). Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial stockholders with respect to any founder shares. |
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| Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights | The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts issued in this offering and related to the closing of our initial business combination, 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 outstanding shares of our Class B common stock agree to waive such anti-dilution adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the total number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon completion of this offering (not including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) plus all shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination (net of the number of shares of Class A common stock redeemed in connection with our initial business combination), excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in our initial business combination. | |
| Proceeds to be held in trust account |
The rules of the NYSE provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants be deposited in a trust account. Of the net proceeds we will receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, $250.0 million ($10.00 per unit), or $287.5 million ($10.00 per unit) if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, will be deposited into a segregated U.S.-based trust account at Morgan Stanley, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, after deducting $5,000,000 in underwriting discounts and commissions payable upon the closing of this offering (or $5,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) and an aggregate of $2.5 million to pay expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and for working capital following this offering. The proceeds to be placed in the trust account include $8,750,000 (or up to $10,062,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting commissions. The funds in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. Treasuries.
Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our taxes, if any, the funds held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of: (1) the completion of our initial business combination; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) the redemption of all of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could become subject to the claims of our creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of our public stockholders. |
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| Anticipated expenses and funding sources | Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, no proceeds held in the trust account will be available for our use, except the withdrawal of interest earned to pay taxes or to redeem our public shares in connection with an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as described above. The funds in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. Treasuries and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. Based upon current interest rates, we expect the trust account to generate approximately $750,000 of interest annually (assuming an interest rate of 0.3% per year). Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, we may pay our expenses only from: | |
• the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not held in the trust account, which will be approximately $1,900,000 after the payment of approximately $600,000 in expenses relating to this offering; and
• any loans or additional investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or any of their respective affiliates or other third parties, although they are under no obligation or other duty to loan funds to, or invest in, us, and provided that any such loans will not have any claim on the proceeds held in the trust account unless such proceeds are released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. If we complete our initial business combination, we expect to repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender at the time of the business combination. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants issued to our sponsors. | ||
| Conditions to completing our initial business combination | There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. The NYSE rules require that an initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if permitted, and excluding the deferred underwriting commissions). 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. |
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| 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. We will complete our initial business combination only if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the 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. If less than 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired by us is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test, provided that in the event that our initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses. | ||
| Permitted purchases and other transactions with respect to 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 sponsors, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective 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 or other duty to do so. There is no limit on the number of securities such persons may purchase, or any restriction on the price that they may pay. Any such price per share may be different than the amount per share a public stockholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. 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 sponsors, directors, officers, advisors or any of 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, such persons have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such purchases or other transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such purchases or other transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or public warrants in such transactions. Such persons will be subject to restrictions in making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Please see “Proposed Business — Permitted purchases and other transactions with respect to our securities” for a description of how such persons will determine from which stockholders to enter into transactions with. |
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| We will adopt an insider trading policy which will require insiders to: (1) refrain from purchasing securities during certain blackout periods and when they are in possession of any material non-public information; and (2) clear all trades with our legal counsel prior to execution. We cannot currently determine whether our insiders will make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan, as it will be dependent upon several factors, including but not limited to, the timing and size of such purchases. Depending on such circumstances, our insiders may either make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan or determine that such a plan is not necessary. | ||
| We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will be required to comply with such rules. Our sponsors, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates will be restricted from making purchases if such purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. | ||
| We expect that any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements. | ||
| 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. Any such transactions may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our shares of Class A common stock or warrants may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange. | ||
| Redemption rights for public stockholders upon completion of our initial business combination | We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest not previously released to us to pay our taxes (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share. The per share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. |
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| Manner of conducting redemptions | We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either: (1) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the business combination; or (2) by means of a tender offer. Except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction. Asset acquisitions and stock purchases would not typically require stockholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding common stock or seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation would typically require stockholder approval. We intend to conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless stockholder approval is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement or we choose to seek stockholder approval for business or other reasons. | |
| If a stockholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation: | ||
| • conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers; and | ||
| • file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies. | ||
| Upon the public announcement of our initial business combination, if we elect to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, we and our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase shares of our Class A common stock in the open market, in order to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act. | ||
In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public stockholders not tendering more than a specified number of public shares, which number will be based on the requirement that we may not redeem public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets, after payment of the deferred underwriting commissions, to be less than $5,000,001 following such redemptions, or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. If public stockholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete such initial business combination, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination (including, potentially, with the same target). |
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| If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, we will: | ||
| • conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules; and | ||
| • file proxy materials with the SEC. | ||
| We expect that a final proxy statement would be mailed to public stockholders at least 10 days prior to the stockholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such stockholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. Although we are not required to do so, we currently intend to comply with the substantive and procedural requirements of Regulation 14A in connection with any stockholder vote even if we are not able to maintain our NYSE listing or Exchange Act registration. | ||
| If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. Our initial stockholders, officers and directors will count towards this quorum and have agreed to vote any founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. We expect that at the time of any stockholder vote relating to our initial business combination, our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees will own at least 20% of our outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote thereon. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need 9,375,001, or 37.5% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), or an additional 1,562,501, or 6.3% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction, in order to have such initial business combination approved. These quorum and voting thresholds and agreements may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. |
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Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets, after payment of the deferred underwriting commissions, to be less than $5,000,001 following such redemptions. Redemptions of our public shares may also be subject to a higher net tangible asset test or cash requirement pursuant to an agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed business combination may require: (1) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners; (2) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes; or (3) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of 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 on such terms or redeem any shares, all shares of common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination (including, potentially, with the same target). | ||
| Tendering share certificates in connection with a tender offer or redemption rights | We may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve our initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, rather than simply voting against the initial business combination. The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements, which will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. | |
| Limitation on redemption rights of stockholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold stockholder vote | Notwithstanding the foregoing redemption rights, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation 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 this offering, without our prior consent. We believe the restriction described above will discourage stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to redeem their shares as a means to force us or our sponsors or their affiliates to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public stockholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights against a business combination if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our sponsors or their affiliates at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our stockholders’ ability to redeem to no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including all shares held by those stockholders that hold more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering) for or against our initial business combination. |
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| Redemption rights in connection with proposed amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation | Some other blank check companies have a provision in their charter which prohibits the amendment of certain charter provisions. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that any of its provisions (other than amendments relating to the appointment or removal of directors prior to our initial business combination, which require the approval of holders of a majority of at least 90% of the outstanding shares of our common stock voting at a stockholder meeting) related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances and to provide redemption rights to public stockholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our outstanding common stock, 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. Unless specified in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our stockholders, and, prior to our initial business combination, the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our Class B common stock is required to approve the election or removal of directors. Prior to an initial business combination, we may not issue additional securities that can vote pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation on any initial business combination or any amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Our initial stockholders, who will beneficially own approximately 21.8% of our common stock upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), may participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they may choose. Our sponsors, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement shares and public shares held by them in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial stockholders with respect to any founder shares and private placement shares. |
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| Release of funds in trust account on closing of our initial business combination | On the completion of our initial business combination, all amounts held in the trust account will be disbursed directly by the trustee or released to us to pay amounts due to any public stockholders who properly exercise their redemption rights as described above under “Redemption rights for public stockholders upon completion of our initial business combination,” to pay the underwriters their deferred underwriting commissions of $8,750,000 (or up to $10,062,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), to pay all or a portion of the consideration payable to the target or owners of the target of our initial business combination and to pay other expenses associated with our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemption of our public shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other businesses or for working capital. | |
| Redemption of public shares and distribution and liquidation if no initial business combination | Our sponsors, officers and directors have agreed that we will have only 24 months from the closing of this offering to complete our initial business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such 24-month period or during any Extension Period, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable, and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within such period. |
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| Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares and private placement shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period. However, if our sponsors or any of our officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates then hold any public shares, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time frame to complete our initial business combination. | ||
The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commission held in the trust account in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the funds held in the trust account that will be available to fund the redemption of our public shares. | ||
| Our sponsors, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. However, we may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 following such redemptions. | ||
| Limited payments to insiders | There will be no finder’s fees, reimbursements or cash payments made by us to our sponsors, officers or directors or our or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, other than the following payments, none of which will be made from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination |
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| • repayment of an aggregate of up to $200,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses; | ||
| • payment to an affiliate of our sponsor of a total of $20,000 per month, for up to 24 months, for office space, administrative and support services; | ||
| • reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination; | ||
| • payment to the underwriters, including Cowen and Company, LLC, an affiliate of one of our sponsors, of their underwriting discount of $5,000,000 (or up to $5,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full), deferred underwriting commissions of $8,750,000 (or $10,062,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) payable upon the closing of our initial business combination, and fees for any financial advisory, placement agency or other similar investment banking services that they or their affiliates may provide to our company in the future, and reimbursement of the underwriters for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by it in connection with the performance of such services; and | ||
| • repayment of loans which may be made by our sponsors, an affiliate of our sponsors or our officers and directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, the terms of which have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. | ||
| These payments may be funded using the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not held in the trust account or, upon completion of the initial business combination, from any amounts remaining from the proceeds of the trust account released to us in connection therewith. | ||
| Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, officers or directors or our or any of their respective affiliates. | ||
| Audit Committee | Prior to the effectiveness of this registration statement, we will have established and will maintain an audit committee to, among other things, monitor compliance with the terms described above and the other terms relating to this offering. If any noncompliance is identified, then the audit committee will be charged with the responsibility to promptly take all action necessary to rectify such noncompliance or otherwise to cause compliance with the terms of this offering. Please see “Management — Committees of the Board of Directors — Audit Committee” for additional information. |
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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, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities, including Concord I and Concord II, pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. These entities, including Concord I and Concord II, may compete with us for acquisition opportunities. If these entities decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing such opportunities. 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. If any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, he or she may honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, including Concord I and Concord II, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us. Although we have no formal policy in place for vetting potential conflicts of interest, our board of directors will review any potential conflicts of interest on a case-by-case basis. For more information, see the section entitled “Management — Conflicts of Interest.” We do not believe, however, that (aside from Concord I and Concord II) the fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue. | |
| Indemnity | 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 a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below: (1) $10.00 per public share; or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor, 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 and, therefore, our sponsor may not be able to satisfy those obligations. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such obligations. |
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RISKS FACTORS SUMMARY
In making your decision on whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account the special risks we face as a blank check company, as well as the fact that this offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act, and, therefore, you will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings For additional information concerning how Rule 419 blank check offerings differ from this offering, please see “Proposed Business — Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.” In addition, our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those highlighted in the section titled “Risk Factors,” that represent challenges that we face in connection with the successful implementation of our strategy. The occurrence of one or more of the events or circumstances described in the section titled “Risk Factors,” alone or in combination with other events or circumstances, may adversely affect our ability to effect a business combination, and may have an adverse effect on our business, cash flows, financial condition and results of operations. Such risks include, but are not limited to:
| • | we are a newly formed company with no operating history; |
| • | our ability to continue as a “going concern”; |
| • | delay in receiving distributions from the trust account; |
| • | lack of opportunity to vote on our proposed business combination; |
| • | lack of protections normally afforded to investors of blank check companies; |
| • | deviation from acquisition criteria; |
| • | issuance of additional equity and/or debt securities to complete a business combination, which would dilute the interest of our stockholders; |
| • | third-party claims reducing the per-share redemption price; |
| • | negative rate of interest for securities in which we invest the funds held in the trust account, which could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders may be reduced; |
| • | failure to enforce our sponsor’s indemnification obligations; |
| • | holders of warrants could be limited to exercising warrants only on a “cashless basis” if we do not file and maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants; |
| • | the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company; |
| • | ability to successfully effect a business combination and to be successful thereafter, which will be totally dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel; |
| • | conflicts of interest of our officers and directors in determining whether a particular target business is appropriate for a business combination; |
| • | the delisting of our securities by the NYSE; |
| • | ability of our stockholders to conduct conversions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules; |
| • | non-comparable performance against other public companies; |
| • | ability to only complete one business combination, causing dependence on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services; |
| • | our competitors may have advantages over us in seeking business combinations due to our structure; |
| • | ability to obtain additional financing, if required, to complete a business combination or to fund the operations and growth of the target business; |
| • | our initial stockholders controlling a substantial interest in us and may influence certain actions requiring a stockholder vote; |
| • | immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our shares of common stock; |
| • | outstanding warrants could have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock; |
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| • | disadvantageous timing for redeeming unexpired warrants; |
| • | the exercise of registration rights by our security holders may have an adverse effect on the market price of our shares of common stock; |
| • | the requirement to complete an initial business combination within 24 months may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination; |
| • | the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the status of debt and equity markets; |
| • | resources spent researching acquisitions that are not consummated; |
| • | there is currently no market for our securities and a market for our securities may not develop; |
| • | changes in laws or regulations, or our failure to comply with any laws and regulations; |
| • | cyber incidents or attacks directed at us, resulting in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss; and |
| • | uncertain or adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences. |
You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 33 of this prospectus.
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SUMMARY FINANCIAL DATA
The following table summarizes the relevant financial data for our business and should be read with our financial statements, which are included in this prospectus. We have not had any significant operations to date, so only balance sheet data is presented.
| March 31, 2021 | ||||||||
| Actual | As Adjusted | |||||||
| Balance Sheet Data: | ||||||||
| Working capital (deficiency) (1) | $ | (99,512 | ) | $ | 243,174,527 | |||
| Total assets (2) | $ | 149,047 | $ | 251,924,527 | ||||
| Total liabilities(3) | $ | 124,520 | $ | 28,156,333 | ||||
| Value of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption (4) | $ | - | $ | 218,768,190 | ||||
| Stockholders’ equity (5) | $ | 24,527 | $ | 5,000,004 | ||||
| (1) | The “as adjusted” calculation includes $250,000,000 cash held in trust from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, plus $1,900,000 of cash held outside the trust account, plus $24,527 of actual stockholder’s equity at March 31, 2021 less $8,750,000 of deferred underwriting commissions . |
| (2) | The “as adjusted” calculation includes $250,000,000 cash held in trust from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of private placement warrants, plus $1,900,000 of cash held outside the trust account plus $24,527 of actual stockholder’s equity at March 31, 2021. |
| (3) | The “as adjusted” calculation equals $8,750,000 of deferred underwriting commissions plus $19,406,333 of warrant liability, assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised. |
| (4) | The “as adjusted” calculation equals the “as adjusted” total assets, less the “as adjusted” total liabilities, less the “as adjusted” shareholder’s equity, which is set to approximate the minimum net tangible assets threshold of at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination. |
| (5) | Excludes 21,876,819 shares of common stock purchased in the public market which are subject to conversion in connection with our initial business combination. The “as adjusted” calculation equals the “as adjusted” total assets, less the “as adjusted” total liabilities, less the value of shares of common stock that may be converted in connection with our initial business combination ($10.00 per share). |
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An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this prospectus, before making a decision to invest in our units. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
RISKS RELATING TO OUR SEARCH FOR, AND CONSUMMATION OF OR INABILITY TO CONSUMMATE, A BUSINESS COMBINATION
Our public 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. For instance, the NYSE rules currently allow us to engage in a tender offer in lieu of a stockholder meeting but would still require us to obtain stockholder approval if we were seeking to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares to a target business as consideration in any business combination. Therefore, if we were structuring a business combination that required us to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares, we would seek stockholder approval of such business combination. However, except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction. Accordingly, we may consummate our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our outstanding public shares do not approve of the business combination we consummate. Please see “Proposed Business — Stockholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination” for additional information.
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 such business combination.
At the time of your investment in us, you will not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of any target businesses. Additionally, 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 within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our public stockholders in which we describe our initial business combination.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsors, officers and directors have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public stockholders vote.
Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree) to vote any founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need 9,375,001, or 37.5% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), or an additional 1,562,501, or 6.3% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction, in order to have such initial business combination approved. We expect that our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees will own at least 20.0% of our outstanding shares of common stock at the time of any such stockholder vote. 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 initial stockholders and their permitted transferees agreed to vote their founder shares and private placement shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by our public stockholders.
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The ability of our public stockholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.
We may seek to enter into a business combination transaction agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the business combination. 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 and such amount of deferred underwriting discount is not available for us to use as consideration in an initial business combination. Furthermore, in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets, after payment of the deferred underwriting commissions, to be less than $5,000,001 following such redemptions, 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 or such greater amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination (including, potentially, with the same target). Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with us. If we are able to consummate an initial business combination, 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 may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
At the time we enter into an agreement for our initial business combination, we will not know how many stockholders may exercise their redemption rights and, therefore, we 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. In addition, the amount of the deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriters will not be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with an initial business combination. The per share amount we will distribute to stockholders who properly exercise their redemption rights will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commission and after such redemptions, the amount held in trust will continue to reflect our obligation to pay the entire deferred underwriting commissions. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure.
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 increases. 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 business combination targets, in particular as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our stockholders.
Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete our initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the end of the timeframe described above. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.
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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 receive only $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our sponsors, officers and directors have agreed that we must complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering. We may not be able to find a suitable target business 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. For example, the outbreak of COVID-19 continues to grow both in the U.S. and globally and, while the extent of the impact of the outbreak on us will depend on future developments, it could limit our ability to complete our initial business combination, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if continued concerns relating to COVID-19 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. Additionally, the outbreak of COVID-19 may negatively impact businesses we may seek to acquire. It may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section, such as those related to the market for our securities and cross-border transactions.
If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period or during any Extension Period, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable, and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such case, our public stockholders may receive only $10.00 per share, or less than $10.00 per share, on the redemption of their shares, and our warrants will expire worthless. Please 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 $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.
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 in Wuhan, China, which has and is continuing to spread throughout China and other parts of the world, including the United States. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.” On January 31, 2020, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II declared a public health emergency for the United States to aid the U.S. healthcare community in responding to COVID-19, and on March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization characterized the outbreak as a “pandemic”. The COVID-19 outbreak has adversely affected, and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) that could adversely affect, the economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we seek to consummate, or consummate, a business combination could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if continued concerns relating to COVID-19 continues to restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target company’s personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected.
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In addition, our ability to consummate a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by COVID-19 and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases), including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity in third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all.
Finally, the outbreak of COVID-19 may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section, such as those related to the market for our securities and cross-border transactions.
As the number of special purpose acquisition companies evaluating targets increases, attractive targets may become scarcer and there may be more competition for attractive targets. This could increase the cost of our initial business combination and could even result in our inability to find a target or to consummate an initial business combination.
In recent years, the number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially. Many potential targets for special purpose acquisition companies have already entered into an initial business combination, and there are still many special purpose acquisition companies seeking targets for their initial business combination, as well as many such companies currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available, and it may require more time, more effort and more resources to identify a suitable target and to consummate an initial business combination.
In addition, because there are more special purpose acquisition companies seeking to enter into an initial business combination with available targets, the competition for available targets with attractive fundamentals or business models may increase, which could cause target companies to demand improved financial terms. Attractive deals could also become scarcer for other reasons, such as economic or industry sector downturns, geopolitical tensions, or increases in the cost of additional capital needed to close business combinations or operate targets post-business combination. This could increase the cost of, delay or otherwise complicate or frustrate our ability to find and consummate an initial business combination, and may result in our inability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors altogether.
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. The premiums charged for such policies have generally increased and the terms of such policies have generally become less favorable. There can be no assurance that these trends will not continue.
The increased cost and decreased availability of directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate an initial business combination. In order to obtain directors and officers liability insurance or modify its coverage as a result of becoming a public company, the post-business combination entity might need to incur greater expense, accept less favorable terms or both. However, any failure to obtain adequate directors and officers liability insurance could have an adverse impact on the post-business combination’s ability to attract and retain qualified officers and directors.
In addition, even after we were to complete an initial business combination, our directors and officers could still be subject to potential liability from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to the initial business combination. As a result, in order to protect our directors and officers, the post-business combination entity will likely 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.
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We may issue our shares to investors in connection with our initial business combination at a price which is less than the prevailing market price of our shares at that time.
In connection with our initial business combination, we may issue shares to investors in private placement transactions (so-called PIPE transactions) at a price of $10.00 per share or which approximates the per-share amounts in our trust account at such time, which is generally approximately $10.00. A purpose of such issuances may be to enable us to provide sufficient liquidity to the post-business combination entity. The price of the shares we issue may therefore be less, and potentially significantly less, than the market price for our shares at such time.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsors, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may enter into certain transactions, including purchasing shares or warrants from the public, which may influence the outcome of our 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 sponsors, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective 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 or other duty to do so. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such public 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 sponsors, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates purchase public shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling public stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. The price per share paid in any such transaction may be different than the amount per share a public stockholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. 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 sponsors, directors, officers, advisors or any of 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, such persons have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. Please see “Proposed Business — Permitted purchases and other transactions with respect to our securities” for a description of how such persons will determine from which stockholders to enter into transactions with. 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. Any such transactions may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A common stock or warrants and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, possibly making it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
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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 $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on our redemption of their stock, 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, including Concord I and Concord II. 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 will be numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. Our sponsors or any of its affiliates may make additional investments in us, although our sponsors and its affiliates have no obligation or other duty to do so. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. 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 target businesses. Any of these factors 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 $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. Please 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 $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.
If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination and we will depend on loans from our sponsor or management team to fund our search, to pay our taxes and to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to obtain such loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.
Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, only approximately $1,900,000 will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $600,000, we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $600,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount. If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, management team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate. Neither our sponsor, members of our management team nor any of their respective affiliates is under any obligation or other duty to loan funds to, or invest in, us in such circumstances. Any such loans may be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. In such case, our public stockholders may receive only $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless. Please 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 $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.
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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 $10.00 per share.
Our placing of funds in the trust account may not protect those funds from third-party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain 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. Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third-party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where we are unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we 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 $10.00 per share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors.
Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below: (1) $10.00 per public share; or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor, 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. Our sponsor may not have sufficient funds available to satisfy those obligations. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such obligations, and therefore, no funds are currently set aside to cover any such obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
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: (1) $10.00 per public share; or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay 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 in certain instances. For example, the cost of such legal action may be deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or the independent directors may 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 $10.00 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 the members of our board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims of punitive damages.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public 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 public stockholders in connection with our liquidation would 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. |
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.
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We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee is not permitted to invest in other securities or assets. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, and by having a business plan targeted at acquiring and growing businesses for the long term (rather than on buying and selling businesses in the manner of a merchant bank or private equity fund), we intend to avoid being deemed an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. This offering is not intended for persons who are seeking a return on investments in government securities or investment securities. The trust account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of our primary business objective, which is a business combination; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision 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. 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 consummate our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. Please 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 $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.
Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.
We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we will be required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.
If the funds not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 24 months following the closing of this offering, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.
The funds available to us outside of the trust account may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 24 months following the closing of this offering, assuming that our initial business combination is not completed during that time. We expect to incur significant costs in pursuit of our acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through this offering and potential loans from certain of our affiliates are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” However, our affiliates are not obligated to make loans to us in the future, and we may not be able to raise additional financing from unaffiliated parties necessary to fund our expenses. Any such event in the future may negatively impact the analysis regarding our ability to continue as a going concern at such time.
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We believe that, upon the closing of this offering, the funds available to us outside of the trust account will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 24 months following the closing of this offering; however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. Of the funds available to us, we could use a portion of the funds available to us to pay commitment fees for financing, fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business or as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision in letters of intent or merger agreements designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into an agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a prospective target business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. Please 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 $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.
Our stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, or 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 24th month from the closing of this 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.
Because we do not intend to comply 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, consultants, 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 we consummate our initial business combination and you will not be entitled to any of the corporate protections provided by such a meeting.
We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after we consummate our initial business combination (unless required by the NYSE) and thus may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the DGCL, which requires an annual meeting of stockholders be held for the purposes of electing directors in accordance with a company’s bylaws unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to our 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.
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Because we are neither limited to evaluating target businesses in 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’s operations.
We may seek to complete a business combination with an operating company in any industry, sector or geographic area. However, we will not, under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, be permitted to effectuate 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 sales or earnings, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable or a development stage entity. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors or that we will have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a business combination target. Accordingly, any 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 stockholders or warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
We may seek acquisition opportunities in acquisition targets that may be outside of our management’s areas of expertise.
Although we expect to focus our search for a target business in the financial services and financial technology industries, we will consider a business combination outside of our management’s areas of expertise if such business combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive acquisition opportunity for our company. In the event we elect to pursue an acquisition outside of the areas of our management’s expertise, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained in this prospectus regarding the areas of our management’s expertise would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire. As a result, our management may not be able to adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors relevant to such acquisition. Accordingly, any 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 stockholders or warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these criteria and guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of 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 rules, 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 $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
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We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from an independent accounting firm regarding fairness. Consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Unless we complete our initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm that the price we are paying is fair to our company from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our 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 tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
Resources could be wasted in researching acquisitions that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial 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 $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. Please 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 $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.
We may engage in a business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our sponsors, officers or directors which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In light of the involvement of our sponsors, officers and directors with other businesses, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with or competitive with our sponsors, officers and directors, and their respective affiliates. Our directors also serve as officers and/or board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under “Management — Conflicts of Interest.” Such entities, including Concord I and Concord II, may compete with us for business combination opportunities. Our sponsors, officers and directors are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to complete our initial business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, and there have been no substantive discussions concerning a business combination with any such entity or entities. Although we will not be specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria for a business combination as set forth in “Proposed Business — Selection of a target business and structuring of our initial business combination” and such transaction was approved by a majority of our independent and disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm, regarding the fairness to our company from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the business combination may not be as advantageous to our public stockholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.
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Moreover, we may, at our option, pursue an affiliated joint acquisition opportunity with our sponsors or their respective affiliates or with other entities to which an officer or director has a fiduciary, contractual or other obligation or duty. Any such parties may co-invest with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the acquisition by making a future issuance of securities to any such parties, which may give rise to certain conflicts of interest.
Our initial stockholders paid an aggregate of $25,000 for the founder shares, or approximately $0.003 per founder share. As a result of this low initial price, our initial stockholders stand to make a substantial profit even if an initial business combination subsequently declines in value or is unprofitable for our public stockholders.
As a result of the low acquisition cost of our founder shares, our initial stockholders could make a substantial profit even if we select and consummate an initial business combination with an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value or is unprofitable for our public stockholders. Thus, or sponsors, directors and officers may have more of an economic incentive for us to enter into an initial business combination with a riskier, weaker-performing or financially unstable business, or an entity lacking an established record of revenues or earnings, than would be the case if our initial stockholders had paid the full offering price for their founder shares.
Since our initial stockholders will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed (other than with respect to any public shares they may hold), a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
On March 1, 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 7,187,500 founder shares for a capital contribution of $25,000. On March 25, 2021, our sponsor sold 1,437,500 founder shares to CA2 Co-Investment and 25,000 to each of our independent director nominees, in each case at the original price per share. On May 6, 2021, CA2 Co-Investment sold 956,439 shares back to our sponsor at the original purchase price, resulting in our sponsor holding 6,631,439 founder shares and CA2 Co-Investment holding 481,061 founder shares. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares of common stock upon the completion of this offering (not including the shares of Class A common stock underlying the private placement warrants). If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a stock dividend or share contribution back to capital or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of the outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering (not including the shares of Class A common stock underlying the private placement warrants).
Our initial stockholders have waived their rights to redeem the founder shares or to receive distributions from the trust account with respect to the founder shares upon our liquidation if we are unable to complete a business combination. Accordingly, the founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. Our initial stockholders acquired the founder shares for approximately $0.003 per share and we are offering units at a price of $10.00 per unit in this offering; as a result, our initial stockholders could make a substantial profit after our initial business combination even if public stockholders experience substantial losses and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination.
In addition, our sponsors have committed to purchase an aggregate of 5,000,000 (or 5,500,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) private placement warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant, for an aggregate purchase price of $7,500,000 (or $8,250,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), that will also be worthless if we do not complete our initial business combination.
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.
Although we have no commitments as of the date of this prospectus to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt following this offering, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our initial business combination. We have agreed that we will not incur any indebtedness unless we have obtained from the lender a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any 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; |
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| · | using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our common stock if declared, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes; |
| · | limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate; |
| · | increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and |
| · | limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt. |
We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may materially negatively impact our operations and profitability.
The proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will provide us with $251,900,000 assuming no redemptions (or $289,400,000 assuming no redemptions if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), that we may use to complete our initial business combination (which includes $8,750,000, or up to $10,062,500 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, for the payment of the deferred underwriting commissions), after estimated offering expenses of $600,000 (and prior to any post-IPO working capital expenses).
We may effectuate our initial business combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously or within a short period of time. However, we may not be able to effectuate our initial business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:
| · | solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset; or |
| · | dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services. |
This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our initial business combination.
We may attempt to simultaneously 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.
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We may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In pursuing our acquisition strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. 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 seek acquisition opportunities with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue or earnings, which could subject us to volatile revenues or earnings, intense competition and difficulties in obtaining and 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 sales or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include investing in a business without a proven business model and with limited historical financial data, volatile revenues or earnings, intense competition and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. 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 do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete our initial business combination with which a substantial majority of our stockholders do not agree.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold, except that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets, after payment of the deferred underwriting commissions, to be less than $5,000,001 following such redemptions, or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. As a result, we may be able to complete our initial business combination even though a substantial majority of our public stockholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our sponsors, officers, directors, advisors or any of their respective affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of 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 common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination (including, potentially, with the same target).
In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or governing instruments, including our warrant agreement, in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination that some of our stockholders or warrant holders may not support.
In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds, extended the time to consummate an initial business combination and, with respect to their warrants, amended their warrant agreements to require the warrants to be exchanged for cash and/or other securities. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our charter or governing instruments or extend the time to consummate an initial business combination in order to effectuate our initial business combination. To the extent any such amendment would be deemed to fundamentally change the nature of any of the securities offered through the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we would register, or seek an exemption from registration for, the affected securities.
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Certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that relate to our pre-business combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account) may be amended with the approval of holders of at least 65% of our outstanding common stock, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other blank check companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our stockholders may not support.
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 amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that any of its provisions (other than amendments relating to the appointment or removal of directors prior to our initial business combination, which require the approval by holders of a majority of at least 90% of the outstanding shares of our common stock voting at a stockholder meeting) related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances and to provide redemption rights to public stockholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our outstanding common stock, 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. Unless specified in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our stockholders, and, prior to our initial business combination, the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our Class B common stock is required to approve the election or removal of directors. We may not issue additional securities that can vote pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation on any initial business combination or any amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Our initial stockholders, who will beneficially own 20.0% of our common stock upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), may participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation which 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 sponsors, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Class A common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. These agreements are contained in a letter agreement that we have entered into with our sponsors, officers and directors. Our public 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 sponsors, 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.
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We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination.
Although we believe that the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will be sufficient to allow us to complete our initial business combination, because we have not yet selected any target business we cannot ascertain the capital requirements for any particular transaction. If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants prove to be insufficient, either because of the size of our initial business combination, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to redeem for cash a significant number of shares from stockholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial business combination, we may be required to seek additional financing or to abandon the proposed business combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. None of our sponsors or their affiliates are obligated to provide, or seek, any such financing or, except as expressly set forth herein, to provide any other services to us. 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 receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our initial stockholders will control the election of our board of directors until consummation of our initial business combination and will hold a substantial interest in us. As a result, they will elect all of our directors prior to our initial business combination and may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Upon the closing of this offering, our initial stockholders will own 20.0% of our outstanding common stock (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). 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 amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended by holders of a majority of at least 90% of the outstanding shares of our common stock voting at a stockholder meeting. As a result, you will not have any influence over the election of directors prior to our initial business combination.
Neither our initial stockholders nor, to our knowledge, any of our officers or directors, have any current intention to purchase additional securities, other than as disclosed in this prospectus. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A common stock. In addition, as a result of their substantial ownership in our company, our initial stockholders may exert a substantial influence on other actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and approval of major corporate transactions. If our initial stockholders purchase any additional shares of common stock in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their influence over these actions. Accordingly, our initial stockholders will exert significant influence over actions requiring a stockholder vote. Please see “Proposed Business — Permitted purchases and other transactions with respect to our securities.”
Because we must furnish our stockholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective target businesses.
The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on a business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, 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.
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Compliance obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may make it more difficult for us to effectuate our initial business combination, require substantial financial and management resources, and increase the time and costs of completing an acquisition.
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2022. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because a target business with which we seek to complete our initial business combination may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls.
The development of the internal control of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.
RISKS RELATING TO THE POST-BUSINESS COMBINATION COMPANY
Subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination, we may be required to subsequently 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 identify 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 stockholders or warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may effect our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company.
When evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’s management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target’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 stockholders or warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
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The officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an acquisition candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place. As a result, we may need to reconstitute the management team of the post-transaction company in connection with our initial business combination, which may adversely impact our ability to complete an acquisition in a timely manner or at all.
The officers and directors of a target business may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The loss of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
The role of a target business’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of a target business’s management team will remain associated with the target business following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of a target business will not wish to remain in place.
Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination. We cannot provide assurance that, upon loss of control of a target business, new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.
We may structure our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public 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 us not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. We will not consider any transaction that does not meet such criteria. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target, our 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.
Certain agreements related to this offering may be amended without stockholder approval.
Certain agreements, including the letter agreement among us and our sponsors, officers and directors, and the registration rights agreement among us and our initial stockholders, may be amended without stockholder approval. These agreements contain various provisions, including transfer restrictions on our founder shares and private placement warrants and the securities included therein, that our public stockholders might deem to be material. While we do not expect our board of directors to approve any amendment to any of these agreements prior to our initial business combination, it may be possible that our board of directors, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to any such agreement in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Any such amendments would not require approval from our stockholders, may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible, and may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities.
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RISKS RELATING TO ACQUIRING OR OPERATING A BUSINESS IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES
If our management team pursues a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we may face additional burdens in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing such combination, and if we effect such initial business combination, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
If our management team pursues a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we would be subject to risks associated with cross-border business combinations, including in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing our initial business combination, conducting due diligence in a foreign market, having such transaction approved by any local governments, regulators or agencies and changes in the purchase price based on fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.
If we effect our initial business combination with such a company, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international setting, including any of the following:
| · | costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations and complying with 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; |
| · | changes in local regulations as part of a response to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak; |
| · | tax consequences; |
| · | currency fluctuations and exchange controls; |
| · | rates of inflation; |
| · | challenges in collecting accounts receivable; |
| · | 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; |
| · | obligatory military service by personnel; and |
| · | government appropriation of assets. |
We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, we may be unable to complete such combination or, if we complete such combination, our operations might suffer, either of which may adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.
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If our management following our initial business combination is unfamiliar with U.S. securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws, which could lead to various regulatory issues.
Following our initial business combination, any or all of our management could resign from their positions as officers of the post-business combination company, and the management of the target business at the time of the business combination could remain in place. Management of the target business may not be familiar with U.S. securities laws. If new management is unfamiliar with U.S. securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.
RISKS RELATING TO OUR MANAGEMENT TEAM
Past performance by members of 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, members of our management team and their respective affiliates, including Atlas Merchant Capital, is presented for informational purposes only. Any past experience and performance, including related to acquisitions, of members of our management team and their respective affiliates is not a guarantee either: (1) that we will be able to successfully identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination; or (2) of any results with respect to any initial business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team’s or their affiliates’ performance, including that of Atlas Merchant Capital, as indicative of the future performance of an investment in us or the returns we will, or are likely to, generate going forward. An investment in us is not an investment in Atlas Merchant Capital or any of its funds. Our management has no experience in operating special purpose acquisition companies.
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 determining to which entity a particular business opportunity or other transaction should be presented.
Following the completion of this offering and until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Our sponsor and officers and directors are, or may in the future become, affiliated with entities (such as operating companies or investment vehicles) that are engaged in a similar business. In addition, our executive officers and directors also serve as executive officers and directors of Concord II, a blank check company that is in the process of completing its initial public offering as of the date of this prospectus and may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target.
We do not have employment contracts with our officers and directors that will limit their ability to work at other businesses. In addition, our officers and directors may become an officer or director of any other special purpose acquisition company with a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act even if we have not yet entered into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination. As a result, our officers or directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved.
As described in “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities, including Concord I and Concord II, pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. These entities, including Concord I and Concord II, may compete with us for acquisition opportunities. If these entities decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing such opportunities. 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. If any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, he or she may honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, including Concord I and Concord II, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.
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Please see “Management — Directors, Director Nominees and Executive Officers,” “Management — Conflicts of Interest” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions” for a discussion of our officers’ and directors’ business affiliations and potential conflicts of interest.
We may not have sufficient funds to satisfy indemnification claims of our directors and executive officers.
We have agreed to indemnify our directors and executive officers to the fullest extent permitted by law. However, our directors and executive officers have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account and to not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will be able to be satisfied by us only if: (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination. Our obligation to indemnify our directors and executive officers may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against our directors, directors and executive officers for breach of their fiduciary duties. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our directors and executive officers, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. Furthermore, a stockholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our directors and executive officers pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
Our officers, directors and sponsor are from time to time involved in other business ventures unrelated to our business but which may generate business or legal disputes with investors and others unrelated to our company, and these disputes may distract our management from operating our company and/or result in adverse publicity that could be harmful.
Our officers, directors and sponsor are involved in a number of other businesses that are unrelated to our company. The operation of these other businesses from time to time may generate business or legal disputes involving investors or other parties. These disputes could involve allegations of mismanagement or fraud that could become public and result in adverse publicity for the parties involved. Any such disputes also could distract the member of our management involved in the dispute from time that might otherwise be spent in the operation of our company. Any adverse publicity generated as a result of such a dispute, although unrelated to our business, could nevertheless be detrimental to our management team’s reputation and negatively affect our ability to identify and complete an initial business combination. This could, in turn, have a material and adverse effect on the price of our securities.
We are dependent upon our officers and directors 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 officers and directors, 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. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or officers could have a detrimental effect on us.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. The role of our key personnel in the target business, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel may remain with the target business in senior management or advisory positions following our initial business combination, we do not currently expect that any of them will do so. 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.
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In addition, the officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an acquisition candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination, and a particular business combination may be conditioned on the retention or resignation of such key personnel. These agreements may cause our key personnel to have conflicts of interest in determining whether to proceed with a particular business combination. However, we do not expect that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination.
Our key personnel may be able to remain with our company after the completion of our initial business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to us after the completion of the business combination. Such negotiations also could make such key personnel’s retention or resignation a condition to any such agreement. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business. 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, as we do not expect that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with us will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
Our officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Our officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for a business combination and their other responsibilities. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our business combination. Each of our officers and directors is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he or she may be entitled to substantial compensation and our officers and directors are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. Our independent directors also serve as officers and/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. Please see “Management — Directors, Director Nominees and Executive Officers” for a discussion of our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs.
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 sponsors, directors or officers. 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.
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RISKS RELATING TO OUR SECURITIES
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, we may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer or proxy materials documents mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. In the event that a stockholder fails to comply with these procedures, its shares may not be redeemed. Please see “Proposed Business — Tendering stock certificates in connection with a tender offer or redemption rights.”
You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. 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: (1) 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; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) the redemption of all of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In addition, if we have not completed an initial business combination within the required 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 or to 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.
The NYSE may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
We intend to apply to have our units listed on the NYSE on or promptly after the date of this prospectus and our Class A common stock and warrants on or promptly after their date of separation. Although after giving effect to this offering we expect to meet the minimum initial listing standards set forth in the NYSE listing standards, we cannot assure you that our securities will be, or will continue to be, listed on the NYSE in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on the NYSE prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and stock price levels. In general, we must maintain a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 300 public stockholders). Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with the NYSE’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than the NYSE’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on the NYSE. For instance, in order for our Class A common stock to be listed upon the consummation of our initial business combination, at such time, our stock price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share, our global market capitalization would be required to be at least $200,000,000, the aggregate market value of publicly-held shares would be required to be at least $100,000,000 and we would be required to have at least 400 round lot holders. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.
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If the NYSE delists any of our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list such securities on another national securities exchange, we expect such securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:
| · | 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 preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because we expect that our units and eventually our Class A common stock and warrants will be listed on the NYSE, our units, Class A common stock and warrants will qualify as covered securities under such statute. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of covered securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the State of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on the NYSE, our securities would not qualify as covered securities under such statute and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
Since the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants are intended to be used to complete an initial business combination with a target business that has not been selected, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the U.S. securities laws. However, because we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the successful completion of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants and will file a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet of our company demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means our units will be immediately tradable and we will have a longer period of time to complete our initial business combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, if this offering were subject to Rule 419, that rule would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us unless and until the funds in the trust account were released to us in connection with our completion of our initial business combination. Please see “Proposed Business — Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419” for a more detailed comparison of our offering to offerings that comply with Rule 419.
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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 amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares,” without our prior consent. However, our amended and restated 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.
We are not registering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time, and such registration may not be in place when an investor desires to exercise warrants, thus precluding such investor from being able to exercise its warrants except on a “cashless basis” and potentially causing such warrants to expire worthless.
We are not registering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time. However, under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC, 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 and to maintain 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, in which case, the number of Class A ordinary shares that you will receive upon cashless exercise will be based on a formula subject to a maximum amount of shares equal to 0.361 shares of Class A common stock per warrant (subject to adjustment). 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 use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities laws and no exemption is available. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant 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 included as part of units sold in this offering. In such an instance, our sponsors and their permitted transferees (which may include our directors and officers) would be able to exercise their warrants and sell the shares of Class A common stock underlying their warrants while holders of our public warrants would not be able to exercise their warrants and sell the underlying shares of Class A 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 warrants even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise their warrants.
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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 if, among other things, the last reported sales price of our 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 we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. 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 to: (1) exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so; (2) sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants; or (3) 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, we have the ability to redeem outstanding warrants commencing ninety days after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.10 per warrant if, among other things, the last reported sale price of our 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 we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. In such a case, the holders will be able to exercise their warrants for cash or on a cashless basis prior to redemption and receive that number of shares of Class A common stock determined by reference to the table set forth under “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Stockholders’ Warrants” based on the redemption date and the “fair market value” of our Class A common stock (as defined below) except as otherwise described in “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Stockholders’ Warrants.” The value received upon exercise of the warrants (1) may be less than the value the holders would have received if they had exercised their warrants at a later time where the underlying share price is higher and (2) may not compensate the holders for the value of the warrants, including because the number of ordinary shares received is capped at 0.361 shares of Class A common stock per warrant (subject to adjustment) irrespective of the remaining life of the warrants.
None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our sponsors or their permitted transferees.
The grant of registration rights to our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees 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.
Pursuant to an agreement to be entered into on or prior to the closing of this offering, 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, our sponsors 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 private placement warrants and the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement 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 complete. This is because the stockholders of the target business may increase the equity stake they seek in the combined entity or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the market price of our Class A common stock that is expected when the securities described above are registered for resale.
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We may issue additional shares of Class A common stock or preferred stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue shares of 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 described herein. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our stockholders and likely present other risks.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will authorize the issuance of up to 200,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 20,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share and 1,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 161,666,667 and 13,750,000 (assuming in each case, that the underwriters have not exercised their over-allotment option) authorized but unissued shares of Class A and Class B common stock available, respectively, for issuance, which amount takes into account shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants but not upon the conversion of the Class B common stock. Shares of Class B common stock are automatically convertible into shares of our Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein. Immediately after this offering, there will be no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding.
We may issue a substantial number of additional shares of Class A common stock, and may issue shares of preferred stock, in order 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 to redeem the warrants as described in “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Stockholders’ Warrants — Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00” 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 described herein. However, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide, among other things, that prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to (1) receive funds from the trust account or (2) vote pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation on any initial business combination or any amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. The issuance of additional shares of common or preferred stock:
| · | may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this 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 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 sponsors made a capital contribution of $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per founder share, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our Class A common stock.
The difference between the public offering price per share (allocating all of the unit purchase price to the common stock and none to the warrant included in the unit) and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our Class A common stock after this offering constitutes the dilution to you and the other investors in this offering. Our sponsors acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, significantly contributing to this dilution. Upon the closing of this offering, and assuming no value is ascribed to the warrants included in the units, you and the other public stockholders will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 94.7% (or $9.47 per share, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share of $0.53 and the initial offering price of $10.00 per unit. This dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the Class B common stock result in the issuance of Class A shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B common stock at the time of our initial business combination and would become exacerbated to the extent that public stockholders seek redemptions from the trust. In addition, because of the anti-dilution protection in the founder shares, any equity or equity-linked securities issued in connection with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our Class A common stock.
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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 warrants could be converted into cash or stock, 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 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; provided that, solely in the case of an amendment to the terms of the private placement warrants or any provision of the warrant agreement with respect to the private placement warrants that does not adversely affect any of the terms of the public warrants, such amendment will require only the written consent or vote of the registered holders of at least 50% 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 (at a ratio different than initially provided), shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of our common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.
Our warrants are expected to be accounted for as derivative liabilities and will be recorded at fair value upon issuance with changes in fair value each period reported in earnings, which may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock or may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
We will be issuing 8,333,333 warrants (or up to 9,583,333 warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) as part of the units offered by this prospectus and, simultaneously with the closing of this offering, we will be issuing 5,000,000 private placement warrants (or up to 5,500,000 private placement warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). We expect to account for both the warrants underlying the units offered by this prospectus and the private placement warrants as a warrant liability. At each reporting period (1) the accounting treatment of the warrants will be re-evaluated for proper accounting treatment as a liability or equity and (2) the fair value of the liability of the public warrants and the private placement warrants will be remeasured and the change in the fair value of the liability will be recognized in our statement of operations. If the classification changes as a result of events during the period, the warrants will be reclassified as of the date of the event that causes the reclassification. The impact of changes in fair value on earnings may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock. In addition, potential targets may seek a special purpose acquisition company, or a SPAC, that does not have warrants that are accounted for as a liability, which may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.
Our public warrants, founder shares and private placement warrants may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.
We will be issuing warrants to purchase 8,333,333 shares of our Class A common stock (or up to 9,583,333 shares of our Class A common stock if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), at a price of $11.50 per whole share (subject to adjustment as provided herein), as part of the units offered by this prospectus and, simultaneously with the closing of this offering, we will be issuing in a private placement, an aggregate of 5,000,000 (or 5,500,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) private placement warrants, each exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. Our initial stockholders currently hold 7,187,500 founder shares (up to 937,500 of which are subject to forfeiture by our sponsors depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised). 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 sponsors, an affiliate of our sponsors or certain of our officers and directors make any working capital loans, up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be converted into warrants, at the price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants.
To the extent we issue shares of Class A common stock to effectuate our initial business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares of Class A common stock upon exercise of these warrants or conversion rights could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Any such issuance will increase the number of outstanding shares of our Class A common stock and reduce the value of the Class A common stock issued to complete the business combination. Therefore, our public warrants, founder shares and private placement warrants (including the securities included therein) may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
Because each unit offered in this offering contains one-third 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 offered in this offering contains one-third of one redeemable warrant. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, no fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units, and only whole units will trade. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one share of Class A common stock and 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 whole 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 a warrant to purchase one whole share.
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The determination of the offering price of our units and the size of this offering is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities and size of an offering of an operating company in a particular industry. You may have less assurance, therefore, that the offering price of our units properly reflects the value of such units than you would have in a typical offering of an operating company.
Prior to this offering there has been no public market for any of our securities. The public offering price of the units and the terms of the warrants were negotiated between us and the underwriters. In determining the size of this offering, management held customary organizational meetings with representatives of the underwriters with respect to the state of capital markets, generally, and the amount the underwriters believed they reasonably could raise on our behalf. Factors considered in determining the size of this offering, prices and terms of the units, including the Class A common stock and warrants underlying the units, include:
| · | the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies; |
| · | prior offerings of those companies; |
| · | our prospects for acquiring an operating business at attractive values; |
| · | a review of debt to equity ratios in leveraged transactions; |
| · | our capital structure; |
| · | an assessment of our management and their experience in identifying suitable business combination opportunities; |
| · | general conditions of the securities markets at the time of this offering; and |
| · | other factors as were deemed relevant. |
Although these factors were considered, the determination of our offering price is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities of an operating company in a particular industry since we have no historical operations or financial results.
There is currently no market for our securities and a market for our securities may not develop, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.
There is currently no market for our securities. Stockholders therefore have no access to information about prior market history on which to base their investment decision. Following this offering, the price of our securities may vary significantly due to one or more potential business combinations and general market or economic conditions, including as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. Furthermore, an active trading market for our securities may never develop or, if developed, it may not be sustained. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market can be established and sustained.
Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and Delaware law may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our Class A common stock and could entrench management.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include staggered board of directors, 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, which may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
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We are also subject to anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law, which could delay or prevent a change of control. Together these provisions may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will designate the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company or our company’s directors, officers or other employees.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for any (1) derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of our company, (2) action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, employee or agent of our company to our company or our stockholders, or any claim for aiding and abetting any such alleged breach, (3) action asserting a claim against our company or any director or officer of our company arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our bylaws, or (4) action asserting a claim against us or any director or officer of our company governed by the internal affairs doctrine except for, as to each of (1) through (4) above, any claim (a) as to which the Court of Chancery 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. This exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act, the Securities Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder and Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. If any action the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions is filed in a court other than a court located within the State of Delaware (a “foreign action”) in the name of any stockholder, such stockholder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within the State of Delaware in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such stockholder in any such enforcement action by service upon such stockholder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such stockholder.
This forum selection clause may discourage claims or limit stockholders’ ability to submit claims in a judicial forum that they find favorable and may result in additional costs for a stockholder seeking to bring a claim. While we believe the risk of a court declining to enforce this forum selection clause is low, if a court were to determine the forum selection clause to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs in conjunction with our efforts to resolve the dispute in an alternative jurisdiction, which could have a negative impact on our results of operations and financial condition and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.
Our warrant agreement will designate the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our warrant agreement will provide that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.
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Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreement will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our warrant agreement. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions of the warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”) in the name of any holder of our warrants, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.
This choice-of-forum provision may limit a warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our warrant agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.
GENERAL RISK FACTORS
We are a newly incorporated company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
We are a newly incorporated company with no operating results, and we will not commence operations until obtaining funding through this offering. Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of completing our initial business combination with one or more target businesses. We have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective target business concerning a business combination and may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we fail to complete our initial business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.
We are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies or smaller reporting companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our 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 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.
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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 exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter. 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.
Cyber incidents or attacks directed at us could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.
We depend on digital technologies, including information systems, infrastructure and cloud applications and services, including those of third parties with which we may deal. Sophisticated and deliberate attacks on, or security breaches in, our systems or infrastructure, or the systems or infrastructure of third parties or the cloud, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of our assets, proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data. As an early stage company without significant investments in data security protection, we may not be sufficiently protected against such occurrences. We may not have sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to, cyber incidents. It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have adverse consequences on our business and lead to financial loss.
An investment in this offering may result in uncertain or adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences.
An investment in this offering may result in uncertain U.S. federal income tax consequences. For instance, because there are no authorities that directly address instruments similar to the units we are issuing in this offering, the allocation an investor makes with respect to the purchase price of a unit between the share of Class A common stock and the one-third of one redeemable warrant to purchase one share of our Class A common stock included in each unit could be challenged by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service or the courts. Furthermore, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of a cashless exercise of warrants included in the units we are issuing in this offering is unclear under current law, and the adjustment to the exercise price and/or redemption price of the warrants could give rise to dividend income to investors without a corresponding payment of cash. Finally, it is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to our shares of common stock suspend the running of a U.S. holder’s holding period for purposes of determining whether any gain or loss realized by such holder on the sale or exchange of common stock is long-term capital gain or loss and for determining whether any dividend we pay would be considered “qualified dividends” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. See the section titled “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations” for a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to an investment in our securities. Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to these and other tax consequences applicable to their specific circumstances when purchasing, holding or disposing of our securities.
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Some statements contained in this prospectus are forward-looking in nature. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management team’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this prospectus may include, for example, statements about:
| · | our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses; |
| · | our ability to complete our initial business combination; |
| · | our expectations around the performance of a prospective target business or businesses; |
| · | our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination; |
| · | our officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination; |
| · | our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination; |
| · | our pool of prospective target businesses and the financial services and financial technology industries; |
| · | our ability to consummate an initial business combination due to the uncertainty resulting from the recent 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 or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance; |
| · | the trust account not being subject to claims of third parties; or |
| · | our financial performance following this offering. |
The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors.” Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
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We are offering 25,000,000 units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit. We estimate that the net proceeds of this offering together with the funds we will receive from the sale of the private placement warrants will be used as set forth in the following table.
| Without Option to Purchase Additional Units |
Option to Purchase Additional Units Exercised in Full |
|||||||
| Gross proceeds | ||||||||
| Gross proceeds from units offered to public(1) | $ | 250,000,000 | $ | 287,500,000 | ||||
| Gross proceeds from private placement warrants offered in the private placement | 7,500,000 | 8,250,000 | ||||||
| Total gross proceeds | $ | 257,500,000 | $ | 295,750,000 | ||||
| Estimated offering expenses(2) | ||||||||
| Underwriting commissions (2.0% of gross proceeds from units offered to public, excluding deferred portion) (3) | $ | 5,000,000 | $ | 5,750,000 | ||||
| Legal fees and expenses | 200,000 | 200,000 | ||||||
| Printing and engraving expenses | 35,000 | 35,000 | ||||||
| Accounting fees and expenses | 50,000 | 50,000 | ||||||
| SEC/FINRA Expenses | 75,000 | 75,000 | ||||||
| Travel and road show | 5,000 | 5,000 | ||||||
| NYSE listing and filing fees | 85,000 | 85,000 | ||||||
| Miscellaneous expenses(4) | 150,000 | 150,000 | ||||||
| Total estimated offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) | 600,000 | 600,000 | ||||||
| Proceeds after estimated offering expenses | $ | 251,900,000 | $ | 289,400,000 | ||||
| Held in trust account | $ | 250,000,000 | $ | 287,500,000 | ||||
| % of public offering size | 100 | % | 100 | % | ||||
| Not held in trust account | $ | 1,900,000 | $ | 1,900,000 | ||||
The following table shows the use of the approximately $1,900,000 of estimated net proceeds not held in the trust account.(5)
| Amount | % of Total | |||||||
| Legal, accounting, due diligence, travel and other expenses in connection with any business combination(6) | $ | 400,000 | 21.0 | % | ||||
| Directors and officers insurance premiums | 650,000 | 34.2 | % | |||||
| Legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations | 125,000 | 6.6 | % | |||||
| Payment for office space, administrative and support services | 480,000 | 25.3 | % | |||||
| NYSE continued listing fees | 85,000 | 4.5 | % | |||||
| Working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses (including franchise taxes net of anticipated interest income) | 160,000 | 8.4 | % | |||||
| Total | $ | 1,900,000 | 100.0 | % | ||||
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| (1) | Includes amounts payable to public stockholders who properly redeem their shares in connection with our successful completion of our initial business combination. |
| (2) | A portion of the offering expenses will be paid from the proceeds of loans from our sponsor of up to $200,000 as described in this prospectus. This loan will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $600,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) not held in the trust account. These expenses are estimated only. In the event that offering expenses are less than as set forth in this table, any such amounts will be used for post-closing working capital expenses. In the event that the offering expenses are more than as set forth in this table, we may fund such excess with funds not held in the trust account. |
| (3) | The underwriters have agreed to defer underwriting commissions equal to 3.5% of the gross proceeds of this offering. Upon completion of our initial business combination, $8,750,000, which constitutes the underwriters’ deferred commissions (or up to $10,062,500 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) will be paid to the underwriters from the funds held in the trust account and the remaining funds, less amounts released to the trustee to pay redeeming stockholders, will be released to us and can be used to pay all or a portion of the purchase price of the business or businesses with which our initial business combination occurs or for general corporate purposes, including payment of principal or interest on indebtedness incurred in connection with our initial business combination, to fund the purchases of other companies or for working capital. The underwriters will not be entitled to any interest accrued on the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions. |
| (4) | Includes organizational and administrative expenses and may include amounts related to above-listed expenses in the event actual amounts exceed estimates. |
| (5) | These expenses are estimates only. Our actual expenditures for some or all of these items may differ from the estimates set forth herein. For example, we may incur greater legal and accounting expenses than our current estimates in connection with negotiating and structuring a business combination based upon the level of complexity of such business combination. In the event we identify a business combination target in a specific industry subject to specific regulations, we may incur additional expenses associated with legal due diligence and the engagement of special legal counsel. In addition, our staffing needs may vary and as a result, we may engage a number of consultants to assist with legal and financial due diligence. We do not anticipate any change in our intended use of proceeds, other than fluctuations among the current categories of allocated expenses, which fluctuations, to the extent they exceed current estimates for any specific category of expenses, would not be available for our expenses. The amount in the table above does not include interest available to us from the trust account. Based on current interest rates, we would expect approximately $750,000 to be available to us annually from interest earned on the funds held in the trust account; however, we can provide no assurances regarding this amount. This estimate assumes an interest rate of 0.3% per annum based upon current yields of securities in which the trust account may be invested. In addition, in order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsors, an affiliate of our sponsors or our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants issued to our sponsors. The terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsors, an affiliate of our sponsors or our officers and directors, if any, as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account. |
| (6) | Includes estimated amounts that may also be used in connection with our initial business combination to fund a “no shop” provision and commitment fees for financing. |
The rules of the NYSE provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants be deposited in a trust account. Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, $250,000,000 (or $287,500,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), including $8,750,000 (or $10,062,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of deferred underwriting commissions, will, upon the consummation of this offering, be placed in a U.S. based trust account at Morgan Stanley, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. The funds in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. Treasuries and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. Based on current interest rates, we estimate that the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $750,000 per year, assuming an interest rate of 0.3% per year. We will not be permitted to withdraw any of the principal or interest held in the trust account, except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our taxes, if any, the funds held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of: (1) the completion of our initial business combination; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) the redemption of all of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. Based on current interest rates, we expect that interest earned on the trust account will be sufficient to pay taxes.
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The net proceeds held in the trust account may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we ultimately complete our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemption of our public shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other businesses or for working capital. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination.
We believe that amounts not held in trust will be sufficient to pay the costs and expenses to which such proceeds are allocated. This belief is based on the fact that while we may begin preliminary due diligence of a target business in connection with an indication of interest, we intend to undertake in-depth due diligence, depending on the circumstances of the relevant prospective acquisition, only after we have negotiated and signed a letter of intent or other preliminary agreement that addresses the terms of a business combination. However, if our estimate of the costs of undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating a business combination is less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may be required to raise additional capital, the amount, availability and cost of which is currently unascertainable. If we are required to seek additional capital, we could seek such additional capital through loans or additional investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or any of their respective affiliates, but such persons are not under any obligation or other duty to loan funds to, or invest in, us.
We will enter into an Administrative Services Agreement pursuant to which we will pay an affiliate of our sponsor a total of $20,000 per month for office space, administrative and support services. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
Prior to the commencement of this offering, our sponsor agreed to loan us up to $200,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of March 31, 2021, we have borrowed $75,000 under such promissory note. The loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the earlier of July 31, 2021 and the closing of this offering. The loan will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $600,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) not held in the trust account.
In addition, in order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsors, an affiliate of our sponsors or our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants issued to our sponsors. The terms of such loans by our sponsors, an affiliate of our sponsors or our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsors, an affiliate of our sponsors or our officers and directors, if any, as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
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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 sponsors, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may also purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. Please see “Proposed Business — Permitted purchases and other transactions with respect to our securities” for a description of how such persons will determine from which stockholders to seek to acquire shares. The price per share paid in any such transaction may be different than the amount per share a public stockholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. However, such persons have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. If such persons engage in such transactions, they will be subject to restrictions in making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will be required to comply with such rules.
We may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets, after payment of the deferred underwriting commissions, to be less than $5,000,001 following such redemptions and the agreement for our initial business combination may require 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 so that we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement or any net worth or cash requirements, we would not proceed with the redemption of our public shares or the business combination, and instead may search for an alternate business combination (including, potentially, with the same target).
A public stockholder will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (1) the completion of our initial business combination and then, only in connection with those public shares that such stockholder has properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described in this prospectus; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) the redemption of all of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. Holders of warrants will not have any rights of proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants.
Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive (1) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and (2) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement shares and public shares held by them in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. In addition, our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares and private placement shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. However, if our sponsors or any of our officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates then hold any public shares, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time frame to complete our initial business combination.
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We have not paid any cash dividends on our common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to our initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any stock dividends in the foreseeable future, except if we increase the size of this offering, in which case we will effect a stock dividend or other appropriate mechanism immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in an amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock upon the consummation of this offering (not including the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants). Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
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The difference between the public offering price per share of Class A common stock, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units we are offering pursuant to this prospectus or the private placement warrants, and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our Class A common stock after this offering constitutes the dilution to investors in this offering. Such calculation does not reflect any dilution associated with the sale and exercise of warrants, including the private placement warrants, which would cause the actual dilution to the public stockholders to be higher, particularly where a cashless exercise is utilized. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our net tangible book value, which is our total tangible assets less total liabilities (including the value of Class A common stock which may be redeemed for cash), by the number of outstanding shares of our Class A common stock.
At March 31, 2021, our net tangible book value was $(99,512), or approximately $(0.01) per share of Class B common stock. After giving effect to the sale of 25,000,000 shares of Class A common stock included in the units we are offering by this prospectus, the sale of the private placement warrants and the deduction of underwriting commissions and estimated expenses of this offering, our pro forma net tangible book value at March 31, 2021 would have been $5,000,004 or $0.53 per share, representing an immediate increase in net tangible book value (as decreased by the value of the approximately 21,876,819 shares of Class A common stock that may be redeemed for cash in connection with our initial business combination and assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) of $0.54 per share to our initial stockholders as of the date of this prospectus and an immediate dilution of $9.47 per share or 94.7% to our public stockholders not exercising their redemption rights. The dilution to new investors if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full would be an immediate dilution of $9.53 per share or 95.3%.
The following table illustrates the dilution to the public stockholders on a per share basis, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units or the private placement warrants:
| No exercise of over- allotment option | Exercise of over- allotment option in full | |||||||
| Public offering price | $ | 10.00 | $ | 10.00 | ||||
| Net tangible book value before this offering | (0.01 | ) | (0.01 | ) | ||||
| Increase attributable to public stockholders and sale of private placement warrants | 0.54 | 0.48 | ||||||
| Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants | $ | 0.53 | $ | 0.47 | ||||
| Dilution to public stockholders | $ | 9.47 | $ | 9.53 | ||||
| Percentage of dilution to new investors | 94.7 | % | 95.3 | % | ||||
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For purposes of presentation, we have reduced our pro forma net tangible book value after this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) by $218,768,190 because holders of up to approximately 87.5% of our public shares may redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account at a per-share redemption price equal to the amount in the trust account, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of shares of Class A common stock sold in this offering.
The following table sets forth information with respect to our initial stockholders and the public stockholders:
| Number | Percentage | Amount | Percentage | Share | ||||||||||||||||
| Initial Stockholders(1)(2) | 6,250,000 | 20.00 | % | $ | 25,000 | 0.01 | % | $ | 0.004 | |||||||||||
| Public Stockholders | 25,000,000 | 80.00 | % | 250,000,000 | 99.99 | % | $ | 10.000 | ||||||||||||
| 31,250,000 | 100.00 | % | $ | 250,025,000 | 100.00 | % | ||||||||||||||
| (1) | Assumes the full forfeiture of 937,500 shares that are subject to forfeiture by our sponsors depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. |
| (2) | Assumes conversion of Class B common stock into Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis. The dilution to public stockholders would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the Class B common stock result in the issuance of shares of Class A common stock on a greater than one-to-one basis upon such conversion. |
The pro forma net tangible book value per share as of March 31, 2021 giving effect to the offering is calculated as follows:
| Without allotment | With allotment | |||||||
| Numerator: | ||||||||
| Net tangible book value before this offering | $ | (99,512 | ) | $ | (99,512 | ) | ||
| Proceeds from this offering and sale of the private placement warrants, net of expenses | 251,900,000 | 289,400,000 | ||||||
| Plus: Offering costs accrued for and paid in advance, excluded from tangible book value before this offering | 124,039 | 124,039 | ||||||
| Less: warrant liability | (19,406,333 | ) | (21,946,258 | ) | ||||
| Less: deferred underwriting commissions | (8,750,000 | ) | (10,062,500 | ) | ||||
| Less: amount of Class A common stock subject to redemption to maintain net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 | (218,768,190 | ) | (252,415,765 | ) | ||||
| $ | 5,000,004 | $ | 5,000,004 | |||||
| Denominator: | ||||||||
| Shares of Class B common stock outstanding prior to this offering | 7,187,500 | 7,187,500 | ||||||
| Shares forfeited if option to purchase additional units is not exercised | (937,500 | ) | - | |||||
| Shares of Class A common stock included in the units offered | 25,000,000 | 28,750,000 | ||||||
| Less: shares subject to redemption to maintain net tangible assets of $5,000,001 | (21,876,819 | ) | (25,241,577 | ) | ||||
| 9,373,181 | 10,695,923 | |||||||
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The following table sets forth our capitalization at March 31, 2021 and as adjusted to give effect to the filing of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, the sale of our 25,000,000 units in this offering for $250,000,000 (or $10.00 per unit) and the sale of 5,000,000 private placement warrants for $7,500,000 (or $1.50 per warrant) and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities:
| March 31, 2021 | ||||||||
| Actual | As Adjusted (1) | |||||||
| Note payable to related party | $ | 75,000 | $ | — | ||||
| Deferred underwriting commissions | — | 8,750,000 | ||||||
| Warrant liability(2) | — | 19,406,333 | ||||||
| Class A common stock, 21,876,819 shares subject to possible conversion/tender (3) | — | 218,768,190 | ||||||
| Stockholders’ equity: | ||||||||
| Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized (actual and as adjusted); no shares issued or outstanding (actual and as adjusted) | — | — | ||||||
| Common Stock | ||||||||
| Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value, 200,000,000 shares authorized; 0 and 3,123,181 shares issued and outstanding (excluding 0 and 21,876,819 shares subject to possible redemption), actual and as adjusted, respectively(4) | — | 312 | ||||||
| Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value, 20,000,000 shares authorized, 7,187,500 and 6,250,000 shares issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted, respectively | 719 | 625 | ||||||
| Additional paid-in capital(5) | 24,281 | 5,687,527 | ||||||
| Accumulated deficit(6) | (473 | ) | (688,460 | ) | ||||
| Total stockholders’ equity | 24,527 | 5,000,004 | ||||||
| Total capitalization | $ | 99,527 | $ | 251,924,527 | ||||
| (1) | Assumes the full forfeiture of 937,500 shares that are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised. The proceeds of the sale of such shares will not be deposited into the trust account, the shares will not be eligible for redemption from the trust account nor will they be eligible to vote upon the initial business combination. |
| (2) | We will account for the 13,333,333 warrants to be issued in connection with this offering (the 8,333,333 warrants included in the units and the 5,000,000 private placement warrants, assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised) in accordance with the guidance contained in ASC 815-40. Such guidance provides that because the warrants do not meet the criteria for equity treatment thereunder, each warrant must be recorded as a liability. Accordingly, we will classify each warrant as a liability at its fair value. This liability is subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date. With each such re-measurement, the warrant liability will be adjusted to fair value, with the change in fair value recognized in our statement of operations. Once the fair value of the warrants is determined and recorded, there will be an offsetting adjustment to the Class A common stock subject to redemption. |
| (3) | In connection with our initial business combination, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), subject to the limitations described herein whereby our net tangible assets will be maintained at a minimum of $5,000,001 or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. The “as adjusted” amount of Class A common stock, subject to redemption equals the “as adjusted” total assets of $251,924,527, less the “as adjusted” total liabilities of $28,156,333, less “as adjusted” total shareholder’s equity. The value of Class A common stock that may be redeemed is equal to $10.00 per share (which is the assumed redemption price) multiplied by 21,876,819 shares of Class A common stock, which is the maximum number of shares of Class A common stock that may be redeemed for a $10.00 purchase price per share and still maintain at least $5,000,001 of net tangible assets. |
| (4) | Actual share amount is prior to any forfeiture of founder shares by our sponsor and the “as adjusted” share amount assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units. |
| (5) | The “as adjusted” additional paid-in capital calculation is equal to the “as adjusted” total stockholders’ equity of $5,000,004, less Class A common stock (par value) of $312, less Class B common stock (par value) of $625, plus the accumulated deficit of $688,460. |
| (6) | The “as adjusted” accumulated deficit includes transaction costs associated with warrant liabilities. Such costs will be immediately expensed. |
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MANAGEMENT’S
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated as a Delaware corporation and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. We have not selected any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our capital stock, debt or a combination of cash, stock and debt.
The issuance of additional shares of our stock in a business combination:
| • | may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B 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 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. |
| • | Similarly, if we issue debt securities or otherwise incur significant indebtedness, it could result in: |
| • | default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after 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, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes; |
| • | limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate; |
| • | increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and |
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| • | limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt. |
As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, as of March 31, 2021, we had $25,008 in cash and working capital deficiency of $99,512. Further, we expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to complete our initial business combination will be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
Results of Operations and Known Trends or Future Events
We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our only activities since inception have been organizational activities and those necessary to prepare for this offering. Following this offering, we will not generate any operating revenues until after completion of our initial business combination. We will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents in the form of specified U.S. government treasury bills or specified money market funds after this offering. There has been no significant change in our financial or trading position and no material adverse change has occurred since the date of our audited financial statements. After this offering, we expect to incur increased expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses. We expect our expenses to increase substantially after the closing of this offering.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our liquidity needs have been satisfied prior to the completion of this offering through receipt of a $25,000 capital contribution from our sponsors in exchange for the issuance of the founder shares and up to $200,000 in loans from our sponsor under an unsecured promissory note. We estimate that the net proceeds from: (1) the sale of the units in this offering, after deducting offering expenses of approximately $600,000 and underwriting commissions of $5,000,000 ($5,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) (excluding deferred underwriting commissions of $8,750,000, or $10,062,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full); and (2) the sale of the private placement warrants for a purchase price of $7,500,000 (or $8,250,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), will be $251,900,000 (or $289,400,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). Of this amount, $250,000,000 (or $287,500,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be deposited into the trust account, which includes the deferred underwriting commissions described above. The funds in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. Treasuries. The remaining $1,900,000 will not be held in the trust account. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $600,000, we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $600,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account (less taxes payable and deferred underwriting commissions) to complete our initial business combination. We may withdraw interest to pay our taxes. Delaware franchise tax is based on our authorized shares or on our assumed par and non-par capital, whichever yields a lower result. Under the authorized shares method, each share is taxed at a graduated rate based on the number of authorized shares with a maximum aggregate tax of $200,000 per year. Under the assumed par value capital method, Delaware taxes each $1,000,000 of assumed par value capital at the rate of $350; where assumed par value would be (1) our total gross assets following this offering, divided by (2) our total issued shares of common stock following this offering, multiplied by (3) the number of our authorized shares following this offering. Based on the number of shares of our common stock authorized and outstanding and our estimated total gross proceeds after the completion of this offering, our annual franchise tax obligation is expected to be capped at the maximum amount of annual franchise taxes payable by us as a Delaware corporation of $200,000. Our annual income tax obligations will depend on the amount of interest and other income earned on the amounts held in the trust account. We expect the only taxes payable by us out of the funds in the trust account will be income and franchise taxes. We expect the interest earned on the amount in the trust account will be sufficient to pay our taxes. To the extent that our capital stock or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.
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Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we will have available to us an estimated $1,900,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account. We will use these funds primarily to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, structure, negotiate and complete a business combination, and to pay taxes to the extent the interest earned on the trust account is not sufficient to pay our taxes.
In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsors, an affiliate of our sponsors or our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants issued to our sponsors. The terms of such loans by our sponsors, an affiliate of our sponsors or our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsors, an affiliate of our sponsors or our officers and directors, if any, as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
We expect our primary liquidity requirements during that period to include approximately $400,000 for legal, accounting, due diligence, travel and other expenses in connection with any business combinations; $650,000 for directors and officers insurance premiums; $125,000 for legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting requirements; $85,000 for the NYSE continued listing fees; $480,000 for office space, administrative and support services; and approximately $160,000 for working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses (including franchise taxes net of anticipated interest income).
These amounts are estimates and may differ materially from our actual expenses. In addition, we could use a portion of the funds not being placed in trust to pay commitment fees for financing, fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business or as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision in letters of intent or merger agreements designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into an agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business, the amount that would be used as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision would be determined based on the terms of the specific business combination and the amount of our available funds at the time. Our forfeiture of such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise) could result in our not having sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conducting due diligence with respect to, prospective target businesses.
We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds following this offering in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, if our estimates of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating an initial business combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our initial business combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to complete our initial business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon completion of our initial business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination.
Controls and Procedures
We are not currently required to maintain an effective system of internal controls as defined by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We will be required to comply with the internal control reporting requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022. Only in the event that we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company, we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement.
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Prior to the closing of this offering, we have not completed an assessment, nor has our independent registered public accounting firm tested our systems of internal controls. We expect to assess the internal controls of our target business or businesses prior to the completion of our initial business combination and we may work with the target to implement and test additional controls as we may determine are necessary in order to state that we maintain an effective system of internal controls. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding the adequacy of internal controls. Many small and mid-sized target businesses we may consider for our initial business combination may have internal controls that need improvement in areas such as:
| • | staffing for financial, accounting and external reporting areas, including segregation of duties; |
| • | reconciliation of accounts; |
| • | proper recording of expenses and liabilities in the period to which they relate; |
| • | evidence of internal review and approval of accounting transactions; |
| • | documentation of processes, assumptions and conclusions underlying significant estimates; and |
| • | documentation of accounting policies and procedures. |
Because it will take time, management involvement and perhaps outside resources to determine what internal control improvements are necessary for us to meet regulatory requirements and market expectations for our operation of a target business, we may incur significant expenses in meeting our public reporting responsibilities, particularly in the areas of designing, enhancing, or remediating internal and disclosure controls. Doing so effectively may also take longer than we expect, thus increasing our exposure to financial fraud or erroneous financing reporting.
Once our management’s report on internal controls is complete, we will retain an independent auditor to audit and render an opinion on such report when required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The independent auditors may identify additional issues concerning a target business’s internal controls while performing their audit of internal control over financial reporting.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
The net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be invested in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. Treasuries and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements; Commitments and Contractual Obligations; Quarterly Review
As of March 31, 2021, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K and did not have any commitments or contractual obligations. No unaudited quarterly operating data is included in this prospectus as we have not conducted any operations to date.
Related Party Transactions
On March 1, 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 7,187,500 founder shares for a capital contribution of $25,000. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares of common stock upon the completion of this offering (not including the shares of Class A common stock underlying the private placement warrants). The per-share purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to us by the number of founder shares issued. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a stock dividend or a share contribution back to capital or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering (not including the shares of Class A common stock underlying the private placement warrants). On March 25, 2021, our sponsor sold 1,437,500 founder shares to CA2 Co-Investment and 25,000 to each of our independent director nominees, in each case at the original price per share. On May 6, 2021, CA2 Co-Investment sold 956,439 shares back to our sponsor at the original purchase price, resulting in our sponsor holding 6,631,439 founder shares and CA2 Co-Investment holding 481,061 founder shares. Up to 937,500 founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our sponsors depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised.
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We will enter into an Administrative Services Agreement pursuant to which we will also pay an affiliate of our sponsor a total of $20,000 per month for office space, administrative and support services. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
Our sponsors, officers and directors or any of their respective affiliates will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or any of their respective affiliates and will determine which expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.
Prior to the commencement of this offering, our sponsor agreed to loan us up to $200,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of March 31, 2021, we have borrowed $75,000 under such promissory note. The loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the earlier of July 31, 2021 and the closing of this offering. The loan will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $600,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) not held in the trust account.
In addition, in order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsors, an affiliate of our sponsors or our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants, at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender, upon consummation of our initial business combination. The terms of such loans by our sponsors, an affiliate of our sponsors or our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsors, an affiliate of our sponsors or our officers and directors, if any, as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
Our sponsors have committed to purchase an aggregate of 5,000,000 private placement warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant, for an aggregate purchase price of $7,500,000. If the over-allotment option is exercised in full, the amount of placement warrants sold will be 5,500,000 for an aggregate purchase price of $8,250,000. Each placement warrant is exercisable to purchase one whole share of common stock at $11.50 per share. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to the founder shares or placement warrants, which will expire worthless if we do not consummate a business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering. The private placement warrants are identical to the warrants sold in this offering except that, so long as they are held by our sponsors or their permitted transferees, the private placement warrants are subject to certain transfer restrictions (as described in more detail under “Principal Stockholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”) and the holders thereof are entitled to certain registration rights (as described in more detail under “Principal Stockholders — Registration Rights”), and the private placement warrants: (1) will not be redeemable by us; (2) may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis; and (3) with respect to private placement warrants held by CA2 Co-Investment, will not be exercisable more than five years from the commencement of sales in this offering in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8).
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Pursuant to a registration rights agreement that we will enter into with our initial stockholders on or prior to the closing of this offering, we may be required to register certain securities for sale under the Securities Act. Our initial stockholders, and holders of warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans, if any, are entitled under the registration rights agreement to make up to three demands that we register certain of our securities held by them for sale under the Securities Act and to have the securities covered thereby registered for resale pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. In addition, these holders have the right to include their securities in other registration statements filed by us. Notwithstanding the foregoing, CA2 Co-Investment may not exercise its demand and “piggyback” registration rights after five and seven years, respectively, after commencement of sales in this offering. We will bear the costs and expenses of filing any such registration statements of which this prospectus forms a part and may not exercise its demand rights on more than one occasion. Please see “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”
We will also pay to the underwriters, including Cowen and Company, LLC, an affiliate of one of our sponsors, an underwriting discount of $0.20 per unit purchased by it in this offering. In addition, the underwriters, including Cowen and Company, LLC, have agreed to defer underwriting commissions of 3.5% of the gross proceeds of this offering. Upon and concurrently with the completion of our initial business combination, up to $8,750,000, which constitutes the underwriters’ deferred commission (or up to $10,062,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), will be paid to the underwriters from the funds held in the trust account. The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commission held in the trust account in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the funds held in the trust account that will be available to fund the redemption of our public shares.
JOBS Act
On April 5, 2012, the JOBS Act was signed into law. The JOBS Act contains provisions that, among other things, relax certain reporting requirements for qualifying public companies. We will qualify as an “emerging growth company” and under the JOBS Act will be allowed to comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements based on the effective date for private (not publicly traded) companies. We are electing to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards, and as a result, we may not comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.
Additionally, we are in the process of evaluating the benefits of relying on the other reduced reporting requirements provided by the JOBS Act. Subject to certain conditions set forth in the JOBS Act, if, as an “emerging growth company”, we choose to rely on such exemptions we may not be required to, among other things: (1) provide an auditor’s attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act; (2) provide all of the compensation disclosure that may be required of non-emerging growth public companies under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act; (3) comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the PCAOB regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (auditor discussion and analysis); and (4) disclose certain executive compensation-related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the CEO’s compensation to median employee compensation. These exemptions will apply for a period of five years following the completion of this offering or until we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” whichever is earlier.
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We are a newly incorporated blank check company incorporated as a Delaware corporation for the purpose of effecting a merger, stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any potential business combination targets and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any specific business combination targets. However, members of our management team have been actively in discussions with potential business combination targets in their capacity as officers and directors of Concord Acquisition Corp (“Concord I”), an existing special purpose acquisition company sponsored by affiliates of our sponsors, and we may pursue business combination partners that had previously been in discussion with Concord I. We may also pursue business combination targets that could be in discussions with Concord Acquisition Corp II (“Concord II”), a special purpose acquisition company sponsored by affiliates of our sponsors, which is in the process of engaging in an initial public offering.
While we may pursue a merger opportunity in any industry or sector, we intend to capitalize on the ability of our management team and Sponsor to identity, acquire and manage a business in the financial services and financial technology sectors, including payments, enterprise software, and data analytics, that can benefit from our differentiated deal flow and global network. We will seek to acquire established and growing businesses that we believe are fundamentally sound with an attractive financial profile and poised for continued and accelerating growth, but potentially in need of some form of financial, operational, strategic or managerial guidance to maximize value.
Our Management Team
Our sponsor is affiliated with Atlas Merchant Capital LLC (“Atlas”), an alternative asset manager with approximately $1.5 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2020 and over $3.0 billion of capital raised through its fund vehicles and its related co-investments in its fund’s portfolio companies since inception. We believe that the experience of our management team, Board of Directors and Advisors, and our relationship with Atlas will allow us to source, identify and execute an attractive transaction for our shareholders.
Founded in 2013, Atlas seeks to invest in compelling opportunities globally, primarily through its financial services-focused investment funds. Led by its co-founders, Bob Diamond and David Schamis, Atlas believes that changes in the regulatory landscape following the 2008 financial crisis led to an unprecedented level of disruption and created substantial investment opportunities in the financial services sector, broadly defined. Atlas takes a unique approach to financial services investments by taking a long-term merchant capital and partnership-based approach that is balanced with its significant operating and technical expertise to help increase the value of its portfolio companies. The executive and investment team at Atlas have decades of investment and operating experience, having previously held senior executive and investment positions at leading global financial services firms including Barclays Capital, Cerberus Capital Management, Citigroup, J.C. Flowers & Co, and Fortress Investment Group, among others.
We believe our team’s distinctive and complementary backgrounds can have a transformative impact on a target business. Our team will deploy a proactive, thematic sourcing strategy and will focus our efforts on companies where we believe the combination of our operating experience, transaction execution capabilities, professional relationships and capital markets expertise can serve as catalysts to enhance the growth potential and value of a target business and provide opportunities for an attractive return to our shareholders.
Jeff Tuder serves as our Chief Executive Officer and a director. Mr. Tuder is currently an Operating Partner of Atlas, having joined in September 2020. Previously, Mr. Tuder founded Tremson Capital Management, LLC to invest in undervalued public equities and to make private equity and credit investments in partnership with a number of family offices. Prior to founding Tremson, Mr. Tuder held various investment positions at JHL Capital Group, a multi-strategy hedge fund, KSA Capital Management, a deep value long/short equity fund, and CapitalSource Finance, where he was a Managing Director and Head of its Special Opportunity credit investment business. Mr. Tuder began his career as a private equity professional at Fortress Investment Group, where he underwrote and managed private equity investments for Fortress’ various investment vehicles; Nassau Capital, LLC, which managed the private assets of Princeton University’s Endowment; and ABS Capital Partners, a private equity firm affiliated with Alex. Brown & Sons. Mr. Tuder is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Inseego Corporation (NASDAQ: INSG) and Unico American (NASDAQ: UNAM). Mr. Tuder received a B.A. in English Literature from Yale College.
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Michele Cito serves as our Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Cito is Chief Financial Officer of Atlas Merchant Capital LLC, having joined in June 2014. Ms. Cito joined Atlas as Controller and later served as Vice President of Finance and Operations prior to becoming Chief Financial Officer. Previously, Ms. Cito worked as an Auditor at Deloitte & Touche LLP in financial services. Ms. Cito is a Certified Public Accountant and received a B.A. in Public Accounting, and an MBA from Pace University.
Bob Diamond serves as Chairman of our board of directors. Mr. Diamond is Founding Partner and Chief Executive Officer of Atlas Merchant Capital LLC. Until 2012, Mr. Diamond was Chief Executive of Barclays, having previously held the position of President of Barclays, responsible for Barclays Capital and BGI. He became an executive director of Barclays in 2005 and had been a member of the Barclays Executive Committee since 1997. Prior to Barclays, Mr. Diamond held senior executive positions at Credit Suisse First Boston and Morgan Stanley in the United States, Europe and Asia. Mr. Diamond worked at Credit Suisse First Boston from 1992 to 1996, where his roles included Vice Chairman and Head of Global Fixed Income and Foreign Exchange in New York, as well as Chairman, President and CEO of Credit Suisse First Boston Pacific. Mr. Diamond worked at Morgan Stanley from 1979 to 1992, including as the Head of European and Asian Fixed Income Trading. Mr. Diamond is currently a member of the Board of Directors of South Street Securities Holdings, Inc., Crux Informatics and Atlas Mara Limited. He is also a Trustee of The American Foundation of the Imperial War Museum Inc., a Life Member of The Council on Foreign Relations and is involved in several non-profit initiatives, including being a Director of the Diamond Foundation. He is also Life Trustee and former Chair of the Colby College Board of Trustees. Mr. Diamond received a B.A. in Economics from Colby College and an M.B.A. from the University of Connecticut.
In August 2020, members of our management team formed Concord I, a blank check company formed for substantially similar purposes as our company. Concord I completed its initial public offering in December 2020, in which it sold 27.6 million units, each unit consisting of one share of Class A common stock of Concord I and one-half of one warrant to purchase one share of Class A common stock of Concord I, for an offering price of $10.00 per unit, generating aggregate gross proceeds of $276 million. Concord I has not yet announced or completed its initial business combination. Each of the members of our management team serves in the same position with Concord I, other than Mr. Tuder, who serves as the Chief Executive Officer, but is not a director, of Concord I.
In February 2021, members of our management team formed Concord II, a blank check company incorporated for substantially similar purposes as our company and as Concord I. Concord II has not yet completed its initial public offering. Each of the members of our management teams serves in the same position with Concord II, other than Mr. Tuder, who serves as the Chief Executive Officer, but is not a director, of Concord II.
Independent Directors and Advisors
Thomas King has agreed to serve on our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Mr. King is an Operating Partner of Atlas. He has more than 30 years of experience in the investment banking and financial services industry. Most recently, Mr. King served as Chief Executive Officer of Investment Banking at Barclays and Chairman of the Investment Banking Executive Committee. Mr. King was also a member of the Barclays Group Executive Committee, which oversees all of the Barclays plc businesses. Mr. King began his career at Salomon Brothers, which was later acquired by Citigroup. During his tenure at Citi, he served as Global Head of Mergers and Acquisitions, Head of Investment Banking for the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) Region and Head of Corporate and Investment Banking for the EMEA region. In 2009, Mr. King moved to Barclays Investment Bank and held several senior roles before becoming CEO, including Head of European Investment Banking, Co-Head of Global Corporate Finance, Global Head of Investment Banking. Mr. King received his MBA with distinction from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and his Bachelor of Arts degree from Bowdoin College. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Radius Global Infrastructure, Inc. (LSE: RADI) (formerly known as Digital Landscape Group, Inc.) and Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CCO) and various private boards and Chairs the Board of Trustees at the King School in Stamford, Connecticut.
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Larry Leibowitz has agreed to serve on our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Mr. Leibowitz is a finance and technology entrepreneur who specializes in business transformation and capital markets. Mr. Leibowitz is an Operating Partner of Atlas, and is a Strategic Advisor and Board Director of Crux Informatics. Mr. Leibowitz currently serves on the Board of Directors of Cowen, Inc (NASDAQ: COWN), an independent investment bank, as well as Vice Chairman of XCHG Xpansiv, an intelligent commodities exchange focusing on renewable energy products, and is on the board of various other private companies in the cryptocurrency, asset management technology, and digital law businesses. Most recently, Mr. Leibowitz served as Chief Operating Officer, Head of Global Equities Markets and as a Member of the Board of Directors of NYSE Euronext, holding such positions from 2007 to 2013. Prior to that, Mr. Leibowitz served as Chief Operating Officer of Americas Equities at UBS, Co-head of Schwab Soundview Capital Markets, and CEO of Redibook. Mr. Leibowitz was formerly a founding partner at Bunker Capital, and Managing Director and Head of Quantitative Trading and Equities Technology at CS First Boston. Mr. Leibowitz received a B.A. in Economics from Princeton University.
Peter Ort has agreed to serve on our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Mr. Ort is Co-Founder of CurAlea Associates LLC, which provides customized software and advisory solutions to wealth and asset managers. Mr. Ort is also a General Partner at Cambium Capital Partners, an early stage venture capital firm focused on advanced computing in areas such as machine learning specific chips, quantum computing, and application specific devices. Previously, Mr. Ort spent the bulk of his career at Goldman Sachs, where he was a Managing Director and co-head of the Hedge Fund Strategies Group, overseeing manager selection for a $25 billion portfolio, and also worked in the firm’s Private Equity Group and Financial Institutions Group in New York and Tokyo. Mr. Ort was also a Managing Director at Karsch Capital, an equity long/short hedge fund. Mr. Ort is a member of the board or advisory board of a number of privately held technology companies. Mr. Ort graduated from Duke University, obtained J.D. and M.B.A. degrees from New York University, and is a member of the New York and New Jersey State Bars. He was a Fulbright Scholar in Japan, and is the Treasurer and a member of the board of the Fulbright Association’s New Jersey Chapter.
We will be further supported by our advisory committee which is comprised of current and former senior executives with significant investment and operating experience in a wide range of sub-sectors and functional areas within the financial services and financial technology industries generally. These executives will provide us with access to their expertise and extensive industry networks from which we intend to source and evaluate targets as well as to assist in the future value creation plans of any business that we acquire.
Key members of our advisory committee will initially include:
Henry Helgeson, the Founder and CEO of Cayan, a payments company which was sold to TSYS (now Global Payments) in 2018 for $1.05 billion. Mr. Helgeson grew Cayan into one of the largest merchant acquirers in the U.S. prior to its sale. Mr. Helgeson is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Electronic Payment Providers, Inc., Infinicept, Inc. and Resupply, Inc. We believe Mr. Helgeson’s deep operational experience, industry relationships, domain expertise and understanding of emerging trends in the payments industry will provide us with a competitive advantage as we evaluate merger targets both in the payments and other financial technology sectors. Mr. Helgeson has also agreed to serve on the board of directors of Concord II upon the effective date of the prospectus relating to its offering.
Rich Ricci, the CEO of Panmure Gordon & Co PLC (“Panmure”). Owned by Atlas’ investment fund, Panmure is a 150 year-old, UK-based middle market corporate advisory and brokerage firm. Prior to joining Panmure, Mr. Ricci was the CEO of Barclays Capital. We believe Mr. Ricci’s geographic focus in the U.K and Western Europe will provide us both with differentiated sourcing of potential opportunities as well as insight into overseas markets and economies as we diligence merger targets with international operations.
Competitive Advantages
The sourcing, valuation, diligence and execution capabilities of our management team, sponsor, Board of Directors, Advisory Committee and extended network of relationships should provide us with a significant pipeline of opportunities from which to evaluate and select a business to merge with that will benefit from our collective expertise. Our competitive strengths include the following:
| • | Extensive Network of Industry Relationships. We believe the capabilities and connections of our management team and Sponsor within the financial services, technology, and private equity and venture capital industries will provide us with a differentiated pipeline of acquisition opportunities that would be difficult for other participants in the market to replicate. We believe that our industry relationships provide us with a competitive advantage not only with respect to transaction sourcing but also with respect to our ability to conduct differentiated due diligence on a target company. |
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| • | Differentiated Operating Experience. We believe the executive-level operational experience and expertise resident within our management team, Board of Directors and Advisory Committee will make us an attractive partner to our prospective combination target companies. Our management team believes that its ability to identity and implement value creation initiatives has been an essential driver of past performance and value creation. | |
| • | Extensive Investing Experience. We believe that our Sponsor and our management team’s broad-based private equity experience, public equity investing and track record of identifying and sourcing attractive investment opportunities, positions us well to appropriately evaluate potential business combinations that will be well received by the public markets. | |
| • | Execution and Structuring Capability. Our management team and sponsor believe that our combined expertise and reputation will allow us to source and complete transactions that will provide a positive outcome for existing owners of prospective targets while at the same time creating an attractive investment for public equity investors. These types of transactions are typically complex and require creativity, industry knowledge and expertise, rigorous due diligence, and extensive negotiations and documentation. |
Business Strategy
Our business strategy is to identify and complete our initial business combination with a company that can benefit from the strategic, transactional and operational experience of our management team to create long-term shareholder value. We will leverage the team’s broad sourcing network in our selection process and will apply our diligence processes and structuring expertise to execute a value creating transaction.
Specifically, our strategy is to:
| • | utilize our deep understanding of emerging trends within the financial services and financial technology sectors to identify the most attractive segments and to assess suitable merger candidates; |
| • | develop a large pipeline of actionable investment opportunities through our long-standing relationships and proprietary deal sourcing networks; and, |
| • | leverage the strategic, transactional and operating experience of our management team and sponsor to engage with and diligence likely business combination targets to consummate a transaction; |
Our selection process will leverage our sponsors’ broad and deep relationship network, unique investment and industry experiences and proven deal sourcing capabilities to access a broad spectrum of differentiated opportunities. This network has been developed through our sponsors’ decades of experience and demonstrated success in both investing in and operating businesses both in our target sectors and across a variety of other industries. We intend to deploy a pro-active, thematic sourcing strategy and to focus on companies where we believe the combination of our operating experience, relationships, and capital markets expertise can be catalysts to accelerate the target’s growth and profitability characteristics and performance over time. Upon completion of this offering, our sponsors will engage with their networks of relationships to articulate the parameters of our target company search and begin the process of pursuing and reviewing potential combinations.
Our team’s objectives are to generate attractive returns for shareholders and to enhance the value of the business we combine with by improving operational performance of the acquired company and assisting it in its transition into being a publicly-traded company. We expect to favor opportunities with certain industry and business characteristics.
Key industry characteristics include:
| • | large addressable market; |
| • | compelling long-term secular growth; |
| • | attractive competitive dynamics; and, |
| • | inorganic growth and consolidation opportunities. |
Key business characteristics of attractive consolidation targets include:
| • | high-caliber executive and management team; |
| • | market-leading product or service; |
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| • | potential for growth in excess of relevant industry average; |
| • | high barriers to entry; |
| • | solid base of recurring revenue; |
| • | resilient to economic cycles; |
| • | established, high-quality customer base; |
| • | long-term customer relationships / contracts; |
| • | attractive overall financial profile; |
| • | opportunity for operational improvements; |
| • | attractive steady-state margins and free cash flow characteristics; and, |
| • | will benefit from Atlas’ long-term sponsorship as it seeks to accelerate growth in the public markets. |
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as on other considerations, factors and criteria that our management and Sponsors may deem relevant.
Our selection process will leverage our Sponsor’s extensive investment sourcing network, which includes current and former industry executives within the financial services and financial technology industries, private equity, venture capital and alternative asset managers, and lending relationships, as well as existing relationships with the management teams of both public and private companies, investment bankers, restructuring advisers, attorneys and accountants, which we believe should provide us with a number of attractive business combination opportunities.
Our management team and Sponsor have decades of experience in:
| • | developing and fostering relationships with business owners, management teams and various types of capital providers; |
| • | sourcing, structuring, conducting diligence, and financing complex acquisitions; |
| • | structuring and negotiating transaction terms favorable to investors; |
| • | executing transactions in multiple geographies and under varying economic and financial market conditions; |
| • | accessing the capital markets, including financing businesses and helping companies transition to public ownership; and, |
| • | providing strategic guidance at the board level to assist in ongoing shareholder value creation as an independent public company. |
Atlas and its network of operating partners have deep domain expertise within the financial services and financial technology industries as well as broad transactional experience outside of our core focus areas, with particularly valuable experience:
| • | operating large, complex, global businesses; |
| • | establishing both short and long-term strategic directions; |
| • | navigating and adapting to challenging macro environments; |
| • | identifying, recruiting and assessing world-class executives; |
| • | acquiring and integrating companies; |
| • | structuring, negotiating and financing complex transactions with multiple counterparties; and, |
| • | developing and growing companies in various ways; both organically through new product introductions and geographic expansion, and inorganically through acquisitions and other strategic joint-ventures and partnerships. |
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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, operational, legal and other information that will be made available to us.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm, that such initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Members of our management team may directly or indirectly own our securities following this offering, and accordingly, they may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
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, including Concord I and Concord II, pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. These entities, including Concord I and Concord II, may compete with us for acquisition opportunities. If these entities decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing such opportunities. 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. If any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, he or she may honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, including Concord I and Concord II, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us. Although we have no formal policy in place for vetting potential conflicts of interest, our board of directors will review any potential conflicts of interest on a case-by-case basis. For more information, see the section entitled “Management — Conflicts of Interest.”
We do not believe, however, that (aside from Concord I and Concord II) the fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.
In addition, our management team has, and may in the future, sponsor or form other special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. In particular, our management team is currently sponsoring two other blank check companies, Concord I and Concord II. Any such companies, businesses or investments, including Concord I and Concord II, may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination. While we expect that Concord I will have priority over us with respect to acquisition opportunities until it completes its initial business combination, our management team has significant experience in identifying and executing multiple acquisition opportunities simultaneously, and we believe there are multiple potential opportunities within the industries and geographies of our primary focus.
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Initial Business Combination
The NYSE rules require that an initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if permitted, and excluding deferred underwriting commissions). We refer to this as the 80% of net assets 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.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own or acquire shares will own or acquire 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the 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.
Prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
Status as a Public Company
We believe our structure will make us an attractive business combination partner to target businesses. As an existing public company, we offer target businesses an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination. In this situation, the owners of the target business would exchange their shares of stock in the target business for shares of our stock or for a combination of shares of our stock and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. Although there are various costs and obligations associated with being a public company, we believe target businesses will find this method a more certain and cost effective method to becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering. In a typical initial public offering, there are additional expenses incurred in marketing, road show and public reporting efforts that may not be present to the same extent in connection with a business combination with us.
Furthermore, once a proposed business combination is completed, the target business will have effectively become public, whereas an initial public offering is always subject to the underwriters’ ability to complete the offering, as well as general market conditions, which could delay or prevent the offering from occurring. Once public, we believe the target business would then have greater access to capital and an additional means of providing management incentives consistent with stockholders’ interests. It can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees.
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We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of: (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter; and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.00 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.
Additionally, we 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 exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter.
Financial Position
With funds available for a business combination initially in the amount of $243,150,000 assuming no redemptions (or $279,337,500 assuming no redemptions if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), after payment of $8,750,000 (or $10,062,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of deferred underwriting fees, in each case, after estimated offering expenses of $600,000 (and prior to any post-IPO working capital expenses), we offer a target business a variety of options such as creating a liquidity event for its owners, providing capital for the potential growth and expansion of its operations or strengthening its balance sheet by reducing its debt ratio. Because we are able to complete our initial business combination using our cash, debt or equity securities, or a combination of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to use the most efficient combination that will allow us to tailor the consideration to be paid to the target business to fit its needs and desires. However, we have not taken any steps to secure third-party financing and there can be no assurance it will be available to us.
Effecting our Initial Business Combination
We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations for an indefinite period of time following this offering. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our capital stock, debt or a combination of these as the consideration to be paid in our initial business combination. We may seek to complete our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.
If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemption of our public shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other businesses or for working capital.
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.
We may seek to raise additional funds in connection with the completion of our initial business combination through a private offering of equity securities or debt securities or loans, and we may effectuate our initial business combination using the proceeds of such offerings or loans rather than using the amounts held in the trust account.
In the case of an initial business combination funded with assets other than the trust account assets, our tender offer documents or proxy materials disclosing the business combination would disclose the terms of the financing and, only if required by applicable law or we decide to do so for business or other reasons, we would seek stockholder approval of such financing. There are no prohibitions on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. At this time, we are not a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities or otherwise.
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Selection of a target business and structuring of our initial business combination
The NYSE rules require that an initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if permitted, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discount). The fair market value of the target or targets will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community, such as discounted cash flow valuation or value of comparable businesses. 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. Subject to this requirement, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting one or more prospective target businesses, although we will not be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.
In any case, we will only complete an initial 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. 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. There is no basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any target business with which we may ultimately complete our initial business combination.
To the extent we effect our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors.
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, operational, legal and other information that will be made available to us.
The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which our initial business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination.
Lack of business diversification
For an indefinite period of time after the completion of our initial business combination, the prospects for our success may depend entirely on the future performance of a single business.
By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:
| • | solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset; or |
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| • | dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services. |
This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our initial business combination.
Limited ability to evaluate the target’s management team
Although we intend to closely scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with that business, our assessment of the target business’s management may not prove to be correct. In addition, the future management may not have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of members of our management team, if any, in the target business cannot presently be stated with any certainty. While it is possible that one or more of our directors will remain associated in some capacity with us following our initial business combination, it is highly unlikely that any of them will devote their full efforts to our affairs subsequent to our initial business combination. Moreover, we cannot assure you that members of our management team will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.
We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with the post-business combination company. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
Following our initial business combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.
Stockholders may not have the ability to approve our initial business combination
We may conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC. However, we will seek stockholder approval if it is required by applicable law or stock exchange rule, or we may decide to seek stockholder approval for business or other reasons. Presented in the table below is a graphic explanation of the types of initial business combinations we may consider and whether stockholder approval is currently required under Delaware law for each such transaction.
| Type of Transaction | Whether Stockholder Approval is Required | |
| Purchase of assets | No | |
| Purchase of stock of target not involving a merger with the company | No | |
| Merger of target into a subsidiary of the company | No | |
| Merger of the company with a target | Yes |
Under the NYSE’s listing rules, stockholder approval would typically be required for our initial business combination if, for example:
| • | we issue (other than in a public offering for cash) shares of common stock that will either (a) be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of shares of common stock then outstanding or (b) have voting power equal to or in excess of 20% of the voting power then outstanding; |
| • | any of our directors, officers or substantial security holders (as defined by the NYSE rules) has a 5% or greater interest, directly or indirectly, in the target business or assets to be acquired and if the number of shares of common stock to be issued, or if the number of shares of common stock into which the securities may be convertible or exercisable, exceeds either (a) 1% of the number of shares of common stock or 1% of the voting power outstanding before the issuance in the case of any of our directors and officers or (b) 5% of the number of shares of common stock or 5% of the voting power outstanding before the issuance in the case of any substantial security holders; or |
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| • | the issuance or potential issuance will result in our undergoing a change of control. |
The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination in those instances in which stockholder approval is not required by applicable law or stock exchange rule will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on business and other reasons, which include a variety of factors, including, but not limited to:
| • | the timing of the transaction, including in the event we determine stockholder approval would require additional time and there is either not enough time to seek stockholder approval or doing so would place the company at a disadvantage in the transaction or result in other additional burdens on the company; |
| • | the expected cost of holding a stockholder vote; |
| • | the risk that the stockholders would fail to approve the proposed business combination; |
| • | other time and budget constraints of the company; and |
| • | additional legal complexities of a proposed business combination that would be time-consuming and burdensome to present to stockholders. |
Permitted purchases and other transactions with respect to our securities
In the event 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 sponsors, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may purchase public shares or warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit on the number of securities such persons may purchase. Additionally, at any time at or prior to our initial business combination, subject to applicable securities laws (including with respect to material nonpublic information), our sponsors, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire public shares, vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination or not redeem their public shares. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such purchases or other transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such purchases or other transactions. None of the funds held in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or warrants in such transactions. Such persons will be subject to restrictions in making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such 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. We will adopt an insider trading policy which will require insiders to (1) refrain from purchasing securities during certain blackout periods and when they are in possession of any material non-public information and (2) clear all trades with our legal counsel prior to execution. We cannot currently determine whether our insiders will make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan, as it will be dependent upon several factors, including but not limited to, the timing and size of such purchases. Depending on such circumstances, our insiders may either make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan or determine that such a plan is not necessary.
In the event that our sponsors, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates purchase public shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights or submitted a proxy to vote against our initial business combination, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares and any proxy to vote against our initial business combination. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will be required to comply with such rules.
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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. Any such transactions may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our shares of Class A common stock or warrants may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
Our sponsors, officers, directors, advisors and/or any of their respective affiliates anticipate that they may identify the stockholders with whom our sponsors, officers, directors, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may pursue privately negotiated transactions by either the stockholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by stockholders (in the case of public shares) following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our sponsors, officers, directors, advisors or any of their respective affiliates enter into a private transaction, they would identify and contact only potential selling or redeeming stockholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against our initial business combination. Such persons would select the stockholders from whom to acquire shares based on the number of shares available, the negotiated price per share and such other factors as any such person may deem relevant at the time of purchase. The price per share paid in any such transaction may be different than the amount per share a public stockholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. Our sponsors, officers, directors, advisors or any of their respective affiliates will be restricted from purchasing shares if such purchases do not comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.
Any purchases by our sponsors, officers, directors and/or any of their respective affiliates who are affiliated purchasers under Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act will be restricted unless such purchases are made in compliance with Rule 10b-18, which is a safe harbor from liability for manipulation under Section 9(a)(2) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Rule 10b-18 has certain technical requirements that must be complied with in order for the safe harbor to be available to the purchaser. Our sponsors, officers, directors and/or any of their respective affiliates will be restricted from making purchases of common stock if such purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act.
Redemption rights for public stockholders upon completion of our initial business combination
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. At completion of the business combination, we will be required to purchase any public shares properly delivered for redemption and not withdrawn. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share. The per share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination.
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Manner of conducting redemptions
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of Class A common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination either: (1) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the business combination; or (2) by means of a tender offer. Except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction. Asset acquisitions and stock purchases would not typically require stockholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding common stock or seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation would typically require stockholder approval. If we structure a business combination transaction with a target company in a manner that requires stockholder approval, we will not have discretion as to whether to seek a stockholder vote to approve the proposed business combination. We intend to conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless stockholder approval is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement or we choose to seek stockholder approval for business or other reasons.
If a stockholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation:
| • | conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers; and |
| • | file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies. |
Upon the public announcement of our initial business combination, we and our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase shares of our Class A common stock in the open market if we elect to redeem our public shares through a tender offer, to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act.
In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public stockholders not tendering more than a specified number of public shares, which number will be based on the requirement that we may not redeem public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets, after payment of the deferred underwriting commissions, to be less than $5,000,001 following such redemptions or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. If public stockholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete such initial business combination, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination (including, potentially, with the same target).
If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation:
| • | conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules; and |
| • | file proxy materials with the SEC. |
We expect that a final proxy statement would be mailed to public stockholders at least 10 days prior to the stockholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such stockholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. Although we are not required to do so, we currently intend to comply with the substantive and procedural requirements of Regulation 14A in connection with any stockholder vote even if we are not able to maintain our NYSE listing or Exchange Act registration.
In the event that we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection therewith, provide our public stockholders with the redemption rights described above upon completion of the initial business combination.
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If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. Our initial stockholders, officers and directors will count towards this quorum and have agreed to vote any founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. These quorum and voting thresholds and agreements, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. In addition, our initial stockholders have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of a business combination.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets, after payment of the deferred underwriting commissions, to be less than $5,000,001 following such redemptions. Redemptions of our public shares may also be subject to a higher net tangible asset test or cash requirement pursuant to an agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed business combination may require: (1) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners; (2) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes; or (3) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of 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 common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination (including, potentially, with the same target).
Limitation on redemption upon completion of our initial business combination if we seek stockholder approval
Notwithstanding the foregoing redemption rights, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation 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 this offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares,” without our prior consent. We believe the restriction described above will discourage stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to redeem their shares as a means to force us or our sponsors or their affiliates to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public stockholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights against a business combination if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our sponsors or their affiliates at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our stockholders’ ability to redeem to no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination.
Tendering stock certificates in connection with a tender offer or redemption rights
We may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, rather than simply voting against the initial business combination at the holder’s option. The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements, which will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Accordingly, a public stockholder would have from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, or up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the business combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. Pursuant to the tender offer rules, the tender offer period will be not less than 20 business days and, in the case of a stockholder vote, a final proxy statement would be mailed to public stockholders at least 10 days prior to the stockholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such stockholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. Given the relatively short exercise period, it is advisable for stockholders to use electronic delivery of their public shares.
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There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker a fee of approximately $80 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights to tender their shares. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated.
The foregoing is different from the procedures used by many blank check companies. In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, many blank check companies would distribute proxy materials for the stockholders’ vote on an initial business combination, and a holder could simply vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holder was seeking to exercise his or her redemption rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would contact such stockholder to arrange for him or her to deliver his or her certificate to verify ownership. As a result, the stockholder then had an “option window” after the completion of the business combination during which he or she could monitor the price of the company’s stock in the market. If the price rose above the redemption price, he or she could sell his or her shares in the open market before actually delivering his or her shares to the company for cancellation. As a result, the redemption rights, to which stockholders were aware they needed to commit before the stockholder meeting, would become “option” rights surviving past the completion of the business combination until the redeeming holder delivered its certificate. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a redeeming holder’s election to redeem is irrevocable once the business combination is approved.
Any request to redeem such shares, once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the date set forth in the tender offer materials or two business days prior to the scheduled date of the stockholder meeting set forth in our proxy materials, as applicable (unless we elect to allow additional withdrawal rights). Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivered its certificate in connection with an election of redemption rights and subsequently decides prior to the applicable date not to elect to exercise such rights, such holder may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically). It is anticipated that the funds to be distributed to holders of our public shares electing to redeem their shares will be distributed promptly after the completion of our initial business combination.
If our initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public stockholders who elected to exercise their redemption rights would not be entitled to redeem their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account. In such case, we will promptly return any certificates delivered by public holders who elected to redeem their shares.
If our initial proposed business combination is not completed, we may continue to try to complete a business combination until 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period.
Redemption of public shares and liquidation if no initial business combination
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we will have only 24 months from the closing of this offering to complete our initial business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such period or during any Extension Period, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) 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 not previously released to us to pay our taxes (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) and up to $100,000 of such net interest to pay dissolution expenses, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time period.
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Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares and private placement shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time period. However, if our sponsors or any of our officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates then hold any public shares, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time frame to complete our initial business combination.
Our sponsors, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this 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 shares of Class A common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. However, we may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets, after payment of the deferred underwriting commissions, to be less than $5,000,001 following such redemptions.
We expect that all costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, as well as payments to any creditors, will be funded from amounts remaining out of the estimated $1,900,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. However, if those funds are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, to the extent that there is any interest accrued in the trust account not required to pay taxes, we may request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $100,000 of such accrued interest to pay those costs and expenses.
If we were to expend all of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account and any tax payments or expenses for the dissolution of the trust, the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders upon our dissolution would be $10.00. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to the claims of our creditors which would have higher priority than the claims of our public stockholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption amount received by stockholders will not be substantially less than $10.00. Please see “Risk Factors — 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 $10.00 per share” and other risk factors described above. Under Section 281(b) of the DGCL, our plan of dissolution must provide for all claims against us to be paid in full or make provision for payments to be made in full, as applicable, if there are sufficient assets. These claims must be paid or provided for before we make any distribution of our remaining assets to our stockholders. While we intend to pay such amounts, if any, we cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims.
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Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements or even if they execute such agreements that they would be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account including but not limited to fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third-party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where we are unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. In order to protect the amounts held in the trust account, our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (1) $10.00 per public share; or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor, 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 and, therefore, our sponsor may not be able to satisfy those obligations. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such obligations. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below: (1) $10.00 per public share; or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its indemnification obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so in certain instances. For example, the cost of such legal action may be deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or the independent directors may determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per-share redemption price will not be substantially less than $10.00 per public share. Please see “Risk Factors — 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 $10.00 per share” and other risk factors described above.
We will seek to reduce the possibility that our sponsor will have to indemnify the trust account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account. Our sponsor will also not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We will have access to up to an estimated $1,900,000 from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants with which to pay any such potential claims (including costs and expenses incurred in connection with our liquidation, currently estimated to be no more than approximately $100,000). In the event that we liquidate and it is subsequently determined that the reserve for claims and liabilities is insufficient, stockholders who received funds from our trust account could be liable for claims made by creditors. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $600,000, we may fund such excess with funds from the funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $600,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
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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 the corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution.
Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination 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. If we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) 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 not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses and which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Accordingly, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following the end of our acquisition period and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with those procedures. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of such date.
Because we will not be complying with Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the subsequent ten years. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses. As described above, pursuant to the obligation contained in our underwriting agreement, we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account.
As a result of this obligation, the claims that could be made against us are significantly limited and the likelihood that any claim that would result in any liability extending to the trust account is remote. Further, our sponsor may be liable only to the extent necessary to ensure that the amounts in the trust account are not reduced below: (1) $10.00 per public share; or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. In the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims.
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If 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, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.00 per share to our public stockholders. Additionally, if 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. Furthermore, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons. Please see “Risk Factors — 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 the members of our board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims of punitive damages.”
A public stockholder will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (1) the completion of our initial business combination and then, only in connection with those public shares that such stockholder has properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described in this prospectus; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) the redemption of all of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. In the event we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, a stockholder’s voting in connection with our initial business combination alone will not result in a stockholder’s redeeming its shares to us for an applicable pro rata share of the trust account. Such stockholder must have also exercised its redemption rights described above. Holders of warrants will not have any rights of proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants.
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the consummation of our initial business combination. If we seek to amend any provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, we will provide public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares in connection with any such vote. Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed to waive any redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares held by them in connection with any such amendment. Specifically, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide, among other things, that:
| · | prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we shall either: (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose, in connection with which, stockholders may seek to redeem their shares without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, calculated as of two business days prior to the completion of our initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable); or (2) provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to tender their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, calculated as of two business days prior to the completion of our initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein; |
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| · | we will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and, solely if we seek stockholder approval, a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination at a duly held stockholders meeting; |
| · | if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per 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, and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law; and |
| · | prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to (1) receive funds from the trust account or (2) vote pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation on any initial business combination or any amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. |
These provisions cannot be amended without the approval of holders of at least 65% of our outstanding common stock.
Additionally, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that, prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B common stock will have the right to vote on the election of directors and that 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 amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended if approved by holders of a majority of at least 90% of the outstanding shares of our common stock voting at a stockholder meeting.
Unless specified in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our stockholders.
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Comparison of redemption or purchase prices in connection with our initial business combination and if we fail to complete our initial business combination
The following table compares the redemptions and other permitted purchases of public shares that may take place in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period.
| Redemptions in Connection with our Initial Business Combination |
Other Permitted Purchases of Public Shares by our Affiliates |
Redemptions if we fail to Complete an Initial Business Combination | ||||
| Calculation of redemption price | Redemptions at the time of our initial business combination may be made pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a stockholder vote. The redemption price will be the same whether we conduct redemptions pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a stockholder vote. In either case, our public stockholders may redeem their public shares for cash equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination (which is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share), including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitation that no redemptions will take place if all of the redemptions would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 following such redemptions, and any limitations (including but not limited to cash requirements) agreed to in connection with the negotiation of terms of a proposed business combination. | If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsors, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. Such purchases will be restricted except to the extent such purchases are able to be made in compliance with Rule 10b-18, which is a safe harbor from liability for manipulation under Section 9(a)(2) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares in such transactions. | If we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, we will redeem all public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (which is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share), including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable, and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. | |||
| Impact to remaining stockholders | The redemptions in connection with our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for our remaining stockholders, who will bear the burden of the deferred underwriting commissions and interest withdrawn in order to pay our taxes (to the extent not paid from amounts accrued as interest on the funds held in the trust account). |
If the permitted purchases described above are made, there will be no impact to our remaining stockholders because the purchase price would not be paid by us. | The redemption of our public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for the shares held by our initial stockholders, who will be our only remaining stockholders after such redemptions. |
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Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419
The following table compares the terms of this offering to the terms of an offering by a blank check company subject to the provisions of Rule 419. This comparison assumes that the gross proceeds, underwriting commissions and underwriting expenses of our offering would be identical to those of an offering undertaken by a company subject to Rule 419, and that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option. None of the provisions of Rule 419 apply to our offering.
| Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
| Escrow of offering proceeds |
The rules of the NYSE provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants be deposited in a trust account.
$250,000,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account at Morgan Stanley, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. |
Approximately $220,500,000 of the offering proceeds, representing the gross proceeds of this offering less allowable underwriting commissions, expenses and company deductions under Rule 419, would be required to be deposited into either an escrow account with an insured depositary institution or in a separate bank account established by a broker-dealer in which the broker-dealer acts as trustee for persons having the beneficial interests in the account. | ||
| Investment of net proceeds |
$250,000,000 of the net offering proceeds and the sale of the private placement warrants held in trust will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. Treasuries and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. |
Proceeds could be invested only in specified securities such as a money market fund meeting conditions of the Investment Company Act or in securities that are direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed as to principal or interest by, the United States. | ||
| Receipt of interest on escrowed funds |
Interest on proceeds from the trust account to be paid to stockholders is reduced by: (1) any taxes paid or payable; and (2) in the event of our liquidation for failure to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time, up to $100,000 of net interest that may be released to us should we have no or insufficient working capital to fund the costs and expenses of our dissolution and liquidation.
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Interest on funds in escrow account would be held for the sole benefit of investors, unless and only after the funds held in escrow were released to us in connection with our completion of a business combination. | ||
| Limitation on fair value or net assets of target business |
The NYSE rules require that an initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if permitted, and excluding the deferred underwriting commissions). |
The fair value or net assets of a target business must represent at least 80% of the maximum offering proceeds. |
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| Trading of securities issued | The units will begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A common stock and warrants constituting the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day) unless Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Cowen and Company, LLC inform us of their decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. |
No trading of the units or the underlying common stock and warrants would be permitted until the completion of a business combination. During this period, the securities would be held in the escrow or trust account. | ||
| Exercise of the warrants | The warrants cannot be exercised until the later of 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and 12 months from the closing of this offering. | The warrants could be exercised prior to the completion of a business combination, but securities received and cash paid in connection with the exercise would be deposited in the escrow or trust account. | ||
| Election to remain an investor | We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest, which interest shall be net of taxes payable, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein. We may not be required by applicable law or stock exchange rules to hold a stockholder vote. If we are not required by applicable law or stock exchange rules and do not otherwise decide to hold a stockholder vote, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC and file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, we hold a stockholder vote, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. Pursuant to the tender offer rules, the tender offer period will be not less than 20 business days and, in the case of a stockholder vote, a final proxy statement would be mailed to public stockholders at least 10 days prior to the stockholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such stockholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. Additionally, each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares without voting and, if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. | A prospectus containing information pertaining to the business combination required by the SEC would be sent to each investor. Each investor would be given the opportunity to notify the company in writing, within a period of no less than 20 business days and no more than 45 business days from the effective date of a post-effective amendment to the company’s registration statement, to decide if he, she or it elects to remain a stockholder of the company or require the return of his, her or its investment. If the company has not received the notification by the end of the 45th business day, funds and interest or dividends, if any, held in the trust or escrow account are automatically returned to the stockholder. Unless a sufficient number of investors elect to remain investors, all funds on deposit in the escrow account must be returned to all of the investors and none of the securities are issued. |
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| Business combination deadline | If we have not completed an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per 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, and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. | If an acquisition has not been completed within 18 months after the effective date of the company’s registration statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account are returned to investors. | ||
| Release of funds | Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our taxes, if any, the funds held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of: (1) the completion of our initial business combination; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) the redemption of all of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. | The proceeds held in the escrow account are not released until the earlier of the completion of a business combination and the failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time. |
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| Limitation on redemption rights of stockholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold a stockholder vote | If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation 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 Excess Shares (more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering), without our prior consent. Our public stockholders’ inability to redeem Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and they could suffer a material loss on their investment in us if they sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. | Most blank check companies provide no restrictions on the ability of stockholders to redeem shares based on the number of shares held by such stockholders in connection with an initial business combination. | ||
| Tendering stock certificates in connection with a tender offer or redemption rights | We may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders or up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option. The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. Accordingly, a public stockholder would have from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, or up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the business combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. | In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, holders could vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holders were seeking to exercise their redemption rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would contact such stockholders to arrange for them to deliver their certificate to verify ownership. |
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Competition
We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire, including Concord I and Concord II.
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 will be numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. Our sponsors or any of its affiliates may make additional investments in us, although our sponsors have no obligation or other duty to do so. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. 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 target businesses. Any of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating and completing an initial business combination.
Facilities
We currently maintain our executive offices at 477 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022. The cost for this space is included in the $20,000 per month fee that we will pay an affiliate of our sponsor for office space, administrative and support services. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
Employees
We currently have two officers and do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Members of our management team 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 that any such person will devote in any time period to our company will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the current stage of the business combination process.
Periodic Reporting and Financial Information
We will register our units, Class A common stock and warrants under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual reports will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accounting firm.
We will provide stockholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials sent to stockholders to assist them in assessing the target business. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, GAAP or IFRS, depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with PCAOB standards. 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. While this may limit the pool of potential business combination candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.
We will be required to evaluate our internal control procedures for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements on our internal control over financial reporting. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.
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Prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of: (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter; and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.00 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter.
Legal Proceedings
There is no material litigation, arbitration or governmental proceeding currently pending against us or any members of our management team in their capacity as such, and we and the members of our management team have not been subject to any such proceeding in the 12 months preceding the date of this prospectus.
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Directors, Director Nominees and Executive Officers
Our directors, director nominees and officers are as follows:
| Name | Age | Title | ||
| Jeff Tuder | 48 | Chief Executive Officer and Director | ||
| Michele Cito | 31 | Chief Financial Officer | ||
| Bob Diamond | 69 | Chairman of the Board | ||
| Peter Ort | 50 | Director Nominee | ||
| Thomas King | 60 | Director Nominee | ||
| Larry Leibowitz | 60 | Director Nominee |
Jeff Tuder serves as our Chief Executive Officer and a director. Mr. Tuder is currently an Operating Partner of Atlas, having joined in September 2020. Since August 2020, Mr. Tuder has been the Chief Executive Officer of Concord I and since February 2021, Mr. Tuder has also been the Chief Executive Officer of Concord II. Previously, Mr. Tuder founded Tremson Capital Management, LLC to invest in undervalued public equities and to make private equity and credit investments in partnership with a number of family offices. Prior to founding Tremson, Mr. Tuder held various investment positions at JHL Capital Group, a $3 billion multi-strategy hedge fund, KSA Capital Management, a deep value long/short equity fund, and CapitalSource Finance, where he was a Managing Director and Head of its Special Opportunity credit investment business. Mr. Tuder began his career as a private equity professional at Fortress Investment Group, where he underwrote and managed private equity investments for Fortress’ various investment vehicles; Nassau Capital, LLC, which managed the private assets of Princeton University’s Endowment; and ABS Capital Partners, a private equity firm affiliated with Alex. Brown & Sons. Mr. Tuder is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Inseego Corporation (NASDAQ: INSG) and Unico American (NASDAQ: UNAM). Mr. Tuder received a B.A. in English Literature from Yale College. We believe Mr. Tuder is well qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his extensive experience in investing, as well as his experience serving on public company boards.
Michele Cito serves as our Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Cito is Chief Financial Officer of Atlas Merchant Capital LLC, having joined in June 2014. Ms. Cito joined Atlas as Controller and later served as Vice President of Finance and Operations prior to becoming Chief Financial Officer. Since August 2020, Ms. Cito has been the Chief Financial Officer of Concord I and since February 2021, Ms. Cito has also been the Chief Financial Officer of Concord II. Previously, Ms. Cito worked as an Auditor at Deloitte & Touche LLP in financial services. Ms. Cito is a Certified Public Accountant and received a B.A. in Public Accounting, and an MBA from Pace University.
Bob Diamond serves as Chairman of our board of directors. Mr. Diamond is Founding Partner and Chief Executive Officer of Atlas Merchant Capital LLC. Since August 2020, Mr. Diamond has been the Chairman of Concord I and since February 2021, Mr. Diamond has also been the Chairman of Concord II. Until 2012, Mr. Diamond was Chief Executive of Barclays, having previously held the position of President of Barclays, responsible for Barclays Capital and Barclays Global Investors (“BGI”). He became an executive director of Barclays in 2005 and had been a member of the Barclays Executive Committee since 1997. Prior to Barclays, Mr. Diamond held senior executive positions at Credit Suisse First Boston and Morgan Stanley in the United States, Europe and Asia. Mr. Diamond worked at Credit Suisse First Boston from 1992 to 1996, where his roles included Vice Chairman and Head of Global Fixed Income and Foreign Exchange in New York, as well as Chairman, President and CEO of Credit Suisse First Boston Pacific. Mr. Diamond worked at Morgan Stanley from 1979 to 1992, including as the Head of European and Asian Fixed Income Trading. Mr. Diamond is currently a member of the Board of Directors of South Street Securities Holdings, Inc., Crux Informatics and Atlas Mara Limited. He is also a Trustee of The American Foundation of the Imperial War Museum Inc., a Life Member of The Council on Foreign Relations and is involved in several non-profit initiatives, including being a Director of the Diamond Foundation. He is also Life Trustee and former Chair of the Colby College Board of Trustees. Mr. Diamond received a B.A. in Economics from Colby College and an M.B.A. from the University of Connecticut. We believe Mr. Diamond is well qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his extensive experience in investing, investment banking and finance, as well as his experience serving on public and private company boards.
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Peter Ort has agreed to serve on our board of directors. Mr. Ort is Co-Founder of CurAlea Associates LLC, which provides customized software and advisory solutions to wealth and asset managers. Mr. Ort is also a General Partner at Cambium Capital Partners, an early stage venture capital firm focused on advanced computing in areas such as machine learning specific chips, quantum computing, and application specific devices. Previously, Mr. Ort spent the bulk of his career at Goldman Sachs, where he was a Managing Director and co-head of the Hedge Fund Strategies Group, overseeing manager selection for a $25 billion portfolio, and also worked in the firm’s Private Equity Group and Financial Institutions Group in New York and Tokyo. Mr. Ort was also a Managing Director at Karsch Capital, a $3 billion equity long/short hedge fund. Mr. Ort is a member of the board or advisory board of a number of privately held technology companies. Mr. Ort graduated from Duke University, obtained J.D. and M.B.A. degrees from New York University, and is a member of the New York and New Jersey State Bars. He was a Fulbright Scholar in Japan, and is the Treasurer and a member of the board of the Fulbright Association’s New Jersey Chapter. We believe Mr. Ort is well qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his experience in investing in technology companies and in investment banking.
Thomas King has agreed to serve on our board of directors. Mr. King is an Operating Partner of Atlas. He has more than 30 years of experience in the investment banking and financial services industry. Most recently, Mr. King served as Chief Executive Officer of Investment Banking at Barclays and Chairman of the Investment Banking Executive Committee. Mr. King was also a member of the Barclays Group Executive Committee, which oversees all of the Barclays plc businesses. Mr. King began his career at Salomon Brothers, which was later acquired by Citigroup. During his tenure at Citi, he served as Global Head of Mergers and Acquisitions, Head of Investment Banking for the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) Region and Head of Corporate and Investment Banking for the EMEA region. In 2009, Mr. King moved to Barclays Investment Bank and held several senior roles before becoming CEO, including Head of European Investment Banking, Co-Head of Global Corporate Finance, Global Head of Investment Banking. Mr. King received his MBA with distinction from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and his Bachelor of Arts degree from Bowdoin College. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Radius Global Infrastructure, Inc. (LSE: RADI) (formerly known as Digital Landscape Group, Inc.) and Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CCO) and various private boards and Chairs the Board of Trustees at the King School in Stamford, Connecticut. We believe Mr. King is well qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his extensive experience in investment banking and financial services, as well as his experience serving on public and private company boards.
Larry Leibowitz has agreed to serve on our board of directors. Mr. Leibowitz is a finance and technology entrepreneur who specializes in business transformation and capital markets. Mr. Leibowitz is an Operating Partner of Atlas, and is a Strategic Advisor and Board Director of Crux Informatics. Mr. Leibowitz currently serves on the Board of Directors of Cowen, Inc (NASDAQ: COWN), an independent investment bank, as well as Vice Chairman of XCHG Xpansiv, an intelligent commodities exchange focusing on renewable energy products, and is on the board of various other private companies in the cryptocurrency, asset management technology, and digital law businesses. Most recently, Mr. Leibowitz served as Chief Operating Officer, Head of Global Equities Markets and as a Member of the Board of Directors of NYSE Euronext, holding such positions from 2007 to 2013. Prior to that, Mr. Leibowitz served as Chief Operating Officer of Americas Equities at UBS, Co-head of Schwab Soundview Capital Markets, and CEO of Redibook. Mr. Leibowitz was formerly a founding partner at Bunker Capital, and Managing Director and Head of Quantitative Trading and Equities Technology at CS First Boston. Mr. Leibowitz received a B.A. in Economics from Princeton University. We believe Mr. Leibowitz is well qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his extensive investment experience, particularly in technology-related companies, as well as his experience serving on public and private company boards.
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Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we expect that our board of directors will consist of five members. Our board of directors is divided into three classes, with only one class of directors being elected in each year, and with each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual meeting of stockholders) serving a three-year term. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of Peter Ort, will expire at our first annual meeting of stockholders. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of Larry Leibowitz and Thomas King, will expire at our second annual meeting of stockholders. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of Bob Diamond and Jeff Tuder, will expire at our third annual meeting of stockholders.
Prior to consummation of our initial business combination, holders of our Class B common stock will have the right to elect all of our directors and remove members of our board of directors for any reason. Holders of our public shares will not have the right to vote on the election of directors during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended if approved by holders of a majority of at least 90% of the outstanding shares of our common stock voting at a stockholder meeting. Approval of our initial business combination will require the affirmative vote of a majority of our board directors, which must include a majority of our independent directors. Subject to any other special rights applicable to the stockholders, prior to our initial business combination, any vacancies on our board of directors may be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors present and voting at the meeting of our board of directors that includes any directors representing our sponsor then on our board of directors, or by holders of a majority of the outstanding 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 will provide that our officers may consist of a Chairman of the Board, a Chief Executive Officer, a Chief Financial Officer, a Secretary and such other officers (including without limitation, a President, Vice Presidents, Assistant Secretaries, and a Treasurer) as our board of directors from time to time may determine.
Director Independence
The rules of the NYSE require that a majority of our board of directors be independent within one year of our initial public offering. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person that, in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, has no material relationship with the listed company (either directly or as a partner, stockholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with the company). Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we expect to have three “independent directors” as defined in the NYSE rules and applicable SEC rules prior to completion of this offering. Our board of directors has determined that each of Peter Ort, Tom King and Larry Leibowitz is an independent director under applicable SEC and NYSE rules. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
Executive Officer and Director Compensation
None of our officers or directors have received any compensation for services rendered to us. Our sponsors, officers, directors and their respective affiliates will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or any of their respective affiliates.
After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other compensation from the combined company. All compensation 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. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time such materials are distributed, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining executive officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers after the completion of our initial business combination will be determined by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors.
We are not party to any agreements with our officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business, and we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination should be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination.
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Committees of the Board of Directors
Upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, our board of directors will have three standing committees: an audit committee, a compensation committee and a nominating and corporate governance committee, each of which will be composed solely of independent directors. Subject to phase-in rules, the rules of the NYSE and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors, and the rules of the NYSE require that the compensation committee and the nominating and corporate governance committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors. Each committee will operate under a charter that will be approved by our board of directors and will have the composition and responsibilities described below. The charter of each committee will be available on our website following the closing of this offering.
Audit Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish an audit committee of the board of directors. The members of our audit committee will be Peter Ort, Tom King and Larry Leibowitz. Mr. Ort will serve as chairman of the audit committee.
Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our board of directors has determined that Mr. Ort qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules and has accounting or related financial management expertise.
We will adopt an audit committee charter, which will detail the purpose and 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 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 (1) the independent auditor’s internal quality-control procedures and (2) 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 “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
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish a compensation committee of the board of directors. The members of our compensation committee will be Peter Ort, Tom King and Larry Leibowitz. Tom King will serve as chairman of the compensation committee.
We will adopt a compensation committee charter, which will detail the purpose and responsibilities 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 making recommendations to our board of directors with respect to the compensation, and any incentive-compensation and equity-based plans that are subject to board approval of all of our other officers; |
| · | reviewing 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; |
| · | 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 will also provide that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, independent legal counsel or other adviser and will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by the NYSE and the SEC.
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish a nominating and corporate governance committee of the board of directors. The members of our nominating and corporate governance committee will be Peter Ort, Tom King and Larry Leibowitz. Larry Leibowitz will serve as chair of the nominating and corporate governance committee.
We will adopt a nominating and corporate governance committee charter, which will detail the purpose and responsibilities of the nominating and corporate governance committee, including:
| · | identifying, screening and reviewing individuals qualified to serve as directors, consistent with criteria approved by the board, and recommending to the board of directors candidates for nomination for election at the annual meeting of stockholders or to fill vacancies on the board of directors; |
| · | developing and recommending to the board of directors and overseeing implementation of our corporate governance guidelines; |
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| · | coordinating and overseeing the annual self-evaluation of the board of directors, its committees, individual directors and management in the governance of the company; and |
| · | reviewing on a regular basis our overall corporate governance and recommending improvements as and when necessary. |
The charter will also provide that the nominating and corporate governance committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of, and terminate, any search firm to be used to identify director candidates, and will be directly responsible for approving the search firm’s fees and other retention terms.
We have not formally established any specific, minimum qualifications that must be met or skills that are necessary for directors to possess. In general, in identifying and evaluating nominees for director, the board of directors considers educational background, diversity of professional experience, knowledge of our business, integrity, professional reputation, independence, wisdom, and the ability to represent the best interests of our stockholders. Prior to our initial business combination, holders of our public shares will not have the right to recommend director candidates for nomination to our board of directors.
Code of Ethics
Prior to the closing of this offering, we will adopt a code of ethics and business conduct (our “Code of Ethics”) applicable to our directors, officers and employees. We have filed a copy of our form of our Code of Ethics as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. You will be able to review this document by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and on our website. 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. Please see “Where You Can Find Additional Information.”
Conflicts of Interest
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities, including Concord I and Concord II, pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. These entities, including Concord I and Concord II, may compete with us for acquisition opportunities. If these entities decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing such opportunities. 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. If any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, he or she may honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, including Concord I and Concord II, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us. Although we have no formal policy in place for vetting potential conflicts of interest, our board of directors will review any potential conflicts of interest on a case-by-case basis.
In addition, our management team has, and may in the future, sponsor or form other special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. In particular, our management team is currently sponsoring two other blank check companies, Concord I and Concord II. Any such companies, businesses or investments, including Concord I and Concord II, may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination. While we expect that Concord I will have priority over us with respect to acquisition opportunities until it completes its initial business combination, our management team has significant experience in identifying and executing multiple acquisition opportunities simultaneously, and we believe there are multiple potential opportunities within the industries and geographies of our primary focus.
We do not believe, however, that (aside from Concord I and Concord II) the fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.
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Our sponsors, officers and directors may become involved with subsequent special purpose acquisition companies similar to our company. 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. Please see “— Directors, Director Nominees and Executive Officers” for a description of our management’s other affiliations. |
| · | Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Additionally, our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and private placement shares held by them if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within 24 months after the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period. However, if our initial stockholders or any of our officers, directors or affiliates acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. If we do not complete our initial business combination within such applicable time period, the proceeds of the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, and the private placement warrants will expire worthless. |
| · | Our initial stockholders acquired founder shares for approximately $0.003 per share and we are offering units at a price of $10.00 per unit in this offering; as a result, our initial stockholders could make a substantial profit after the initial business combination even if public investors experience substantial losses 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. (See “Risk Factors — Our initial stockholders paid an aggregate of $25,000 for the founder shares, or approximately $0.003 per founder share. As a result of this low initial price, our initial stockholders stand to make a substantial profit even if an initial business combination subsequently declines in value or is unprofitable for our public stockholders” and “— Since our initial stockholders will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed (other than with respect to any public shares they may hold), a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination”). |
| · | With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our initial stockholders until the earlier of: (1) one year after the completion of our initial business combination; and (2) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) the date on which we consummate a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property and (y) if the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination. With certain limited exceptions, the private placement warrants will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. Since our sponsors, officers and directors may directly or indirectly own our securities following this offering, our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. |
| · | Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our initial business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether to proceed with a particular business combination. |
| · | Our key personnel may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such key personnel was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination. |
The conflicts described above may not be resolved in our favor.
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; |
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| · | 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 have similar legal obligations and duties relating to presenting business opportunities meeting the above-listed criteria to multiple entities. Furthermore, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that the doctrine of corporate opportunity will not apply with respect to any of our officers or directors in circumstances where the application of the doctrine would conflict with any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations they may have, and there will not be any expectancy that any of our directors or officers will offer any such corporate opportunity of which he or she may become aware to us. Below is a table summarizing the entities to which our officers, directors and director nominees currently have fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may present a conflict of interest:
| Name
of Individual |
Entity Name | Entity’s Business | Affiliation | |||
| Jeff Tuder | Atlas Merchant Capital LLC | Asset management | Partner | |||
| Tremson Capital Management, LLC | Private investment firm | Managing Member | ||||
| Inseego Corporation | Mobile technology services | Director | ||||
| Unico American | Insurance services | Director | ||||
| Concord Acquisition Corp. | Special purpose acquisition company | Chief Executive Officer | ||||
| Concord Acquisition Corp II | Special purpose acquisition company | Chief Executive Officer | ||||
| Michele Cito | Atlas Merchant Capital LLC | Asset management | Chief Financial Officer | |||
| Concord Acquisition Corp. | Special purpose acquisition company | Chief Financial Officer | ||||
| Concord Acquisition Corp II | Special purpose acquisition company | Chief Financial Officer | ||||
| Bob Diamond | Atlas Merchant Capital LLC | Asset management | Partner; Chief Executive Officer | |||
| South Street Securities Holdings, Inc. | Brokerage firm | Director | ||||
| Crux Informatics | Data delivery and operations | Director | ||||
| Atlas Mara Limited | Financial services | Director | ||||
| Concord Acquisition Corp. | Special purpose acquisition company | Chairman | ||||
| Concord Acquisition Corp II | Special purpose acquisition company | Chairman | ||||
| Peter Ort | CurAlea Associates LLC | Asset management solutions | Co-Founder | |||
| Cambium Capital Partners | Venture capital firm | General Partner | ||||
| Concord Acquisition Corp. | Special purpose acquisition company | Director | ||||
| Concord Acquisition Corp II | Special purpose acquisition company | Director (Nominee) |
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| Thomas King | Atlas Merchant Capital LLC | Asset management | Partner | |||
| Digital Landscape Group, Inc. | Special purpose acquisition company | Director | ||||
Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. |
Advertising services |
Director | ||||
| Concord Acquisition Corp. | Special purpose acquisition company | Director | ||||
| Concord Acquisition Corp II | Special purpose acquisition company | Director (Nominee) | ||||
| Larry Leibowitz | Atlas Merchant Capital LLC | Asset management | Partner | |||
| Cowen, Inc | Investment bank | Director | ||||
| XCHG Xpansiv | Commodities exchange | Director | ||||
| Crux Informatics | Data delivery and operations | Strategic Advisor and Director | ||||
| Concord Acquisition Corp. | Special purpose acquisition company | Director | ||||
| Concord Acquisition Corp II | Special purpose acquisition company | Director (Nominee) |
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 (aside from Concord I and Concord II) the fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of 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 business that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm, that such initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
In the event that we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed to vote any founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination, and our officers and directors have also agreed to vote public shares purchased by them (if any) during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination.
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Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that our officers and directors will be indemnified by us to the fullest extent authorized by Delaware law, as it now exists or may in the future be amended. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that our directors will not be personally liable for monetary damages to us or our stockholders for breaches of their fiduciary duty as directors, except to the extent such exemption from liability or limitation thereof is not permitted by the DGCL.
We will enter into agreements with our officers and directors to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Our bylaws also permit us to maintain insurance on behalf of any officer, director or employee for any liability arising out of his or her actions, regardless of whether Delaware law would permit such indemnification. We will obtain a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors.
A stockholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
We believe that these provisions, the insurance and the indemnity agreements are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced officers and directors.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
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The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of the date of this prospectus, and as adjusted to reflect the sale of our common stock included in the units offered by this prospectus, and assuming no purchase of units in this offering, by:
| · | each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding shares of common stock; |
| · | each of our executive officers, directors and director nominees; and |
| · | all our executive officers, directors and director nominees as a group. |
Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect record or beneficial ownership of the private placement warrants because these warrants are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this prospectus.
On March 1, 2021, our sponsor purchased 7,187,500 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per share. On March 25, 2021, our sponsor sold 1,437,500 founder shares to CA2 Co-Investment and 25,000 to each of our independent director nominees, in each case at the original price per share. On May 6, 2021, CA2 Co-Investment sold 956,439 shares back to our sponsor at the original purchase price, resulting in our sponsor holding 6,631,439 founder shares and CA2 Co-Investment holding 481,061 founder shares. In addition, our sponsors have committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 5,000,000 private placement warrants for a purchase price of $1.50 per warrant in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering (assuming the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option). The following table presents the number of shares and percentage of our common stock beneficially owned as of the filing date, before and after this offering, by each person, or group of persons, known to us who beneficially owns more than 5% of our capital stock, each named executive officer, each of our directors and all directors and executive officers as a group. The post-offering ownership percentage column below assumes that the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option, that our sponsors forfeit 937,500 founder shares and that there are 31,250,000 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding after this offering.
| Prior
to Offering Approximate | Post-Offering Approximate | |||||||||||||||
| Number
of Shares Beneficially Owned | Percentage
of Outstanding common stock | Number
of Shares Beneficially Owned | Percentage
of Outstanding common stock | |||||||||||||
| Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1) | ||||||||||||||||
| Concord Sponsor Group III LLC(3) | 6,631,439 | (2) | 92.3 | % | 5,755,303 | (2) | 18.4 | % | ||||||||
| CA2 Co-Investment LLC(4) | 481,061 | (2) | 6.7 | % | 419,697 | (2) | 1.3 | % | ||||||||
| Bob Diamond(5) | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Jeff Tuder(5) | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Michele Cito(5) | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Peter Ort | 25,000 | (2) | * | 25,000 | (2) | * | ||||||||||
| Tom King | 25,000 | (2) | * | 25,000 | (2) | * | ||||||||||
| Larry Leibowitz | 25,000 | (2) | * | 25,000 | (2) | * | ||||||||||
| All directors and executive officers as a group (6 individuals) | 6,706,439 | (2) | 93.3 | % | 5,830,303 | (2) | 18.7 | % | ||||||||
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| * | Less than one percent. |
| (1) | Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following entities or individuals is c/o Concord Acquisition Corp III, 477 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022. |
| (2) | Interests shown consist solely of shares of Class B common stock. Shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment, as described in the section entitled “Description of Securities.” |
| (3) | Concord Sponsor Group III LLC, our sponsor, is the record holder of the shares of Class B common stock reported herein. Our sponsor is governed by a board of managers consisting of three managers, Bob Diamond, David Schamis and Jeff Tuder. Each manager has one vote, and the approval of a majority of the managers is required to approve an action of our sponsor. Under the so-called “rule of three,” if voting and dispositive decisions regarding an entity’s securities are made by three or more individuals, and a voting or dispositive decision requires the approval of a majority of those individuals, then none of the individuals is deemed a beneficial owner of the entity’s securities. Based upon the foregoing analysis, no manager of our sponsor exercises voting or dispositive control over any of the securities held by our sponsor, even those in which he or she directly holds a pecuniary interest. Accordingly, none of them will be deemed to have or share beneficial ownership of such shares. |
| (4) | CA2 Co-Investment LLC is the record holder of the securities reported herein. As the sole member of CA2 Co-Investment LLC, Cowen Investments II LLC may be deemed to beneficially own the securities directly by CA2 Co-Investment LLC. As the sole member of Cowen Investments II, RCG LV Pearl, LLC (“RCG”) may be deemed to beneficially own the securities owned directly by CA2 Co-Investment LLC. As the sole member of RCG, Cowen Inc. may be deemed to beneficially own the securities owned by CA2 Co-Investment LLC. As Chief Executive Officer of Cowen Inc., Mr. Jeffrey Solomon may be deemed to beneficially own the securities owned directly by CA2 Co-Investment LLC. The business address of each of CA2 Co-Investment LLC, Cowen Investments II LLC, RCG and Mr. Solomon is 599 Lexington Avenue, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10022. |
| (5) | Does not include certain shares indirectly owned by this individual as a result of his or her membership interest in our sponsor. |
Upon the completion of this offering, our initial stockholders will beneficially own 20.0% of the then issued and outstanding shares of our common stock (assuming our initial stockholders do not purchase any units in this offering). As a result of holding substantially all of the founder shares, our sponsors, together, and our sponsor acting alone, will have the right, prior to our initial business combination, to elect all of our directors and remove any director for any reason. In addition, 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 amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and approval of significant corporate transactions. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a stock dividend or share contribution back to capital or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering.
Our sponsors have committed to purchase an aggregate of 5,000,000 (or 5,500,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) private placement warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant ($7,500,000 in the aggregate or $8,250,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering.
Our sponsor is deemed to be our “promoter” as such term is defined under the federal securities laws. Please see “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions” for additional information regarding our relationships with our promoters.
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Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants
The founder shares and the private placement warrants (including the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) are each subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to lock-up provisions in the letter agreement with us to be entered into by our initial stockholders. Those lock-up provisions provide that such securities are not transferable or salable (1) in the case of the founder shares, until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Class A common stock for cash, securities or other property or (y) 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 dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, and (2) in the case of the private placement warrants (including the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants), until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except in each case (a) to our officers or directors, any affiliates or family members of any of our officers or directors, any members of our sponsors, or any affiliates of our sponsors, (b) in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of the individual’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of the individual’s immediate family or an affiliate of such person, or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of the individual; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) by private sales or transfers made in connection with the consummation of a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the securities were originally purchased; (f) in the event of our liquidation prior to our completion of our initial business combination; (g) by virtue of the laws of Delaware or our sponsor’s limited liability company agreement, as amended, upon dissolution of our sponsor; or (h) in the event of our completion of a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction which results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Class A common stock for cash, securities or other property subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (e) these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions and the other applicable restrictions contained in the letter agreement.
Registration Rights
The holders of the founder shares, private placement warrants, and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans and the shares and warrants included therein (and any shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the private placement warrants or warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans ) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering requiring us to register such securities for resale (in the case of the founder shares, only after conversion to shares of Class A common stock). The holders of these securities will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration demands, that we register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination and rights to require us to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. Notwithstanding the foregoing, CA2 Co-Investment may not exercise its demand or “piggyback” registration rights after five and seven years, respectively, after the commencement of sales in this offering and may not exercise its demand rights on more than one occasion. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
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CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
On March 1, 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 7,187,500 founder shares for a capital contribution of $25,000. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares of common stock upon completion of this offering. On March 25, 2021, our sponsor sold 1,437,500 founder shares to CA2 Co-Investment and 25,000 to each of our independent director nominees, in each case at the original price per share. On May 6, 2021, CA2 Co-Investment sold 956,439 shares back to our sponsor at the original purchase price, resulting in our sponsor holding 6,631,439 founder shares and CA2 Co-Investment holding 481,061 founder shares. Up to 937,500 founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our sponsors depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised.
Our sponsors have committed to purchase an aggregate of 5,000,000 private placement warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant, for an aggregate purchase price of $7,500,000. If the over-allotment option is exercised in full, the amount of placement warrants sold will be 5,500,000 for an aggregate purchase price of $8,250,000). There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to the founder shares or placement warrants, which will expire worthless if we do not consummate a business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering. As such, our sponsors’ interest in this transaction is valued at between $7,500,000 and $8,250,000, depending on the number of private placement warrants purchased. Among the private placement warrants, 4,393,939 warrants (or 4,833,333 warrants if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be purchased by our sponsor and/or its designees and 606,061 warrants (or 666,667 warrants if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be purchased by CA2 Co-Investment and/or its designees.
As described in “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” 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, including Concord I and Concord II, he or she may honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, including Concord I and Concord II, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us. Our officers and directors currently have other relevant fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties that may take priority over their duties to us.
We will enter into an Administrative Services Agreement pursuant to which we will also pay an affiliate of our sponsor a total of $20,000 per month for office space, administrative and support services. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees. Accordingly, in the event the consummation of our initial business combination takes the maximum 24 months, an affiliate of our sponsor will be paid a total of $480,000 ($20,000 per month) for office space, administrative and support services and will be entitled to be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses.
Our sponsors, officers and directors or any of their respective affiliates will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or any of their respective affiliates and will determine which expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.
Prior to the commencement of this offering, our sponsor agreed to loan us up to $200,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of March 31, 2021, we have borrowed $75,000 under such promissory note. The loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the earlier of July 31, 2021 and the closing of this offering. The loan will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $600,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) not held in the trust account.
In addition, in order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsors, an affiliate of our sponsors or our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants issued to our sponsors. The terms of such loans by our sponsors, an affiliate of our sponsors or our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsors, an affiliate of our sponsors or our officers and directors, if any, as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
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After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us, if any, may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to our stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, furnished to our stockholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of distribution of such tender offer materials or at the time of a stockholder meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive officer and director compensation.
We have entered into a letter agreement with our initial stockholders, officers and directors pursuant to which (x) they have agreed to waive: (1) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, the private placement shares and public shares held by them, as applicable, in connection with the completion of our initial business combination; (2) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, the private placement shares and public shares held by them in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares and private placement shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame), and (y) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described under “Description of Securities — Founder Shares”
We have entered into a registration rights agreement with respect to the founder shares, private placement warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans and the shares (and any shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the private placement warrants or warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans), which is described under the heading “Principal Stockholders — Registration Rights.”
We will also pay to the underwriters, including Cowen and Company, LLC, an affiliate of one of our sponsors, an underwriting discount of $0.20 per unit purchased by it in this offering. In addition, the underwriters, including Cowen and Company, LLC, have agreed to defer underwriting commissions of 3.5% of the gross proceeds of this offering. Upon and concurrently with the completion of our initial business combination, up to $8,750,000, which constitutes the underwriters’ deferred commission (or up to $10,062,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), will be paid to the underwriters from the funds held in the trust account. The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commission held in the trust account in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the funds held in the trust account that will be available to fund the redemption of our public shares.
Related Party Policy
We have not yet adopted a formal policy for the review, approval or ratification of related party transactions. Accordingly, the transactions discussed above were not reviewed, approved or ratified in accordance with any such policy.
Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will adopt our Code of Ethics requiring us to avoid, wherever possible, all conflicts of interests, except under guidelines or resolutions approved by our board of directors (or the appropriate committee of our board of directors) or as disclosed in our public filings with the SEC. Under our Code of Ethics, conflict of interest situations will include any financial transaction, arrangement or relationship (including any indebtedness or guarantee of indebtedness) involving the company. A form of the Code of Ethics that we plan to adopt prior to the consummation of this offering is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
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In addition, our audit committee, pursuant to a written charter that we will adopt prior to the consummation of this offering, will be responsible for reviewing and approving related party transactions to the extent that we enter into such transactions. An affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the audit committee present at a meeting at which a quorum is present will be required in order to approve a related party transaction. A majority of the members of the entire audit committee will constitute a quorum. Without a meeting, the unanimous written consent of all of the members of the audit committee will be required to approve a related party transaction. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or any of their affiliates.
These procedures are intended to determine whether any such related party transaction impairs the independence of a director or presents a conflict of interest on the part of a director, employee or officer.
To further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our sponsor, officers or directors unless we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. There will be no finder’s fees, reimbursements or cash payments made by us to our sponsors, officers or directors or our or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, other than the following payments, none of which will be made from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination:
| · | repayment of an aggregate of up to $200,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses; |
| · | payment to an affiliate of our sponsor of a total of $20,000 per month, for up to 24 months, for office space, administrative and support services; |
| · | reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination; |
| · | payment to the underwriters, including Cowen and Company, LLC, an affiliate of one of our sponsors, of their underwriting discount of $5,000,000 (or up to $5,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full), deferred underwriting commissions of $8,750,000 (or $10,062,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) payable upon the closing of our initial business combination and fees for any financial advisory, placement agency or other similar investment banking services that they or their affiliates may provide to our company in the future, and reimbursement of the underwriters for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by it in connection with the performance of such services; and |
| · | repayment of loans which may be made by our sponsors, an affiliate of our sponsors or our officers and directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, the terms of which have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. |
These payments may be funded using the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not held in the trust account or, upon completion of the initial business combination, from any amounts remaining from the proceeds of the trust account released to us in connection therewith.
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Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our authorized capital stock will consist of 200,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value, 20,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value, and 1,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock, $0.0001 par value. The following description summarizes the material terms of our capital stock. Because it is only a summary, it may not contain all the information that is important to you.
Units
Each unit offered in this offering has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one share of Class A common stock and one-third of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of shares of the company’s Class A common stock. This means only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time by a warrant holder.
The Class A common stock and warrants constituting the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day) unless Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Cowen and Company, LLC inform us of their decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the shares of Class A common stock and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into shares of Class A common stock and warrants. Additionally, the units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least three units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant.
In no event will the Class A common stock and warrants be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet of our company reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K that includes this audited balance sheet promptly after the closing of this offering. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
Common Stock
Upon the closing of this offering, 31,250,000 shares of our common stock will be outstanding (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the corresponding forfeiture of 937,500 founder shares by our sponsors), including:
| · | 25,0000,000 shares of our Class A common stock underlying the units being offered in this offering; and |
| · | 6,250,000 shares of Class B common stock held by our initial stockholders. |
Our sponsors have committed to purchase an aggregate of 5,000,000 private placement warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant, for an aggregate purchase price of $7,500,000. The initial stockholders will hold an aggregate of approximately 20.0% of the issued and outstanding common stock (approximately 20.0% if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) following the offering and the expiration of the underwriters’ over-allotment option (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering or the public market). If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a stock dividend or share contribution back to capital or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering (not including the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants).
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Common stockholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by stockholders; provided that, prior to our initial business combination, holders of our Class B common stock will have the right to elect all of our directors and remove members of our board of directors for any reason. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended if approved by holders of a majority of at least 90% of the outstanding shares of our common stock voting at a stockholder meeting. On any other matter submitted to a vote of our stockholders, holders of our Class B common stock and holders of our Class A common stock will vote together as a single class, except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rule.
Unless specified in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our stockholders, and, prior to our initial business combination, the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our Class B common stock is required to approve the election or removal of directors. Our board of directors will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the election of directors, with the result that the holders of more than 50% of the Class B common stock voted for the election of directors can elect all of the directors. Our stockholders are entitled to receive ratable dividends when, as and if declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available therefor.
Because our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will authorize the issuance of up to 200,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, if we were to enter into a business combination, we may (depending on the terms of such a business combination) be required to increase the number of shares of Class A common stock which we are authorized to issue at the same time as our stockholders vote on the business combination to the extent we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination.
In accordance with the NYSE corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on the NYSE. Under Section 211(b) of the DGCL, we are, however, required to hold an annual meeting of stockholders for the purposes of electing directors in accordance with our bylaws unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, and thus we may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the DGCL, which requires an annual meeting. Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, they may attempt to force us to hold one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court of Chancery in accordance with Section 211(c) of the DGCL.
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share. The per share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial owner must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination or certain amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Permitted transferees of our sponsors, officers or directors will be subject to the same obligations. Unlike many blank check companies that hold stockholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business combinations and provide for related redemptions of public shares for cash upon completion of such initial business combinations even when a vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, if a stockholder vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will require these tender offer documents to contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, a stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. However, the participation of our sponsors, officers, directors, advisors or any of their respective affiliates in privately-negotiated transactions (as described in this prospectus), if any, could result in the approval of our initial business combination even if a majority of our public stockholders vote, or indicate their intention to vote, against such business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding shares of common stock, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. We intend to give not less than 10 days nor more than 60 days prior written notice of any such meeting, if required, at which a vote shall be taken to approve our initial business combination. These quorum and voting thresholds and agreements may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination.
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If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation 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 Excess Shares (more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering), without our prior consent. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Our public stockholders’ inability to redeem Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and they could suffer a material loss on their investment in us if they sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, such stockholders will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete the business combination. And, as a result, such stockholders will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose such shares would be required to sell their stock in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
If we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed (and their permitted transferees, as applicable, will agree) to vote any founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares and private placement shares, we would need 9,375,001, or 37.5% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), or an additional 1,562,501, or 6.3% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction, in order to have such initial business combination approved. Additionally, each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.
Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per 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, and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares and private placement shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering. However, if our sponsors or any of our officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates then hold any public shares, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time frame to complete our initial business combination.
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In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the company after a business combination, our stockholders at such time will be entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining available for distribution to them after payment of liabilities and after provision is made for each class of stock, if any, having preference over the common stock. Our stockholders have no preemptive or other subscription rights. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to the common stock, except that we will provide our stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein.
Founder Shares
The founder shares are identical to the shares of Class A common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, except that: (1) prior to 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; (2) our initial stockholders, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive: (a) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (b) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private placement shares and public shares held by them in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (c) their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares and private placement shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame); (3) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below; (4) the founder shares are automatically convertible into shares of our Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described herein; and (5) the holders of founder shares are entitled to registration rights. If we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed (and their permitted transferees, as applicable, will agree) to vote any founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination.
The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts issued in this offering and related to the closing of our initial business combination, 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 outstanding shares of our Class B common stock agree to waive such anti-dilution adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the total number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon completion of this offering (not including the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) plus all shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination (net of the number of shares of Class A common stock redeemed in connection with our initial business combination), excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in our initial business combination.
With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares are not transferable, assignable or salable (except to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with our sponsors, each of whom will be subject to the same transfer restrictions) until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination, (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property or (y) if the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination.
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Preferred Stock
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will authorize 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock and will provide that shares of preferred stock may be issued from time to time in one or more series. Our board of directors will be authorized to fix the voting rights, if any, designations, powers, preferences, the relative, participating, optional or other special rights and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, applicable to the shares of each series. Our board of directors will be able to, without stockholder approval, issue preferred stock with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of the common stock and could have anti-takeover effects. The ability of our board of directors to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of us or the removal of existing management. We have no preferred stock outstanding at the date hereof. Although we do not currently intend to issue any shares of preferred stock, we cannot assure you that we will not do so in the future. No shares of preferred stock are being issued or registered in this offering.
Warrants
Public Stockholders’ Warrants
Each whole warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing on the later of 12 months from the closing of this offering and 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except as described below. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of shares of Class A common stock. This means only a whole warrant may be exercised at a given time by a warrant holder. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least three units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant. The warrants will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation; provided, however, that the private placement warrants issued to CA2 Co-Investment will not be exercisable more than five years from the commencement of sales in this offering in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8).
We 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 issuable upon exercise of the warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock is available, subject to our satisfying our obligations described below with respect to registration. 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. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to a warrant, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant. In the event that a registration statement is not effective for the exercised warrants, the purchaser of a unit containing such warrant will have paid the full purchase price for the unit solely for the share of Class A common stock underlying such unit.
We are not registering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants at this time. However, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC, and 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 and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock until the warrants expire or are redeemed. 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 will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the lesser of (A) the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (defined below) less the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value and (B) 0.361. The “fair market value” shall mean the volume weighted average price of the Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent.
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Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00. Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants (except as described herein with respect to the private placement warrants):
| · | in whole and not in part; |
| · | at a price of $0.01 per warrant; |
| · | upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, or the 30-day redemption period, to each warrant holder; and |
| · | if, and only if, the last reported sale price of our 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 we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. |
If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem warrants even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise their warrants.
We have established the $18.00 per share (as adjusted) redemption criteria discussed above to prevent a redemption call unless there is at the time of the call a significant premium to the warrant exercise price. If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption of the warrants, each warrant holder will be entitled to exercise its warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of the Class A common stock may fall below the $18.00 redemption trigger price (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) as well as the $11.50 warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.
Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00. Commencing ninety days after the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants (except as described herein with respect to the private placement warrants):
| · | in whole and not in part; |
| · | at a price of $0.10 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 by reference to the table below, based on the redemption date and the “fair market value” of our Class A common stock (as defined below) except as otherwise described below; |
| · | upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption; |
| · | if, and only if, the last reported sale price of our 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 we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders; and |
| · | 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 available throughout the 30-day period after written notice of redemption is given. |
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The numbers in the table below represent the number of shares of Class A common stock that a warrant holder will receive upon cashless exercise in connection with a redemption by us pursuant to this redemption feature, based on the “fair market value” of our Class A common stock on the corresponding redemption date (assuming holders elect to exercise their warrants and such warrants are not redeemed for $0.10 per warrant), determined based on the average of the last reported sales price for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on
which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants, and the number of months that the corresponding redemption date precedes the expiration date of the warrants, each as set forth in the table below.
Pursuant to the warrant agreement, references above to Class A common stock shall include a security other than Class A common stock into which the Class A common stock has been converted or exchanged for in the event we are not the surviving company in our initial business combination. The numbers in the tables below will not be adjusted solely as a result of us not being the surviving entity following our initial business combination.
The stock prices set forth in the column headings of the table below will be adjusted as of any date on which the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a warrant is adjusted as set forth in the first three paragraphs under the heading “— Anti-dilution Adjustments” below. The adjusted stock prices in the column headings will equal the stock prices immediately prior to such adjustment, multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of shares deliverable upon exercise of a warrant immediately prior to such adjustment and the denominator of which is the number of shares deliverable upon exercise of a warrant as so adjusted. The number of shares in the table below shall be adjusted in the same manner and at the same time as the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a warrant.
| Redemption Date (period to expiration of | Fair Market Value of Class A Common Stock | |||||||||||||||||
| warrants) | ≤$10.00 | $11.00 | $12.00 | $13.00 | $14.00 | $15.00 | $16.00 | $17.00 | ≥$18.00 | |||||||||
| 57 months | 0.257 | 0.277 | 0.294 | 0.310 | 0.324 | 0.337 | 0.348 | 0.358 | 0.361 | |||||||||
| 54 months | 0.252 | 0.272 | 0.291 | 0.307 | 0.322 | 0.335 | 0.347 | 0.357 | 0.361 | |||||||||
| 51 months | 0.246 | 0.268 | 0.287 | 0.304 | 0.320 | 0.333 | 0.346 | 0.357 | 0.361 | |||||||||
| 48 months | 0.241 | 0.263 | 0.283 | 0.301 | 0.317 | 0.332 | 0.344 | 0.356 | 0.361 | |||||||||
| 45 months | 0.235 | 0.258 | 0.279 | 0.298 | 0.315 | 0.330 | 0.343 | 0.356 | 0.361 | |||||||||
| 42 months | 0.228 | 0.252 | 0.274 | 0.294 | 0.312 | 0.328 | 0.342 | 0.355 | 0.361 | |||||||||
| 39 months | 0.221 | 0.246 | 0.269 | 0.290 | 0.309 | 0.325 | 0.340 | 0.354 | 0.361 | |||||||||
| 36 months | 0.213 | 0.239 | 0.263 | 0.285 | 0.305 | 0.323 | 0.339 | 0.353 | 0.361 | |||||||||
| 33 months | 0.205 | 0.232 | 0.257 | 0.280 | 0.301 | 0.320 | 0.337 | 0.352 | 0.361 | |||||||||
| 30 months | 0.196 | 0.224 | 0.250 | 0.274 | 0.297 | 0.316 | 0.335 | 0.351 | 0.361 | |||||||||
| 27 months | 0.185 | 0.214 | 0.242 | 0.268 | 0.291 | 0.313 | 0.332 | 0.350 | 0.361 | |||||||||
| 24 months | 0.173 | 0.204 | 0.233 | 0.260 | 0.285 | 0.308 | 0.329 | 0.348 | 0.361 | |||||||||
| 21 months | 0.161 | 0.193 | 0.223 | 0.252 | 0.279 | 0.304 | 0.326 | 0.347 | 0.361 | |||||||||
| 18 months | 0.146 | 0.179 | 0.211 | 0.242 | 0.271 | 0.298 | 0.322 | 0.345 | 0.361 | |||||||||
| 15 months | 0.130 | 0.164 | 0.197 | 0.230 | 0.262 | 0.291 | 0.317 | 0.342 | 0.361 | |||||||||
| 12 months | 0.111 | 0.146 | 0.181 | 0.216 | 0.250 | 0.282 | 0.312 | 0.339 | 0.361 | |||||||||
| 9 months | 0.090 | 0.125 | 0.162 | 0.199 | 0.237 | 0.272 | 0.305 | 0.336 | 0.361 | |||||||||
| 6 months | 0.065 | 0.099 | 0.137 | 0.178 | 0.219 | 0.259 | 0.296 | 0.331 | 0.361 | |||||||||
| 3 months | 0.034 | 0.065 | 0.104 | 0.150 | 0.197 | 0.243 | 0.286 | 0.326 | 0.361 | |||||||||
| 0 months | — | — | 0.042 | 0.115 | 0.179 | 0.233 | 0.281 | 0.323 | 0.361 | |||||||||
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The exact fair market value and redemption date may not be set forth in the table above, in which case, if the fair market value is between two values in the table or the redemption date is between two redemption dates in the table, the number of shares of Class A common stock to be issued for each warrant exercised will be determined by a straight-line interpolation between the number of shares set forth for the higher and lower fair market values and the earlier and later redemption dates, as applicable, based on a 365 or 366-day year, as applicable. For example, if the average last reported sale price of our Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading date prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of the warrants is $11 per share, and at such time there are 57 months until the expiration of the warrants, holders may choose to, in connection with this redemption feature, exercise their warrants for 0.277 shares of Class A common stock for each whole warrant. For an example where the exact fair market value and redemption date are not as set forth in the table above, if the average last reported sale price of our Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading date prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of the warrants is $13.50 per share, and at such time there are 38 months until the expiration of the warrants, holders may choose to, in connection with this redemption feature, exercise their warrants for 0.298 shares of Class A common stock for each whole warrant. In no event will the warrants be exercisable in connection with this redemption feature for more than 0.361 shares of Class A common stock per warrant (subject to adjustment). Finally, as reflected in the table above, if the warrants are out of the money and about to expire, they cannot be exercised on a cashless basis in connection with a redemption by us pursuant to this redemption feature, since they will not be exercisable for any shares of Class A common stock.
Any public warrants held by our officers or directors will be subject to this redemption feature, except that such officers and directors shall only receive “fair market value” for such public warrants if they exercise their public warrants in connection with such redemption (“fair market value” for such public warrants held by our officers or directors being defined as the last reported sale price of the public warrants on such redemption date).
This redemption feature differs from the typical warrant redemption features used in many other blank check offerings, which typically only provide for a redemption of warrants for cash (other than the private placement warrants) when the trading price for the Class A common stock exceeds $18.00 per share for a specified period of time. This redemption feature is structured to allow for all of the outstanding warrants (other than the private placement warrant) to be redeemed when the Class A common stock is trading at or above $10.00 per share, which may be at a time when the trading price of our Class A common stock is below the exercise price of the warrants. We have established this redemption feature to provide us with the flexibility to redeem the warrants without the warrants having to reach the $18.00 per share threshold set forth above under “— Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00.” Holders choosing to exercise their warrants in connection with a redemption pursuant to this feature will, in effect, receive a number of shares for their warrants based on an option pricing model with a fixed volatility input as of the date of this prospectus. This redemption right provides us an additional mechanism by which to redeem all of the outstanding warrants, and therefore have certainty as to our capital structure as the warrants would no longer be outstanding and would have been exercised or redeemed, and we will effectively be required to pay the redemption price to warrant holders if we choose to exercise this redemption right and it will allow us to quickly proceed with a redemption of the warrants if we determine it is in our best interest to do so. As such, 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 the redemption price to the warrant holders.
As stated above, we can redeem the warrants 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 the opportunity to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis for the applicable number 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 shares of Class A common stock were trading at a price higher than the exercise price of $11.50 per share.
No fractional shares of Class A common stock will be issued upon exercise. If, upon exercise, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will round down to the nearest whole number of the number of shares of Class A common stock to be issued to the holder. If, at the time of redemption, the warrants are exercisable for a security other than the shares of Class A common stock pursuant to the warrant agreement (for instance, if we are not the surviving company in our initial business combination), the warrants may be exercised for such security.
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Redemption Procedures and Cashless Exercise. If we call the warrants for redemption as described above under “— Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00,” our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” (such option, the “Cashless Exercise Option”). In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our stockholders of issuing the maximum number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of our warrants. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the lesser of (A) the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value and (B) 0.361. The “fair market value” shall mean the average last reported sale price of the Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is sent to the warrant agent. If our management takes advantage of this Cashless Exercise Option, the notice of redemption will contain the information necessary to calculate the number of shares of Class A common stock to be received upon exercise of the warrants, including the “fair market value” in such case. Requiring a cashless exercise in this manner will reduce the number of shares to be issued and thereby lessen the dilutive effect of a warrant redemption. We believe this Cashless Exercise Option feature is an attractive option to us if we do not need the cash from the exercise of the warrants after our initial business combination. If we call our warrants for redemption and our management does not take advantage of this Cashless Exercise Option, our sponsors and their permitted transferees would still be entitled to exercise their private placement warrants for cash or on a cashless basis using the same formula described above that other warrant holders would have been required to use had management taken advantage of this Cashless Exercise Option, as described in more detail below.
A holder of a warrant may notify us in writing in the event it elects to be subject to a requirement that such holder will not have the right to exercise such warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), would beneficially own in excess of 9.8% (or such other amount as a holder may specify) of the shares of Class A common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise.
Anti-Dilution Adjustments. If the number of outstanding shares of Class A common stock is increased by a stock dividend payable in shares of Class A common stock, or by a split-up of shares of Class A common stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such stock dividend, split-up or similar event, the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable on exercise of each warrant will be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding shares of Class A common stock. A rights offering to holders of Class A common stock entitling holders to purchase shares of Class A common stock at a price less than the fair market value will be deemed a stock dividend of a number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the product of (1) the number of shares of Class A common stock actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for Class A common stock) multiplied by (2) one minus the quotient of (x) the price per share of Class A common stock paid in such rights offering divided by (y) the fair market value. For these purposes (1) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for Class A common stock, in determining the price payable for Class A common stock, there will be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (2) fair market value means the volume weighted average price of Class A common stock as reported during the ten trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the shares of Class A common stock trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights.
In addition, if we, at any time while the warrants are outstanding and unexpired, pay a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to the holders of Class A common stock on account of such shares of Class A common stock (or other shares of our capital stock into which the warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described above, (b) certain ordinary cash dividends, (c) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A common stock in connection with a proposed initial business combination, (d) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A common stock in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (I) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our Class A common stock if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (II) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, or (e) in connection with the redemption of our public shares upon our failure to complete our initial business combination, then the warrant exercise price will be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such event, by the amount of cash and/or the fair market value of any securities or other assets paid on each share of Class A common stock in respect of such event.
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If the number of outstanding shares of our Class A common stock is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse stock split or reclassification of shares of Class A common stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse stock split, reclassification or similar event, the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable on exercise of each warrant will be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding shares of Class A common stock.
Whenever the number of shares of Class A common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants is adjusted, as described above, the warrant exercise price will be adjusted by multiplying the warrant exercise price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which will be the number of shares of Class A common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which will be the number of shares of Class A common stock so purchasable immediately thereafter.
In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares of Class A common stock (other than those described above or that solely affects the par value of such shares of Class A common stock), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of us with or into another corporation (other than a merger or consolidation in which we are the continuing corporation and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of our outstanding shares of Class A common stock), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of us as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which we are dissolved, the holders of the warrants will thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the warrants and in lieu of the shares of our Class A common stock immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares of stock or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the warrants would have received if such holder had exercised their warrants immediately prior to such event. However, if such holders were entitled to exercise a right of election as to the kind or amount of securities, cash or other assets receivable upon such merger or consolidation, then the kind and amount of securities, cash or other assets for which each warrant will become exercisable will be deemed to be the weighted average of the kind and amount received per share by such holders in such merger or consolidation that affirmatively make such election. Additionally, if less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of Class A common stock in such a transaction is payable in the form of Class A common stock in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the registered holder of the warrant properly exercises the warrant within thirty days following public disclosure of such transaction, the warrant exercise price will be reduced as specified in the warrant agreement based on the per share consideration minus Black-Scholes Warrant Value (as defined in the warrant agreement) of the warrant.
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The warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. You should review a copy of the warrant agreement, which will be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, for a description of the terms and conditions applicable to the warrants. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants; provided that, solely in the case of an amendment to the terms of the private placement warrants or any provision of the warrant agreement with respect to the private placement warrants that does not adversely affect any of the terms of the public warrants, such amendment will require only the written consent or vote of the registered holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding private placement warrants.
The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of Class A common stock and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive shares of Class A common stock. After the issuance of shares of Class A common stock upon exercise of the warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by stockholders.
No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade.
Private Placement Warrants
Except as described below, the private placement warrants are identical to the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period. So long as they are held by our sponsors or their permitted transferees, the private placement warrants (including the underlying securities) are subject to certain transfer restrictions (as described in more detail under “Principal Stockholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”) and the holders thereof are entitled to certain registration rights (as described in more detail under “Principal Stockholders — Registration Rights”): (1) will not be redeemable by us; (2) may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis; and (3) with respect to private placement warrants held by CA2 Co-Investment, will not be exercisable more than five years from the commencement of sales in this offering in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8). If the private placement warrants are held by holders other than our sponsors or their respective permitted transferees, the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us in all redemption scenarios and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the units being sold in this offering.
If holders of the private placement warrants elect to exercise them on a cashless basis, they would pay the exercise price by surrendering warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “sponsor fair market value” (defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the sponsor fair market value. The “sponsor fair market value” shall mean the average last reported sale price of the Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is sent to the warrant agent. The reason that we have agreed that these warrants will be exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by our sponsors and their permitted transferees is because it is not known at this time whether they will be affiliated with us following a business combination. If they remain affiliated with us, their ability to sell our securities in the open market will be significantly limited. We expect to have policies in place that prohibit insiders from selling our securities except during specific periods of time. Even during such periods of time when insiders will be permitted to sell our securities, an insider cannot trade in our securities if he or she is in possession of material non-public information. Accordingly, unlike public stockholders who could exercise their warrants and sell the shares of Class A common stock received upon such exercise freely in the open market in order to recoup the cost of such exercise, the insiders could be significantly restricted from selling such securities. As a result, we believe that allowing the holders to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis is appropriate.
In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsors, an affiliate of our sponsors or our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants issued to our sponsors.
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Our sponsor has agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the private placement warrants (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of any of the private placement warrants) until the date that is 30 days after the date we complete our initial business combination, except that, among other limited exceptions as described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Stockholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants,” transfers may be made to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with our sponsor.
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 a business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any stock dividends in the foreseeable future, except if we increase the size of this offering, in which case we will effect a stock dividend with respect to our Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering (not including the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants). Further, if we incur any indebtedness, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
Our Transfer Agent and Warrant Agent
The transfer agent for our common stock and warrant agent for our warrants is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. We have agreed to indemnify Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company in its roles as transfer agent and warrant agent, its agents and each of its stockholders, directors, officers and employees against all liabilities, including judgments, costs and reasonable counsel fees that may arise out of acts performed or omitted for its activities in that capacity, except for any liability due to any gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith of the indemnified person or entity.
Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the completion of our initial business combination. These provisions (other than amendments relating to the appointment or removal of directors prior to our initial business combination, which require the approval of holders of a majority of at least 90% of the outstanding shares of our common stock voting in a stockholder meeting) cannot be amended without the approval of the holders of at least 65% of our outstanding common stock. Our initial stockholders, who collectively will beneficially own 21.8% of our common stock upon the closing of this offering (assuming our initial stockholders do not purchase any units in this offering), may participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Unless specified in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our stockholders, and, prior to our initial business combination, the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our Class B common stock is required to approve the election or removal of directors. Specifically, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide, among other things, that:
| · | if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable, and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law; |
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| · | prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to: (1) receive funds from the trust account; or (2) vote pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation on any initial business combination; |
| · | in the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm that such a business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view; |
| · | if a stockholder vote on our initial business combination is not required by applicable law or stock exchange rules and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, we will offer to redeem our public shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, and will file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act; |
| · | our initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account); |
| · | if our stockholders approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of common stock upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares; and |
| · | we will not effectuate our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations. |
In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that under no circumstances will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 following such redemptions.
Certain Anti-Takeover Provisions of Delaware Law and our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws
We will be subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the DGCL regulating corporate takeovers upon completion of this offering. This statute prevents certain Delaware corporations, under certain circumstances, from engaging in a “business combination” with:
| · | a stockholder who owns 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock (otherwise known as an “interested stockholder”); |
| · | an affiliate of an interested stockholder; or |
| · | an associate of an interested stockholder, for three years following the date that the stockholder became an interested stockholder. |
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A “business combination” includes a merger or sale of more than 10% of our assets. However, the above provisions of Section 203 do not apply if:
| · | our board of directors approves the transaction that made the stockholder an “interested stockholder,” prior to the date of the transaction; |
| · | after the completion of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, that stockholder owned at least 85% of our voting stock outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, other than statutorily excluded shares of common stock; or |
| · | on or subsequent to the date of the transaction, the business combination is approved by our board of directors and authorized at a meeting of our stockholders, and not by written consent, by an affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock not owned by the interested stockholder. |
Our authorized but unissued common stock and preferred stock are available for future issuances without stockholder approval and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved common stock and preferred stock could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that prior to our initial business combination, holders of our Class B common stock will have the right to elect all of our directors and may remove members of our board of directors for any reason. In addition, it will provide that our board of directors will be classified into three classes of directors. As a result, in most circumstances, a person can gain control of our board only by successfully engaging in a proxy contest at two or more annual stockholder meetings.
Exclusive Forum For Certain Lawsuits
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for any (1) derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of our company, (2) action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, employee or agent of our company to our company or our stockholders, or any claim for aiding and abetting any such alleged breach, (3) action asserting a claim against our company or any director, officer or employee of our company arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our bylaws, or (4) action asserting a claim against us or any director, officer or employee of our company governed by the internal affairs doctrine except for, as to each of (1) through (4) above, any claim (A) as to which the Court of Chancery 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. This exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act, the Securities Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder and Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Although we believe this provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders. Furthermore, the enforceability of choice of forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that a court could find these types of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable.
Special Meeting of Stockholders
Our bylaws provide that special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by a majority vote of our board of directors, by our chief executive officer or by our chairman, if any.
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Advance Notice Requirements for Stockholder Proposals and Director Nominations
Our bylaws will provide for advance notice procedures with respect to stockholder proposals and the nomination of candidates for election as directors, other than nominations made by or at the direction of our board of directors or a committee of our board of directors. In order for any matter to be “properly brought” before a meeting, a stockholder will have to comply with advance notice requirements and provide us with certain information. Generally, to be timely, a stockholder’s notice must be received at our principal executive offices not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders. Pursuant to Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act, proposals seeking inclusion in our annual proxy statement must comply with the notice periods contained therein. Our bylaws will also specify requirements as to the form and content of a stockholder’s notice. Our bylaws will allow the chairman of the meeting at a meeting of the stockholders to adopt rules and regulations for the conduct of meetings which may have the effect of precluding the conduct of certain business at a meeting if the rules and regulations are not followed. These provisions may also defer, delay or discourage a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquirer’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to influence or obtain control of us.
Securities Eligible for Future Sale
Immediately after this offering we will have 31,250,000 (or 35,937,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) shares of Class A common stock outstanding. Of these shares, the 25,000,000 shares (or 28,750,000 shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) sold in this offering will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, except for any shares purchased by one of our affiliates within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act. All of the 6,250,000 (or 7,187,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) founder shares and all 5,000,000 private placement warrants (or 5,500,000 private placement warrants if the underwriters’ overallotment option is exercised in full) are restricted securities under Rule 144, in that they were issued in private transactions not involving a public offering, and are subject to transfer restrictions as set forth elsewhere in this prospectus. These restricted securities will be subject to registration rights as more fully described below under “—Registration Rights.”
Rule 144
Pursuant to Rule 144, a person who has beneficially owned restricted shares of our common stock or warrants for at least six months would be entitled to sell their securities provided that: (1) such person is not deemed to have been one of our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale; and (2) we are subject to the Exchange Act periodic reporting requirements for at least three months before the sale and have filed all required reports under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the 12 months (or such shorter period as we were required to file reports) preceding the sale.
Persons who have beneficially owned restricted shares of our common stock or warrants for at least six months but who are our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale, would be subject to additional restrictions, by which such person would be entitled to sell within any three-month period only a number of securities that does not exceed the greater of:
| · | 1% of the total number of shares of common stock then outstanding, which will equal 312,500 shares immediately after this offering (or 359,375 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full); or |
| · | the average weekly reported trading volume of the common stock during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to the sale. |
Sales by our affiliates under Rule 144 are also limited by manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us.
Restrictions on the Use of Rule 144 by Shell Companies or Former Shell Companies
Rule 144 is not available for the resale of securities initially issued by shell companies (other than a business combination related shell companies) or issuers that have been at any time previously a shell company. However, Rule 144 also includes an important exception to this prohibition if the following conditions are met:
| · | the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company; |
| · | the issuer of the securities is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act; |
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| · | the issuer of the securities has filed all Exchange Act reports and material required to be filed, as applicable, during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than Current Reports on Form 8-K; and |
| · | at least one year has elapsed from the time that the issuer filed current Form 10 type information with the SEC reflecting its status as an entity that is not a shell company. |
As a result, our initial stockholders will be able to sell their founder shares and our sponsors will be able to sell their private placement warrants, as applicable, pursuant to Rule 144 without registration one year after we have completed our initial business combination.
Registration Rights
The holders of the founder shares, the private placement warrants and the warrants, if any, that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (and any shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the private placement warrants or warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering requiring us to register such securities for resale (in the case of the founder shares, only after conversion to shares of Class A common stock). The holders of these securities will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration demands, that we register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination and rights to require us to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. Notwithstanding the foregoing, CA2 Co-Investment may not exercise its demand or “piggyback” registration rights after five and seven years, respectively, after commencement of sales in this offering and may not exercise its demand rights on more than one occasion. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Listing of Securities
We intend to apply to list our units, Class A common stock and warrants on the NYSE under the symbols “CNDB.U,” “CNDB” and “CNDB WS,” respectively. We expect that our units will be listed on the NYSE on or promptly after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Following the date the shares of our Class A common stock and warrants are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that the shares of our common stock and warrants will be listed separately and as a unit on the NYSE. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on the NYSE.
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UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The following discussion is a summary of certain material U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to the ownership and disposition of our units, Class A common stock and warrants, which we refer to collectively as our securities. This summary is based upon U.S. federal income tax law as of the date of this prospectus, which is subject to change or differing interpretations, possibly with retroactive effect. This summary does not discuss all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may be important to particular investors in light of their individual circumstances, including investors subject to special tax rules (e.g., financial institutions, insurance companies, broker-dealers, tax-exempt organizations (including private foundations), taxpayers that have elected mark-to-market accounting, S corporations, regulated investment companies, real estate investment trusts, investors that will hold Class A common stock or warrants as part of a straddle, hedge, conversion, or other integrated transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes, or investors that have a functional currency other than the U.S. dollar), all of whom may be subject to tax rules that differ materially from those summarized below. In addition, this summary does not discuss other U.S. federal tax consequences (e.g., estate or gift tax), any state, local, or non-U.S. tax considerations or the Medicare tax or alternative minimum tax. In addition, this summary is limited to investors that will hold our securities as “capital assets” (generally, property held for investment) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, (the “Code”), and that acquired the securities pursuant to this offering (or, in the case of Class A common stock, upon exercise of warrants so acquired). No ruling from the Internal Revenue Service, (the “IRS”) has been or will be sought regarding any matter discussed herein. No assurance can be given that the IRS would not assert, or that a court would not sustain a position contrary to any of the tax aspects set forth below.
For purposes of this summary, a “U.S. Holder” is a beneficial holder of securities who or that, for U.S. federal income tax purposes is:
| · | an individual who is a United States citizen or resident of the United States; |
| · | a corporation or other entity treated as a corporation for United States federal income tax purposes created in, or organized under the law of, the United States or any state or political subdivision thereof; |
| · | an estate the income of which is includible in gross income for United States federal income tax purposes regardless of its source; or |
| · | a trust (A) the administration of which is subject to the primary supervision of a United States court and which has one or more United States persons (within the meaning of the Code) who have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (B) that has in effect a valid election under applicable Treasury regulations to be treated as a United States person. |
A “non-U.S. Holder” is a beneficial holder of shares who or that is neither a U.S. Holder nor a partnership (including an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
If a partnership (including an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) holds our securities, the tax treatment of a partner, member or other beneficial owner in such partnership will generally depend upon the status of the partner, member or other beneficial owner, the activities of the partnership and certain determinations made at the partner, member or other beneficial owner level. If you are a partner, member or other beneficial owner of a partnership holding our securities, you are urged to consult your tax advisor regarding the U.S. tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of our securities.
THIS DISCUSSION OF U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TAX ADVICE. WE URGE PROSPECTIVE HOLDERS TO CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS CONCERNING THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES TO THEM OF OWNING AND DISPOSING OF OUR SECURITIES, AS WELL AS THE APPLICATION OF ANY, STATE, LOCAL AND NON-U.S. INCOME, ESTATE AND OTHER TAX CONSIDERATIONS.
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Personal Holding Company Status
We would be subject to a second level of U.S. federal income tax on a portion of our income if we are determined to be a personal holding company, or PHC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A U.S. corporation will generally be classified as a PHC for U.S. federal income tax purposes in a given taxable year if (1) at any time during the last half of such taxable year, five or fewer individuals (without regard to their citizenship or residency and including as individuals for this purpose certain entities such as certain tax-exempt organizations, pension funds, and charitable trusts) own or are deemed to own (pursuant to certain constructive ownership rules) more than 50% of the stock of the corporation by value and (2) at least 60% of the corporation’s adjusted ordinary gross income, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes, for such taxable year consists of PHC income (which includes, among other things, dividends, interest, certain royalties, annuities and, under certain circumstances, rents).
Depending on the date and size of our initial business combination, it is possible that at least 60% of our adjusted ordinary gross income may consist of PHC income as discussed above. In addition, depending on the concentration of our stock in the hands of individuals, including the members of our sponsor and certain tax-exempt organizations, pension funds, and charitable trusts, it is possible that more than 50% of our stock will be owned or deemed owned (pursuant to the constructive ownership rules) by five or fewer such persons during the last half of a taxable year. Thus, no assurance can be given that we will not become a PHC following this offering or in the future. If we are or were to become a PHC in a given taxable year, in addition to the regular corporate tax, we would be subject to an additional PHC tax, currently 20%, on our undistributed PHC income, which generally includes our taxable income, subject to certain adjustments.
General Treatment of Units
There is no authority directly addressing the treatment, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, of instruments with terms substantially the same as the units and, therefore, their treatment is not entirely clear. The acquisition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as the acquisition of one share of our Class A common stock and one-third of one redeemable warrant to acquire one share of our Class A common stock. We intend to treat the acquisition of a unit in this manner and, by purchasing a unit, you agree to adopt such treatment for tax purposes. Each holder of a unit must allocate the purchase price paid by such holder for such unit between the share of Class A common stock and the warrant based on their respective relative fair market values at the time of issuance. Under U.S. federal income tax law, each investor must make his or her own determination of such value based on all the relevant facts and circumstances. Therefore, we strongly urge each investor to consult his or her tax adviser regarding the determination of value for these purposes. A holder’s initial tax basis in the Class A common stock and the warrant included in each unit should equal the portion of the purchase price of the unit allocated thereto. Any disposition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a disposition of the share of Class A common stock and one-third of one redeemable warrant comprising the unit, and the amount realized on the disposition should be allocated between the Class A common stock and the one-third of one redeemable warrant based on their respective relative fair market values (as determined by each such unit holder on all the relevant facts and circumstances) at the time of disposition. The separation of the Class A common stock and warrant constituting a unit should not be a taxable event for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
The foregoing treatment of the units and a holder’s purchase price allocation are not binding on the IRS or the courts. Because there is no authority that directly addresses instruments that are similar to the units, no assurance can be given that the IRS or the courts will agree with the characterization described above or the discussion below. Each prospective investor is urged to consult its tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal, state, local and any foreign tax consequences of an investment in a unit (including alternative characterizations of a unit and its components). The following discussion is based on the assumption that the characterization of the Class A common stock and warrants and the allocation described above are respected for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
U.S. Holders
Taxation of Distributions
If we pay distributions in cash or other property (other than certain distributions of our stock or rights to acquire our stock) to U.S. Holders of shares of our Class A common stock, such distributions generally will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent paid from our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. Distributions in excess of current and accumulated earnings and profits will constitute a return of capital that will be applied against and reduce (but not below zero) the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in our Class A common stock. Any remaining excess will be treated as gain realized on the sale or other disposition of the Class A common stock and will be treated as described under “— U.S. Holders — Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock” below.
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Dividends we pay to a U.S. Holder that is a taxable corporation generally will qualify for the dividends received deduction if the requisite holding period is satisfied. With certain exceptions (including dividends treated as investment income for purposes of investment interest deduction limitations), and provided certain holding period requirements are met, dividends we pay to a non-corporate U.S. Holder will generally constitute “qualified dividends” that will be subject to tax at the maximum tax rate accorded to long-term capital gains. It is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to the Class A common stock described in this prospectus may prevent a U.S. Holder from satisfying the applicable holding period requirements with respect to the dividends received deduction or the preferential tax rate on qualified dividend income, as the case may be. If the holding period requirements are not satisfied, then a corporation may not be able to qualify for the dividends received deduction and would have taxable income equal to the entire dividend amount, and non-corporate holders may be subject to tax on such dividend at regular ordinary income tax rates instead of the preferential rate that applies to qualified dividend income.
Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock
A U.S. Holder will recognize gain or loss on the sale, taxable exchange or other taxable disposition (which would include a dissolution and liquidation in the event we do not complete an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering) of our Class A common stock. Any such gain or loss will be capital gain or loss, and will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A common stock so disposed of exceeds one year. It is unclear, however, whether the redemption rights with respect to the Class A common stock described in this prospectus may suspend the running of the applicable holding period for this purpose. If the running of the holding period for the Class A common stock is suspended, then non-corporate U.S. holders may not be able to satisfy the one-year holding period requirement for long-term capital gain treatment, in which case any gain on a sale or taxable disposition of the shares or warrants would be subject to short-term capital gain treatment and would be taxed at regular ordinary income tax rates. Long-term capital gains recognized by non-corporate U.S. holders will be eligible to be taxed at reduced rates. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations. The amount of gain or loss recognized will generally be equal to the difference between (1) the sum of the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received in such disposition (or, if the Class A common stock is held as part of a unit at the time of the disposition, the portion of the amount realized on such disposition that is allocated to the Class A common stock based upon the then fair market values of the Class A common stock and the warrant included in the unit) and (2) the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A common stock so disposed of. A U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A common stock will generally equal the U.S. Holder’s acquisition cost (that is, as discussed above, the portion of the purchase price of a unit allocated to a share of Class A common stock or, as discussed below, the U.S. Holder’s initial basis for Class A common stock received upon exercise of a warrant) less any prior distributions treated as a return of capital. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.
Redemption of Class A Common Stock
In the event that a U.S. Holder’s Class A common stock is redeemed pursuant to the redemption provisions described in this prospectus under “Description of Securities — Common Stock” or if we purchase a U.S. Holder’s Class A common stock in an open market transaction (each of which we refer to as a “redemption”), the treatment of the transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes will depend on whether the redemption qualifies as a sale of the Class A common stock under Section 302 of the Code. If the redemption qualifies as a sale of Class A common stock under the tests described below, the tax consequences to the U.S. Holder will be the same as described under “— U.S. Holders — Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock” above. If the redemption does not qualify as a sale of Class A common stock, the U.S. Holder will be treated as receiving a corporate distribution, the tax consequences of which are described above under “— U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions”. Whether the redemption qualifies for sale treatment will depend primarily on the total number of shares of our stock treated as held by the U.S. Holder (including any stock constructively owned by the U.S. Holder as a result of owning warrants) both before and after the redemption. The redemption of Class A common stock will generally be treated as a sale of the Class A common stock (rather than as a corporate distribution) if the redemption (1) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the U.S. Holder, (2) results in a “complete termination” of the U.S. Holder’s interest in us or (3) is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the U.S. Holder. These tests are explained more fully below.
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In determining whether any of the foregoing tests are satisfied, a U.S. Holder takes into account not only stock actually owned by the U.S. Holder, but also shares of our stock that are constructively owned by it. A U.S. Holder may constructively own, in addition to stock owned directly, stock owned by certain related individuals and entities in which the U.S. Holder has an interest or that have an interest in such U.S. Holder, as well as any stock the U.S. Holder has a right to acquire by exercise of an option, which would generally include Class A common stock which could be acquired pursuant to the exercise of the warrants. A redemption of a U.S. Holder’s stock will be substantially disproportionate with respect to the U.S. Holder if the percentage of our outstanding voting stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder immediately following the redemption of Class A common stock is, among other requirements, less than 80% of the percentage of our outstanding voting stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder immediately before the redemption. Prior to our initial business combination, the Class A common stock may not be treated as voting stock for this purpose and, consequently, this substantially disproportionate test may not be applicable. There will be a complete termination of a U.S. Holder’s interest if either (1) all of the shares of our stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder are redeemed or (2) all of the shares of our stock actually owned by the U.S. Holder are redeemed and the U.S. Holder is eligible to waive, and effectively waives in accordance with specific rules, the attribution of stock owned by certain family members and the U.S. Holder does not constructively own any other stock (including any stock constructively owned by the U.S. Holder as a result of owning warrants). The redemption of the Class A common stock will not be essentially equivalent to a dividend if the redemption results in a “meaningful reduction” of the U.S. Holder’s proportionate interest in us. Whether the redemption will result in a meaningful reduction in a U.S. Holder’s proportionate interest in us will depend on the particular facts and circumstances. The IRS has indicated in a published ruling that even a small reduction in the proportionate interest of a small minority stockholder in a publicly held corporation who exercises no control over corporate affairs may constitute such a “meaningful reduction.” A U.S. Holder is urged to consult its tax advisors as to the tax consequences of a redemption, including the application of the constructive ownership rules described above.
If none of the foregoing tests is satisfied, the redemption will be treated as a corporate distribution, the tax consequences of which are described under “— U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions,” above. After the application of those rules, any remaining tax basis of the U.S. Holder in the redeemed Class A common stock should be added to the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its remaining stock, or, if it has none, to the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its warrants or possibly in other stock constructively owned by it.
Exercise of a Warrant
Except as discussed below with respect to the cashless exercise of a warrant, a U.S. Holder will not recognize gain or loss upon the exercise of a warrant for cash. The U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the share of our Class A common stock received upon exercise of the warrant will generally be an amount equal to the sum of the U.S. Holder’s initial investment in the warrant (i.e., the portion of the U.S. Holder’s purchase price for a unit that is allocated to the warrant, as described above under “— General Treatment of Units”) and the exercise price of such warrant. It is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A common stock received upon exercise of the warrant would commence on the date of exercise of the warrant or the day following the date of exercise of the warrant; however, in either case the holding period will not include the period during which the U.S. Holder held the warrants.
The tax consequences of a cashless exercise of a warrant are not clear under current tax law. A cashless exercise may be nontaxable, either because the exercise is not a realization event or because the exercise is treated as a recapitalization for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In either situation, a U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the Class A common stock received would generally equal the holder’s tax basis in the warrant exercised. If the cashless exercise were treated as not being a realization event, it is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A common stock would commence on the date of exercise of the warrant or the day following the date of exercise of the warrant. If, however, the cashless exercise were treated as a recapitalization, the holding period of the Class A common stock would include the holding period of the warrant exercised therefor.
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It is also possible that a cashless exercise could be treated in whole or in part as a taxable exchange in which gain or loss is recognized. In such event, a U.S. Holder would be deemed to have surrendered a number of warrants having a value equal to the exercise price for the number of warrants deemed exercised. The U.S. Holder would recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the fair market value of the Class A common stock represented by the warrants deemed surrendered and the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the warrants deemed surrendered. In this case, a U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the Class A common stock received would equal the sum of the U.S. Holder’s initial investment in the warrants deemed exercised (i.e., the portion of the U.S. Holder’s purchase price for the units that is allocated to the warrant, as described above under “ — General Treatment of Units”) and the exercise price of such warrants. It is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A common stock would commence on the date of exercise of the warrant or the day following the date of exercise of the warrant.
Due to the absence of authority on the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a cashless exercise, including when a U.S. Holder’s holding period would commence with respect to the Class A common stock received, there can be no assurance which, if any, of the alternative tax consequences and holding periods described above would be adopted by the IRS or a court of law. Accordingly, U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of a cashless exercise.
Sale, Exchange, Redemption or Expiration of a Warrant
Upon a sale, exchange (other than by exercise), redemption (other than a redemption for Class A common stock), or expiration of a warrant, a U.S. Holder will recognize taxable gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between (1) the amount realized upon such disposition or expiration (or, if the warrant is held as part of a unit at the time of the disposition of the unit, the portion of the amount realized on such disposition that is allocated to the warrant based on the then fair market values of the warrant and the Class A common stock constituting such unit) and (2) the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the warrant (that is, generally the portion of the U.S. Holder’s purchase price for a unit that is allocated to the warrant, as described above under “— General Treatment of Units”). Such gain or loss will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the warrant is held by the U.S. Holder for more than one year at the time of such disposition or expiration. If a warrant is allowed to lapse unexercised, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize a capital loss equal to such holder’s tax basis in the warrant. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to certain limitations.
If we give notice of an intention to redeem warrants for $0.10 as described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Stockholders’ Warrants,” and a U.S. Holder exercises its warrant on a cashless basis and receives the amount of Class A common stock as determined by reference to the table set forth thereunder, we intend to treat such exercise as a redemption of warrants for Class A common stock for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Such redemption should be treated as a “recapitalization” within the meaning of Section 368(a)(1)(E) of the Code. Accordingly, a U.S. Holder should not recognize any gain or loss on the redemption of warrants for shares of our Class A common stock. A U.S. Holder’s aggregate tax basis in the shares of Class A common stock received in the redemption generally should equal the U.S. Holder’s aggregate tax basis in the warrants redeemed and the holding period for the shares of Class A common stock received in redemption of the warrants should include the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the surrendered warrants. However, there is some uncertainty regarding this tax treatment and it is possible such a redemption could be treated in part as a taxable exchange in which gain or loss would be recognized in a manner similar to that discussed above for a cashless exercise of warrants or otherwise characterized. Accordingly, a U.S. Holder is urged to consult its tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of a redemption of warrants for shares of Class A common stock.
Possible Constructive Distributions
The terms of each warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of shares of Class A common stock for which the warrant may be exercised or to the exercise price of the warrant in certain events, as discussed in the section of this prospectus captioned “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Stockholders’ Warrants.” An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution is generally not a taxable event. Nevertheless, a U.S. Holder of warrants would be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment to the number of such shares or to such exercise price increases the holder’s proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of shares of Class A common stock that would be obtained upon exercise) as a result of a distribution of cash to the holders of shares of our Class A common stock which is taxable to such U.S. Holders as described under “— U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions” above. Such constructive distribution would be subject to tax as described under that section in the same manner as if such U.S. Holder received a cash distribution from us equal to the fair market value of such increased interest.
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Information Reporting and Backup Withholding
In general, information reporting requirements may apply to dividends paid to a U.S. Holder and to the proceeds of the sale or other disposition of our units, shares of Class A common stock and warrants, unless the U.S. Holder is an exempt recipient. Backup withholding may apply to such payments if the U.S. Holder fails to provide a taxpayer identification number or a certification of exempt status or has been notified by the IRS that it is subject to backup withholding (and such notification has not been withdrawn).
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules will be allowed as a refund or a credit against a U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.
All U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the application of information reporting and backup withholding to them.
Non-U.S. Holders
Taxation of Distributions
In general, any distributions (including constructive distributions) we make to a non-U.S. Holder of shares of our Class A common stock, to the extent paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles), will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, provided such dividends are not effectively connected with the non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States, we will be required to withhold tax from the gross amount of the dividend at a rate of 30%, unless such non-U.S. Holder is eligible for a reduced rate of withholding tax under an applicable income tax treaty and provides proper certification of its eligibility for such reduced rate (usually on an IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E, as applicable). In the case of any constructive dividend, it is possible that this tax would be withheld from any amount owed to a non-U.S. Holder by the applicable withholding agent, including cash distributions on other property or sale proceeds from warrants or other property subsequently paid or credited to such holder. Any distribution not constituting a dividend will be treated first as reducing (but not below zero) the non-U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its shares of our Class A common stock and, to the extent such distribution exceeds the non-U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis, as gain realized from the sale or other disposition of the Class A common stock, which will be treated as described under “— Non-U.S. Holders — Gain on Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants” below. In addition, if we determine that we are classified as a “United States real property holding corporation” (see “— Non-U.S. Holders — Gain on Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants” below), we will withhold 15% of any distribution that exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits.
Dividends we pay to a non-U.S. Holder that are effectively connected with such non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (or if a tax treaty applies are attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the non-U.S. Holder) will generally not be subject to U.S. withholding tax, provided such non-U.S. Holder complies with certain certification and disclosure requirements (usually by providing an IRS Form W-8ECI). Instead, such dividends will generally be subject to U.S. federal income tax, net of certain deductions, at the same graduated individual or corporate rates applicable to U.S. Holders. If the non-U.S. Holder is a corporation, dividends that are effectively connected income may also be subject to a “branch profits tax” at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty).
Exercise or Lapse of a Warrant
The U.S. federal income tax treatment of a non-U.S. Holder’s exercise of a warrant or the lapse of a warrant held by a non-U.S. Holder generally will correspond to the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the exercise or lapse of a warrant by a U.S. Holder, as described under “— U.S. Holders — Exercise of a Warrant” or “ U.S. Holders — Sale, Exchange, Redemption or Expiration of a Warrant” above, as applicable, although to the extent a cashless exercise results in a taxable exchange, the tax consequences to the non-U.S. Holder would be the same as those described below in “— Non-U.S. Holders — Gain on Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants.”
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Redemption of Warrants for Class A Common Stock
A redemption of warrants for Class A common stock described in this prospectus under “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Stockholders’ Warrants” should be treated as a “recapitalization” within the meaning of Section 368(a)(1)(E) of the Code. Accordingly, non-U.S. Holders should not recognize any gain or loss on the redemption of warrants for shares of our Class A common stock. A non-U.S. Holder’s aggregate tax basis in the shares of Class A common stock received in the redemption should equal such non-U.S. Holder’s aggregate tax basis in the warrants redeemed and such non-U.S. Holder’s holding period for the shares of Class A common stock received in redemption of the warrants should include such non-U.S. Holder’s holding period for the surrendered warrants.
Gain on Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants
A non-U.S. Holder will generally not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax in respect of gain recognized on a sale, taxable exchange or other taxable disposition of our Class A common stock, which would include a dissolution and liquidation in the event we do not complete an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, or warrants (including an expiration or redemption of our warrants), in each case without regard to whether those securities were held as part of a unit, unless:
| · | the gain is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business by the non-U.S. Holder within the United States (and, if an applicable tax treaty so requires, is attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the non-U.S. Holder); |
| · | the non-U.S. Holder is an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of disposition and certain other conditions are met; or |
| · | we are or have been a “United States real property holding corporation” for U.S. federal income tax purposes at any time during the shorter of the five-year period ending on the date of disposition or the period that the non-U.S. Holder held our Class A common stock, and, in the case where shares of our Class A common stock are regularly traded on an established securities market, the non-U.S. Holder has owned, directly or constructively, more than 5% of our Class A common stock at any time within the shorter of the five-year period preceding the disposition or such non-U.S. Holder’s holding period for the shares of our Class A common stock. There can be no assurance that our Class A common stock will be treated as regularly traded on an established securities market for this purpose. |
Unless an applicable treaty provides otherwise, gain described in the first bullet point above will be subject to tax at generally applicable U.S. federal income tax rates as if the non-U.S. holder were a United States resident. Any gains described in the first bullet point above of a non-U.S. Holder that is a foreign corporation may also be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” at a 30% rate (or lower applicable treaty rate). Gain described in the second bullet point above will generally be subject to a flat 30% U.S. federal income tax. Non-U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding possible eligibility for benefits under income tax treaties.
If the third bullet point above applies to a non-U.S. Holder, gain recognized by such holder on the sale, exchange or other disposition of our Class A common stock or warrants will be subject to tax at generally applicable U.S. federal income tax rates. In addition, a buyer of our Class A common stock or warrants from such holder may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 15% of the amount realized upon such disposition. We cannot determine whether we will be a United States real property holding corporation in the future until we complete an initial business combination. We will be classified as a United States real property holding corporation if the fair market value of our “United States real property interests” equals or exceeds 50% of the sum of the fair market value of our worldwide real property interests plus our other assets used or held for use in a trade or business, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If we are or have been a “United States real property holding corporation”, non-U.S. Holders are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the application of these rules.
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Possible Constructive Distributions
The terms of each warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of shares of Class A common stock for which the warrant may be exercised or to the exercise price of the warrant in certain events, as discussed in the section of this prospectus captioned “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Stockholders’ Warrants.” An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution is generally not a taxable event. Nevertheless, a non-U.S. Holder of warrants would be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment to the number of such shares or to such exercise price increases the holder’s proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of shares of Class A common stock that would be obtained upon exercise) as a result of a distribution of cash to the holders of shares of our Class A common stock which is taxable to such non-U.S. Holders as described under “— Non-U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions” above. A non-U.S. Holder would be subject to U.S. federal income tax withholding under that section in the same manner as if such non-U.S. Holder received a cash distribution from us equal to the fair market value of such increased interest without any corresponding receipt of cash.
Redemption of Class A Common Stock
The characterization for U.S. federal income tax purposes of the redemption of a non-U.S. Holder’s Class A common stock pursuant to the redemption provisions described in this prospectus under “Description of Securities — Common Stock” will generally correspond to the U.S. federal income tax characterization of such a redemption of a U.S. Holder’s Class A common stock, as described under “— U.S. Holders — Redemption of Class A Common Stock” above, and the consequences of the redemption to the non-U.S. Holder will be as described above under “— Non-U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions” and “— Non-U.S. Holders — Gain on Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants,” as applicable.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding
In general, information returns will be filed with the IRS in connection with payments of dividends and the proceeds from a sale or other disposition of our units, shares of common stock and warrants. A non-U.S. holder may have to comply with certification procedures to establish that it is not a United States person in order to avoid information reporting and backup withholding requirements. The certification procedures required to claim a reduced rate of withholding under a treaty will generally satisfy the certification requirements necessary to avoid the backup withholding as well. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. The amount of any backup withholding from a payment to a Non U.S. holder will be allowed as a credit against such holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability and may entitle such holder to a refund, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS. The gross amount of dividends and proceeds from the disposition of our Class A common stock or warrants paid to a holder that fails to provide the appropriate certification in accordance with applicable U.S. Treasury regulations generally will be subject to backup withholding at the applicable rate.
Information reporting and backup withholding are generally not required with respect to the amount of any proceeds from the sale by a non-U.S. Holder of Class A common stock or warrants outside the United States through a foreign office of a foreign broker that does not have certain specified connections to the United States. However, if a non-U.S. Holder sells Class A common stock or warrants through a U.S. broker or the U.S. office of a foreign broker, the broker will generally be required to report to the IRS the amount of proceeds paid to such holder, unless the non-U.S. Holder provides appropriate certification (usually on an IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E, as applicable) to the broker of its status as a non-U.S. Holder or such non-U.S. Holder is an exempt recipient. In addition, for information reporting purposes, certain non-U.S. brokers with certain relationships with the United States will be treated in a manner similar to U.S. brokers.
All non-U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the application of information reporting and backup withholding rules to them.
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Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act
Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code and the Treasury Regulations and administrative guidance promulgated thereunder (commonly referred as the “Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act” or “FATCA”) generally impose withholding at a rate of 30% in certain circumstances on dividends in respect of our securities which are held by or through certain foreign financial institutions (including investment funds), unless any such institution (1) enters into, and complies with, an agreement with the IRS to report, on an annual basis, information with respect to interests in, and accounts maintained by, the institution that are owned by certain U.S. persons and by certain non-U.S. entities that are wholly or partially owned by U.S. persons and to withhold on certain payments, or (2) if required under an intergovernmental agreement between the United States and an applicable foreign country, reports such information to its local tax authority, which will exchange such information with the U.S. authorities. An intergovernmental agreement between the United States and an applicable foreign country may modify these requirements. Accordingly, the entity through which our securities are held will affect the determination of whether such withholding is required. Similarly, dividends in respect of our securities held by an investor that is a non-financial non-U.S. entity that does not qualify under certain exceptions will generally be subject to withholding at a rate of 30%, unless such entity either (1) certifies to us or the applicable withholding agent that such entity does not have any “substantial United States owners” or (2) provides certain information regarding the entity’s “substantial United States owners,” which will in turn be provided to the U.S. Department of Treasury. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the possible implications of FATCA on their investment in our securities.
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We are offering the units described in this prospectus through the underwriters named below. Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Cowen and Company, LLC are the representatives for the underwriters and are acting as the joint book-running managers of the offering. We have entered into an underwriting agreement with the representatives. Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement, each underwriter has severally agreed to purchase from us, on a firm commitment basis, and we have agreed to sell to such underwriter, the number of units listed next to its name in the following table:
| Underwriters | Number of Units | |||
| Citigroup Global Markets Inc. | ||||
| Cowen and Company, LLC | ||||
| Total | 25,000,000 | |||
The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the underwriters are subject to certain conditions precedent and that the underwriters have agreed, severally and not jointly, to purchase all of the shares sold under the underwriting agreement if any of these shares are purchased, other than those units covered by the option described below. If an underwriter defaults, the underwriting agreement provides that the purchase commitments of the non-defaulting underwriters may be increased or the underwriting agreement may be terminated.
We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against specified liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, and to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make in respect thereof.
The underwriters are offering the units, subject to prior sale, when, as and if issued to and accepted by them, subject to approval of legal matters by their counsel and other conditions specified in the underwriting agreement. The underwriters reserve the right to withdraw, cancel or modify offers to the public and to reject orders in whole or in part.
We have granted to the underwriters an option to purchase up to 3,750,000 additional units at the public offering price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions. This option is exercisable for a period of 45 days. To the extent that the underwriters exercise this option, the underwriters will purchase additional units from us in approximately the same proportion as shown in the table above.
The following table shows the public offering price, underwriting discounts and commissions and proceeds, before expenses to us. These amounts are shown assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters' option to purchase additional units. $0.35 per unit, or $8,750,000 (or $10,062,500 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), of deferred underwriting commissions will be paid to the underwriters upon the completion of our initial business combination.
| Per Unit(1) | Total(1) | |||||||||||||||
| Without Over-allotment |
With Over-allotment |
Without Over-allotment |
With Over-allotment |
|||||||||||||
| Underwriting Discounts and Commissions paid by us | $ | 0.55 | $ | 0.55 | $ | 13,750,000 | $ | 15,812,500 | ||||||||
| (1) | Includes $0.20 per unit, or $5,000,000 in the aggregate (or $5,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), payable upon the closing of this offering. Also includes $0.35 per unit, or $8,750,000 in the aggregate (or $10,062,500 in the aggregate if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions to be placed in a trust account located in the United States as described herein. The deferred commissions will be released to the underwriters only on completion of an initial business combination, in an amount equal to $0.35 multiplied by the number of shares of Class A common stock sold as part of the units in this offering, as described in this prospectus. |
If we do not complete our initial business combination within the time period required by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, the underwriters have agreed that (i) they will forfeit any rights or claims to their deferred underwriting discounts and commissions, including any accrued interest thereon, then in the trust account, and (ii) that the deferred underwriters’ discounts and commissions will be distributed on a pro rata basis, together with any interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, to the public stockholders.
The underwriters propose to offer the units to the public at the public offering price set forth on the cover of this prospectus. The underwriters may offer the units to securities dealers at the public offering price less a concession not in excess of $ per unit. If all of the units are not sold at the public offering price, the underwriters may change the offering price and other selling terms.
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We estimate that the total expenses of the offering, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions, will be approximately $600,000 and are payable by us. We also have agreed to reimburse the underwriters for up to $25,000 for their FINRA counsel fee. In accordance with FINRA Rule 5110, this reimbursed fee is deemed underwriting compensation for this offering.
The underwriters do not intend to confirm sales of the shares to any accounts over which they have discretionary authority.
In connection with this offering, the underwriters may engage in stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions, penalty bids and purchases to cover positions created by short sales.
| · | Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase units so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum, and are engaged in for the purpose of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the units while the offering is in progress. |
| · | Stabilizing transactions may involve sales by the underwriters of units in excess of the number of units the underwriters are obligated to purchase. This creates a syndicate short position which may be either a covered short position or a naked short position. In a covered short position, the number of units stabilized by the underwriters is not greater than the number of units that they may purchase in the option. In a naked short position, the number of units involved is greater than the number of units in the option. The underwriters may close out any short position by exercising their option and/or purchasing shares in the open market. |
| · | Syndicate covering transactions involve purchases of units in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover syndicate short positions. In determining the source of shares to close out the short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of shares available for purchase in the open market as compared with the price at which they may purchase shares through exercise of the option. If the underwriters sell more shares than could be covered by exercise of the option and, therefore, have a naked short position, the position can be closed out only by buying shares in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that after pricing there could be downward pressure on the price of the units in the open market that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering. |
| · | Penalty bids permit the representatives to reclaim a selling concession from a syndicate member when the common stock originally sold by that syndicate member is purchased in stabilizing or syndicate covering transactions to cover syndicate short positions. |
These stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our units or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our units. As a result, the price of our units in the open market may be higher than it would otherwise be in the absence of these transactions. Neither we nor the underwriters make any representation or prediction as to the effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of our common stock. These transactions may be effected on the New York Stock Exchange, in the over-the-counter market or otherwise and, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.
We, our sponsors and our officers and directors have agreed that we and they will not offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or grant any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, without the prior written consent of Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Cowen and Company, LLC for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus, any units, warrants, shares of common stock or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, shares of common stock or enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of any units, shares of common stock, warrants or any securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, shares of common stock owned, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of such securities, in cash or otherwise; provided, however, that we may (1) issue and sell the private placement warrants; (2) issue and sell the additional units to cover our underwriters’ over-allotment option (if any); (3) register with the SEC pursuant to an agreement to be entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in this offering, the resale of the founder shares, the private placement warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans and the shares (and any shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the private placement warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans); and (4) issue securities in connection with our initial business combination. However, the foregoing shall not apply to the forfeiture of any founder shares pursuant to their terms or any transfer of founder shares to any current or future independent director of the company (as long as such current or future independent director is subject to the terms of the letter agreement, filed herewith, at the time of such transfer; and as long as, to the extent any Section 16 reporting obligation is triggered as a result of such transfer, any related Section 16 filing includes a practical explanation as to the nature of the transfer). Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Cowen and Company, LLC in their sole discretion may release any of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements at any time without notice.
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Our initial stockholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property or (y) if the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination (except as described herein under “Principal Stockholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”). Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial stockholders with respect to any founder shares.
The private placement warrants (including the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except with respect to permitted transferees as described in this prospectus under “Principal Stockholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”).
We expect our units to be listed on the NYSE, under the symbol “CNDB.U” and, once the Class A common stock and warrants begin separate trading, to have our Class A common stock and warrants listed on the NYSE under the symbols “CNDB” and “CNDB WS,” respectively.
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our securities.
The determination of our per unit offering price was more arbitrary than would typically be the case if we were an operating company. Among the factors considered in determining the initial public offering price were the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies, prior offerings of those companies, our management, our capital structure, and currently prevailing general conditions in equity securities markets, including current market valuations of publicly traded companies considered comparable to our company. We cannot assure you, however, that the price at which the units, Class A common stock or warrants will sell in the public market after this offering will not be lower than the initial public offering price or that an active trading market in our units, Class A common stock or warrants will develop and continue after this offering.
We are not under any contractual obligation to engage the underwriters to provide any services for us after this offering, and have no present intent to do so. However, the underwriters may introduce us to potential target businesses or assist us in raising additional capital in the future. If any of the underwriters provide services to us after this offering, we may pay such underwriter fair and reasonable fees that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with the underwriters and no fees for such services will be paid to the underwriters prior to the date that is 90 days from the date of this prospectus, unless FINRA determines that such payment would not be deemed underwriters’ compensation in connection with this offering and we may pay the underwriters of this offering or any entity with which they are affiliated a finder’s fee or other compensation for services rendered to us in connection with the completion of a business combination. Any fees we may pay the underwriters or their affiliates for services rendered to us after this offering may be contingent on the completion of a business combination and may be paid in other than cash. The underwriters or their affiliates that provide these services to us may have a potential conflict of interest given that the underwriters are entitled to the deferred portion of their underwriting compensation for this offering only if an initial business combination is completed within the specified timeframe.
The underwriters and their respective affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include sales and trading, commercial and investment banking, advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, market making, brokerage and other financial and non-financial activities and services. The underwriters and their affiliates have engaged in, and may in the future engage in, investment banking and other commercial dealings in the ordinary course of business with us or our affiliates. They have received, or may in the future receive, customary fees and commissions for these transactions.
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In addition, in the ordinary course of their business activities, the underwriters and their respective affiliates, officers, directors and employees may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers. Such investments and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of ours or our affiliates. The underwriters and their affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or financial instruments and may hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.
A prospectus in electronic format may be made available on the web sites maintained by the underwriters, or selling group members, if any, participating in this offering and the underwriters participating in this offering may distribute prospectuses electronically. The representatives may agree to allocate a number of units to underwriters and selling group members for sale to their online brokerage account holders. Internet distributions will be allocated by the underwriters and selling group members that will make internet distributions on the same basis as other allocations.
The units are offered for sale in those jurisdictions in the United States, Europe, Asia and elsewhere where it is lawful to make such offers.
The underwriters have represented and agreed that it has not offered, sold or delivered and will not offer, sell or deliver any of the units directly or indirectly, or distribute this prospectus or any other offering material relating to the units, in or from any jurisdiction except under circumstances that will result in compliance with the applicable laws and regulations thereof and that will not impose any obligations or other duties on us except as set forth in the underwriting agreement.
Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants
On March 25, 2021, CA2 Co-Investment purchased 1,437,500 founder shares from our sponsor. On May 6, 2021, CA2 Co-Investment sold 956,439 shares back to our sponsor at their original purchase price, resulting in CA2 Co-Investment holding 481,061 founder shares. If the over-allotment option is not fully sold, CA2 Co-Investment will forfeit up to 61,364 founder shares, such that CA2 Co-Investment will hold 419,697 founder shares if the over-allotment option is not exercised. CA2 Co-Investment (and/or its designee) has also committed to purchase from us 606,061 private placement warrants (or 666,667 private placement warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at $1.50 per warrant for an aggregate purchase price of $909,092 (or $1,000,001 if the over-allotment option is exercised). The private placement warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to the warrants included in the units sold in this offering except as described under “Description of Securities — Private Placement Warrants,” including that, subject to certain exceptions, the private placement warrants (including shares including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until after the completion of our initial business combination and the private placement warrants held by CA2 Co-Investment will not be exercisable more than five years from the commencement of sales in this offering in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8). The purchase of the private placement warrants will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. Such private placement warrants and founder shares will be considered underwriting compensation in connection with this offering. Such private placement warrants and founder shares will be subject to lock-up restrictions, as required by FINRA Rule 5110(g)(1) and may not be sold during the offering, or sold, transferred, assigned, pledged, or hypothecated, or be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put, or call transaction that would result in the effective economic disposition of such securities by any person for a period of 180 days immediately following the date of effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or commencement of sales of the offering, except as provided in FINRA Rule 5110(g)(2). Our initial stockholders, including CA2 Co-Investment, are entitled under the registration rights agreement to make up to three demands that we register certain of our securities held by them for sale under the Securities Act and to have the securities covered thereby registered for resale pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. In addition, these holders have the right to include their securities in other registration statements filed by us. Notwithstanding the foregoing, CA2 Co-Investment may not exercise its demand and “piggyback” registration rights after five and seven years, respectively, after the commencement of sales in this offering.
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Affiliations
The underwriters and their respective affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, financing and brokerage activities. The underwriters and their affiliates may from time to time in the future engage with us and perform services for us or in the ordinary course of their business for which they will receive customary fees and expenses. In the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriters and their respective affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers, and such investment and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of us. The underwriters and their respective affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of these securities or instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in these securities and instruments.
We are not under any contractual obligation to engage any of the underwriters to provide any services for us after this offering, and have no present intent to do so. However, any of the underwriters may introduce us to potential target businesses or assist us in raising additional capital in the future. If any of the underwriters provide services to us after this offering, we may pay such underwriter fair and reasonable fees that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with any of the underwriters and no fees for such services will be paid to any of the underwriters prior to the date that is 60 days from the date of this prospectus, unless FINRA determines that such payment would not be deemed underwriter’s compensation in connection with this offering and we may pay the underwriters of this offering or any entity with which they are affiliated a finder’s fee or other compensation for services rendered to us in connection with the completion of a business combination.
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Notice to Prospective Investors in Canada
The units may be sold in Canada only to purchasers purchasing, or deemed to be purchasing, as principal that are accredited investors, as defined in National Instrument 45-106 — Prospectus Exemptions or subsection 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), and are permitted clients, as defined in National Instrument 31-103 — Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations. Any resale of the units must be made in accordance with an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the prospectus requirements of applicable securities laws.
Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if this prospectus (including any amendment thereto) contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory. The purchaser should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.
Pursuant to section 3A.3 of National Instrument 33-105 — Underwriting Conflicts (NI 33-105), the underwriters are not required to comply with the disclosure requirements of NI 33-105 regarding underwriter conflicts of interest in connection with this offering.
Notice to Prospective Investors in the European Economic Area
In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area (each, a “Member State”) no units have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the offering to the public in that Member State prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the units which has been approved by the competent authority in that Member State or, where appropriate, approved in another Member State and notified to the competent authority in that Member State, all in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation, except that offers of units may be made to the public in that Member State at any time under the following exemptions under the Prospectus Regulation:
| (a) | to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in the Prospectus Regulation; |
| (b) | to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the representatives for any such offer; or |
| (c) | in any other circumstances falling within Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation. |
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to any units in any Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any units to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any units, and the expression “Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.
This European Economic Area selling restriction is in addition to any other selling restrictions set out below.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Israel
This document does not constitute a prospectus under the Israeli Securities Law, 5728-1968 (the “Israel Securities Law”), and has not been filed with or approved by the Israel Securities Authority. In Israel, this prospectus is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, and any offer of the units is directed only at, (i) a limited number of persons in accordance with the Israeli Securities Law and (ii) investors listed in the first addendum (the “Addendum”), to the Israeli Securities Law, consisting primarily of joint investment in trust funds, provident funds, insurance companies, banks, portfolio managers, investment advisors, members of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, underwriters, venture capital funds, entities with equity in excess of NIS 50 million and “qualified individuals,” each as defined in the Addendum (as it may be amended from time to time), collectively referred to as qualified investors (in each case, purchasing for their own account or, where permitted under the Addendum, for the accounts of their clients who are investors listed in the Addendum). Qualified investors are required to submit written confirmation that they fall within the scope of the Addendum, are aware of the meaning of same and agree to it.
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Notice to Prospective Investors in the United Kingdom
The underwriters have represented and agreed that:
| (a) | they have only communicated or caused to be communicated and will only communicate or cause to be communicated an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA)) received by it in connection with the issue or sale of the units in circumstances in which Section 21(1) of the FSMA does not apply to the company; and |
| (b) | they have complied and will comply with all applicable provisions of the FSMA with respect to anything done by it in relation to the units in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom. |
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Greenberg Traurig, LLP, McLean, Virginia, has passed upon the validity of the securities offered in this prospectus on behalf of us. DLA Piper LLP (US) advised the underwriters in connection with the offering of the securities.
The financial statements of Concord Acquisition Corp III as of March 1, 2021 and for the period from February 18, 2021 (inception) through March 1, 2021 appearing in this prospectus have been audited by Marcum LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon (which contains an explanatory paragraph relating to substantial doubt about the ability of Concord Acquisition Corp III to continue as a going concern as described in Note 1 to the financial statements), appearing elsewhere in this prospectus, and are included in reliance on the report of such firm given upon their authority as experts in auditing and accounting.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act with respect to the securities we are offering by this prospectus. This prospectus does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. For further information about us and our securities, you should refer to the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed with the registration statement. Whenever we make reference in this prospectus to any of our contracts, agreements or other documents, the references are materially complete but may not include a description of all aspects of such contracts, agreements or other documents, and you should refer to the exhibits attached to the registration statement for copies of the actual contract, agreement or other document.
Upon completion of this offering, we will be subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act and will file annual, quarterly and current event reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You can read our SEC filings, including the registration statement, over the Internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
156
CONCORD ACQUISITION CORP III
F-1
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Stockholders and Board of Directors of
Concord Acquisition Corp III
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Concord Acquisition Corp III (the “Company”) as of March 1, 2021, the related statements of operations, changes in stockholder’s equity and cash flows for the period from February 18, 2021 (inception) through March 1, 2021, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of March 1, 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from February 18, 2021 (inception) through March 1, 2021, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Explanatory Paragraph – Going Concern
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As more fully described in Note 1, the Company’s ability to execute its business plan is dependent upon its completion of the proposed initial public offering described in Note 3 to the financial statements. The Company lacks the financial resources it needs to sustain operations for a reasonable period of time, which is considered to be one year from issuance date of the financial statements. This condition raises substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern. Management's plans with regard to this matter is also described in Notes 1 and 3. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) ("PCAOB") and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ Marcum llp
Marcum llp
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021.
New York, NY
March 26, 2021 (except for the discussions regarding accounting for warrants in Note 2 which the date is May 7, 2021)
F-2
BALANCE SHEETS
| March 31, 2021 |
March 1, 2021 |
|||||||
| (Unaudited) | (Audited) | |||||||
| Assets: | ||||||||
| Cash | $ | 25,008 | $ | 25,000 | ||||
| Deferred offering costs | 124,039 | 17,500 | ||||||
| Total Assets | $ | 149,047 | $ | 42,500 | ||||
| Liabilities and Stockholder’s Equity | ||||||||
| Accrued offering costs and expenses | $ | 49,520 | $ | 17,973 | ||||
| Promissory Note - Related Party | 75,000 | — | ||||||
| Total current liabilities | 124,520 | 17,973 | ||||||
| Commitments and Contingencies (Note 6) | ||||||||
| Stockholder’s Equity: | ||||||||
| Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding | — | — | ||||||
| Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value; 200,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding | — | — | ||||||
| Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value; 20,000,000 shares authorized; 7,187,500 shares issued and outstanding(1) | 719 | 719 | ||||||
| Additional paid-in capital | 24,281 | 24,281 | ||||||
| Accumulated deficit | (473 | ) | (473 | ) | ||||
| Total stockholder’s equity | 24,527 | 24,527 | ||||||
| Total Liabilities and Stockholder’s Equity | $ | 149,047 | $ | 42,500 | ||||
| (1) | Includes up to 937,500 shares of Class B common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 7). |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-3
CONCORD
ACQUISITION CORP III
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
| For the period from February 18, 2021 (Inception) to March 31, 2021 | For the period from February 18, 2021 (Inception) to March 1, 2021 | |||||||
| (Unaudited) | (Audited) | |||||||
| Formation costs | $ | 473 | $ | 473 | ||||
| Net loss | $ | (473 | ) | $ | (473 | ) | ||
| Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding(1) | 6,250,000 | 6,250,000 | ||||||
| Basic and diluted net loss per common share | $ | (0.00 | ) | $ | (0.00 | ) | ||
| (1) | Excludes up to 937,500 shares of Class B common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 7). |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-4
CONCORD
ACQUISITION CORP III
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDER’S EQUITY
| Class B Common Stock | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares(1) | Amount | Additional Paid-In Capital | Accumulated Deficit | Stockholder’s Equity | ||||||||||||||||
| Balance as of February 18, 2021 (Inception) | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | |||||||||||
| Class B common stock issued to Sponsors | 7,187,500 | 719 | 24,281 | 25,000 | ||||||||||||||||
| Net loss | — | — | — | (473 | ) | (473 | ) | |||||||||||||
| Balance as of March 1, 2021 (Audited) | 7,187,500 | $ | 719 | $ | 24,281 | $ | (473 | ) | $ | 24,527 | ||||||||||
| Net loss | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||
| Balance as of March 31, 2021 (Unaudited) | 7,187,500 | $ | 719 | $ | 24,281 | $ | (473 | ) | $ | 24,527 | ||||||||||
| (1) | Includes up to 937,500 shares of Class B common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 7). |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-5
CONCORD
ACQUISITION CORP III
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
| For
the period from February 18, 2021 (Inception) to March 31, 2021 | For
the period from February 18, 2021 (Inception) to March 1, 2021 | |||||||
| (Unaudited) | (Audited) | |||||||
| Cash flows from operating activities: | ||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (473 | ) | $ | (473 | ) | ||
| Changes in current assets and liabilities: | ||||||||
| Accrued offering costs and expenses | 473 | 473 | ||||||
| Net cash used in operating activities | — | — | ||||||
| Cash flows from financing activities: | ||||||||
| Proceeds from issuance of founder shares | 25,000 | 25,000 | ||||||
| Proceeds from issuance of promissory note to related party | 75,000 | — | ||||||
| Payment of deferred offering costs | (74,992 | ) | — | |||||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | 25,008 | 25,000 | ||||||
| Net change in cash | 25,008 | 25,000 | ||||||
| Cash, beginning of the period | — | — | ||||||
| Cash, end of the period | $ | 25,008 | $ | 25,000 | ||||
| Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information: | ||||||||
| Deferred offering costs in accrued offering costs and expenses | $ | 49,047 | $ | 17,500 | ||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-6
CONCORD
ACQUISITION CORP III
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 1— Organization, Business Operations and Going Concern
Concord Acquisition Corp III (the “Company”) is a newly organized, blank check company incorporated on February 18, 2021, as a Delaware corporation 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 has not selected any potential Business Combination target and the Company has not, nor has anyone on its behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any potential Business Combination target.
As of March 31, 2021, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from February 18, 2021 (inception) through March 31, 2021 relates to the Company’s formation and the Proposed Public Offering (as defined below). The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of its initial Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents from the proceeds derived from the Proposed Public Offering (as defined below). The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.
The Company’s sponsors are Concord Sponsor Group III LLC (an affiliate of Atlas Merchant Capital LLC), and CA2 Co-Investment LLC (an affiliate of one of the underwriters of the Proposed Public Offering) (the “Sponsors”). The Company’s ability to commence operations is contingent upon obtaining adequate financial resources through a proposed public offering of 25,000,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the Class A common stock included in the Units being offered, the “public shares”) at $10.00 per Unit (or 28,750,000 Units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), which is discussed in Note 3 (the “Proposed Public Offering”) and the sale of 5,000,000 warrants (or 5,500,000 warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised on full) (the “Private Placement Warrants”) at a price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant in a private placement to the Sponsors that will close simultaneously with the Proposed Public Offering. The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering and sale of the Private Placement Warrants, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination.
The Company’s Business Combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net balance in the Trust Account (as defined below) (excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts held and taxes payable on the income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the signing an agreement to enter into a Business Combination. However, the Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-Business Combination company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). There is no assurance that the Company will be able to successfully effect a Business Combination.
Upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, management has agreed that $10.00 per Unit sold in the Proposed Public Offering, including the proceeds of the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, will be held in a trust account (“Trust Account”) and will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. Treasuries and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account that may be released to the Company as described below, the funds held in the Trust Account will not be released from the Trust Account until the earliest of: (1) the completion of the initial Business Combination; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to provide for the redemption of the public shares in connection with the initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the public shares if the Company does not complete the initial Business Combination within 24 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering or (ii) with respect to any other provisions relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity; and (3) the redemption of all of the public shares if the Company has not completed the initial Business Combination within 24 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, subject to applicable law. The proceeds deposited in the Trust Account could become subject to the claims of the Company’s creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of the public stockholders.
F-7
The Company will provide its public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of the initial Business Combination either: (1) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination; or (2) by means of a tender offer. Except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, the decision as to whether the Company will seek stockholder approval of a proposed Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion. The public stockholders will be entitled to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of the initial Business Combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations. The amount in the Trust Account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share.
The shares of common stock subject to redemption will be recorded at a redemption value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering, in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board's ("FASB") Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” In such case, the Company will proceed with a Business Combination if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation of a Business Combination and, if the Company seeks stockholder approval, a majority of the issued and outstanding shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination.
The Company will have only 24 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering (the “Combination Period”) to complete the initial Business Combination. If the Company is unable to complete the initial Business Combination within the initial Business Combination within such period or during any Extension Period (as defined below), the Company will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable, and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining stockholders and the 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 their warrants, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete the initial Business Combination within the Combination Period.
The Sponsors, officers and directors will enter into a letter agreement with the Company, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive: (1) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares (as described in Note 5) and public shares held by them, as applicable, in connection with the completion of the initial Business Combination; (2) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of the obligation to allow redemptions in connection with the initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the public shares if the Company has not consummated the initial Business Combination within the Combination Period or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity; and (3) their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to any founder shares they hold if the Company fails to complete the initial Business Combination within the Combination Period or during any extended time that the Company has to consummate a Business Combination beyond 24 months as a result of a stockholder vote to amend the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation (an “Extension Period”) (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to any public shares they hold if the Company fails to complete the initial Business Combination within the Combination Period).
F-8
The Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below: (1) $10.00 per public share; or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account and except as to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the Proposed Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, the Sponsors will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. The Company has not independently verified whether the Sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that the Sponsor’s only assets are securities of the Company and, therefore, the Sponsor may not be able to satisfy those obligations. The Company has not asked the Sponsor to reserve for such obligations.
Going Concern Consideration
As of March 31, 2021, the Company had $25,008 in cash and a working capital deficiency of $99,512 (excluding deferred offering costs). The Company has incurred and expects to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of its financing and acquisition plans. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management plans to address this uncertainty through a Proposed Public Offering as discussed in Note 3. There is no assurance that the Company’s plans to raise capital or to consummate a Business Combination will be successful within the Combination Period. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Note 2— Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying audited financial statements as of and for the period ended March 1, 2021 are presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).
The accompanying unaudited financial statements as of and for the period ended March 31, 2021 have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP for interim financial information and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal accruals) considered for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the period ended March 31, 2021 is not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2021.
All information included in these notes to the financial statements related to periods after March 1, 2021 is unaudited.
Emerging Growth Company Status
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and 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.
F-9
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The Company did not have any cash equivalents as of March 31, 2021 and March 1, 2021.
Deferred Offering Costs
Deferred offering costs consist of accounting and legal expenses incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the Proposed Public Offering. Deferred offering costs will be allocated to the separable financial instruments issued in the Initial Public Offering based on a relative fair value basis, compared to total proceeds received. Upon completion of the Proposed Public Offering, offering costs associated with warrant liabilities will be expensed, and presented as non-operating expenses in the statement of operations and offering costs associated with the Class A common stock will be charged to stockholders’ equity. Should the Proposed Public Offering prove to be unsuccessful, these deferred costs, as well as additional expenses to be incurred, will be charged to operations.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under the FASB ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the balance sheet, primarily due to its short-term nature.
Fair Value Measurements
Fair value is defined as the price that would be received for sale of an asset or paid for transfer of a liability, in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. GAAP establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). These tiers include:
| • | Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical instruments in active markets; |
| • | Level 2, defined as inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable such as quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets or quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and |
| • | Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions, such as valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable. In some circumstances, the inputs used to measure fair value might be categorized within different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In those instances, the fair value measurement is categorized in its entirety in the fair value hierarchy based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement. |
Derivative Financial Instruments
The Company evaluates its financial instruments to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives in accordance with ASC Topic 815, "Derivatives and Hedging". Derivative instruments are initially recorded at fair value on the grant date and re-valued at each reporting date, with changes in the fair value reported in the statements of operations. Derivative assets and liabilities are classified in the balance sheet as current or non-current based on whether or not net-cash settlement or conversion of the instrument could be required within 12 months of the balance sheet date.
Warrant Liability
The Company will account for the 13,333,333 warrants to be issued in connection with the Proposed Public Offering (the 8,333,333 Public Warrants and the 5,000,000 Private Placement Warrants assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised) in accordance with the guidance contained in ASC 815-40. Such guidance provides that because the warrants do not meet the criteria for equity treatment thereunder, each warrant must be recorded as a liability. Accordingly, the Company will classify each warrant as a liability at its fair value. This liability is subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date. With each such re-measurement, the warrant liability will be adjusted to fair value, with the change in fair value recognized in the Company’s statement of operations.
Net Loss Per Common Share
The Company complies with the accounting and disclosure requirements of FASB ASC Topic 260, “Earnings Per Share.” Net loss per common share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period, excluding common stock subject to forfeiture. Weighted average shares were reduced for the effect of an aggregate of 937,500 shares of common stock that are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters (see Note 7). At March 31, 2021 and March 1, 2021, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into common stock and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted net loss per common share is the same as basic net loss per common share for the period presented.
Income Taxes
The Company accounts for income taxes under FASB ASC 740, “Income Taxes” (“ASC 740”). ASC 740 requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for both the expected impact of differences between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities and for the expected future tax benefit to be derived from tax loss and tax credit carry forwards. ASC 740 additionally requires a valuation allowance to be established when it is more likely than not that all or a portion of deferred tax assets will not be realized.
ASC 740 also clarifies the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in an enterprise’s financial statements and prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement process for financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position 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. ASC 740 also provides guidance on derecognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim period, disclosure and transition.
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 March 31, 2021 and March 1, 2021. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position.
F-10
The Company has identified the United States as its only “major” tax jurisdiction.
The Company is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities since inception. These examinations may include questioning the timing and amount of deductions, the nexus of income among various tax jurisdictions and compliance with federal and state tax laws. The Company’s management does not expect that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits will materially change over the next twelve months.
The provision for income taxes was deemed to be immaterial for the period from February 18, 2021(inception) through March 31, 2021.
Concentration of credit risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentration of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution which, at times may exceed the Federal depository insurance coverage of $250,000. At March 31, 2021 and March 1, 2021, the Company had not experienced losses on this account and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such account.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.
Note 3— Proposed Public Offering
Units
Pursuant to the Proposed Public Offering, the Company will offer for sale 25,000,000 Units (or 28,750,000 Units if the underwriters’ overallotment option is exercised in full) at a purchase price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit will consist of one share of Class A common stock and one-third of one warrant (“public warrant”). Each whole public warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one share of Class A common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per whole share, subject to adjustment.
Warrants
No warrants are currently outstanding. Each whole warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of the Company’s Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment.
The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time on the warrant expiration date, which is five years after the completion of the initial Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. On the exercise of any warrant, the warrant exercise price will be paid directly to the Company and not placed in the Trust Account.
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 issuable upon exercise of the warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock is available, subject to the satisfying the Company’s obligations described below with respect to registration. No warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and the Company 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. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to a warrant, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In no event will the Company be required to net cash settle any warrant. In the event that a registration statement is not effective for the exercised warrants, the purchaser of a unit containing such warrant will have paid the full purchase price for the unit solely for the share of Class A common stock underlying such Unit.
The Company is not registering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants at this time. However, the Company has agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days after the closing of the initial Business Combination, the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC, and within 60 business days following the 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 and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock until the warrants expire or are redeemed; provided that, 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 the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.
F-11
Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00
Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the outstanding warrants:
| · | in whole and not in part; | |
| · | at a price of $0.01 per warrant; | |
| · | upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, or the 30-day redemption period, to each warrant holder; and | |
| · | if, and only if, the last reported sale price of the 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. |
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 based on the redemption date and the “fair market value” of the Class A common stock (as defined below) except as otherwise described below; | |
| · | upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption | |
| · | if, and only if, the last reported sale price of the 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; and | |
| · | 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 available throughout the 30-day period after written notice of redemption is given. |
The “fair market value” of the Class A common stock shall mean the average last reported sale price of the Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. This redemption feature differs from the typical warrant redemption features used in many other blank check offerings. In no event will the warrants be exercisable in connection with this redemption feature for more than 0.361 Class A common stock per warrant (subject to adjustment).
Note 4— Private Placement
The Sponsors have subscribed to purchase an aggregate of 5,000,000 (or 5,500,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional Units is exercised in full) Private Placement Warrants for a purchase price of approximately $7,500,000 (or approximately $8,250,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional Units is exercised in full), or $1.50 per warrant, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. Each Private Placement Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of the Company’s Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, and will expire worthless if the Company does not complete the initial Business Combination.
The Private Placement Warrants are identical to the warrants that are a component of the Units sold in the Proposed Public Offering except that (a) the Private Placement Warrants will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the consummation of the initial Business Combination except to permitted transferees, and (b) the Private Placement Warrants, so long as they are held by the Sponsors or their permitted transferees, (i) will not be redeemable by the Company, (ii) may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis and (iii) will be entitled to registration rights.
Note 5— Related Party Transactions
Founder Shares
On March 1, 2021, the Sponsors paid $25,000 in exchange for 7,187,500 shares of Class B common stock (the “founder shares”). The number of founder shares outstanding was determined based on the expectation that the total size of the Proposed Public Offering would be a maximum of 287,500,000 Units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares after the Proposed Public Offering. Up to 937,500 of the founder shares will be forfeited depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised.
F-12
The Company’s initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any founder shares held by them until the earlier to occur of: (1) one year after the completion of the initial Business Combination; and (2) subsequent to the initial Business Combination, (x) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization 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 or (y) 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 dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the initial Business Combination. Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of the initial stockholders with respect to any founder shares (the “Lock-up”).
Promissory Note — Related Party
The Sponsor has agreed to loan the Company up to $200,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of the Proposed Public Offering. This loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and due at the earlier of July 31, 2021 or the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. This loan will be repaid upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. As of March 31, 2021 and March 1, 2021, the Company had borrowed $75,000 and no borrowings under the promissory note, respectively.
Related Party Loans
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial Business Combination, the Sponsors, an affiliate of the Sponsors or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (the “Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes an initial Business Combination, the Company would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. Otherwise, such loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that the initial Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of the working capital held outside the Trust Account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from the Trust Account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into Private Placement Warrants of the post Business Combination entity, at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants issued to the Sponsors. At March 31, 2021 and March 1, 2021, no such Working Capital Loans were outstanding.
Administrative Service Fee
The Company will enter into an administrative services agreement pursuant to which the Company will pay an affiliate of the Sponsor a total of $20,000 per month for office space, administrative and support services. Upon completion of the Company’s Business Combination or its liquidation, the Company will cease paying these monthly fees.
Note 6— Commitments and Contingencies
Risks and Uncertainties
Management is currently evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of these financial statements. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Registration Rights
The holders of the founder shares, Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans (and any shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants or warrants issued upon conversion of the Working Capital Loans and upon conversion of the founder shares) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of the Proposed Public Offering requiring the Company to register such securities for resale (in the case of the founder shares, only after conversion to shares of Class A common stock). The holders of these securities will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration demands, that the Company registers such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the Company’s completion of the initial Business Combination and rights to require the Company 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.
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Underwriters Agreement
The Company will grant the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to 3,750,000 additional Units to cover any over-allotments, if any, at the Proposed Public Offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions.
The underwriters will be entitled to a cash underwriting discount of two percent (2%) of the gross proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering, or $ 5,000,000 (or up to $ 5,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full).
Note 7— Stockholder’s 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. At March 31, 2021 and March 1, 2021, there were no shares of preferred stock issued or outstanding.
Class A Common Stock
The Company is authorized to issue 200,000,000 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 March 31, 2021 and March 1, 2021, there were no shares of Class A common stock issued or outstanding.
Class B Common Stock
The Company is authorized to issue 20,000,000 shares of Class B common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of the Class B common stock are entitled to one vote for each share. At March 31, 2021 and March 1, 2021, there were 7,187,500 shares of Class B common stock issued and outstanding, of which 937,500 shares are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full so that the founder shares will represent, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares after the Proposed Public Offering (assuming the Sponsors do not purchase any public shares in the Proposed Public Offering).
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The Company’s initial stockholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earlier to occur of: (1) one year after the completion of the initial Business Combination; and (2) subsequent to the initial Business Combination, (x) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization 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 or (y) 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 dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the initial Business Combination. Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of the initial stockholders with respect to any founder shares.
The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time 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 offered in the Proposed Public Offering and related to the closing of the initial Business Combination, 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 outstanding shares of Class B common stock agree to waive such anti-dilution adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering (not including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants) plus all shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with the initial Business Combination (net of the number of shares of Class A common stock redeemed in connection with the initial Business Combination), excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial Business Combination.
Note 8— Subsequent Events
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date up to through June 30, 2021, the date that the financial statements were available to be issued. Based on the Company’s review, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.
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Concord Acquisition Corp III
Joint Book-Running Managers
| Citigroup | Cowen |
Until , 2021, all dealers that effect transactions in these securities, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealer’s obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as an underwriter and with respect to unsold allotments or subscriptions.
PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 13. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.
The estimated expenses payable by us in connection with the offering described in this registration statement (other than the underwriting discount and commissions) will be as follows:
| SEC expenses | $ | 31,367 | ||
| FINRA expenses | 43,633 | |||
| Accounting fees and expenses | 50,000 | |||
| Printing and engraving expenses | 35,000 | |||
| Travel and Road show expenses | 5,000 | |||
| Legal fees and expenses | 200,000 | |||
| NYSE listing and filing fees | 85,000 | |||
| Miscellaneous | 150,000 | |||
| Total | $ | 600,000 |
Item 14. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that all of our directors, officers, employees and agents shall be entitled to be indemnified by us to the fullest extent permitted by Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or the DGCL. Section 145 of the DGCL concerning indemnification of officers, directors, employees and agents is set forth below.
Section 145. Indemnification of officers, directors, employees and agents; insurance.
(a) A corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the person’s conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner which the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that the person’s conduct was unlawful.
(b) A corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation and except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.
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(c) To the extent that a present or former director or officer of a corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in subsections (a) and (b) of this section, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith.
(d) Any indemnification under subsections (a) and (b) of this section (unless ordered by a court) shall be made by the corporation only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the present or former director, officer, employee or agent is proper in the circumstances because the person has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in subsections (a) and (b) of this section. Such determination shall be made, with respect to a person who is a director or officer at the time of such determination, (1) by a majority vote of the directors who are not parties to such action, suit or proceeding, even though less than a quorum, or (2) by a committee of such directors designated by majority vote of such directors, even though less than a quorum, or (3) if there are no such directors, or if such directors so direct, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion, or (4) by the stockholders.
(e) Expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by an officer or director in defending any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding may be paid by the corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such director or officer to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified by the corporation as authorized in this section. Such expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by former officers and directors or other employees and agents may be so paid upon such terms and conditions, if any, as the corporation deems appropriate.
(f) The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, the other subsections of this section shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be entitled under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in such person’s official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office. A right to indemnification or to advancement of expenses arising under a provision of the certificate of incorporation or a bylaw shall not be eliminated or impaired by an amendment to such provision after the occurrence of the act or omission that is the subject of the civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding for which indemnification or advancement of expenses is sought, unless the provision in effect at the time of such act or omission explicitly authorizes such elimination or impairment after such action or omission has occurred.
(g) A corporation shall have power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of such person’s status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability under this section.
(h) For purposes of this section, references to “the corporation” shall include, in addition to the resulting corporation, any constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a merger or consolidation which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and authority to indemnify its directors, officers, and employees or agents, so that any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of such constituent corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such constituent corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, shall stand in the same position under this section with respect to the resulting or surviving corporation as such person would have with respect to such constituent corporation if its separate existence had continued.
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(i) For purposes of this section, references to “other enterprises” shall include employee benefit plans; references to “fines” shall include any excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to any employee benefit plan; and references to “serving at the request of the corporation” shall include any service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, employee or agent with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or beneficiaries; and a person who acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in a manner “not opposed to the best interests of the corporation” as referred to in this section.
(j) The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, this section shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person.
(k) The Court of Chancery is hereby vested with exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine all actions for advancement of expenses or indemnification brought under this section or under any by law, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise. The Court of Chancery may summarily determine a corporation’s obligation to advance expenses (including attorneys’ fees).
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers, and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been advised that, in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person in a successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, we will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to the court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
In accordance with Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, will provide that no director shall be personally liable to us or any of our stockholders for monetary damages resulting from breaches of their fiduciary duty as directors, except to the extent such limitation on or exemption from liability is not permitted under the DGCL. The effect of this provision of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation is to eliminate our rights and those of our stockholders (through stockholders’ derivative suits on our behalf) to recover monetary damages against a director for breach of the fiduciary duty of care as a director, including breaches resulting from negligent or grossly negligent behavior, except, as restricted by Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL. However, this provision does not limit or eliminate our rights or the rights of any stockholder to seek non-monetary relief, such as an injunction or rescission, in the event of a breach of a director’s duty of care.
If the DGCL is amended to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the liability of directors, then, in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, the liability of our directors to us or our stockholders will be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent authorized by the DGCL, as so amended. Any repeal or amendment of provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation limiting or eliminating the liability of directors, whether by our stockholders or by changes in law, or the adoption of any other provisions inconsistent therewith, will (unless otherwise required by applicable law) be prospective only, except to the extent such amendment or change in law permits us to further limit or eliminate the liability of directors on a retroactive basis.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will also provide that we will, to the fullest extent authorized or permitted by applicable law, indemnify our current and former officers and directors, as well as those persons who, while directors or officers of our corporation, are or were serving as directors, officers, employees or agents of another entity, trust or other enterprise, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan, in connection with any threatened, pending or completed proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, against all expense, liability and loss (including, without limitation, attorney’s fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes and penalties and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered by any such person in connection with any such proceeding. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a person eligible for indemnification pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will be indemnified by us in connection with a proceeding initiated by such person only if such proceeding was authorized by our board of directors, except for proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification.
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The right to indemnification which will be conferred by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation is a contract right that includes the right to be paid by us the expenses incurred in defending or otherwise participating in any proceeding referenced above in advance of its final disposition, provided, however, that if the DGCL requires, an advancement of expenses incurred by our officer or director (solely in the capacity as an officer or director of our corporation) will be made only upon delivery to us of an undertaking, by or on behalf of such officer or director, to repay all amounts so advanced if it is ultimately determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified for such expenses under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or otherwise.
The rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses will not be deemed exclusive of any other rights which any person covered by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may have or hereafter acquire under law, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our bylaws, an agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise.
Any repeal or amendment of provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation affecting indemnification rights, whether by our stockholders or by changes in law, or the adoption of any other provisions inconsistent therewith, will (unless otherwise required by applicable law) be prospective only, except to the extent such amendment or change in law permits us to provide broader indemnification rights on a retroactive basis, and will not in any way diminish or adversely affect any right or protection existing at the time of such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision with respect to any act or omission occurring prior to such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will also permit us, to the extent and in the manner authorized or permitted by law, to indemnify and to advance expenses to persons other that those specifically covered by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.
Our bylaws, which we intend to adopt immediately prior to the closing of this offering, include the provisions relating to advancement of expenses and indemnification rights consistent with those which will be set forth in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. In addition, our bylaws provide for a right of indemnity to bring a suit in the event a claim for indemnification or advancement of expenses is not paid in full by us within a specified period of time. Our bylaws also permit us to purchase and maintain insurance, at our expense, to protect us and/or any director, officer, employee or agent of our corporation or another entity, trust or other enterprise against any expense, liability or loss, whether or not we would have the power to indemnify such person against such expense, liability or loss under the DGCL.
Any repeal or amendment of provisions of our bylaws affecting indemnification rights, whether by our board of directors, stockholders or by changes in applicable law, or the adoption of any other provisions inconsistent therewith, will (unless otherwise required by applicable law) be prospective only, except to the extent such amendment or change in law permits us to provide broader indemnification rights on a retroactive basis, and will not in any way diminish or adversely affect any right or protection existing thereunder with respect to any act or omission occurring prior to such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision.
We will enter into indemnification agreements with each of our officers and directors a form of which is to be filed as an exhibit to this Registration Statement. These agreements will require us to indemnify these individuals to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law against liabilities that may arise by reason of their service to us, and to advance expenses incurred as a result of any proceeding against them as to which they could be indemnified.
Pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement to be filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this Registration Statement, we have agreed to indemnify the underwriters and the underwriters have agreed to indemnify us against certain civil liabilities that may be incurred in connection with this offering, including certain liabilities under the Securities Act.
Item 15. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities.
On March 1, 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 7,187,500 founder shares in exchange for a capital contribution of $25,000. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares of common stock upon completion of this offering (not including the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants). Such securities were issued in connection with our organization pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. Our sponsor is an accredited investor for purposes of Rule 501 of Regulation D.
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In addition, our sponsors have committed to purchase from us an aggregate of 5,000,000 private placement warrants (or 5,500,000 private placement warrants if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $1.50 per warrant, for an aggregate purchase price of $7,500,000 or $8,250,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full). This purchase will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the completion of our initial public offering. Any such issuances will be made pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.
No underwriting discounts or commissions were paid with respect to such sales.
Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.
(a) Exhibits. The following exhibits are being filed herewith:
| * | Filed herewith. |
| ** | Previously filed. |
(b) Financial Statements. See page F-1 for an index to the financial statements and schedules included in the registration statement.
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Item 17. Undertakings.
(a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriter at the closing specified in the underwriting agreements, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriter to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.
(b) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
(c) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that:
(1) For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.
(2) For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 the registrant has duly caused this Amendment No. 2 to registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the city of New York, State of New York on the 30th day of June, 2021.
| CONCORD ACQUISITION CORP III | ||
| By: | /s/ Jeff Tuder | |
| Name: | Jeff Tuder | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| Signature | Title | Date | ||
| /s/ Jeff Tuder | Chief Executive Officer and Director | June 30, 2021 | ||
| Jeff Tuder | (Principal Executive Officer) | |||
| /s/ Michele Cito | Chief Financial Officer | June 30, 2021 | ||
| Michele Cito | (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) | |||
| /s/ Bob Diamond | Chairman | June 30, 2021 | ||
| Bob Diamond |
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Exhibit 1.1
CONCORD ACQUISITION CORP III
25,000,000 Units1
Units, each consisting of one (1) share of Class A common stock,
$0.0001 par value, and one-third of one redeemable warrant
Underwriting Agreement
[__], 2021
1 Plus an option to purchase from the Company up to 3,750,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments.
Underwriting Agreement
[__], 2021
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
Cowen and Company, LLC
As Representatives of the several Underwriters listed in Schedule A hereto
c/o Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
388 Greenwich Street
New York, New York 10013
c/o Cowen and Company, LLC
599 Lexington Avenue
New York, New York 10022
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Concord Acquisition Corp III, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), proposes to issue and sell to the several underwriters named in Schedule A hereto (collectively, the “Underwriters”), for whom you are acting as representatives (the “Representatives”), an aggregate of 25,000,000 units (the “Units”) of the Company (the “Underwritten Securities”). The Company also proposes to grant to the Underwriters an option to purchase up to 3,750,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, if any (the “Option Securities”; the Option Securities, together with the Underwritten Securities, being hereinafter called the “Securities”).
Each Unit consists of one share of the Company’s Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”), and one-third of one redeemable warrant (the “Warrant(s)”). The shares of Common Stock and Warrants included in the Units will not trade separately until the 52nd day following the date of the Prospectus (as defined below) (unless the Representatives inform the Company of their decision to allow earlier separate trading), subject to (a) the Company’s preparation of an audited balance sheet reflecting the receipt by the Company of the proceeds of the offering of the Securities, (b) the filing of such audited balance sheet with the Commission on a Form 8-K or similar form by the Company that includes such audited balance sheet, and (c) the Company having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Each whole Warrant entitles its holder, upon exercise, to purchase one share of Common Stock for $11.50 per share during the period commencing on the later of thirty (30) days after the completion by the Company of an initial Business Combination (as defined below) or twelve (12) months from the date of the consummation of the Offering (as defined below) and terminating on the five-year anniversary of the date of the completion of such initial Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or Liquidation (as defined below). As used herein, the term “Business Combination” (as described more fully in the Registration Statement (as defined below)) shall mean a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses.
The Company has entered into an Investment Management Trust Agreement, effective as of [__], 2021, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (“CST”), as trustee, in substantially the form filed as Exhibit 10.3 to the Registration Statement (the “Trust Agreement”), pursuant to which certain proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants (as defined below) and the proceeds of the Offering will be deposited and held in a trust account (the “Trust Account”) for the benefit of the Company, the Underwriters and the holders of the Underwritten Securities and the Option Securities, if and when issued.
The Company has entered into a Warrant Agreement, effective as of [__], 2021, with CST, as warrant agent, with respect to the Warrants and the Private Placement Warrants, in substantially the form filed as Exhibit 4.4 to the Registration Statement (the “Warrant Agreement”), pursuant to which CST will act as warrant agent in connection with the issuance, registration, transfer, exchange, redemption, and exercise of the Warrants and the Private Placement Warrants.
The Company has entered into a Securities Subscription Agreement, dated as of March 1, 2021 (the “Subscription Agreement”), with Concord Sponsor Group III LLC (the “Sponsor”), in substantially the form filed as Exhibit 10.5 to the Registration Statement, pursuant to which the Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 7,187,500 shares of Class B common stock of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Founder Shares”), for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000.
The Sponsor has entered into (i) a Securities Assignment Agreement, dated as of March 25, 2021 (the “First Cowen Investments Securities Assignment Agreement”), with CA2 Co-Investment LLC, a Delaware limited liability Company (“Cowen Investments”), pursuant to which the Sponsor transferred 1,437,500 Founders Shares to Cowen Investments at their original purchase price; (ii) a Securities Assignment Agreement, dated as of March 25, 2021 (the “Director Assignment Agreement”), with Peter Ort, Tom King and Larry Leibowitz, pursuant to which the Sponsor transferred 25,000 Founder Shares (none of which is subject to forfeiture) to each of Peter Ort, Tom King and Larry Leibowitz; and (iii) a Securities Assignment Agreement, dated as of May 6, 2021 (together with the First Cowen Investments Securities Assignment Agreement, the “Cowen Investments Securities Assignment Agreements”), with Cowen Investments, pursuant to which Cowen Investments transferred 956,439 Founders Shares to the Sponsor at their original purchase price. Depending on the extent to which the Underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised, up to 876,136 of the Sponsor’s Founder Shares and up to 61,364 of Cowen Investments’ Founder Shares, or a total of 937,500 Founder Shares, are subject to forfeiture.
Effective as of March 18, 2021, the Company issued a Promissory Note (the “Sponsor Promissory Note”) in favor of the Sponsor, in substantially the form filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Registration Statement, under which the Company may borrow up to a principal amount of $200,000. The Sponsor Promissory Note is unsecured and non-interest-bearing.
The Company has entered into a Private Placement Warrants Subscription Agreement, dated as of [__], 2021 (the “Sponsor Warrant Subscription Agreement”), with the Sponsor, in substantially the form filed as Exhibit 10.6 to the Registration Statement. Pursuant to the Sponsor Warrant Subscription Agreement, the Sponsor agreed to purchase an aggregate of 4,393,939 warrants (or 4,833,333 warrants if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), each warrant entitling the holder to purchase one share of Common Stock (the “Private Placement Warrants”), for $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant in a private placement closing simultaneously with the closing of the Offering and intended to be exempt from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Act (as defined below). In addition, the Company has entered into a Private Placement Warrants Purchase Agreement, dated as of [__], 2021 (the “Cowen Investments Warrant Subscription Agreement” and, together with the Sponsor Warrant Subscription Agreement, the “Warrant Subscription Agreements”), with Cowen Investments, in substantially the form filed as Exhibit 10.7 to the Registration Statement. Pursuant to the Cowen Investments Warrant Subscription Agreement, Cowen Investments agreed to purchase 606,061 Private Placement Warrants (or 666,667 Private Placement Warrants depending on the extent to which the over-allotment option is exercised), for $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant. The Private Placement Warrants are substantially similar to the Warrants included in the Units, except as described in the Prospectus.
The Company has entered into a Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of [__], 2021, with the Sponsor and the other parties thereto, in substantially the form filed as Exhibit 10.4 to the Registration Statement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”), pursuant to which the Company has granted certain registration rights in respect of the Founder Shares (including any shares of Common Stock issued or issuable upon conversion of any such Founder Shares), the Private Placement Warrants, any shares of Common Stock issued or issuable upon the exercise of any such Private Placement Warrants, and certain warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (including the shares of Common Stock underlying such warrants).
The Company has caused to be duly executed and delivered a letter agreement, dated as of [__], 2021, by and among the Company, the Sponsor, Cowen Investments, and each of the Company’s officers, directors and director nominees substantially in the form filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the Registration Statement (the “Insider Letter”).
The Company has entered into an Administrative Services Agreement, dated as of [__], 2021, with an affiliate of the Sponsor, in substantially the form filed as Exhibit 10.9 to the Registration Statement (the “Administrative Services Agreement”), pursuant to which the Company will, subject to the terms of the Administrative Services Agreement, pay to such affiliate of the Sponsor an aggregate monthly fee of $20,000 for certain office space, administrative and support services.
The Company has prepared and filed, in accordance with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the “Act”), with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-254789), including a prospectus, covering the registration of the offer and sale of the Securities. Such registration statement was declared effective by the Commission under the Act. The term “Registration Statement” means such registration statement, including the amendments, the exhibits and any schedules thereto, at the time it was declared effective by the Commission under the Act, and including the Rule 430A Information (as defined below); provided, however, that the term “Registration Statement” shall include any registration statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Act (the “Rule 462(b) Registration Statement”). Each prospectus used prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement under the Act, and each prospectus that omitted the Rule 430A Information that was used after such effectiveness and prior to the execution and delivery of this Agreement, is referred to herein as a “preliminary prospectus.” Promptly after execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Company will prepare and file a prospectus relating to the Securities in accordance with the provisions of Rule 430A under the Act (“Rule 430A”) and Rule 424(b) under the Act (“Rule 424(b)”). Such prospectus, in the form first furnished to the Underwriters for use in connection with the offer and sale of Securities, is referred to herein as the “Prospectus.” The information included in the Prospectus that was omitted from the above-mentioned registration statement at the time it was declared effective by the Commission under the Act but that is deemed to be part of the Registration Statement at such effective time pursuant to Rule 430A(b) is referred to herein as the “Rule 430A Information.” For purposes of this Agreement, all references to the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto shall be deemed to include the copy filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system (or any successor system) (“EDGAR”).
As used in this Agreement:
“Applicable Time” means [__] [a.m./p.m.], New York City time, on [__], 2021, or such other time as agreed by the Company and the Representatives.
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“Disclosure Package” means the most recent preliminary prospectus issued and delivered by the Company to the Underwriters for general distribution to investors prior to the Applicable Time and the number of Securities and the initial offering price per Unit and the Time of Delivery Information, if any, set forth on Schedule B hereto, all considered together.
“Effective Date” means each date and time that the Registration Statement, any post-effective amendment or amendments thereto and any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement became or becomes effective.
“Free Writing Prospectus” means any “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Act (“Rule 405”)) relating to the Securities.
“Initial Stockholder” means any beneficial owner of the Company’s unregistered securities.
“Liquidation” means the distributions of the Trust Account to the Public Stockholders (as defined below) in connection with the redemption of shares of Common Stock held by the Public Stockholders pursuant to the terms of the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination.
“Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any oral or written communication with investors undertaken in reliance of Section 5(d) of the Act.
“Written Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any Testing-the-Waters Communication that is a written communication within the meaning of Rule 405.
As used in this Agreement, “business day” shall mean a day on which the New York Stock Exchange (the “Exchange”) is open for trading. The terms “herein,” “hereof,” “hereto,” “hereinafter” and similar terms, as used in this Agreement, shall in each case refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular section, paragraph, sentence or other subdivision of this Agreement. The term “or,” as used herein, is not exclusive.
1. Sale and Delivery of Securities. (a) Upon the basis of the representations and warranties and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to issue and sell to the respective Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters, severally and not jointly, agrees to purchase from the Company, the number of Underwritten Securities set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule A hereto, subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 7 hereof, at a purchase price of $9.80 per Unit (the “Underwritten Purchase Price”). The Company is advised by the Representatives that the Underwriters intend (i) to make a public offering of their respective portions of the Securities as soon after the effectiveness of this Agreement as in the Representatives’ judgment is advisable and (ii) initially to offer the Securities upon the terms set forth in the Prospectus (the “Offering”). The Representatives may from time to time increase or decrease the public offering price of the Securities after the initial public offering to such extent as the Representatives may determine.
(b) In addition to the discount from the public offering price represented by the Underwritten Purchase Price set forth in the first sentence of Section 1(a) of this Agreement, the Company hereby agrees to pay to the Underwriters a deferred discount of $0.35 per Unit of the Securities purchased hereunder (the “Underwritten Deferred Discount”), which Underwritten Deferred Discount will be deposited and held in the Trust Account and payable directly from the Trust Account, without accrued interest, to the Representatives, on behalf of the Underwriters, upon the Company’s consummation of its initial Business Combination. The Underwriters hereby agree that if no Business Combination is consummated by the Company within the time period provided in the Trust Agreement and the funds held under the Trust Agreement are distributed to the holders of the Common Stock included in the Securities sold pursuant to this Agreement (the “Public Stockholders”), (i) the Underwriters will forfeit any rights or claims to the Underwritten Deferred Discount and (ii) the trustee under the Trust Agreement is authorized to distribute the Underwritten Deferred Discount to the Public Stockholders on a pro rata basis.
(c) Subject to the terms and conditions and in reliance upon the representations and warranties herein set forth, the Company hereby grants an option to the several Underwriters to purchase, severally and not jointly, up to 3,750,000 Option Securities, at a purchase price of $9.80 per Unit (the “Option Purchase Price”). Said option may be exercised only to cover over-allotments in the sale of the Underwritten Securities by the Underwriters. Said option may be exercised in whole or in part at any time on or before the 45th day after the date of the Prospectus upon written notice by the Representatives to the Company setting forth the number of Option Securities as to which the several Underwriters are exercising the option and the settlement date. The number of Option Securities to be purchased by each Underwriter shall be based upon the same percentage of the total number of the Option Securities to be purchased by the several Underwriters as such Underwriter is purchasing of the Underwritten Securities, subject to such adjustments as the Representatives in their absolute discretion shall make to eliminate any fractional shares.
(d) The Company hereby agrees to pay to the Underwriters a deferred discount of $0.35 per Unit of the Option Securities purchased hereunder (the “Option Deferred Discount” and together with the Underwritten Deferred Discount, the “Deferred Discount”), which Option Deferred Discount will be deposited and held in the Trust Account and payable directly from the Trust Account, without accrued interest, to the Representatives, on behalf of the Underwriters, upon the Company’s consummation of its initial Business Combination. The Underwriters hereby agree that if no Business Combination is consummated by the Company within the time period provided in the Trust Agreement and the funds held under the Trust Agreement are distributed to the Public Stockholders (i) the Underwriters will forfeit any rights or claims to the Option Deferred Discount and (ii) the trustee under the Trust Agreement is authorized to distribute the Option Deferred Discount to the Public Stockholders on a pro rata basis.
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(e) Payment of the purchase price for the Securities shall be made to the Company by Federal Funds wire transfer against delivery of the certificates or security entitlements in respect of the Securities to the Representatives through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) for the respective accounts of the Underwriters. Payment and delivery of the Underwritten Securities and the Option Securities (if the option provided for in Section 1(c) hereof shall have been exercised on or before the second Business Day prior to the Time of Purchase (as defined below)) shall be made at [__] A.M., New York City time, on [__], 2021 (unless another time shall be agreed to by the Representatives and the Company or unless postponed in accordance with the provisions of Section 7 hereof). The time at which such payment and delivery are to be made is herein referred to as the “Time of Purchase.” Electronic transfer of the Securities shall be made to the Representatives at the Time of Purchase in such names and in such denominations as the Representatives shall specify.
(f) If the option provided for in Section 1(c) hereof is exercised after the second Business Day prior to the Time of Purchase, the Company will deliver the Option Securities (at the expense of the Company) to the Representatives on the date specified by the Representatives (which shall be at least two Business Days after exercise of said option) for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters, against payment by the several Underwriters through the Representatives of the purchase price thereof. If settlement for any Option Securities occurs after the Time of Purchase, the Company will deliver to the Representatives on the settlement date for such Option Securities (an “Option Securities Settlement Date”), and the obligation of the Underwriters to purchase the Option Securities shall be conditioned upon receipt of, supplemental opinions, certificates and letters confirming as of such date the opinions, certificates and letters delivered pursuant to Section 5 hereof.
(g) Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Cowen and Company, LLC, each individually and not as a representative of the Underwriters, may (but shall not be obligated to) make payment of the purchase price for the Securities, if any, to be purchased by any Underwriter whose funds have not been received by the Time of Purchase or an Option Securities Settlement Date, but such payment shall not relieve such Underwriter from its obligations hereunder.
(h) Deliveries of the documents described in Section 5 hereof with respect to the purchase of the Securities shall be made at the offices of DLA Piper LLP (US) at 1251 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020, at [__] A.M., New York City time, at the Time of Purchase and any Option Securities Settlement Date. No “in person” closing shall be required, and deliveries of documents may be undertaken by electronic means.
2. Representations and Warranties. (a) The Company represents and warrants to the Underwriters on the date of this Agreement, the Applicable Time, the Time of Purchase and any Option Securities Settlement Date (collectively, a “Representation Date”), and agrees with the Underwriters, as follows:
(i) Each of the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, including any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, is effective under the Act. No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto has been issued under the Act, no order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto has been issued and no proceedings for any of those purposes have been instituted or are pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, contemplated. The Company has complied with each request (if any) from the Commission for additional information.
(ii) Each of the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, at the time of its initial effectiveness complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Act. Each preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, at the time each was filed with the Commission, complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Act and is identical to the electronically transmitted copy thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.
(iii) Neither the Registration Statement nor any amendment thereto, at its initial effectiveness, the Time of Purchase or any Option Securities Settlement Date, contained, contains or will contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or will omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; at the Applicable Time, the Time of Purchase and any Option Securities Settlement Date, neither (A) the Disclosure Package nor (B) any individual Written Testing-the-Waters Communication, when considered together with the Disclosure Package, included, includes or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and neither the Prospectus nor any amendment or supplement thereto (including any prospectus wrapper), as of its issue date, at the time of any filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b), at the Time of Purchase or at any Option Securities Settlement Date, included, includes or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that the representations and warranties contained in this paragraph shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information (as defined in Section 9).
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(iv) The Company has filed with the Commission a Form 8-A (File No. [__]) providing for the registration under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), of the Securities, which registration is currently effective on the date hereof. The Securities have been authorized for listing, subject to official notice of issuance and evidence of satisfactory distribution, on the Exchange, and the Company knows of no reason or set of facts that is likely to adversely affect such authorization.
(v) (A) At the time of filing the Registration Statement and (B) as of the date of this Agreement, the Company was and is an Ineligible Issuer (as defined in Rule 405).
(vi) The Company has not prepared or used a Free Writing Prospectus.
(vii) From the time of the initial confidential submission of the Registration Statement to the Commission (or, if earlier, the first date on which the Company engaged directly or through any person authorized to act on its behalf in any Testing-the-Waters Communication) through the date hereof, the Company has been and is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Act (an “Emerging Growth Company”).
(viii) The Company (A) has not alone engaged in any Testing-the-Waters Communication other than Testing-the-Waters Communications with the consent of the Representatives with entities that are qualified institutional buyers within the meaning of Rule 144A under the Act or institutions that are accredited investors within the meaning of Rule 501 under the Act and (B) has not authorized anyone other than the Underwriters to engage in Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company reconfirms that the Underwriters have been authorized to act on its behalf in undertaking Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company has not distributed any Written Testing-the-Waters Communications other than those which were contemporaneous with a live oral presentation and were not left behind or distributed in advance to the audience and were in the form provided in advance to the Underwriters.
(ix) The Company has an authorized, issued and outstanding capitalization as set forth in the section of the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus entitled “Capitalization” under the column entitled “Actual” (except for subsequent issuances, if any, pursuant to this Agreement, pursuant to reservations, agreements or employee benefit plans referred to in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or pursuant to the exercise of convertible securities or options referred to in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus).
(x) The Securities are duly listed, and admitted and authorized for trading, subject to official notice of issuance, on the Exchange. The Company has not received any notice from the Exchange regarding the delisting or potential delisting of the Securities. The certificates for the Securities are in due and proper form.
(xi) The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware, with full corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and assets and conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, to execute and deliver this Agreement, the Trust Agreement, the Warrant Agreement, the Subscription Agreement, the Sponsor Promissory Note, the Warrant Subscription Agreements, the Registration Rights Agreement, the Insider Letter and the Administrative Services Agreement, and to carry out the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby and to issue, sell and deliver the Securities and the Private Placement Warrants as contemplated herein.
(xii) The Company is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation and is in good standing in each jurisdiction where the ownership or leasing of its properties and assets or the conduct of its business requires such qualification, except where the failure to be so qualified and in good standing would not, individually or in the aggregate, either (1) have a material adverse effect on the business, properties, condition (financial or otherwise), liquidity, results of operations or prospects of the Company or (2) prevent or materially interfere with consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby (the occurrence of any such effect or any such prevention or interference described in the foregoing clauses (1) and (2) being herein referred to as a “Material Adverse Effect”). The Company has no subsidiaries.
(xiii) All issued and outstanding securities of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and nonassessable; and none of such securities were issued in violation of the preemptive rights of any holders of any security of the Company or similar contractual rights granted by the Company. The offers and sales of the outstanding Common Stock and Warrants were at all relevant times either registered under the Act, the applicable state securities and blue sky laws or, based in part on the representations and warranties of the purchasers of such shares of Common Stock and Warrants, exempt from such registration requirements. The holders of outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company are not entitled to preemptive or other rights to subscribe for the Securities; and, except as set forth in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, no options, warrants or other rights to purchase, agreements or other obligations to issue, or rights to convert any obligations into or exchange any securities for, shares of capital stock of or ownership interests in the Company are outstanding.
(xiv) The Securities have been duly and validly authorized and, when issued and delivered against payment therefor as provided herein, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable and free of statutory and contractual preemptive rights, resale rights, rights of first refusal and similar rights and any restriction upon the voting or transfer thereof pursuant to the Delaware General Corporation Law or the Company’s charter or bylaws or any agreement or other instrument to which the Company is a party. No holder of Securities will be subject to personal liability by reason of being such a holder.
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(xv) The Common Stock included in the Units has been duly authorized and, when executed by the Company and countersigned, and issued and delivered against payment for the Securities by the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
(xvi) The Warrants included in the Units, when executed, authenticated, issued and delivered in the manner set forth in the Warrant Agreement against payment for the Securities by the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement, as applicable, will be duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered, and will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability.
(xvii) The shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants included in the Units and the Private Placement Warrants have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance upon exercise thereof and, when executed by the Company and countersigned, and issued and delivered against payment therefor pursuant to the Warrants and the Private Placement Warrants, as applicable, and the Warrant Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. The holders of such Common Stock are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; such Common Stock is not and will not be subject to any preemptive or other similar contractual rights granted by the Company; and all corporate action required to be taken for the authorization, issuance and sale of such Common Stock (other than such execution, countersignature and delivery at the time of issuance) has been duly and validly taken.
(xviii) The shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Founder Shares have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance upon conversion thereof and, when executed by the Company and countersigned, and issued and delivered in accordance with the terms of the Company’s Class B common stock, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. The holders of such Common Stock are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; such Common Stock is not and will not be subject to any preemptive or other similar contractual rights granted by the Company; and all corporate action required to be taken for the authorization, issuance and sale of such Common Stock (other than such execution, countersignature and delivery at the time of issuance) has been duly and validly taken.
(xix) The capital stock of the Company, including the Common Stock, conforms in all material respects to each description thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(xx) Except as set forth in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, no holders of any securities of the Company or any rights exercisable for or convertible or exchangeable into securities of the Company have the right to require the Company to register any such securities of the Company under the Act or to include any such securities in a registration statement to be filed by the Company.
(xxi) No securities of the Company have been sold by the Company or by or on behalf of, or for the benefit of, any person or persons controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Company from its inception through and including the date hereof, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(xxii) Neither the Company nor any of its affiliates has, prior to the date hereof, made any offer or sale of any securities that are required to be “integrated” pursuant to the Act with the offer and sale of the Securities pursuant to the Registration Statement.
(xxiii) The Private Placement Warrants, when delivered upon the consummation of this offering, will be duly executed, authenticated and issued, and will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability.
(xxiv) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability.
(xxv) The Trust Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company, in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability.
(xxvi) The Warrant Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability.
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(xxvii) The Subscription Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and the Sponsor and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company and the Sponsor, enforceable against the Company and the Sponsor in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability. The Cowen Investments Securities Assignment Agreements and the Director Assignment Agreement have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Sponsor and are valid and binding agreements of the Sponsor, enforceable against the Sponsor in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability.
(xxviii) The Sponsor Promissory Note has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and constitutes a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company, in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability.
(xxix) The Warrant Subscription Agreements have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and the Sponsor, and are valid and binding agreements of the Company and the Sponsor, enforceable against the Company and the Sponsor, in accordance with their terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability.
(xxx) The Registration Rights Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability.
(xxxi) The Insider Letter executed by the Company and the Sponsor, each executive officer, director and director nominee of the Company, and Cowen Investments, has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and the Sponsor, and, to the Company’s knowledge, each such executive officer, director and director nominee, respectively, and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company and the Sponsor, and, to the Company’s knowledge, each such executive officer, director and director nominee, respectively, enforceable against the Company and the Sponsor, and, to the Company’s knowledge, each such executive officer, director and director nominee, respectively, in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability.
(xxxii) The Administrative Services Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability.
(xxxiii) The Company is not in breach or violation of or in default under (nor has any event occurred which, with notice, lapse of time or both, would result in any breach or violation of, constitute a default under or give the holder of any indebtedness (or a person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a part of such indebtedness under) (A) its charter or bylaws or similar organizational documents, or (B) any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, bank loan or credit agreement or other evidence of indebtedness, or any license, lease, contract or other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of its properties or assets may be bound or affected, or (C) any U.S. federal, state, local or foreign law, or (D) any rule or regulation of any U.S. federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory commission, board, body, authority or agency, or any self-regulatory organization or other non-governmental regulatory authority (collectively, a “Regulatory Authority”) or (E) any decree, judgment or order applicable to it or any of its properties or assets; except, in the cases of (B), (C), (D) and (E), where such breach, violation or default would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(xxxiv) The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, the Trust Agreement, the Warrant Agreement, the Subscription Agreement, the Sponsor Promissory Note, the Warrant Subscription Agreements, the Registration Rights Agreement, the Insider Letter and the Administrative Services Agreement, the issuance and sale of the Securities and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby do not and will not conflict with, result in any breach or violation of or constitute a default under (nor constitute any event which, with notice, lapse of time or both, would result in any breach or violation of, constitute a default under or give the holder of any indebtedness or other financing instrument (or a person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a part of such indebtedness or other financing instrument under) (or result in the creation or imposition of a lien, charge or encumbrance on any property or asset of the Company) (A) the charter or bylaws or similar organizational document of the Company, or (B) any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, bank loan or credit agreement or other evidence of indebtedness, or any license, lease, contract or other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which its properties or assets may be bound or affected, or (C) any U.S. federal, state, local or foreign law, or (D) any rule or regulation of any Regulatory Authority or (E) any decree, judgment or order applicable to the Company or any of its properties or assets.
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(xxxv) No approval, authorization, license, registration, qualification, decree, consent or order of or filing with any Regulatory Authority or approval of the stockholders of the Company is necessary or required in connection with the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, the Trust Agreement, the Warrant Agreement, the Subscription Agreement, the Sponsor Promissory Note, the Warrant Subscription Agreements, the Registration Rights Agreement, the Insider Letter and the Administrative Services Agreement, the issuance and sale of the Securities or the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereby, other than (i) registration of the offer and sale of the Securities under the Act, which has been effected, (ii) any necessary qualification under the state or non-U.S. securities or blue sky laws of the various jurisdictions in which the Securities are being offered by the Underwriters or (iii) under the FINRA rules.
(xxxvi) No holders of securities of the Company have rights to the registration of such securities under the Registration Statement.
(xxxvii) The Company has all necessary permits, licenses, authorizations, consents and approvals issued by the appropriate Regulatory Authorities and has made all necessary filings required under any applicable law, regulation or rule, and has obtained all necessary permits, licenses, authorizations, consents and approvals from other persons, in order to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. The Company is not in violation of, or in default under, and has not received notice of any proceedings relating to revocation or modification of, any such permit, license, authorization, consent or approval or any U.S. federal, state, local or foreign law, regulation or rule or any decree, judgment or order applicable to the Company, except where such violation, default, revocation or modification would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(xxxviii) There are no actions, suits, proceedings, claims, investigations or inquiries pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened or contemplated to which the Company or any of its respective directors or officers is or would be a party or of which any of their respective properties or assets is or would be subject at law or in equity, before or by any Regulatory Authority, except any such action, suit, proceeding, claim, investigation or inquiry which, if resolved adversely to the Company, would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(xxxix) Marcum LLP, whose report on the consolidated financial statements of the Company is included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, is an independent registered public accounting firm as required by the Act and by the rules of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.
(xl) The financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, together with the related notes and schedules, present fairly the financial position of the Company as of the dates indicated and the consolidated results of operations, cash flows and changes in stockholders’ equity of the Company for the periods specified and have been prepared in compliance with the requirements of the Act and in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis during the periods involved. The supporting schedules included in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and Prospectus, if any, present fairly in all material respects the information set forth therein. The other financial data included in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus are accurately and fairly presented and prepared on a basis consistent with the financial statements and books and records of the Company. There are no financial statements (historical or pro forma) that are required by the Act to be included in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus that are not included as required.
(xli) Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there has not been, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, (i) any Material Adverse Effect, (ii) any transaction which is material to the Company, (iii) any obligation or liability, direct or contingent (including any off-balance sheet obligations) incurred by the Company that is material to the Company, (iv) any change in the capital stock of, or other equity interests in, or outstanding indebtedness of, the Company or (v) any dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made on the capital stock of, or other equity interests in, the Company.
(xlii) The Company is not, or at any time at or prior to the Time of Purchase will not be, and, after giving effect to the offer and sale of the Securities and the application of the proceeds thereof, will not be, an “investment company”, as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”).
(xliii) The Company owns or leases all such properties as are necessary to the conduct of its operations as presently conducted.
(xliv) All tax returns required to be filed by the Company have been timely filed, and all taxes and other assessments of a similar nature (whether imposed directly or through withholding), including any interest, additions to tax or penalties applicable thereto due or claimed to be due from such entities, have been timely paid, other than those being contested in good faith and for which adequate reserves have been provided or those that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
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(xlv) The Company maintains effective internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 of the Exchange Act), and a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that: (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain accountability for assets; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. There has been (i) no material weakness in internal control over financial reporting and (ii) no change in internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
(xlvi) The Company maintains effective disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act) designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time period specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, and is accumulated and communicated to management of the Company, including its principal executive officer and its principal financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding disclosure.
(xlvii) There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or, to the knowledge of the Company, any of the Company’s officers or directors, in their capacities as such, to comply with (as and when applicable), and immediately following the Effective Date the Company will be in compliance with, New York Stock Exchange Listed Company Manual. Further, there is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or, to the knowledge of the Company, any of the Company’s officers or directors, in their capacities as such, to comply with (as and when applicable), and immediately following the Effective Date the Company will be in compliance with, the phase-in requirements and all other provisions of the Exchange’s corporate governance requirements set forth in the New York Stock Exchange Listed Company Manual.
(xlviii) The Company and the Company’s directors and officers are each in compliance in all material respects with all applicable effective provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission and the Exchange promulgated thereunder.
(xlix) Each forward-looking statement contained in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus has been made or reaffirmed by the Company with a reasonable basis and in good faith.
(l) All statistical or market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company reasonably believes to be reliable and accurate, and the Company has obtained the written consent to the use of such data from such sources to the extent required.
(li) None of the Company, the Sponsor, or, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or other person acting on behalf of the Company is aware of or has taken any action, directly or indirectly, that would result in a violation by such persons of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (the “FCPA”). The Company, the Sponsor, and, to the knowledge of the Company, its affiliates have conducted their businesses in compliance with the FCPA and have instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to ensure, and reasonably expected to ensure, continued compliance therewith.
(lii) The operations of the Company and, to the knowledge of the Company, the Sponsor and its affiliates are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any Regulatory Authority (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”). No action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or Regulatory Authority involving the Company or the Sponsor with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened or contemplated.
(liii) None of the Company or, to the knowledge of the Company, the Sponsor or any director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or other person acting on behalf of the Company is currently subject to or the target of any sanctions administered or enforced by the United States Government, including, without limitation, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“OFAC”), the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, Her Majesty’s Treasury or any other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), nor is the Company located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of Sanctions. The Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds from its sale of Securities contemplated hereby, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any joint venture partner or other person or entity, to fund any activities of or business with any person or entity, or in any country or territory, that is then the subject of Sanctions or in any other manner that will result in a violation of Sanctions by any person or entity.
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(liv) Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there are no claims, payments, arrangements, contracts, agreements or understandings relating to the payment of a brokerage commission or finder’s, consulting, origination or similar fee by the Company or the Sponsor with respect to the sale of the Securities hereunder or any other arrangements, agreements or understandings of the Company, the Sponsor or any officer or director of the Company, or their respective affiliates, that may affect the Underwriters’ compensation, as determined by FINRA.
(lv) The Company has not taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would constitute or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, under the Exchange Act or otherwise, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities.
(lvi) The Company (A) does not have any material lending or other relationship with any Underwriter or any bank, lending or other affiliate of any Underwriter and (B) does not intend to use any of the proceeds from its sale of Securities contemplated hereby to repay any outstanding debt owed to any Underwriter or any affiliate of any Underwriter.
(lvii) All information contained in the questionnaires (the “Questionnaires”) completed by the Sponsor and, to the Company’s knowledge, the Company’s officers, directors and director nominees and provided to the Underwriters, is true and correct and the Company has not become aware of any information that would cause the information disclosed in the Questionnaires completed by the Sponsor or the Company’s officers, directors and director nominees to become inaccurate and incorrect.
(lviii) The Company has not selected any acquisition target. Prior to the date hereof, neither the Company nor, to the Company’s knowledge, anyone on its behalf has, and as of the Time of Purchase, neither the Company nor, to the Company’s knowledge, anyone on its behalf will have initiated or had any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any potential business combination target.
(lix) Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company has not made any direct or indirect payments (in cash, securities or any other “underwriting compensation” as defined in Rule 5110(j)(22) of FINRA’s Conduct Rules): (i) to any person, as a finder’s fee, consulting fee or otherwise, in consideration of such person raising capital for the Company or introducing to the Company persons who raised or provided capital to the Company; (ii) to any person that has been accepted by FINRA as a member of FINRA (a “Member”); or (iii) to any person or entity that has any direct or indirect affiliation or association with any Member, within the twelve months prior to the Effective Date, other than payments to the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement.
(lx) Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, during the period beginning 180 days prior to the initial filing of the Registration Statement and ending on the Effective Date, no Member and/or any person associated or affiliated with a Member has provided any investment banking, financial advisory and/or consulting services to the Company.
(lxi) Except as disclosed in the FINRA Questionnaires provided to the Representatives, no officer, director, or beneficial owner of any class of the Company’s securities (whether debt or equity, registered or unregistered, regardless of the time acquired or the source from which derived) (any such individual or entity, a “Company Affiliate”) is a Member or a person associated or affiliated with a Member.
(lxii) Except as disclosed in the FINRA Questionnaires provided to the Representatives, no Company Affiliate is an owner of stock or other securities of any Member (other than securities purchased on the open market).
(lxiii) To the Company’s knowledge, no Company Affiliate has made a subordinated loan to any Member.
(lxiv) Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company has not issued any warrants or other securities, or granted any options, directly or indirectly to anyone who is a potential underwriter in the Offering or a related person (as defined under the FINRA rules) of such an underwriter within the 180-day period prior to the initial filing date of the Registration Statement.
(lxv) Except as described in the Registration Statement, no Member intending to participate in the Offering has a conflict of interest with the Company. For this purpose, a “conflict of interest” means, if at the time of the Member’s participation in the Offering, any of the following applies: (A) the securities are to be issued by the Member; (B) the Company controls, is controlled by or is under common control with the Member or the Member’s associated persons; (C) at least 5% of the net proceeds from the Offering, not including underwriting compensation, are intended to be: (i) used to reduce or retire the balance of a loan or credit facility extended by the Member, its affiliates and its associated persons, in the aggregate; or (ii) otherwise directed to the Member, its affiliates and associated persons, in the aggregate; or (D) as a result of the Offering and any transactions contemplated at the time of the Offering: (i) the Member will be an affiliate of the Company; (ii) the Member will become publicly owned; or (iii) the Company will become a Member or form a broker-dealer subsidiary.
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(lxvi) The Company does not own an interest in any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust or other entity.
(lxvii) No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among any of the Company or any affiliate of the Company, on the one hand, and any director, director nominee, officer, shareholder, special advisor, customer or supplier of the Company or any affiliate of the Company, on the other hand, which is required by the Act or the Exchange Act to be described in the Registration Statement, Disclosure Package or the Prospectus that is not described as required. There are no outstanding loans, advances (except normal advances for business expenses in the ordinary course of business) or guarantees of indebtedness by the Company to or for the benefit of any of the officers, directors or director nominees of the Company or any of their respective family members. The Company has not extended or maintained credit, arranged for the extension of credit, or renewed an extension of credit, in the form of a personal loan to or for any director or officer of the Company.
(lxviii) The Company has not offered, or caused the Underwriters to offer, the Securities to any person or entity with the intention of unlawfully influencing: (a) a customer or supplier of the Company or any affiliate of the Company to alter the customer’s or supplier’s level or type of business with the Company or such affiliate or (b) a journalist or publication to write or publish favorable information about the Company or any such affiliate.
(lxix) Upon delivery and payment for the Units at the Time of Purchase, the Company will not be subject to Rule 419 under the Act and none of the Company’s outstanding securities will be deemed to be a “penny stock” as defined in Rule 3a51-1 under the Exchange Act.
(lxx) The Company is in compliance in all material respects with all presently applicable provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, including the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (“ERISA”); no “reportable event” (as defined in ERISA) has occurred with respect to any “pension plan” (as defined in ERISA) for which the Company would have any liability; the Company has not incurred and does not expect to incur liability under (i) Title IV of ERISA with respect to termination of, or withdrawal from, any “pension plan” or (ii) Sections 412 or 4971 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, including the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (the “Code”); and each “pension plan” for which the Company would have any liability that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified in all material respects and nothing has occurred, whether by action or by failure to act, which would cause the loss of such qualification.
3. Certain Covenants of the Company. The Company agrees:
(a) The Company, subject to Sections 3(b) and 3(c) hereof, will comply with the requirements of Rule 430A, and will notify the Representatives immediately, and confirm the notice in writing, (i) when any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or any new registration statement relating to the Securities shall become effective or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus shall have been filed, (ii) of the receipt of any comments from the Commission regarding the Registration Statement, (iii) of any request by the Commission for any amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus, or for additional information, (iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto or of the issuance of any order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, or of the suspension of the qualification of any Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of the initiation or threatening of any proceedings for any of such purposes or of any examination pursuant to Section 8(d) or 8(e) of the Act concerning the Registration Statement and (v) if the Company becomes the subject of a proceeding under Section 8A of the Act in connection with any offer or sale of Securities. The Company will effect all filings required under Rule 424(b) and Rule 430A in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) (without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8)) or a post-effective amendment providing the Rule 430A Information shall have been filed with, and declared effective by, the Commission in accordance with the requirement of Rule 430A, and will take such steps as it deems necessary to ascertain promptly whether the form of prospectus transmitted for filing under Rule 424(b) was received for filing by the Commission and, in the event that it was not, it will promptly file such prospectus. The Company will make every reasonable effort to prevent the issuance of any stop, prevention or suspension order and, if any such order is issued, to obtain the lifting thereof at the earliest possible moment.
(b) The Company will comply with the Act so as to permit the completion of sales of Securities as contemplated in this Agreement and in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. If, during the period in which a prospectus is (or, but for the exception afforded by Rule 172 under the Act (“Rule 172”), would be) required by the Act to be delivered in connection with any offer or sale of Securities, any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which it is necessary, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters or counsel to the Company, to (i) amend the Registration Statement in order that the Registration Statement will not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, (ii) amend or supplement the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus in order that the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, as the case may be, will not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading in the light of the circumstances existing at the time it is delivered to a purchaser or (iii) amend the Registration Statement or amend or supplement the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, as the case may be, in order to comply with the requirements of the Act, the Company will promptly (A) give the Underwriters written notice of such event or condition, (B) prepare any amendment or supplement as may be necessary to correct such statement or omission or to comply with such requirements and, a reasonable amount of time prior to any proposed filing or use, furnish the Underwriters with copies of any such amendment or supplement and (C) file with the Commission any such amendment or supplement and use its best efforts to have any amendment to the Registration Statement declared effective by the Commission as soon as possible; provided, however, that the Company shall not file, use, authorize or approve the use of, or refer to, any such amendment or supplement to which the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters shall object.
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(c) The Company will give the Representatives written notice of its intention to prepare, file, use, authorize or approve the use of, or refer to, any amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, will furnish the Underwriters with copies of any such document a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing, use, authorization, approval or reference, as the case may be, and will not file, use, authorize or approve the use of, or refer to, any such document to which the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters shall object.
(d) The Company has furnished or will deliver to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters, without charge, signed copies of the Registration Statement as originally filed and each amendment thereto (including exhibits filed therewith or incorporated by reference therein) and signed copies of all consents and certificates of experts. The signed copies of the Registration Statement and each amendment thereto furnished to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.
(e) The Company will furnish to each Underwriter, without charge, during the period in which a prospectus is (or, but for the exception afforded by Rule 172, would be) required by the Act to be delivered in connection with any offer or sale of Securities, such number of copies of the Prospectus (as amended or supplemented) as such Underwriter may reasonably request. The Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto furnished in accordance with this Section will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.
(f) The Company, during the period in which a prospectus is (or, but for the exception afforded by Rule 172, would be) required by the Act to be delivered in connection with any offer or sale of Securities, will, subject to Sections 3(b) and 3(c) hereof, file all documents required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the Exchange Act within the time periods prescribed by, and meeting the requirements of, the Exchange Act. Additionally, the Company shall report the use of the net proceeds from the sale of any Securities as may be required under the Act, including, if applicable, Rule 463 of the Act.
(g) The Company will use its best efforts, in cooperation with the Underwriters, to qualify the Securities for offering and sale under the applicable securities laws of such states and non-U.S. jurisdictions as the Representatives may, from time to time, designate and to maintain such qualifications in effect so long as required to complete the sale of the Securities contemplated by this Agreement; provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to file any general consent to service of process or to qualify as a foreign corporation or as a dealer in securities in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to subject itself to taxation in respect of doing business in any jurisdiction in which it is not otherwise so subject.
(h) The Company will timely file such reports pursuant to the Exchange Act as are necessary in order to make generally available to its security holders as soon as practicable an earnings statement for the purposes of, and to provide to the Underwriters the benefits contemplated by, the last paragraph of Section 11(a) of the Act.
(i) For a period commencing on the Effective Date and ending the earlier of five (5) years from the date of the consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination or such earlier time at which the Liquidation occurs or the Company is acquired or completes a going private transaction in a transaction where the Common Stock is no longer outstanding (as applicable, the “Termination Date”), the Company will use its best efforts to effect and maintain the listing of the Securities on, and satisfy the requirements of, the Exchange (or another U.S. national securities exchange).
(j) The Company will not, without the prior written consent of the Representatives, (x) offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of (or enter into any transaction that is designed to, or might reasonably be expected to, result in the disposition (whether by actual disposition or effective economic disposition due to cash settlement or otherwise) by the Company or any affiliate of the Company or any person in privity with the Company or any affiliate of the Company), directly or indirectly, including the filing (or participation in the filing) of a registration statement with the Commission in respect of, or establish or increase a put equivalent position or liquidate or decrease a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act with respect to, any other Units, shares of Common Stock, Warrants or any securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, shares of Common Stock or publicly announce an intention to effect any such transaction during the period commencing on the date hereof and ending 180 days after the date of this Agreement; provided, however, that the Company may (1) issue and sell the Private Placement Warrants, (2) issue and sell the Option Securities upon exercise of all or any portion of the option provide for in Section 1(c) hereof, (3) register with the Commission pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement, in accordance with the terms of the Registration Rights Agreement, the resale of the Founder Shares, the Private Placement Warrants, certain warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans, the Warrants and shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, the Private Placement Warrants and certain warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans, and (4) issue securities in connection with a Business Combination or (y) release the Sponsor, Cowen Investments, any officer, director or director nominee from the 180-day lock-up contained in the Insider Letter.
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(k) If the Representatives, in their sole discretion, agree to release or waive the restrictions set forth in the Insider Letter for an officer or director of the Company and provide the Company with notice of the impending release or waiver at least three business days before the effective date of the release or waiver, the Company agrees to announce the impending release or waiver by a press release through a major news service at least two business days before the effective date of the release or waiver.
(l) The Company will not make any offer relating to the Securities that constitutes or would constitute a Free Writing Prospectus or a portion thereof required to be filed by the Company with the Commission or retained by the Company under Rule 433 of the Act.
(m) The Company agrees that neither it nor any affiliate of the Company will take, directly or indirectly, any action that is designed, or might reasonably be expected, to cause or result in, or any action that constitutes, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of any Securities or a violation of Regulation M under the Exchange Act.
(n) If at any time following the distribution of any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication any event shall have occurred or occurs or development shall have existed or exists as a result of which such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company will promptly notify the Representatives in writing and will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication to eliminate or correct such untrue statement or omission.
(o) The Company will promptly notify the Representatives in writing if the Company ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the later of (i) completion of the distribution of the Securities within the meaning of the Act and (ii) completion of the 180-day restricted period referred to in Section 3(j) hereof.
(p) For a period commencing on the Effective Date and ending on the Termination Date, the Company will use its best efforts to maintain the registration of the Units (unless all of the Units have been separated in connection with or prior to the Company’s initial Business Combination), Common Stock and Warrants under the provisions of the Exchange Act. The Company will not deregister the Units, Common Stock or Warrants under the Exchange Act prior to the Termination Date without the prior written consent of the Representatives.
(q) The Company shall, on the date hereof, retain its independent registered public accounting firm to audit the balance sheet of the Company as of the Time of Purchase (the “Audited Balance Sheet”) reflecting the receipt by the Company of the proceeds of the Offering at the Time of Purchase. As soon as the Audited Balance Sheet becomes available, the Company shall promptly, but not later than four Business Days after the Time of Purchase, file a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Commission, which Report shall contain the Company’s Audited Balance Sheet. Additionally, upon the Company’s receipt of the proceeds from the exercise of all or any portion of the option provided for in Section 1(c) hereof, the Company shall promptly, but not later than four Business Days after the receipt of such proceeds, file a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Commission, which Report shall disclose the Company’s sale of the Option Securities and its receipt of the proceeds therefrom.
(r) Until the Termination Date, the Company, at its expense, shall cause its regularly engaged independent registered public accounting firm to review (but not audit) the Company’s financial statements for each of the first three fiscal quarters prior to the announcement of quarterly financial information, the filing of the Company’s Form 10-Q quarterly report and the mailing, if any, of quarterly financial information to stockholders.
(s) Until the Termination Date, the Company shall, to the extent such information or documents are not otherwise publicly available, upon written request from the Representatives, furnish to the Representatives copies of such financial statements and other periodic and special reports as the Company from time to time furnishes generally to holders of any class of securities, and promptly furnish to the Representatives: (i) a copy of such registration statements, financial statements and periodic and special reports as the Company shall be required to file with the Commission and from time to time furnishes generally to holders of any such class of its securities; and (ii) such additional documents and information with respect to the Company and the affairs of any future subsidiaries of the Company as the Representatives may from time to time reasonably request, all subject to the execution of a satisfactory confidentiality agreement.
(t) Until the Termination Date, the Company shall retain a transfer and warrant agent.
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(u) The Company will not consummate a Business Combination with any entity that is affiliated with any Initial Stockholder or any of the Company’s officers or directors unless it obtains an opinion from an independent accounting firm or an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA that such Business Combination is fair to the Company’s stockholders from a financial point of view. Other than as set forth in this subsection, the Company shall not pay the Sponsor or its affiliates or any of the Company’s executive officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates any fees or compensation for services rendered to the Company prior to, or in connection with, the consummation of a Business Combination; provided however, that such officers, directors and affiliates (i) may receive reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with activities on the Company’s behalf; (ii) may be repaid loans as described in the Registration Statement; and (iii) may be paid $20,000 per month for office space, administrative and support services pursuant to the Administrative Services Agreement by and among the Company and an affiliate of the Sponsor.
(v) The Company will apply the net proceeds from the Offering received by it in a manner consistent in all material respects with the applications described under the caption “Use of Proceeds” in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(w) For a period of 60 days following the Effective Date, in the event any person or entity (regardless of any FINRA affiliation or association) is engaged to assist the Company in its search for a merger candidate or to provide any other merger and acquisition services, or has provided or will provide any investment banking, financial, advisory and/or consulting services to the Company, the Company agrees that it shall promptly provide to FINRA (via a FINRA submission), the Representatives and their counsel a notification prior to entering into the agreement or transaction relating to a potential Business Combination: (i) the identity of the person or entity providing any such services; (ii) complete details of all such services and copies of all agreements governing such services prior to entering into the agreement or transaction; and (iii) justification as to why the value received by any person or entity for such services is not underwriting compensation for the Offering. The Company also agrees that proper disclosure of such arrangement or potential arrangement will be made in the tender offer materials or proxy statement, as applicable, which the Company may file in connection with its initial Business Combination for purposes of offering redemption of shares held by its stockholders or for soliciting stockholder approval, as applicable.
(x) The Company shall advise FINRA, the Representatives and their counsel if it is aware that any 10% or greater stockholder of the Company becomes an affiliate or associated person of a Member participating in the distribution of the Company’s Securities.
(y) The Company shall cause the proceeds of the Offering to be held in the Trust Account to be invested only in United States government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act as set forth in the Trust Agreement and disclosed in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. The Company will otherwise conduct its business in a manner so that it will not become subject to the Investment Company Act. Furthermore, once the Company consummates a Business Combination, it will not be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.
(z) During the period prior to the Company’s initial Business Combination or Liquidation, the Company may instruct the trustee under the Trust Agreement to release from the Trust Account, solely from interest income earned on the funds held in the Trust Account, the amounts necessary to pay taxes. Otherwise, all funds held in the Trust Account (including any interest income earned on the amounts held in the Trust Account (which interest shall be net of taxes payable)) will remain in the Trust Account until the earlier of the consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination or the Liquidation; provided, however, that in the event of the Liquidation, up to $100,000 of interest income may be released to the Company if the proceeds of the Offering held outside of the Trust Account are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing the Company’s plan of dissolution.
(aa) The Company will reserve and keep available that maximum number of its authorized but unissued securities that are issuable upon exercise of any of the Warrants and Private Placement Warrants (including the Private Placement Warrants issued to the Sponsor and Cowen Investments) outstanding from time to time.
(bb) Prior to the consummation of a Business Combination or the Liquidation, the Company shall not issue any shares of Common Stock, Warrants or any options or other securities convertible into Common Stock, or any shares of preferred stock, in each case, that participate in any manner in the Trust Account or that vote as a class with the Common Stock on a Business Combination.
(cc) Prior to the consummation of a Business Combination or the Liquidation, the Company’s audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments made to the Sponsor, to the Company’s officers or directors, or to the Company’s or any of such other persons’ respective affiliates.
(dd) The Company agrees that it will use commercially reasonable efforts to prevent the Company from becoming subject to Rule 419 under the Act prior to the consummation of any Business Combination, including, but not limited to, using its best efforts to prevent any of the Company’s outstanding securities from being deemed to be a “penny stock” as defined in Rule 3a-51-1 under the Exchange Act during such period.
(ee) To the extent required by Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act, the Company will maintain “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined under Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) and a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary in order to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP and to maintain accountability for assets, (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences
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(ff) As soon as legally required to do so, the Company and its directors and officers, in their capacities as such, shall take all actions necessary to comply with any provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, including Section 402 related to loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to certifications, and to comply with the New York Stock Exchange Listed Company Manual.
(gg) Prior to the consummation of a Business Combination or the Liquidation, the Company shall not take any action or omit to take any action that would cause the Company to be in breach or violation of its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, or its Bylaws, as amended.
(hh) Prior to the consummation of a Business Combination or the Liquidation, the Company will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than its independent auditors), prospective target businesses, lenders or other entities with which it does business enter into agreements waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account for the benefit of the Public Stockholders.
(ii) The Company may consummate the initial Business Combination and conduct redemptions of shares of Common Stock for cash upon consummation of such Business Combination without a stockholder vote pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, including the filing of tender offer documents with the Commission. Such tender offer documents will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial Business Combination and the redemption rights as is required under the Commission’s proxy rules and will provide each stockholder of the Company with the opportunity prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination to redeem the shares of Common Stock held by such stockholder for an amount of cash equal to (A) the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account representing (x) the proceeds held in the Trust Account from the Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants and (y) any interest income earned on the funds held in the Trust Account (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by (B) the total number of shares of Common Stock sold as part of the Units in the Offering (the “Public Shares”) then outstanding. If, however, the Company elects not to file such tender offer documents, a stockholder vote is required by law in connection with the initial Business Combination, or the Company decides to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, the Company will submit such Business Combination to the Company’s stockholders for their approval (“Business Combination Vote”). With respect to the initial Business Combination Vote, if any, the Sponsor has agreed to vote all of the Founder Shares and any other shares of Common Stock purchased during or after the Offering in favor of the Company’s initial Business Combination. If the Company seeks stockholder approval of the initial Business Combination, the Company will offer to each Public Stockholder holding shares of Common Stock the right to have its shares redeemed in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules of the Commission at a per share redemption price (the “Redemption Price”) equal to (I) the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account representing (1) the proceeds held in the Trust Account from the Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants and (2) any interest income earned on the funds held in the Trust Account (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by (II) the total number of Public Shares then outstanding. If the Company seeks stockholder approval of the initial Business Combination, the Company may proceed with such Business Combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares voted by the stockholders at a duly-held stockholders meeting are voted to approve such Business Combination. If, after seeking and receiving such stockholder approval, the Company elects to so proceed, it will redeem shares, at the Redemption Price, from those Public Stockholders who affirmatively requested such redemption. Only Public Stockholders holding shares of Common Stock who properly exercise their redemption rights, in accordance with the applicable tender offer or proxy materials related to such Business Combination, shall be entitled to receive distributions from the Trust Account in connection with an initial Business Combination, and the Company shall pay no distributions with respect to any other holders or shares of capital stock of the Company in connection therewith. In the event that the Company does not effect a Business Combination by twenty-four (24) months from the closing of the Offering (or such longer period as may be approved by the Company’s stockholders), 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 (10) business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish Public Stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of 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. Only Public Stockholders holding shares of Common Stock included in the Securities shall be entitled to receive such redemption amounts and the Company shall pay no such redemption amounts or any distributions in liquidation with respect to any other shares of capital stock of the Company. The Company will not propose any amendment to its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of the outstanding Public Shares if the Company has not consummated a Business Combination within twenty-four (24) months from the closing of the Offering, as described in Section 9.2(d) of the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation unless the Company offers the right to redeem the Public Shares in connection with such amendment.
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(jj) In the event that the Company desires or is required by an applicable law or regulation to cause an announcement (“Business Combination Announcement”) to be placed in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times or any other news or media publication or outlet or to be made via a public filing with the Commission announcing the Company’s consummation of a Business Combination that indicates that the Underwriters were the underwriters in the Offering, the Company shall supply the Representatives with a draft of the Business Combination Announcement and provide the Representatives with a reasonable advance opportunity to comment thereon, subject to the agreement of the Underwriters to keep confidential such draft announcement in accordance with the Representatives’ standard policies regarding confidential information.
(kk) Upon the consummation of its initial Business Combination, the Company will pay to the Representatives, on behalf of the Underwriters, the Deferred Discount, including the Option Deferred Discount if applicable. Payment of the Deferred Discount will be made out of the proceeds of the Offering held in the Trust Account. The Underwriters shall have no claim to payment of any interest earned on the portion of the proceeds held in the Trust Account representing the Deferred Discount. If the Company fails to consummate its initial Business Combination within twenty-four (24) months from the closing of the Offering, the Deferred Discount will not be paid to the Representatives and will, instead, be included in the Liquidation distribution of the proceeds held in the Trust Account made to the Public Stockholders. In connection with any such Liquidation, the Underwriters forfeit any rights or claims to the Deferred Discount.
(ll) The Company will endeavor in good faith, in cooperation with the Representatives to qualify the Securities for offering and sale under the securities laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives may reasonably designate, provided that no such qualification shall be required in any jurisdiction where, as a result thereof, the Company would be subject to service of general process or to taxation as a foreign corporation doing business in such jurisdiction. Until the earliest of (i) the date on which all Underwriters shall have ceased to engage in market-making activities in respect of the Securities, (ii) the date on which the Securities are listed on the Exchange (or any successor thereto), (iii) a going private transaction after the completion of a Business Combination, and (iv) the date of the liquidation of the Company, in each jurisdiction where such qualification shall be effected, the Company will, unless the Representatives agree that such action is not at the time necessary or advisable, use all reasonable efforts to file and make such statements or reports at such times as are or may be required to qualify the Securities for offering and sale under the securities laws of such jurisdiction.
4. Covenant to Pay Costs. (a) The Company agrees to pay, or cause to be paid, all costs, expenses, fees and taxes in connection with (i) the preparation and filing of the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto, and the printing and furnishing of copies of each thereof to the Underwriters (including costs of mailing and shipment), (ii) the printing, registration, issue, sale and delivery of the Securities and the Private Placement Warrants, including any stock or transfer taxes and stamp or similar duties payable upon the registration, sale, issuance or delivery of the Securities to the Underwriters, (iii) the producing, word processing and/or printing of this Agreement, any Agreement Among Underwriters, any dealer agreements, and Powers of Attorney and Custody Agreements, any closing documents (including compilations thereof) and such other documents as may be required in connection with the offering, purchase, sale, issuance or delivery of the Securities, and the reproduction and/or printing and furnishing of copies of each thereof to the Underwriters (including costs of mailing and shipment), (iv) the qualification of the Securities for offer and sale under state or non-U.S. laws and the determination of their eligibility for investment under state or non-U.S. law (including the legal fees and filing fees and other disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters) and the printing and furnishing of copies of any blue sky surveys or legal investment surveys to the Underwriters, (v) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the listing of the Securities on the Exchange and any registration thereof under the Exchange Act, (vi) the filing for review of the public offering of the Securities by FINRA, including the legal fees and filing fees and other disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters relating to FINRA matters (not to exceed $25,000), (vii) the fees and disbursements of the transfer agent and registrar for the Securities, (viii) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to presentations or meetings undertaken in connection with the marketing of the offering of the Securities to prospective investors and the Underwriters’ respective sales forces, including, without limitation, expenses associated with the production of road show slides and graphics, fees and expenses of any consultants engaged in connection with the road show presentations, travel, lodging and other expenses incurred by the officers and other representatives of the Company and any such consultants and (ix) the performance of the Company’s other obligations hereunder.
(b) If this Agreement is terminated by the Representatives in accordance with the provisions of Sections 5, 6(b) or 7 hereof, the Company shall reimburse the Underwriters for all of their reasonably incurred out-of-pocket expenses, including the fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters.
5. Conditions of the Underwriters’ Obligations. The obligations of the Underwriters hereunder are subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties on the part of the Company contained herein or in certificates of any officer or other representative of the Company and delivered pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and to the following additional conditions precedent:
(a) The Registration Statement, including the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, is effective under the Act and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto has been issued under the Act, no order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto has been issued and no proceedings for any of those purposes have been instituted or are pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened or contemplated. The Company shall have filed with the Commission each preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) and Rule 430A, or a post-effective amendment providing the Rule 430A Information shall have been filed with, and declared effective by, the Commission in accordance with the requirements of Rule 430A. The Company shall have complied with any and all requests for additional information on the part of the Commission to the reasonable satisfaction of the Underwriters.
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(b) At the Time of Purchase and any Option Securities Settlement Date, the Underwriters shall have received the favorable written opinion or opinions and 10b-5 letter of Greenberg Traurig, LLP, counsel to the Company, dated such date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters. Such counsel may state that, insofar as such opinion involves factual matters, they have relied, to the extent they deem proper, upon certificates of officers and other representatives of the Company and certificates of public officials.
(c) At the Time of Purchase and any Option Securities Settlement Date, the Underwriters shall have received the favorable written opinion or opinions and 10b-5 letter of DLA Piper LLP (US), counsel to the Underwriters, dated such date, with respect to such matters as the Underwriters may reasonably request. Such counsel may state that, insofar as such opinion involves factual matters, they have relied, to the extent they deem proper, upon certificates of officers and other representatives of the Company and certificates of public officials.
(d) On the date of this Agreement, the Underwriters shall have received a letter from Marcum LLP, dated such date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters, containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and other financial information included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto.
(e) At the Time of Purchase and any Option Securities Settlement Date, the Underwriters shall have received from Marcum LLP a letter, dated such date, to the effect that they reaffirm the statements made in the letter furnished pursuant to Section 5(d) hereof, except that the specified date referred to shall be a date not more than three business days prior to the Time of Purchase or such Option Securities Settlement Date, as the case may be.
(f) At the Time of Purchase, there shall not have been, since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, any Material Adverse Effect, and the Underwriters shall have received a certificate of the Chief Executive Officer or President of the Company and of the Chief Financial Officer or Chief Accounting Officer of the Company, dated such date, to the effect set forth in Exhibit A hereto.
(g) On the date of this Agreement, at the Time of Purchase and on any Option Securities Settlement Date, the Securities shall have been duly listed, and admitted and authorized for trading, on the Exchange, subject only to official notice of issuance.
(h) FINRA shall not have raised any objection with respect to the fairness or reasonableness of the underwriting or other arrangements of the transactions contemplated hereby.
(i) On the Effective Date, the Company shall have delivered to the Representatives executed copies of the Trust Agreement, the Warrant Agreement, the Subscription Agreement, the Cowen Investments Securities Assignment Agreements, the Director Assignment Agreement, the Sponsor Promissory Note, the Warrant Subscription Agreements, the Insider Letter and the Administrative Services Agreement.
(j) At least one Business Day prior to the Time of Purchase, the Sponsor shall have caused the purchase price for the Private Placement Warrants to be wired to the Company and the Company shall direct the trustee to deposit such funds, into the Trust Account and to hold such funds in escrow therein.
(k) At the Time of Purchase and any Option Securities Settlement Date, counsel for the Underwriters shall have been furnished with such documents and opinions as they may reasonably require for the purpose of enabling them to render the opinions or make the statements requested by the Underwriters, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations or warranties, or the fulfillment of any of the covenants, obligations or conditions, contained herein; and all proceedings taken by the Company in connection with the offer and sale of the Securities as contemplated herein shall be reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the Representatives and counsel to the Underwriters.
(l) If any condition specified in this Section shall not have been fulfilled when and as required to be fulfilled, this Agreement may be terminated by the Representatives by notice to the Company at any time at or prior to the Time of Purchase, and any such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except the provisions of Sections 2, 4, 8, 11, 12 and 13 hereof shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination.
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6. Effective Date of Agreement; Termination. (a) This Agreement shall become effective when the parties hereto have executed and delivered this Agreement.
(b) The Representatives may terminate this Agreement at any time at or prior to the Time of Purchase, by notice to the Company, if (1) since the time of execution of this Agreement or the earlier respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there shall have been any Material Adverse Effect, in the sole judgment of the Representatives, so material and adverse as to make it impractical or inadvisable to proceed with the completion of the Offering contemplated by this Agreement or to enforce contracts for the sale of such Securities, or (2) since the time of execution of this Agreement, there shall have occurred: (A) a suspension or material limitation in trading in securities generally on the NYSE, the NYSE American or The Nasdaq Stock Market, (B) a suspension or material limitation in trading in the Company’s securities on the Exchange, (C) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities declared by either federal or New York State authorities or a material disruption in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States or (D) an outbreak or escalation of hostilities or acts of terrorism involving the United States or a declaration by the United States of a national emergency or war or any other calamity or crisis or any change in financial, political or economic conditions in the United States or elsewhere if the effect of any such event specified in this clause (D), in the sole judgment of the Representatives, makes it impractical or inadvisable to proceed with the completion of the Offering contemplated by this Agreement or to enforce contracts for the sale of such Securities.
(c) In the event of any termination under Section 6(b) hereof, neither party will have any liability to the other party hereto, except as set forth in Section 4 hereof, and provided further that the provisions of Sections 2, 8, 11, 12 and 13 hereof shall remain in effect.
7. Default. If one or more Underwriters shall fail at the Time of Purchase or an Option Securities Settlement Date to purchase the Securities which it or they are obligated to purchase under this Agreement (the “Defaulted Securities”), then the Representatives shall have the right, within 24 hours thereafter, to make arrangements for one of or more of the non-defaulting Underwriters or any other underwriters to purchase all, but not less than all, of the Defaulted Securities in such amounts as may be agreed upon and upon the terms herein set forth; provided, however, that if such arrangements shall not have been completed within such 24-hour period, then:
(i) if the number of Defaulted Securities does not exceed 10% of the number of Securities to be so purchased by all of the Underwriters on such date, the non-defaulting Underwriters shall be obligated, severally and not jointly, to purchase the full amount thereof in the proportions that their respective initial purchase obligation bears to the purchase obligations of all non-defaulting Underwriters; or
(ii) if the number of Defaulted Securities exceeds 10% of the number of Securities to be so purchased by all of the Underwriters on such date, this Agreement shall terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter.
No action taken pursuant to this Section 7 shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of its default. In the event of any such default which does not result in a termination of this Agreement, either the Representatives or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Time of Purchase or the relevant Option Securities Settlement Date, as the case may be, for a period not exceeding seven days in order to effect any required changes in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements. As used herein, the term “Underwriter” includes any person substituted for an Underwriter under this Section 7.
8. Indemnity and Contribution.
(a) The Company agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless each Underwriter, its partners, directors, officers and members, any person who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and any “affiliate” (within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Act) of any Underwriter, and the successors and assigns of all of the foregoing persons, from and against any and all loss, damage, expense, liability or claim (including the reasonable cost of investigation and the fees and disbursements of counsel chosen by the Representatives) whatsoever, as incurred, which, jointly or severally, any Underwriter or any such person may incur insofar as such loss, damage, expense, liability or claim arises out of, relates to or is based on (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including the Rule 430A Information, or arises out of, relates to or is based on any omission or alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, except insofar as any such loss, damage, expense, liability or claim primarily and directly arises out of, relates to or is based on any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in, and in conformity with the Underwriter Information furnished in writing by the Representatives to the Company expressly for use in, the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto) or primarily and directly arises out of, relates to or is based on any omission or alleged omission to state a material fact in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto) in connection with such information, which material fact was not contained in such information and which material fact was required to be stated in the Registration Statement or was necessary to make such information not misleading or (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact included in any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication, any preliminary prospectus, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) or in any information provided to investors by, or with the approval of, the Company (the “Marketing Information”), including, without limitation, any investor presentations, or arises out of, relates to or is based on any omission or alleged omission to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except, with respect to any such preliminary prospectus, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), insofar as any such loss, damage, expense, liability or claim primarily and directly arises out of, relates to or is based on any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in, and in conformity with the Underwriter Information furnished in writing by the Representatives to the Company expressly for use in, such preliminary prospectus, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) or primarily and directly arises out of, relates to or is based on any omission or alleged omission to state a material fact in such preliminary prospectus, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in connection with the Underwriter Information, which material fact was not contained in such Underwriter Information and which material fact was necessary in order to make the statements in such information, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
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(b) Each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Company, its directors and officers, and any person who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and the successors and assigns of all of the foregoing persons, from and against any and all loss, damage, expense, liability or claim (including the reasonable cost of investigation) whatsoever, as incurred, which, jointly or severally, the Company or any such person may incur insofar as such loss, damage, expense, liability or claim primarily and directly arises out of, relates to or is based on (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in, and in conformity with Underwriter Information concerning such Underwriter furnished in writing by such Underwriter to the Representatives for delivery to the Company expressly for use in, the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), or primarily and directly arises out of, relates to or is based on any omission or alleged omission to state a material fact in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto) in connection with such Underwriter Information, which material fact was not contained in such Underwriter Information and which material fact was required to be stated in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto) or was necessary to make such information not misleading or (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in, and in conformity with Underwriter Information concerning such Underwriter furnished in writing by such Underwriter to the Representatives for delivery to the Company expressly for use in, any preliminary prospectus, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), or primarily and directly arises out of, relates to or is based on any omission or alleged omission to state a material fact in any preliminary prospectus, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in connection with such Underwriter Information, which material fact was not contained in such information and which material fact was necessary in order to make the statements in such information, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(c) If any action, suit or proceeding (each, a “Proceeding”) is brought against a person (an “indemnified party”) in respect of which indemnity may be sought against any party required to provide indemnification under this Agreement (as applicable, the “indemnifying party”), such indemnified party shall promptly notify such indemnifying party in writing of the institution of such Proceeding and such indemnifying party shall be permitted to assume the defense of such Proceeding, including the employment of counsel reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party and payment of all fees and expenses; provided, however, that the omission or failure to so notify such indemnifying party shall not relieve such indemnifying party from any liability which such indemnifying party may have to any indemnified party otherwise than under this Section 8. The indemnified party or parties shall have the right to employ its or their own counsel in any such case, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such indemnified party or parties unless the employment of such counsel shall have been authorized in writing by the indemnifying party in connection with the defense of such Proceeding or the indemnifying party shall not have, within a reasonable period of time in light of the circumstances, employed counsel to defend such Proceeding or such indemnified party or parties shall have reasonably concluded that there may be defenses available to it or them which are different from, additional to or in conflict with those available to such indemnifying party (in which case such indemnifying party shall not have the right to assume the defense of such Proceeding on behalf of the indemnified party or parties), in any of which events such fees and expenses shall be borne by such indemnifying party and paid as incurred. In no event shall any indemnifying party be liable for the expenses of more than one separate counsel (in addition to any local counsel) in any one Proceeding or series of related Proceedings in the same jurisdiction representing the indemnified parties who are parties to such Proceeding or Proceedings. The indemnifying party shall not be liable for any settlement of any Proceeding effected without its written consent but, if settled with its written consent, such indemnifying party agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the indemnified party or parties from and against any and all loss, damage, expense, liability or claim by reason of such settlement. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel, then the indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of any Proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 60 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request, (ii) such indemnifying party shall not have fully reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement and (iii) such indemnified party shall have given the indemnifying party at least 30 days’ prior notice of its intention to settle. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened Proceeding in respect of which such indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party, unless such settlement includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such Proceeding and does not include an admission of fault or culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of such indemnified party.
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(d) If the indemnification provided for in this Section 8 is unavailable to an indemnified party under the applicable subsections above or insufficient to hold an indemnified party harmless in respect of any and all losses, damages, expenses, liabilities or claims referred to therein, then each applicable indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, damages, expenses, liabilities or claims (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand from the offering of the Securities or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, damages, expenses, liabilities or claims, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total proceeds from the offering of the Securities (net of underwriting discounts received by the Underwriters but before deducting expenses) received by the Company and the underwriting discounts received by the Underwriters bear to the aggregate initial public offering price of the Securities. The relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The amount paid or payable by a party as a result of the losses, damages, expenses, liabilities and claims referred to in this subsection shall be deemed to include any legal or other fees or expenses reasonably incurred by such party in connection with investigating, preparing to defend or defending any Proceeding.
For purposes of this Section 8, each person, if any, who controls an Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act and each of the Underwriter’s partners, directors, officers, members and affiliates shall have the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter; and each director of the Company, each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company.
(e) Each of the Company and the Underwriters agrees that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 8 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in Section 8(d) hereof. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 8, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the total underwriting discounts received by such Underwriter in connection with Securities underwritten by it for sale to the public. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters’ obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 8 are several in proportion to their respective underwriting commitments and not joint.
(f) The provisions contained in this Section 8, as well as the representations, warranties and covenants of the Company contained in this Agreement, shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, its partners, directors, officers members or affiliates or any person who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, or by or on behalf of the Company, the Company’s directors or officers or any person who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and shall survive any termination of this Agreement or the sale and delivery of the Securities. The Company agrees promptly to notify the Underwriters of the commencement of any Proceeding against it and, in the case of the Company, against any of the Company’s directors or officers in connection with the sale and delivery of the Securities or with the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus.
9. Information Furnished by the Underwriters. The statements set forth under the caption “Underwriting” in the Prospectus, only insofar as such statements relate to the amount of selling concession and reallowance or to the stabilization activities that may be undertaken by the Underwriters, constitute the only “Underwriter Information” for purposes hereof.
10. Notices. Except as otherwise herein provided, all statements, requests, notices and agreements shall be in writing or by telegram or facsimile and, if to the Underwriters, shall be sufficient in all respects if delivered or sent to them c/o Citigroup Global Markets Inc., 388 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10013, Attention: General Counsel, fax: (646) 291-1469 and c/o Cowen and Company, LLC, 599 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York 10022; and if to the Company, shall be sufficient in all respects if delivered or sent to the Company at the offices of the Company at 477 Madison Avenue, New York, New York, Attention: Jeff Tuder.
11. Governing Law; Construction. This Agreement and any claim, counterclaim or dispute of any kind or nature whatsoever arising out of or in any way relating to this Agreement (“Claim”), directly or indirectly, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York. The section headings in this Agreement have been inserted as a matter of convenience of reference and are not a part of this Agreement.
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12. Submission to Jurisdiction. Except as set forth below, no Claim may be commenced, prosecuted or continued in any court other than the courts of the State of New York located in the City and County of New York or in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, which courts shall have exclusive jurisdiction over the adjudication of such matters, and the Company consents to the jurisdiction of such courts and personal service with respect thereto. The Company consents to personal jurisdiction, service and venue in any court in which any Claim arising out of or in any way relating to this Agreement is brought by any third party against any Underwriter or any indemnified party. Each of the Underwriters and the Company (on its behalf and, to the extent permitted by applicable law, on behalf of its stockholders and affiliates) waives all right to trial by jury in any action, proceeding or counterclaim (whether based upon contract, tort or otherwise) in any way arising out of or relating to this Agreement. The Company agrees that a final judgment in any such action, proceeding or counterclaim brought in any such court shall be conclusive and binding upon the Company and may be enforced in any other courts to the jurisdiction of which the Company is or may be subject by suit upon such judgment.
13. Parties at Interest. This Agreement has been and is made solely for the benefit of the Underwriters and the Company and, to the extent provided in Section 8 hereof, the controlling persons, partners, directors, officers, members and affiliates referred to in such Section, and their respective successors, assigns, heirs, personal representatives and executors and administrators. No other person, partnership, association or corporation (including a purchaser of Securities, as such purchaser, from any of the Underwriters) shall acquire or have any right under or by virtue of this Agreement.
14. No Fiduciary Relationship. The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Underwriters are acting solely as underwriters in connection with the purchase and sale of the Securities. The Company further acknowledges and agrees that the Underwriters are acting pursuant to a contractual relationship created solely by this Agreement entered into on an arm’s length basis, and in no event do the parties intend that the Underwriters act or be responsible as a fiduciary to the Company, its management, stockholders or other equity owners or creditors or any other person in connection with any activity that the Underwriters may undertake or have undertaken in furtherance of the purchase and sale of the Securities, either before or after the date hereof. The Underwriters hereby expressly disclaim any fiduciary or similar obligations to the Company, either in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any matters leading up to such transactions, and the Company confirms its understanding and agreement to that effect. The Company agrees that it is responsible for making its own independent judgments with respect to any such transactions and that any opinions or views expressed by any Underwriter to the Company regarding such transactions, including, but not limited to, any opinions or views with respect to the price or market for the Securities, do not constitute advice or recommendations to the Company. The Company agrees that the Underwriters are not acting as fiduciary of the Company and no Underwriter has assumed or will assume any advisory responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether any Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company on other matters). The Company waives and releases, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims that the Company may have against the Underwriters with respect to any breach or alleged breach of any fiduciary, advisory or similar duty to the Company in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any matters leading up to such transactions.
15. Recognition of the U.S. Special Resolutions Regimes.
(a) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer from such Underwriter of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
(b) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity or a BHC Act Affiliate of such Underwriter becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under this Agreement that may be exercised against such Underwriter are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
For purposes of this Section 15: (A) a “BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k); (B) “Covered Entity” means any of the following: (i) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b); (ii) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or (iii) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b); (C) “Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable; and (D) “U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
16. Compliance with USA Patriot Act. In accordance with the requirements of the USA Patriot Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)), the Underwriters are required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies their respective clients, including the Company, which information may include the name and address of their respective clients, as well as other information that will allow the Underwriters to properly identify their respective clients.
17. Integration. This Agreement supersedes all prior agreements and understandings (whether written or oral) between the Company and the Underwriters, or any of them, with respect to the subject matter hereof.
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18. Counterparts; Electronic Signatures. This Agreement may be signed by the parties in one or more counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original and all of which together shall constitute one and the same agreement among the parties. Delivery of this Agreement by one party to the other may be made by facsimile, electronic mail (including any electronic signature complying with the New York Electronic Signatures and Records Act (N.Y. State Tech. §§ 301-309), as amended from time to time, or other applicable law) or other transmission method, and the parties hereto agree that any counterpart so delivered shall be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes.
19. Amendments or Waivers. No amendment or waiver of any provision of this Agreement, nor any consent or approval to any departure therefrom, shall in any event be effective unless the same shall be in writing and signed by the parties hereto.
20. Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall be binding upon the Underwriters and the Company and their respective successors and assigns and any successor or assign of any substantial portion of the respective businesses and/or assets of the Underwriters and the Company.
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If the foregoing correctly sets forth the understanding between the Company and the several Underwriters, please so indicate in the space provided below for that purpose, whereupon this Agreement and your acceptance shall constitute a valid and legally binding agreement between the Company and the several Underwriters.
| Very truly yours, | ||
| CONCORD ACQUISITION CORP III | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
Accepted and agreed to as of the date first above written,
for itself and as representatives of the several Underwriters
| CITIGROUP GLOBAL MARKETS INC. | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
| COWEN AND COMPANY, LLC | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]
Schedule A
| Underwriters | Number of Underwritten Securities to be Purchased | |||
| Citigroup Global Markets Inc. | [•] | |||
| Cowen and Company, LLC | [•] | |||
| Total | 25,000,000 | |||
Schedule A-1
Schedule B
TIME OF DELIVERY INFORMATION
Concord Acquisition Corp III priced 25,000,000 units at $10.00 per unit plus an additional 3,750,000 units if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full.
The amounts in the Trust Account may be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations.
The units will be issued pursuant to an effective registration statement that has been previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
This communication shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of any offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities law of any such state or jurisdiction.
Copies of the prospectus related to this offering may be obtained from Citigroup Global Markets Inc., 388 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10013 and Cowen and Company, LLC, 599 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York 10022.
Schedule B-1
Exhibit A
The certificate of the Chief Executive Officer or President of the Company and of the Chief Financial Officer or Chief Accounting Officer of the Company shall be to the effect that the signers of such certificate have carefully examined the Registration Statement, each preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, and this Agreement and that:
(i) the representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct on and as of the Time of Purchase with the same effect as if made at the Time of Purchase and the Company has complied with all the agreements and satisfied all the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to the Time of Purchase;
(ii) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any notice objecting to its use has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened; and
(iii) since the date of the most recent financial statements included in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto), there has been no Material Adverse Effect, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto).
A-1
Exhibit 23.1
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm’s Consent
We consent to the inclusion in this Registration Statement of Concord Acquisition Corp III (the “Company”) on Amendment No. 2 to Form S-1 (File No. 333-254789) of our report dated March 26, 2021, (except for the discussions regarding accounting for warrants in Note 2 which the date is May 7, 2021) which includes an explanatory paragraph as to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern, with respect to our audit of the financial statements of Concord Acquisition Corp III as of March 1, 2021 and for the period from February 18, 2021 (inception) through March 1, 2021, which report appears in the Prospectus, which is part of this Registration Statement. We also consent to the reference to our Firm under the heading “Experts” in such Prospectus.
/s/ Marcum llp
Marcum llp
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
June 30, 2021