Hadron Energy, Inc S-1/A, filed Jul 10, 2024
Hadron Energy, Inc. (HDRN)
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As filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on July 9, 2024.
Registration No. 333-280015
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
AMENDMENT NO. 1
TO
FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
GigCapital7 Corp.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Cayman Islands |
6770 | 98-1790710 | ||
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
1731 Embarcadero Rd., Suite 200
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 276-7040
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
Dr. Avi S. Katz
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
GigCapital7 Corp.
1731 Embarcadero Rd., Suite 200
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 276-7040
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
| Jeffrey C. Selman, Esq. Elena Nrtina, Esq. DLA Piper LLP (US) 555 Mission Street, Suite 2400 San Francisco, CA 94105 Telephone: (415) 615-6095 Facsimile: (415) 659 7465 |
Joseph Lucosky, Esq. Lawrence Metelitsa, Esq. Lucosky Brookman LLP 111 Broadway, Suite 807 New York, NY 10006 Telephone: (212) 417-8160 Facsimile: (212) 417-8161 |
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-filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | |||
| Non-accelerated filer | ☒ | Smaller reporting company | ☒ | |||
| Emerging growth company | ☒ | |||||
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission acting pursuant to said section 8(a), may determine.
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The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
| PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS | SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED JULY 9, 2024 |
$250,000,000
GigCapital7 Corp.
25,000,000 Units
GigCapital7 Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), is a newly organized Private-to-Public Equity (PPE) company, also known as a blank check company or special purpose acquisition company (“SPAC”), formed by an affiliate of the serial SPAC issuer GigCapital Global, for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, 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 specific business combination target. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to this offering. Our efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic region, although we intend to focus on companies in the technology, media, and telecommunications (“TMT”), artificial intelligence and machine learning (“AI/ML”), cybersecurity, medical technology and medical equipment (“MedTech”), semiconductors and sustainable industries.
This is an initial public offering of our securities. We are offering 25,000,000 units at an offering price of $10.00 each. Each unit consists of one share of our Class A ordinary shares, and three quarters of one redeemable warrant. We refer herein to the units sold in this offering as our “public units,” and the components thereof as our “public shares” and “public warrants,” respectively. Each whole warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share. Each warrant will become exercisable on the later of the consummation of our initial business combination, or 12 months after this registration statement is declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and will expire on the fifth anniversary of the completion of our initial business combination, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation as described in this prospectus. Warrants will only be exercisable for whole shares. We have also granted our underwriter, EF Hutton LLC (“EF Hutton”), a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 3,750,000 units solely to cover over-allotments, if any.
We will provide the purchasers of our public units, or our “public shareholders,” with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account described below as of 2 business days prior to consummation of the initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable, if any), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein. The amount in the trust account will initially be $10.00 per public share.
Our sponsor, GigAcquisitions7 Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (“Sponsor”), has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 3,719,000 warrants in a private placement that will close simultaneously with this offering at the price $0.01561 per warrant. We refer to these warrants throughout this prospectus as the “private placement warrants.” Each private placement warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the private placement warrants will be placed in the trust account described below.
At our formation on May 8, 2024, our Sponsor acquired one Class B ordinary share for a purchase price of $0.0001. Subsequently on May 31, 2024, our Sponsor purchased 16,999,999 Class B ordinary shares from us for an aggregate purchase price of $100,000, or $0.00588235 per share, of which up to 2,500,000 founder shares remain subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised during
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this offering. Following the May 31, 2024 purchase, our Sponsor surrendered 300,000 Class B ordinary shares to us for no consideration, resulting in our Sponsor holding 16,700,000
Class B ordinary shares. On June 6, 2024, we issued 300,000 Class B ordinary shares to an advisor for its consulting services in this offering for a purchase price of $0.01 per share, or an aggregate purchase price of $3,000. As a
result, as of the date of this prospectus, we have 17,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, or “founder shares,” outstanding. See “Summary— The Offering— Sponsor’s Securities and Compensation”
for further discussion on Sponsor’s and our affiliates’ securities and compensation. The proceeds from the sale of the founder shares will not be placed in the trust account described below. Prior to the completion of our initial
business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to vote on the election of directors or in a vote to transfer the company by way of continuation to a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands.
As more fully discussed in “Management—Conflicts of Interest,” each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. The low price that our Sponsor, executive officers and directors (directly or indirectly) paid for the founder shares creates an incentive whereby our officers and directors could potentially make a substantial profit even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public shareholders. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, or by such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve, the founder shares and private placement warrants may expire worthless, except to the extent they receive liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account, which could create an incentive for our Sponsor, executive officers and directors to complete a transaction even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public shareholders. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
Our Sponsor is supported by affiliates of Meteora and/or Meteora Capital, LLC, an investment adviser specializing in SPAC-related investments (“Meteora”). Meteora’s principals have previous experience across the full lifecycle of SPACs, from the initial public offering to the de-SPAC business combination process. Meteora will act as a consultant to the Company in connection with this offering. Meteora will be paid by the Company for consulting services. Meteora is expected to purchase units from the underwriter in this offering at the offering price. Meteora is neither a broker-dealer nor affiliated with one and is not acting as an underwriter in connection with this offering.
Twelve groups of institutional investors (none of which are affiliated with any member of our management, our Sponsor or any other investor), which we refer to as the “non-managing investors” throughout this prospectus, have committed, pursuant to written agreements, to purchase an aggregate of 2,166,670 Class B ordinary shares, or “private placement shares,” from us in a private placement that will close simultaneously with this offering at the price $1.50 per share. The private placement shares along with the founder shares will collectively represent 40% of the outstanding ordinary shares upon completion of this offering (excluding any shares underlying the private placement warrants).
The non-managing investors have expressed an interest in purchasing up to an aggregate of approximately 99% of $250 million or $247.5 million of the public units in this offering at the offering price (assuming the underwriter does not exercise its over-allotment option). None of the non-managing investors has expressed to us an interest in purchasing more than 9.9% of the public units to be sold in this offering. There can be no assurance that the non-managing investors will acquire any units, either directly or indirectly, in this offering, or as to the amount of the public units the non-managing investors will retain, if any, prior to or upon the consummation of our initial business combination. Because these expressions of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase, the non-managing investors may determine to purchase a different number or no units in this offering. In addition, the underwriter has full discretion to allocate the public units to investors and may determine to sell a different number or no units to the non-managing investors. The underwriter will receive the same upfront discounts and commissions on units purchased by the non-managing investors in the offering, if
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any, as it will on the other units sold to the public in this offering. In addition, none of the non-managing investors has any obligation to vote any of their public shares in favor of our initial business combination. In the event that the non-managing investors purchase such public units (either in this offering or after) and vote them in favor of our initial business combination, no affirmative votes from other public shareholders would be required to approve our initial business combination. However, because the non-managing investors are not obligated to continue owning any public shares following the closing and are not obligated to vote any public shares in favor of our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that any of these non-managing investors will be public shareholders at the time our shareholders vote on our initial business combination, and, if they are public shareholders, we cannot assure you as to how such non-managing investors will vote on any business combination.
We have until the date that is 24 months from the closing of this offering or until such earlier liquidation date as our board of directors may approve to consummate our initial business combination. If we anticipate that we may be unable to consummate our initial business combination within such 24-month period, we may seek shareholder approval to amend our first amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the date by which we must consummate our initial business combination. If we seek shareholder approval for an extension, holders of Class A ordinary shares will be offered an opportunity to redeem their shares at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned thereon (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares, subject to applicable law. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the 24-month period, we will redeem 100% of the public shares at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned thereon (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest income to pay liquidation expenses), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares, which redemption will constitute full and complete payment for the public shares and completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation or other distributions, if any), subject to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and subject to the other requirements of applicable law. The redemption rights will also include the requirement that any beneficial owner on whose behalf a redemption right is being exercised must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares.
There is presently no public market for our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants. We intend to apply to list our units on the Nasdaq Capital Market LLC (“Nasdaq”), under the symbol “GIGGU” on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq. The Class A ordinary shares and the warrants constituting the public units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus, unless the underwriter determines that an earlier date is acceptable, and subject to our filing a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC containing an audited balance sheet of the Company reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds of this offering and issuing a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the securities comprising the public units begin separate trading, we expect that our Class A ordinary shares and public warrants will be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “GIG” and “GIGGW,” respectively.
We are an “emerging growth company” and a “smaller reporting company” under applicable federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 43 for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities. Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings.
Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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| Price to Public |
Underwriting Discount(1) |
Proceeds, Before Expenses, to us |
||||||||||
| Per Unit |
$ | 10.00 | $ | 0.024 | $ | 9.976 | ||||||
| Total |
$ | 250,000,000 | $ | 600,000 | $ | 249,400,000 | ||||||
| (1) | $0.024 per unit or $600,000 in the aggregate (or $0.0209 per unit or $600,000 in the aggregate if the underwriter’s option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), is payable upon the closing of this offering. There is no deferred underwriting commission payable to the underwriter. |
Upon consummation of the offering, $10.00 per public unit sold in this offering (whether or not the over-allotment option has been exercised, and whether exercised in full or part) will be deposited into a segregated trust account located in the United States managed by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. Except as described in this prospectus, these funds will not be released to us until the earlier of (1) the completion of our initial business combination within the required time period or (2) our redemption of 100% of the outstanding public shares if we have not completed an initial business combination in the required time period.
The underwriter is offering the public units on a firm commitment basis. The underwriter expects to deliver the public units to purchasers on or about, [X], 2024, subject to customary closing conditions.
EF Hutton LLC
The date of this prospectus is , 2024
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We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus. We and the underwriter takes 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 shares 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.
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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 memorandum and articles of association” refer to the first amended and restated memorandum and articles of association of the company which will be adopted prior to the consummation of this offering; |
| • | “combined team” refer to our management team and our other advisors, collectively; |
| • | “initial shareholders” refer to holders of our founder shares and private placement shares prior to this offering; |
| • | “management” or our “management team” refer to our directors and executive officers; |
| • | “non-managing investors” refer to twelve groups of institutional investors (none of which are affiliated with any member of our management, other members of our Sponsor or any other investor) that have expressed an interest to indirectly purchase (i) up to an aggregate of approximately 24.75 million of the public units in this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option) at the offering price and (ii) an aggregate of 2,166,670 Class B ordinary shares, or “private placement shares,” from us in a private placement that will close simultaneously with this offering at the price $1.50 per share ($3,250,005 in the aggregate). None of the non-managing investors has expressed to us an interest in purchasing more than 9.9% of the public units to be sold in this offering; |
| • | “permitted transferees” refer to permitted transferees as described under section “Principal Shareholders” of this prospectus; |
| • | “private placement shares” refer to 2,166,670 Class B ordinary shares to be purchased by non-managing investors in a private placement concurrently with this offering; |
| • | “private placement warrants” refer to 3,719,000 warrants to be purchased by the Sponsor in a private placement that will close simultaneously with this offering; |
| • | “public shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares sold as part of the public units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market); |
| • | “public shareholders” refer to the holders of our public shares, including our Sponsor (as defined below), any non-managing investors, executive officers and directors to the extent they purchase public shares, provided that their status as “public shareholders” shall only exist with respect to such public shares; |
| • | “public warrants” refer to the warrants sold as part of the public units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market); |
| • | “special resolution” are to a resolution of the Company passed by at least a two-thirds (2/3) majority (or such higher approval threshold as specified in the company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at a general meeting of the company of which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution has been duly given, or a resolution approved in writing by all of the holders of the issued shares entitled to vote on such matter; |
| • | “Sponsor” refer to GigAcquisitions7 Corp., a company affiliated with our executive officers, directors and our other advisors; and |
| • | “we,” “us” or “our company” refer to GigCapital7 Corp. |
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Unless we tell you otherwise, the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriter will not exercise its over-allotment option. You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus. We have not, and the underwriter has not, authorized anyone to provide you with different information. We are not, and the underwriter is not, making an offer of these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer is not permitted. “Private-to-Public Equity (PPE)TM” is a trademark of GigFounders, LLC, an affiliate of our Sponsor, and all are used pursuant to an agreement.
General
We are a newly organized Private-to-Public Equity (PPE) company, also known as a blank check company or special purpose acquisition company, incorporated in the Cayman Islands and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other 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 specific business combination target. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to this offering. Our efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic region, although we intend to focus on companies in the TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable industries. Our Sponsor and its principals may from time to time become aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue, for a business combination, but from the date of our incorporation through the date of this prospectus, there have been no substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, between any of our officers, directors, promoters and other affiliates on our behalf and any of their contacts or relationships regarding a potential initial business combination with our company. Additionally, we have not engaged or retained any agent or other representative to identify or locate any suitable acquisition candidate for us.
We will seek to capitalize on the significant experience and contacts of our management team to complete our initial business combination. GigCapital7 is our seventh SPAC affiliated with GigCapital Global, with five of the other six having completed business combinations; GigCapital, Inc. (“GIG1”), which successfully completed its business combination with Kaleyra S.p.A., following which it was renamed as Kaleyra, Inc. (NYSE American: KLR) in November 2019, and Kaleyra, Inc. was then acquired in November 2023 by Tata Communications; GigCapital2, Inc. (“GIG2”), which successfully completed its business combination with UpHealth Holding, Inc. and Cloudbreak Health, LLC, following which it was renamed as UpHealth, Inc. (OTC: UPHL) in June 2021, and and UpHealth, Inc. sold subsidiaries Innovations Group Incorporated in June 2023 to Belmar Pharma Solutions and Cloudbreak Health in March 2024 to an affiliate of GTCR, LLC C; GigCapital3, Inc. (“GIG3”), which successfully completed its business combination with Lightning Systems, Inc. (doing business as Lightning eMotors), following which it was renamed as Lightning eMotors, Inc. (OTC: ZEVY) in May 2021; GigCapital4, Inc. (“GIG4”), which successfully completed its business combination with BigBear.ai Holdings, LLC, following which it was renamed as BigBear.ai Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: BBAI) in December 2021; and GigCapital5, Inc.(“GIG5”), which successfully completed its business combination with QT Imaging, Inc., following which it was renamed as QT Imaging Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: QTI) in March 2024.
We believe our management team’s distinctive background and record of acquisition and operational success could have a significant impact on target businesses. Although we may pursue our initial business combination in any business, industry or geographic location, we currently intend to focus on opportunities to capitalize on the ability of our management team, particularly our executive officers, to identify, acquire and operate a business in the TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable industries.
Based on a few megatrends in the world, we believe that our new SPAC is timely and relevant to support enhancement of public capital investments in growing and commercializing innovative small and middle-cap exceptional technology companies.
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For one, urban population is expected to increase from today’s 53% to 70% by 2050. Based on United Nations data, overall growth of the world’s population will add close to 2.5 billion people to urban areas by 2050.1 The number of new mega-cities will increase rapidly, particularly in developing countries, requiring massive investments in smart and sustainable city infrastructures. These trends will be further emphasized and challenged by the ongoing demographic shift and new population age structure. In addition, climate change and consequent environmental and social impacts are some of the world’s greatest concerns. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement are driving the agenda and world’s efforts toward a green economy and sustainable solutions.2 Consumer sensitivity to sustainable-marketed products grew substantially in the last 5 years, representing today more than 50% of total Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) market growth.3 Capital allocation in funds embracing Environmental, Social and Governance principles reached record numbers in the last few years.4
Another megatrend is that data has become many enterprises’ most valuable asset. Digital transformation, built on cloud-based platforms and enabled with new technologies, including AI, the internet of things (IoT), mobile and robotics, offer companies across all industries new opportunities to drive new business models, with the scalability, flexibility, agility, and dynamism heretofore infeasible. These transformations, in turn, are powering the movements to address the other megatrends. The focus of global growth has been shifting. Developing countries, particularly in Asia Pacific and Latin America, are starting to bring their economies to the forefront of interlinked global trade and investment flows. The emerging markets are not only transitioning to more consumption-oriented economies, but also starting to export capital and innovation. Enterprises that are prepared and able to adapt and capitalize on the evolving global competitive landscape will be the winners of the 21st century. Our focus will be on companies with sustainable business and solid corporate governance that may have high impact on the world’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and are determined to better society and the environment.
We intend to target companies in the TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable industries anywhere in the world that embrace today’s digital transformation and intelligent automation as a competitive advantage. Being conscientious corporate citizens, we will focus on sustainable technology companies that can shape a better society and healthier environment. We believe that such an approach enables both organic and inorganic fast-paced growth, creating new strategic, operational and business opportunities fueled by emerging cloud, analytics, big data, and cognitive technologies. Businesses who rethink their current and future capabilities amid disruption will be better positioned for growth in the digital age. We intend to evaluate both private and public companies, listed in international or “over the counter” exchanges, as potential initial business combination targets, focusing on opportunities that we believe would provide appropriate risk adjusted returns to shareholders. Following our initial business combination, our objective will be to implement or support the acquired company’s operating strategies and actively partner with management to provide it with a seamless and smooth introduction to its public market operations, in order to generate additional value for shareholders. General goals will include enhancement of organic growth efficiencies, total global operations improvements, and additional acquisitions to support a roll-up in an attempt to establish an industry-leading platform in the selected emerging market vertical.
Our management team has significant hands-on experience helping TMT, cybersecurity and MedTech companies to optimize their existing and new growth initiatives by exploiting insights from rich data assets that already exist within most TMT, cybersecurity and MedTech companies. Further, we intend to share best
| 1 | Report of the UN Economist Network for the UN 75th Anniversary—Sept. 2020. |
| 2 | UN Framework Convention on Climate Change-FCC/CP/2-15/L.9/Rev1. |
| 3 | New York University, Stern School of Business, Center for Sustainable Business. Research on 2015-2020 IRI Purchasing Data Reveals Sustainability Drives Growth, Survives the Pandemic, July 2020. |
| 4 | Blackrock -Sustainability: The tectonic shift transforming investing, Feb. 2020. |
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practices and key learnings, gathered from our management team’s operating and investing experience, through their more than 30 years of experience in the public markets and more so the last seven years as repeat sponsors of SPAC entities, as well as strong relationships in the TMT, cybersecurity and MedTech industries, to help shape corporate strategies. Additionally, our management team has operated and invested in leading global TMT, cybersecurity and MedTech companies across their corporate life cycles and has developed deep relationships with key large multi-national organizations, global leaders and executives, and private and public investors. We believe that these relationships and our management team’s know-how present a significant opportunity to help drive strategic dialogue, access new customer and strategic partner relationships, and achieve global ambitions to unlock value through the combination closing, as well as following the completion of our initial business combination for a horizon of 3-5 years.
In light of these market conditions, we intend to primarily focus our target sourcing efforts on private companies that we believe would benefit from a public listing and partnership with our team and that otherwise cannot gain access to public capital in this current market environment. We believe that our management team’s distinctive background and record of acquisition and operational success over more than 30 years could have a significant short- and long-term impact on target businesses. Furthermore, we believe that we are providing an interesting alternative investment opportunity to late-stage private companies that capitalizes on key trends impacting the capital markets for TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable companies, and through our association with GigCapital Global and its affiliates.
Based on our many years of TMT, cybersecurity and MedTech operations and experience, and more so, the last seven years of SPAC target sourcing and partnership with targets worldwide and our very extensive and diversified funnel of prospective targets, we trust that our management team is well positioned to identify attractive businesses within the TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable industries that would benefit from access to the public markets and the skills of our management team. Our objective is to consummate our initial business combination with such a business and enhance shareholder value by improving its operational performance through and post the de-SPAC and through the initial operational duration as a public company. We believe we can achieve this objective by utilizing our management team’s extensive experience in the TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable industries and operating such companies in combination with our management team’s network of contacts in those industries. We believe many companies in the TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable sectors could benefit from access to the public markets but have been unable to do so due to a number of factors, including the time it takes to conduct a traditional IPO, market volatility and pricing uncertainty, and lack of experience and knowledge of the public market. We intend to focus on evaluating more established companies with leading competitive positions and differentiating technology and products, strong management teams and strong long-term potential for revenue growth and margin expansion.
Our Sponsor, GigAcquisitions7 Corp., was co-founded and is managed by and affiliated with Dr. Avi S. Katz, who is also our Chief Executive Officer and the Chairman of our board of directors (“Board of Directors”) and Dr. Raluca Dinu, who is also our director. Dr. Katz and Dr. Dinu have spent 36 years and 23 years, respectively, in international executive positions within the TMT industry, working for privately held start-ups, middle-cap companies and large enterprises. In these roles, they have been instrumental in launching and accelerating entities, building teams, large scale fundraising, developing key alliances and technology partnerships, M&A activities, business development, financial management, global operations and sales and marketing. In October 2017, Dr. Katz founded GigCapital Global’s first SPAC, GIG1, a Private-to-Public Equity (PPE) company formed for the purpose of acquiring a company in the TMT industry. GIG1 completed its initial public offering in December 2017, generating $144 million. In February 2019, after intensive screening of more than 400 companies worldwide, GIG1 entered into a stock purchase agreement to acquire Kaleyra S.p.A., a company with shares formed under the laws of Italy (“Kaleyra”), at a transaction enterprise value of $187,000,000 with combined cash and/or promissory note consideration of $15,000,000. Kaleyra is a global
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company specialized in providing secure and reliable customer communication for financial institutions and companies of all sizes. The transaction closed in November 2019, and GIG1 was renamed Kaleyra, Inc. and listed on the NYSE American stock exchange under the symbol “KLR.” In November 2023, KLR was sold to Tata Communications at a transaction enterprise value of about $320 million in a cash deal and ceased to exist as a public company. Dr. Katz served as the Chairman of the board and Secretary of Kaleyra since the consummation of the transaction in November 2019 and till the acquisition by Tata. Prior to that time, in addition to being the Executive Chairman and Secretary, he was also the Chief Executive Officer of GIG1. In March 2019, Dr. Katz founded GIG2, a Private-to-Public Equity (PPE) company formed for the purpose of acquiring a company in the TMT industry. GIG2 completed its initial public offering in June 2019, generating aggregate proceeds of $172.5 million. In June 2021, GIG2 completed its business combination with each of UpHealth Holdings, Inc. and Cloudbreak Health, LLC, and the combined company changed its name to UpHealth, Inc. and trades on the OTC under the ticker symbol “UPHL.” The deal combined UpHealth’s patient care management, telemedicine and digital pharmacy services with Cloudbreak’s video consultation platform for doctors and patients. Dr. Katz initially served as the Chief Executive Officer of GIG2 until August 2019, when Dr. Dinu substituted for him in that position. He also served as the Executive Chairman and Secretary of GIG2 since inception until the closing of the business combination in June 2021, when Dr. Katz was appointed as the Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors of UpHealth, Inc. and subsequently became the sole Chairman of the Board. In this capacity, Dr. Katz has steered many restructuring and refinancing of the company, including the sale of Innovations Group Incorporated to Belmar Pharma Solutions for $56 million in a cash deal in June 2023 and the recently completed sale of Cloudbreak for $180 million in a cash deal to GTCR in March 2024. In February 2020, Drs. Katz and Dinu co-founded GIG3, a Private-to-Public Equity (PPE) company formed for the purpose of acquiring a company in the TMT industry. GIG3 completed its initial public offering in May 2020, generating aggregate proceeds of $200 million. In May 2021, GIG3 completed its business combination with Lightning Systems, Inc., a company that designs and manufactures all-electric powertrains for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, which used to do business as Lightning eMotors, and the combined company retained such name. Lightning eMotors, Inc. is listed on the OTC under the new ticker symbol “ZEVY.” Dr. Katz served as the Chief Executive Officer, Executive Chairman and Secretary of GIG3 since its inception until the closing of the business combination in May 2021, when Dr. Katz was appointed as the Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Lightning eMotors, Inc., and held that position until October 2021, when he resigned from the Board. In December 2020, Drs. Katz and Dinu co-founded GIG4, a Private-to-Public Equity (PPE) company formed for the purpose of acquiring a company in the TMT and sustainable industries. GIG4 completed its initial public offering in February 2021, generating aggregate proceeds of $358.8 million. GIG4 is listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “GIG.” The business combination between GIG4 and BigBear.ai Holdings, LLC closed in December 2021, and GIG4 was renamed BigBear.ai Holdings, Inc. BigBear.ai moved its listing from Nasdaq to the NYSE, where it is listed under the ticker symbol “BBAI.” Dr. Katz served as the Executive Chairman of GIG4 from its inception until the closing of the business combination with BigBear.ai on December 9, 2021, and since then and until March 2024, has continued to serve as a member of the board of directors of BigBear.ai. In September 2021, GIG5 completed its initial public offering, generating aggregate proceeds of $230 million. In March 2024, GIG5 completed the business combination with QT Imaging, Inc., and GIG5 was renamed QT Imaging Holdings, Inc. Dr. Katz is also the sole managing member of GigFounders, LLC and a managing member of GigManagement, LLC. He is also a co-founder of Cognizer Inc. (“Cognizer”), a software company specializing in deep-learning powered natural language AI, and was the Executive Chairman of Cognizer’s board of directors from its inception in December 2018 until August 2020. Prior to launching his first Private-to-Public (PPE) company, Dr. Katz dedicated 10 years to incept and bootstrap, develop and manage GigPeak, Inc. (“GigPeak,” NYSE American: formerly GIG), originally known as GigOptix, Inc. He served as Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President of GigOptix / GigPeak. From its bootstrapped inception in April 2007 until its sale in April 2017 to Integrated Device Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: IDTI) (“IDT”) for $250 million in cash, GigPeak provided semiconductor integrated circuits (ICs) and software solutions for high-speed connectivity and video compression. While Dr. Katz was at GigPeak’s helm, the company completed 10 M&A global deals. From 2003 to 2005, Dr. Katz was the chief executive officer, president, and member of the board of directors of
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Intransa, Inc., which at the time provided full-featured , enterprise-class IP-based Storage Area Networks (SAN). From 2000 to 2003, Dr. Katz was the chief executive officer, president, and a member of the board of directors of Equator Technologies Inc. (“Equator Technologies”), which at the time sought to commercialize leading edge programmable media processing platform technology for the rapid design and deployment of digital media and imaging products. Dr. Katz has held several leadership positions over the span of his career within the TMT industry since serving as member of Technical Staff at AT&T Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, NJ, between 1988 and 1994, and has made numerous angel investments in high-tech companies around the world. Dr. Katz is a graduate of the 1976 class of the Israeli Naval Academy, graduate of the 1979 USA Naval ASW class, and holds a B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Semiconductors Materials from the Technion (Israel Institute of Technology). He is a serial entrepreneur, holds many U.S. and international patents, has published more than 300 technical papers and is the editor of a number of technical books.
With respect to the foregoing examples, the past performance of the members of our management team or their affiliates, including with respect to GIG1, GIG2, GIG3, GIG4, and GIG5, and their engagement in the TMT and other markets, is not a guarantee that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. The principals of GigCapital7 and our management team have a significant number of relationships across numerous innovative industries. The operational background of the GigCapital team provides significant touchpoints across relevant industries. They have developed a meaningful pipeline of high potential, mutually interested U.S. and foreign targets from extensive screening with previous GigCapital PPE platforms. The Company team’s expertise in data-driven identification, evaluation and engagement with potential targets will facilitate and efficient de-SPAC process. You should not rely on the historical record of the performance of our management or any of its affiliates’ performance, including GIG1, GIG2, GIG3, GIG4, and GIG5, as indicative of our future performance. In addition, members of our management team and their affiliates are likely to form other Private-to-Public Equity (PPE) companies prior to the completion of our initial business combination.
Any future Private-to-Public Equity (PPE) companies, while also likely focusing on the TMT industry, will likely address other verticals to avoid competition within their portfolio company and will likely involve the addition to their board, management and consulting analysts of individuals who are not involved with the Company that will exhibit expertise in the specific vertical of interest of those companies.
Business Strategy
Our business strategy is to identify and complete our initial business combination with a company that complements the experience of our management team and can benefit from our management team’s operational expertise. The Company’s unique expertise offers a comprehensive framework for a publicly traded company to foster both organic and strategic growth initiatives within its operational ecosystem. Our selection process is expected to leverage our management team’s broad and deep relationship network and unique TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable industries expertise, including proven deal-sourcing and structuring capabilities, to provide us with a multitude of business combination opportunities. Our management team has experience:
| • | operating companies, setting and changing strategies, and identifying, mentoring and recruiting world-class talent; |
| • | developing and growing companies, both organically and strategically, and expanding the product ranges and geographic footprints of a number of businesses; |
| • | sourcing, structuring, acquiring and selling businesses and achieving synergies to create shareholder value at the initial stages of the public life cycle and through long-term operational horizon; |
| • | establishing a wide deal flow and efficient methodology of screening superior M&A targets worldwide; |
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| • | partnering with industry-leading companies to increase sales and improve the competitive position of those companies; |
| • | addressing business and technological changes in an evolving global TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable industries landscape; |
| • | evaluating the viability of emerging TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable business models; |
| • | executing IPOs and providing complete “one stop shop” services required for a successful process of becoming public, including, but not limited to, access to investors, legal and accounting support, investment and commercial banking services, investor and public relations services, and human resources services; |
| • | fostering relationships with sellers, capital providers and target management teams; and |
| • | accessing the capital markets across various business cycles, including financing businesses and assisting companies with the transition to public ownership. |
Following the completion of this offering, we intend to stay active with the Board of Directors, enhance and extend the process of communicating with our management team and its affiliates’ network of relationships worldwide to articulate the parameters for our search for a potential target initial business combination and begin the process of pursuing and reviewing potential opportunities.
Business Combination Criteria
Consistent with our strategy, we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses and, when evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review that will encompass, among other things, exploring U.S. and foreign prospective private and public companies, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews and inspection of facilities, as applicable, as well as a review of financial and other information that will be made available to us. We intend to use the following and other criteria and guidelines in evaluating acquisition opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet any or all of these criteria or guidelines:
| • | Companies that embrace today’s digital transformation and intelligent automation. We will seek TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable companies anywhere in the world that embrace today’s digital transformation and intelligent automation as a competitive advantage. Being conscientious corporate citizens, we will focus on sustainable technology companies that can shape a better society and healthier environment. We believe that such an approach enables both organic and inorganic fast-paced growth, creating new strategic, operational and business opportunities fueled by the emerging cloud, analytics, big data and cognitive technologies. Businesses who rethink their current and future capabilities amid disruption will be better positioned for growth in the digital age. We seek to combine with the best available U.S. private or overseas private or foreign listed companies. |
| • | Companies that will benefit from a public listing. We will focus on partners looking to move to the next level through a public combination and roll-up and primarily seek companies with entrepreneurial owners and leadership that may benefit from being publicly traded and may effectively utilize in furtherance of growth a broader access to capital and a public profile. A public status is designed to enhance organic and strategic growth opportunities and accelerate execution of business ideas in dynamic and competitive growth markets. |
| • | Companies that will benefit from our industry expertise, mentorship and relationships. We will seek companies that will be best positioned to leverage our industry expertise, international capabilities, |
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| global experience, prior references, insights and relationships to create opportunities for value creation, whether through acquisitions, capital investments in organic growth opportunities, generating greater operating efficiencies or significantly improving financial performance. Our management has a proven track record and extensive M&A and capital market experience to help to define the public market strategy for our initial business combination. We believe our strategy leverages our management team’s distinctive background and vast network of industry leaders in the TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable industries. We will seek to identify such opportunities for value creation in evaluating potential business combinations. Our management also demonstrated the speed, certainty, and efficiency in executing prior deals, which is highly desirable to quality business partners. |
| • | Companies that are market-leading participants and possess differentiating technology and products. We will seek a target that has an established business and market position. While we will focus on the TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable businesses, we will not seek a target that is pre-revenue or in early stages of development with unproven technologies. |
| • | Companies that are mid-sized businesses. We believe targeting companies in the mid-market will provide the greatest number of opportunities for investment and will maximize the benefits of the collective network of our management team and its affiliates. |
| • | Companies with strong management. We will prioritize entities with well-established, proven and talented management teams that wish to continue to drive their companies to growth by leveraging a public market platform and are eager to succeed with support from an interactive and hands-on board of directors. To the extent we believe it will enhance shareholder value, we would seek to selectively supplement the existing leadership of the business with proven leaders from our network, whether at the senior management level or at the board level. |
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our management team may deem relevant.
Initial Business Combination
We will either (1) seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which shareholders may seek to convert their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, into 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), or (2) provide our shareholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a shareholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable, if any), in each case subject to the limitations described herein. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of our proposed business combination or allow shareholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek shareholder approval. Unlike other blank check companies which require shareholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business combinations and related conversions of public shares for cash upon consummation of such initial business combinations even when a vote is not required by law, we will have the flexibility to avoid such shareholder vote and allow our shareholders to sell their shares pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC. In that case, we will file tender offer documents with the SEC, which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and, if we seek shareholder approval, the affirmative vote of the
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holders of a majority of the Class A ordinary shares that are voted at a shareholder meeting held to consider the initial business combination.
We will have until 24 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination. If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination within such time period, we will, as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than 10 business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and net of interest that may be used by us to pay our franchise and income taxes payable, if any, 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 the public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law and as further described herein, and then seek to dissolve and liquidate. We expect the pro rata redemption price to be approximately $10.00 per Class A ordinary share (regardless of whether or not the underwriter exercises its over-allotment option), without taking into account any interest earned on such funds. However, we cannot assure you that we will in fact be able to distribute such amounts as a result of claims of creditors, which may take priority over the claims of our public shareholders.
Our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding any taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. The fair market value of the target or targets will be determined by our Board of Directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community (such as actual and potential sales, earnings, cash flow and/or book value). Even though our Board of Directors will rely on generally accepted standards, our Board of Directors will have discretion to select the standards employed. In addition, the application of the standards generally involves a substantial degree of judgment. Accordingly, investors will be relying on the business judgment of the Board of Directors in evaluating the fair market value of the target or targets. The proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents used by us in connection with any proposed transaction will provide public shareholders with our analysis of the fair market value of the target business, as well as the basis for our determinations. If our Board of Directors is not able independently to determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we may, in our sole discretion, obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions on the type of target business we are seeking to acquire, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. However, unless we consummate our initial business combination with an affiliated entity, our Board of Directors is not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that the price we are paying is fair to our shareholders from a financial point of view.
As described below adjacent to the caption “—The Offering— Offering proceeds to be held in the trust account,” the Nasdaq rules provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the public units be deposited in a trust account. Of the $250,000,000 gross proceeds we will receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants (or $287,500,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), an aggregate of $250,000,000 (or $10.00 per unit), or $287,500,000 (or $10.00 per unit) if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, will be placed in a segregated trust account located in the United States maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee pursuant to an agreement to be signed on the date of this prospectus. The funds in the trust account will be invested only in specified U.S. government treasury bills or in specified money market funds.
We currently anticipate structuring a business combination to acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination where we merge directly with the target business or where we acquire less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other
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reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination 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. In this case, we could acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target; however, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% fair market value test, as described above.
As more fully discussed in “Management—Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has fiduciary or contractual obligations, including, among other things, UpHealth, Inc. and QT Imaging Holdings, Inc., he or she may be required to present such business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such business combination opportunity to us. Certain of our directors currently have, and any of our officers or directors may in the future have, certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations.
In addition, our Sponsor, officers and directors may participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, our Sponsor, officers 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. Further, there is significant overlap among the directors and officers of UpHealth, Inc., QT Imaging Holdings, Inc. and the Company. Dr. Katz, our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, serves as the Chairman of QT Imaging Holdings, Inc. and the Chairman of UpHealth, Inc., and Dr. Dinu, our director, is also a member of the board of directors of UpHealth, Inc. and the Chief Executive Officer and member of the board of directors of QT Imaging Holdings, Inc. Any of such companies may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target. However, we do not believe that any potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly as we are planning to focus the target search of our company in different TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable verticals.
Our Sponsor is affiliated with GigCapital Global. GigCapital Global uses the resources of numerous individuals who have held executive officer or other senior-level TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable industry positions to assist the SPACs with which it is affiliated in finding a suitable business combination target. Over the last few months, a number of new individuals have made their services available to GigCapital Group and its affiliates, including Mr. Horowitz, Ambassador Zuckerman, Professor Moshfeghi and Ms. Rogge, who have agreed to join our board of directors upon consummation of this offering.
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 (the “Securities Act”), as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
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of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an emerging growth company can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Class A ordinary shares that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” will have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30.
Prior to the date of this prospectus, we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
Corporate Information
Our executive offices are located at 1731 Embarcadero Rd., Suite 200, Palo Alto, CA 94303, and our telephone number is (650) 276-7040.
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THE OFFERING
In making your decision on whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the backgrounds of the members of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company and the fact that this offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section below entitled “Risk Factors.”
| Securities offered |
25,000,000 units (or 28,750,000 units if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of: |
| • | one Class A ordinary share; and |
| • | three quarters (3/4) of one warrant to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. |
| Listing of our securities and proposed symbols |
We anticipate that the public units, as well as the Class A ordinary shares and warrants underlying the public units (once they begin separate trading), will be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “GIGGU,” “GIG,” and “GIGGW,” respectively. |
| Each of the public units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants may trade separately on the 52nd day after the date of this prospectus unless the underwriter determines that an earlier date is acceptable. In no event will the underwriter allow separate trading of our Class A ordinary shares and warrants until we file a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC with an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. Once our Class A ordinary shares and warrants commence separate trading, the holders thereof 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 public units into Class A ordinary shares and warrants. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the public units and only whole warrants will trade. |
| We will file a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC, including an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering, promptly upon the closing of this offering, which is anticipated to take place two business days from the date the public units commence trading. If the underwriter’s 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 over- allotment option. We will also include in the initial Current Report, or any amendment thereto or subsequent filing, as applicable, information indicating if the underwriter has allowed separate trading of the Class A ordinary shares and warrants prior to the 52nd day after the date of this prospectus. |
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Units:
| Issued and outstanding before this offering: |
0 units |
| Issued and outstanding after this offering and the concurrent private placement: |
25,000,000 units(5) |
Ordinary shares:
| Issued and outstanding before this offering: |
14,500,000 shares(6) |
| Issued and outstanding after this offering and the concurrent private placement: |
41,666,670 shares(7) |
Warrants:
| Outstanding before this offering |
0 warrants |
| Outstanding after this offering and the concurrent private placement |
22,469,000 warrants(8) |
| Exercisability |
Each whole warrant is exercisable for one Class A ordinary share. The warrants may only be exercisable for whole Class A ordinary shares. |
| Exercise price |
$11.50 per share of Class A ordinary share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. In addition, if (x) we issue additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per Class A ordinary share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our Board of Directors, and in the case of any such issuance to our Sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by them prior to |
| (5) | Assumes no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option. |
| (6) | Includes 14,200,000 founder shares issued to the Sponsor (assumes forfeiture of 2,500,000 founder shares if the over-allotment option is not exercised) and 300,000 founder shares issued to an advisor. Founder shares are currently classified as Class B ordinary shares, which shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of a holder on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described below adjacent to the caption “Conversion of founder shares and private placement shares and anti-dilution rights” and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. |
| (7) | Assumes no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option, and includes, accordingly, (i) an aggregate of 25,000,000 public shares, (ii) an aggregate of 14,200,000 founder shares purchased by our Sponsor and 300,000 founder shares purchased by an advisor at a discounted price for its consulting services, and (iii) an aggregate of 2,166,670 private placement shares issued to the non-managing investors. |
| (8) | Assumes no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option, and includes, accordingly, (i) 18,750,000 public warrants and (ii) 3,719,000 private placement warrants to be purchased by the Sponsor concurrently with this offering. |
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| such issuance), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 65% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of our Class A ordinary shares during the 20 trading-day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which we consummate our initial business combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) the price at which we issue the additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities. On the exercise of any warrant, the exercise price will be paid directly to us and not placed in the trust account. |
| We are not registering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants (the “warrant shares”) at this time. However, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement for the registration under the Securities Act of the warrant shares and thereafter use our best efforts to cause the registration statement to become effective and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement until the expiration of the warrants. No warrants will be exercisable for cash unless we have an effective and current registration statement covering the issuance of the warrant shares and a current prospectus relating thereto. |
| If a registration statement covering the issuance of the warrant shares is not effective within 90 days following the consummation of our initial business combination, warrant holders may nevertheless, until such time as there is such an effective registration statement and during any period when we shall have failed to maintain such an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act. In this circumstance, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering warrants exercisable for the number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying such warrants and the difference between the exercise price of such warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” means the average reported last sale price of the Class A ordinary shares for the five trading days ending on the trading day prior to the date of exercise. |
| Exercise period |
The warrants will become exercisable on the later of: |
| • | the consummation of our initial business combination; and |
| • | 12 months after this registration statement is declared effective by the SEC. |
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| The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the fifth anniversary of our completion of an initial business combination, or earlier upon redemption. No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the warrants, and only whole warrants will trade. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the warrant holder. |
| Redemption of Warrants |
Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants (excluding 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, which we refer to as the 30-day redemption period; and |
| • | if, and only if, the last reported sale price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for 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. |
| We will not redeem the warrants unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the warrant shares underlying the warrants to be so redeemed is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those warrant shares is available throughout the 30-day redemption period, except if the warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. |
| If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption, each warrant holder may exercise his, her or its warrants prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of the Class A ordinary shares may fall below the $18.00 trigger price (as adjusted) as well as the $11.50 exercise price (as adjusted) after the redemption notice is issued. |
| The redemption criteria for our warrants have been established at a price which is intended to provide warrant holders a reasonable premium to the initial exercise price and provide a sufficient differential between the then-prevailing share price and the exercise price so that if the share price declines as a result of our redemption call, the redemption will not cause the share price to drop below the exercise price of the warrants. |
| 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 making such |
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| determination, our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our shareholders of issuing the maximum number of warrant shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants. In such event, the holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of warrant shares underlying the warrants to be so exercised, and the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the fair market value by (y) the fair market value. |
| No fractional Class A ordinary share 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 Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the holder. |
| Founder Shares and Private Placement Shares |
At our formation on May 8, 2024, our Sponsor acquired one founder share for a purchase price of $0.0001. Subsequently on May 31, 2024, our Sponsor purchased 16,999,999 founder shares from us for an aggregate purchase price of $100,000, or $0.00588235 per share, of which up to 2,500,000 founder shares remain subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised during this offering. Following the May 31, 2024 purchase, our Sponsor surrendered 300,000 founder shares to us for no consideration, resulting in our Sponsor holding 16,700,000 founder shares. On June 6, 2024, we issued 300,000 founder shares to an advisor for a purchase price of $0.01 per share, or an aggregate purchase price of $3,000. As a result, as of the date of this prospectus, we have 17,000,000 founder shares outstanding. |
| The number of founder shares, and the forfeiture mechanism underlying the founder shares, has been determined in order to ensure that the founder shares and private placement shares will collectively represent 40% of the outstanding ordinary shares (excluding any shares underlying the private placement warrants) upon completion of this offering and the exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option, if any. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, we will effect a share dividend or a share contribution back to capital, as applicable, immediately prior to the consummation of the offering, in such amount as to maintain the collective ownership of the initial shareholders, prior to this offering at approximately 40% of our issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares (excluding any shares underlying the private placement warrants) upon the consummation of this offering. Prior to the investment in the Company of an aggregate of $100,000 by our Sponsor, we had no assets, tangible or intangible. |
| Concurrently with this offering, certain non-managing investors have committed, pursuant to written agreements, to purchase an aggregate |
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| of 2,166,670 Class B ordinary shares, or “private placement shares,” from us in a private placement that will close simultaneously with this offering at the price $1.50 per share. |
| The founder shares and private placement shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares being sold in this offering, except that: |
| • | only holders of the founder shares and private placement shares have the right to vote on the appointment of directors prior to the completion of our initial business combination (by a majority of votes cast by the holders of the founder shares and private placement shares); |
| • | in a vote to transfer the Company by way of continuation to a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands prior to the completion of our initial business combination (which requires a special resolution, being the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes cast by the shareholders of the issued shares present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on such matter at a general meeting of the company), only holders of our founder shares and private placement shares shall carry the right to vote; |
| • | the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below; |
| • | as described below adjacent to the caption “Voting arrangements with our Sponsor, non-managing investors and related parties,” our Sponsor, officers and directors will each enter into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they will agree: (1) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, private placement warrants and shares underlying any private placement warrants held by them in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination or a tender offer conducted prior to a business combination or in connection with it; and (2) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering. The non-managing investors and the advisor have entered into written agreements, pursuant to which they have agreed: (1) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their private placement shares and founder shares held by them in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination or a tender offer conducted prior to a business combination or in connection with it; (2) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their private placement shares and founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering; and (3) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their private placement shares and founder shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would modify the substance or timing of the |
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| Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of the Company’s public shares if the Company does not timely complete the initial business combination or with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our initial shareholders will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares purchased in this offering or on the open market after the completion of this offering if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame; |
| • | the non-managing investors are not granted any shareholder or other rights in addition to those afforded to our other public shareholders, and will only be issued the private placement shares of the Company. The non-managing investors are not required to (i) hold any public units, public shares or public warrants they may purchase in this offering or thereafter for any amount of time, (ii) vote any public shares they may own at the applicable time in favor of our initial business combination or (iii) refrain from exercising their right to redeem their public shares at the time of our initial business combination. The non-managing investors will have the same rights to the funds held in the trust account with respect to the public shares comprising part of the public units they may purchase in this offering as the rights afforded to our other public shareholders. However, if the non-managing investors purchase all of the public units for which they have expressed to us an interest in purchasing or otherwise hold a substantial number of our public units, then the non-managing investors will potentially have different interests than our other public shareholders in approving our initial business combination and otherwise exercising their rights as public shareholders because of their ownership of private placement shares as further discussed in this prospectus. |
| • | the founder shares and private placement shares will automatically convert into our Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holder on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described below adjacent to the caption “Conversion of founder shares and private placement shares and anti-dilution rights” and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association; and |
| • | the founder shares and private placement shares are entitled to registration rights. |
| Private placement warrants |
Our Sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 3,719,000 private placement warrants at $0.01561 per private placement warrant in a private placement that will close simultaneously with this offering. |
| A portion of the purchase price of the private placement warrants will be added to the proceeds of this offering to be held in the trust account described below. If we do not complete our initial business |
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| combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, the proceeds from the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law). The private placement warrants are identical to the public warrants, except that such warrants: (i) will not be redeemable by us and (ii) may be exercised for cash or on a cashless basis, as described in this prospectus, so long as they are held by our Sponsor or any of its permitted transferees. In the event of a liquidation prior to our initial business combination, the private placement warrants will expire worthless. |
| Sponsor’s Securities and Compensation |
The table below summarizes (i) the amount of founder shares and private placement shares issued or to be issued to the Sponsor in connection with this offering and the price paid or to be paid by the Sponsor for such securities, and (ii) the main items of compensation received or to be received by the Sponsor or our affiliates: |
| Description |
Price Paid or Payable | |||||
| Number of founder shares | 16,700,000 founder shares (of which 2,500,000 are subject to forfeiture to the extent the underwriter does not exercise its over-allotment option) | $0.00588235 per share | ||||
| Number of private placement warrants | 3,719,000 private placement warrants | $0.01561 per private placement warrant | ||||
| Office space and general and administrative services | Monthly payments to GigManagement, LLC | $30,000 per month | ||||
| Compensation to CFO | Monthly payments to CFO | $20,000 per month | ||||
| Working Capital Loans | Up to $1,500,000 convertible into private placement warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant | Not applicable |
| As described below adjacent to the caption “Conversion of founder shares and private placement shares and anti-dilution rights,” the founder shares and Class A ordinary shares issuable in connection with the conversion of the founder shares may result in material dilution to our public shareholders due to the nominal price of $0.01 per founder share at which our Sponsor and the adviser purchased the founder shares and/or the anti-dilution rights of our founder shares |
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| that may result in an issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion. Our initial shareholders or their affiliates may receive additional compensation and/or may be issued additional securities in connection with an initial business combination, including securities that may result in material dilution to public shareholders. For more information also see below adjacent to the caption “Limited payments to insiders.” |
| Transfer restrictions applicable to founder shares, private placement shares and private placement warrants |
Except with respect to permitted transferees as described herein under “Principal Shareholders,” our initial shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their respective founder shares, private placement shares, private placement warrants or any securities underlying the private placement warrants that they may hold until the date that is (i) in the case of the founder shares and private placement shares, the earlier of (A) 6 months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) the date on which the last sale price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $11.50 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 90 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we consummate a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction after our initial business combination which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property, and (ii) in the case of the private placement warrants or any securities underlying the private placement warrants, until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. |
| Notwithstanding the foregoing, the lock-up period of the non-managing investors shall not be longer than the Sponsor’s lock-up period; provided that if upon consummation of an initial business combination, any securityholder holding more than three percent (3.0%) of the capital stock of the surviving company is not subject to a lock-up agreement or is subject to a lock-up agreement for a shorter period of time than the non-managing investors, unless required to comply with the Nasdaq listing conditions, the non-managing investors’ lock-up period shall be reduced to the shortest lock-up period or terminated, as the case may be. Further, if any such securityholder is released from a lock-up period subsequent to the consummation of an initial business combination, the Company shall release the private placement shares held by non-managing investors from the lock-up provisions. |
| Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial shareholders with respect to any founder shares and private placement shares. We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the “lock-up.” |
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| Conversion of founder shares and private placement shares and anti-dilution rights |
Subject to adjustment for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein, the founder shares and private placement shares, which are designated as Class B ordinary shares, will be convertible at the option of the holder on a one-for-one basis or will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination at a ratio such that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all founder shares and private placement shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 40% of the sum of (i) the total number of ordinary shares issued and outstanding (assuming no exercise of the over-allotment option by the underwriter and including any Class A ordinary shares that may have been issued on a one-for-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at the option of the holder thereof prior to the initial business combination pursuant to the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) upon the consummation of this offering, plus (ii) the sum of the total number of Class A ordinary shares issued or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities (as defined herein) or rights issued or deemed issued, by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial business combination, excluding any Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into Class A ordinary shares issued, deemed issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and any private placement-equivalent shares issued to our Sponsor, members of our management team or any of their affiliates upon conversion of working capital loans made to the Company. Any conversion of Class B ordinary shares described herein will take effect as a compulsory redemption of Class B ordinary shares and an issuance of Class A ordinary shares as a matter of Cayman Islands law. In no event will the Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A ordinary shares at a rate of less than one-to-one. |
| The term “equity-linked securities” refers to any debt or equity securities that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for our Class A ordinary shares issued in a financing transaction in connection with our initial business combination, including, but not limited to, a private placement of equity or debt. |
| Voting arrangements with our Sponsor, non-managing investors and related parties |
Our Sponsor, officers and directors will each enter into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they will agree: (1) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, private placement warrants and shares underlying any private placement warrants held by them in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination or a tender offer conducted prior to a |
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| business combination or in connection with it; and (2) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares and private placement shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering. The non-managing investors and the advisor have entered into written agreements, pursuant to which they have agreed: (1) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their private placement shares and founder shares held by them in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination or a tender offer conducted prior to a business combination or in connection with it; (2) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their private placement shares and founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering; and (3) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their private placement shares and founder shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of the Company’s public shares if the Company does not timely complete the initial business combination or with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our initial shareholders will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares purchased in this offering or on the open market after the completion of this offering if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. If we submit an initial business combination to our shareholders for a vote, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the ordinary shares, represented in person or by proxy and entitled to vote thereon, voted at a shareholder meeting are voted in favor of the business combination. Our initial shareholders have agreed to vote any Class B ordinary shares held by them in favor of such initial business combination. Our Sponsor, officers and directors have also agreed to vote any public shares they may hold in favor of such initial business combination. As a result, in addition to the founder shares and private placement shares that our Sponsor, the advisor and the non-managing investors have committed to purchase (as described above), we would need approximately 4,166,666 public shares, or approximately 16.7% of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering, to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted, the over-allotment option is not exercised and 2,500,000 founder shares have been forfeited) in order to have such initial business combination approved. Assuming that only the holders of one-third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing a quorum under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, vote their shares, we will not need any public shares in addition to our founder shares and the private placement shares held by our Sponsor |
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| to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to approve such initial business combination. |
| Expression of Interest |
The non-managing investors have expressed an interest in purchasing up to an aggregate of approximately 99% of $250 million or $247.5 million of the public units in this offering at the offering price (assuming the underwriter does not exercise its over-allotment option). None of the non-managing investors has expressed to us an interest in purchasing more than 9.9% of the public units to be sold in this offering. There can be no assurance that the non-managing investors will acquire any units, either directly or indirectly, in this offering, or as to the amount of the public units the non-managing investors will retain, if any, prior to or upon the consummation of our initial business combination. Because these expressions of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase, the non-managing investors may determine to purchase a different number or no units in this offering. In addition, the underwriter has full discretion to allocate the public units to investors and may determine to sell a different number or no units to the non-managing investors. The underwriter will receive the same upfront discounts and commissions on units purchased by the non-managing investors in this offering, if any, as it will on the other units sold to the public in this offering. In addition, none of the non-managing investors has any obligation to vote any of their public shares in favor of our initial business combination. |
| In the event that the non-managing investors purchase such public units (either in this offering or after) and vote them in favor of our initial business combination, no affirmative votes from other public shareholders would be required to approve our initial business combination. However, because the non-managing investors are not obligated to continue owning any public shares following the closing and are not obligated to vote any public shares in favor of our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that any of these non-managing investors will be public shareholders at the time our shareholders vote on our initial business combination, and, if they are public shareholders, we cannot assure you as to how such non-managing investors will vote on any business combination. |
| The non-managing investors are not granted any shareholder or other rights in addition to those afforded to our other public shareholders, and will only be issued the private placement shares of the Company. The non-managing investors are not required to (i) hold any public units, public shares or public warrants they may purchase in this offering or thereafter for any amount of time, (ii) vote any public shares they may own at the applicable time in favor of our initial business combination or (iii) refrain from exercising their right to redeem their public shares at the time of our initial business combination. The non-managing investors will have the same rights to the funds held in the trust account with respect to the public shares comprising part of the public units they may purchase in this offering as the rights afforded to our other public shareholders. |
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However, if the non-managing investors purchase all of the public units for which they have expressed to us an interest in purchasing or otherwise hold a substantial number of our public units, then the non-managing investors will potentially have different interests than our other public shareholders in approving our initial business combination and otherwise exercising their rights as public shareholders because of their ownership of private placement shares as further discussed in this prospectus. Any trading decisions made by any of the foregoing entities will be made by them based on market conditions at the time of the proposed sale or redemption. EF Hutton’s affiliates will not become non-managing investors or receive any economic or other interest in the Sponsor.
For more information on additional financing we may raise in connection with our initial business combination and risks related thereto, see “Risk Factors — We may issue additional ordinary or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan upon or after consummation of our initial business combination, which would dilute the interest of our shareholders and likely present other risks.”
| Offering proceeds to be held in the trust account |
The Nasdaq rules provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the public units be deposited in a trust account. Of the $250,000,000 gross proceeds we will receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants (or $287,500,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), an aggregate of $250,000,000 (or $10.00 per unit), or $287,500,000 (or $10.00 per unit) if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, will be placed in a segregated trust account located in the United States maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee pursuant to an agreement to be signed on the date of this prospectus. The funds in the trust account will be invested only in specified U.S. government treasury bills or in specified money market funds. |
| Except as set forth below, the proceeds held in the trust account will not be released until the earlier of: (1) the completion of our initial business combination within the required time period; (2) our redemption of 100% of the outstanding public shares if we have not completed an initial business combination in the required time period; or (3) our redemption of our public shares in connection with the approval of any amendment to the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association governing our pre-initial business combination activity and related shareholders’ rights. Therefore, unless and until our initial business combination is consummated, the proceeds held in the trust account will not be available for our use for any expenses related to this offering or expenses which we may incur related to the investigation and selection of a target business and the negotiation of an agreement to acquire a target business. The proceeds deposited in the trust account |
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| could become subject to the claims of our creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of our public shareholders. |
| Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, no proceeds held in the trust account will be available for our use, except the withdrawal of interest to pay taxes, if any. Based upon current interest rates, we expect the trust account to generate approximately $11,250,000 of interest annually (or $12,937,500 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) (assuming an interest rate of 4.50% per year). Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, we may pay our expenses only from: |
| • | that portion of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not held in the trust account and cash held outside the trust account before the offering, which will be approximately $2,050,005 in working capital after the payment of approximately $1,361,060 in net offering expenses relating to this offering; and |
| • | any loans or additional investments from our Sponsor, members of our management team or any of their affiliates or other third parties, although they are under no obligation to loan funds 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. |
| Limited payments to insiders |
There will be no fees, reimbursements or other cash payments paid to our Sponsor, officers and directors, or their affiliates prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is) other than the following payments, none of which will be made from that portion of the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account prior to the consummation of our initial business combination: |
| • | payment to an affiliate of our Sponsor, GigManagement, LLC, of a monthly fee of $30,000 for office space and administrative and support services until the consummation of an initial business combination; |
| • | payment to the Company’s Chief Financial Officer of $20,000 per month for her services to the Company; |
| • | reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by our executive officers and directors and advisory fees to directors in connection with certain activities on our behalf, such as identifying and investigating possible business targets and business combinations as well as advisory fees to directors pertaining to board committee service and extraordinary administrative and analytical services; |
| • | payment for analyst and consultant services as approved by our Board of Directors; and |
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| • | repayment upon consummation of our initial business combination of any loans which may be made by our Sponsor, executive officers and directors, or their affiliates, to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. The terms of any such loans 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 additional private placement warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. |
| These payments may be funded using that portion of 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 to our Sponsor, executive officers or directors, or our or any of their affiliates. |
| Audit Committee |
Prior to the effectiveness of this registration statement, we will have established and will maintain an audit committee (which will be composed entirely of independent directors) to, among other things, monitor compliance with the terms described above and the other terms relating to this offering. If any noncompliance is identified, then the audit committee will be charged with the responsibility to immediately take all action necessary to rectify such noncompliance or otherwise to cause compliance with the terms of this offering. For more information, see “Management—Committees of the Board of Directors—Audit Committee.” |
| Election of directors; Voting rights |
Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares and private placement shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors (by a majority of votes cast by the holders of the founder shares and private placement shares). Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such time. Further, prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to vote on transferring the Company by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (which requires a special resolution, being the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes cast by the shareholders of the issued shares present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on such matter at a general meeting of the company) (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the Company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the company, in each case, as a result of the company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands) and, as a result, our initial shareholders will be able to approve any such proposal without the vote of any other shareholder. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and |
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| articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution passed by holders representing at least two-thirds of our outstanding Class B ordinary shares. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, except as required by law or the applicable rules of Nasdaq then in effect, holders of our founder shares and holders of our public shares will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote. |
| 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 Nasdaq rules require that our initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in trust (less any taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. We do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination. |
| If our Board of Directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we may obtain an opinion, in our sole discretion, from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA, or from another independent entity. However, unless we consummate our initial business combination with an affiliated entity, our Board of Directors is not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that the price we are paying is fair to our shareholders from a financial point of view. We will complete our initial business combination only if the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 50% or more of the issued and outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquire a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial business combination transaction. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test; 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. |
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| Permitted purchases of public shares by our affiliates |
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our Sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates may purchase shares of our Class A ordinary 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—Initial Business Combination” for a description of how such persons will determine from which shareholders to seek to acquire shares. There is no limit on the number of shares 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 shareholder 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. In the event our Sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates determine to make any such purchases at the time of a shareholder vote relating to our initial business combination, such purchases could have the effect of influencing the vote necessary to approve such transaction. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase Class A ordinary shares in such transactions. If any of our Sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates engages in such transactions, they will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). |
| Subsequent to the consummation of this offering, 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 any of our insiders will make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan, as that would be dependent upon several factors, including but not limited to, the timing and size of any such purchase. Depending on the circumstances, any of our insiders may decide to make purchases of our Class A ordinary shares pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan or may determine that acting pursuant to such a plan is not required under the Exchange Act. |
| We do not currently anticipate that purchases of our Class A ordinary shares by any of our Sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules. None of our Sponsor, directors, officers, |
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| advisors or any of their affiliates will purchase Class A ordinary shares if such purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. |
| Redemption rights for public shareholders upon completion of our initial business combination |
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their 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 as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable, if any), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein; provided, that we shall not redeem public shares to the extent that the redemption would result in our failure to have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules), or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement that may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. |
| The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Our initial shareholders have entered into agreements with us, pursuant to which they will agree to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, private placement shares, private placement warrants and shares underlying any private placement warrants held by them in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. |
| The non-managing investors are not granted any shareholder or other rights in addition to those afforded to our other public shareholders, and will only be issued the private placement shares of the Company. The non-managing investors are not required to (i) hold any public units, public shares or public warrants they may purchase in this offering or thereafter for any amount of time, (ii) vote any public shares they may own at the applicable time in favor of our initial business combination or (iii) refrain from exercising their right to redeem their public shares at the time of our initial business combination. The non-managing investors will have the same rights to the funds held in the trust account with respect to the public shares comprising part of the public units they may purchase in this offering as the rights afforded to our other public shareholders. However, if the non-managing investors purchase all of the public units for which they have expressed to us an interest in purchasing or otherwise hold a substantial number of our public units, then the non-managing investors will potentially have different interests than our other public shareholders in approving our initial business combination and otherwise exercising their rights as public shareholders because of their ownership of private placement shares as further discussed in this prospectus. |
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| Manner of conducting redemptions |
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (1) in connection with a shareholder meeting called to approve the business combination or (2) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement. Asset acquisitions and share purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would require shareholder approval. We currently intend to conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote unless shareholder approval is not required by applicable law or stock exchange rule or we choose to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC for business or other reasons. |
| If a shareholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association: |
| • | 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, directors and executive officers will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act to purchase Class A ordinary shares 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 shareholders 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 to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules), or any greater net tangible asset or cash |
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| requirement that may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. If public shareholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete such initial business combination. |
| If, however, shareholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other reasons, we will: |
| • | 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 shareholders at least 10 days prior to the shareholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such shareholders 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 shareholder vote even if we are not able to maintain our Nasdaq listings or Exchange Act registration. |
| If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the ordinary shares, represented in person or by proxy and entitled to vote thereon, voted at a shareholder meeting are voted in favor of the business combination. In such case, pursuant to the terms of agreements entered into with us, our initial shareholders will agree (and any of their permitted transferees will agree) to vote their founder shares and private placement shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to the founder shares and private placement shares that our Sponsor, an advisor and the non-managing investors have committed to purchase (as described above), we would need approximately 4,166,666 public shares, or approximately 16.7% of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering, to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted, the over-allotment option is not exercised and 2,500,000 founder shares have been forfeited) in order to have such initial business combination approved. Assuming that only the holders of one-third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing a quorum under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, vote their shares, we will not need any public shares in addition to our founder shares and the private placement shares held by our Sponsor to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to approve an initial business combination. These voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our initial shareholders may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares without |
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| voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will require that at least five clear days’ notice will be given of any such shareholder meeting. |
| Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). 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 Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we would not complete the business combination or redeem any Class A ordinary shares, and all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption would be returned to the holders thereof. |
| Tendering share certificates in connection with a tender offer or redemption rights |
We may require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two (2) business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve our initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically 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 shareholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. |
| Limitation on redemption rights of shareholders holding more than 15% of the public shares sold in this offering if we hold a shareholder vote |
Notwithstanding the foregoing redemption rights, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business |
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| combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the public shares sold in this offering, without our prior consent. We believe the restriction described above will discourage shareholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to redeem their shares as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public shareholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights against a business combination if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us, our Sponsor or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’ ability to redeem to no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including all shares held by those shareholders that hold more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering) for or against our initial business combination. |
| Redemption rights in connection with proposed amendments to our charter documents |
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that amendments to any its provisions relating to our pre-initial business combination activity and related shareholder rights, as well as any other provision of the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, may be amended if approved by holders of a majority of our outstanding Class A ordinary shares, subject to applicable stock exchange rules. If an amendment to any such provision is approved by the requisite shareholder vote, then the corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended. |
| After the completion of this offering, and prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we may not issue any additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to receive funds from the trust account or vote on an initial business combination, on any pre-business combination activity or on any amendment to the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association relating to our pre-initial business combination activity and related shareholders’ rights. |
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| Our Sponsor, executive officers and directors (and any of their permitted transferees), who will beneficially own approximately 34.1% of our outstanding ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase public units in this offering and that the underwriter does not exercise its over-allotment option), may participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose; provided, that, each of them has agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree), pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation 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 unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable, if any), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares. We may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). |
| Our initial shareholders will enter into agreements with us pursuant to which they will agree to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, private placement shares, private placement warrants and any shares underlying any private placement warrants held by them in connection with any amendment to the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association relating to our pre-initial business combination activity and related shareholders’ rights. |
| Release of funds in trust account on closing of our initial business combination |
On the completion of our initial business combination, the funds held in the trust account will be used to pay amounts due to any public shareholders who exercise their redemption rights as described above under “Redemption rights for public shareholders upon completion of our initial business combination,” to pay 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 securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination, we may 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 companies or for working capital. |
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| Redemption of public shares and distribution and liquidation if no initial business combination |
We will have only 24 months from the closing of this offering to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within such 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 (10) business days thereafter, redeem the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses and which interest shall be net of taxes payable, if any), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law; and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our Board of Directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. |
| We may, however, raise funds through the issuance of equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop arrangements we may enter into following consummation of this offering, in order to, among other reasons, satisfy such net tangible assets or minimum cash requirements. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window. |
| Our initial shareholders have entered into agreements with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares, private placement shares, private placement warrants and shares underlying any private placement warrants if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering. However, if our initial shareholders or management team acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the 24-month time frame. |
| Conflicts of Interest |
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then |
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| current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such other entity, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer, among other persons, shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us, and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which (a) may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other or (b) the presentation of which would breach an existing legal obligation of a director or officer to any other entity. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. |
| Our sponsor, officers or directors may sponsor or form other special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. As a result, our sponsor, officers and directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other special purpose acquisition company with which they may become involved. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination target. See “Risk Factors — We may engage in our initial business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our Sponsor, executive officers or directors, which may raise potential conflicts of interest.” However, we do not believe that any such potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. |
| Our executive officers and our directors may have interests that differ from you in connection with the business combination, including the fact that they may lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed, except to the extent they receive liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account, and accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. |
| Additionally, the personal and financial interests of our directors and executive officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and pursuing an initial business combination or completing our initial business combination. In the event we do not consummate a business combination within the completion window, and unless the time for us to consummate a business combination has been extended, the founder shares, the private placement shares and |
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| the private placement warrants (and the shares into which they are exercisable) will expire worthless, which could create an incentive our officers and directors to complete a transaction even if the company selects an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public investors. The different timelines of competing business combinations could cause our directors and executive officers to prioritize a different business combination over finding a suitable acquisition target for our business combination. Consequently, our directors’ and executive officers’ discretion in identifying and selecting a suitable target business may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our shareholders’ best interest, which could negatively impact the timing for a business combination. |
| In addition to the above, our officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs, and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including selecting a business combination target and monitoring the related due diligence. See “Risk Factors — Our officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.” |
| Indemnity |
Our Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us, if and to the extent any claims by any third party for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into an acquisition agreement, reduce the amounts in the trust account to below $10.00 per share (whether or not the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), 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. We have not independently verified whether our Sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy their indemnity obligations. We believe, however, the likelihood of our Sponsor having to indemnify the trust account is limited because we will endeavor to have all third-party vendors and prospective target businesses as well as other entities execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account. |
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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.
| May 31, 2024 | ||||||||
| Actual | As Adjusted | |||||||
| Balance Sheet Data: |
||||||||
| Working capital |
$ | 82,348 | $2,032,353(1) | |||||
| Total assets |
$ | 100,000 | $252,050,005(2) | |||||
| Total liabilities |
$ | 17,652 | $4,155,838(3) | |||||
| Value of Class A ordinary subject to redemption |
$ | — | $250,000,000(4) | |||||
| Shareholders’ equity |
$ | 82,348 | $(2,105,833)(5) | |||||
| (1) | The “as adjusted” calculation includes $1,950,005 of cash held outside the trust account from this offering plus $82,348 of actual working capital on May 31, 2024. |
| (2) | The “as adjusted” calculation equals the actual total assets of $100,000 plus $250,000,000 cash held in trust from the proceeds of this offering plus the $1,950,005 held outside the trust account from this offering. |
| (3) | The “as adjusted” calculation equals the actual total liabilities of $17,652 plus $4,138,186 of warrant liability. |
| (4) | The “as adjusted” calculation equals the “as adjusted” total assets, less the “as adjusted” total liabilities, less the “as adjusted” shareholders’ equity. |
| (5) | Excludes 25,000,000 Class A ordinary shares 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 “as adjusted” value of Class A ordinary shares which may be redeemed in connection with our initial business combination ($10.00 per share). |
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements contained in this prospectus, which reflect our current views with respect to future events and financial performance, and any other statements of a future or forward-looking nature, constitute “forward-looking statements” for the purpose of the federal securities laws. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management’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 complete our initial business combination; |
| • | our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination; |
| • | our executive 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, as a result of which they would then receive expense reimbursements; |
| • | our potential ability to obtain the required funds to complete our offering and working capital expenses; |
| • | our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination; |
| • | our pool of prospective target businesses, including their industry and geographic location; |
| • | the ability of our executive officers and directors to generate a number of potential investment opportunities; |
| • | failure to list or delisting of our securities from Nasdaq or an inability to have our securities listed on Nasdaq following a business combination; |
| • | our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading; |
| • | the lack of a market for our securities; 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. Future developments affecting us may not be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors.”
Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
In addition, statements that contain “we believe” and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based on information available to us as of the date of this prospectus. Although we believe that this information provides a reasonable basis for these statements, this information may be limited or incomplete. Our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain, and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely on these statements.
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We are a recently incorporated company that has conducted no operations and has generated no revenues. Until we complete our initial business combination, we will have no operations and will generate no operating revenues. In making your decision whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the background of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company. This offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. Accordingly, you will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. Please see “Proposed Business — Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419” for additional information concerning how Rule 419 blank check offerings differ from this offering. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in this prospectus.
Summary of Risk Factors
An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. The occurrence of one or more of the events or circumstances described in the section titled “Risk Factors,” alone or in combination with other events or circumstances, may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. Such risks include, but are not limited to:
| • | We are a blank check company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective. |
| • | Our public shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed business combination, and even if we hold a vote, holders of our founder shares will participate in such vote, which means we may consummate our initial business combination even though a majority of our public shareholders do not support such a combination. |
| • | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial shareholders have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public shareholders vote. |
| • | Your only opportunity to effect your investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash. |
| • | The ability of our public shareholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target. |
| • | The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating our initial business combination and may limit the amount of time we have to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to consummate our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our shareholders. |
| • | We may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within the required time period, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate. |
| • | Our search for and ability to complete a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately complete a business combination, may be adversely affected by general market conditions, political considerations, pandemics, volatility in the capital and debt markets and other social and geopolitical events. |
| • | As the number of special purpose acquisition companies evaluating targets increases, and other issued SPAC entities may come to market with superior terms for the targets, attractive targets may become |
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| 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. |
| • | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination pursuant to a proxy solicitation, our Sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares from other shareholders, in which case they may influence a vote in favor of a proposed business combination that you do not support. |
| • | You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies. |
| • | Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on our redemption of their stock, and our warrants will expire worthless. |
| • | If we seek shareholder approval of our business combination pursuant to a proxy solicitation (meaning we would not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules), and if you or a “group” of shareholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of the issued and outstanding public shares sold in this offering, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of the issued and outstanding public shares sold in this offering. |
| • | If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the duration of the completion window, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination, and we will depend on loans from our Sponsor, its affiliates or our management team to fund our search and to complete our initial business combination. |
| • | We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete our initial business combination, which may adversely affect our financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our shareholders’ investment in us. |
| • | Our directors may decide not to enforce indemnification obligations against our Sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders. |
| • | 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. |
| • | Our shareholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them. |
| • | If third parties bring claims against the Company, the proceeds held in trust could be reduced and the per-share redemption price received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share. |
| • | The grant of registration rights to our initial shareholders, including the non-managing investors, 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 public shares. |
| • | Because we are not limited to any particular business or specific geographic location or any specific target businesses with which to pursue our initial business combination, you will be unable to ascertain the merits or risks of any particular target business’ operations. |
| • | We may seek acquisition opportunities outside the TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable industry, which may be outside of our management’s areas of expertise. |
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| • | We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of this offering, and the sale of the private placement shares and private placement warrants, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business, which may have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operations and profitability. |
| • | Our initial shareholders will control a substantial interest in us and thus may influence certain actions requiring a shareholder vote. |
| • | Redeeming shareholders may be unable to sell their securities when they wish to in the event that the proposed business combination is not approved. |
| • | We are likely to be treated as a passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”), which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors. |
| • | If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, our public shareholders may be forced to wait beyond such period before redemption from our trust account. |
| • | If our initial business combination involves a company organized under the laws of the United States (or any subdivision thereof), a U.S. federal excise tax could be imposed on us in connection with any redemptions of our Class A ordinary shares after or in connection with such initial business combination. |
| • | An investment in our securities, and certain subsequent transactions with respect to our securities, may result in uncertain or adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences for an investor. |
| • | Transactions in connection with or in anticipation of our initial business combination and our structure thereafter may not be tax-efficient to our shareholders and warrant holders. As a result of our initial business combination, our tax obligations may be more complex, burdensome and uncertain. |
| • | The other risks and uncertainties discussed in “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus. |
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An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this prospectus, before making a decision to invest in our units. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Relating to our Search for, and Consummation of or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination
Our public shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed business combination, and even if we hold a vote, holders of our founder shares will participate in such vote, which means we may consummate our initial business combination even though a majority of our public shareholders do not support such a combination.
We may choose not hold a shareholder vote to approve our initial business combination unless the business combination would require shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange rules or if we decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons. For instance, the Nasdaq rules currently allow us to engage in a tender offer in lieu of a shareholder meeting, but would still require us to obtain shareholder approval if we were seeking to issue more than 20% of our issued and 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 issued and outstanding shares, we would seek shareholder approval of such business combination. However, except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, the decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow shareholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek shareholder approval. Accordingly, we may consummate our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares do not approve of the business combination we consummate. Please see the section entitled “Proposed Business—Initial Business Combination—Shareholders may not have the ability to approve our initial business combination” for additional information. Our Sponsor controls a substantial interest in us and thus may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial shareholders have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public shareholders vote.
We expect that our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees, will beneficially own approximately 40.0% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares at the time of any such shareholder vote (assuming they do not purchase any public units in this offering). Our initial shareholders and management team also may from time to time purchase public shares prior to our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides that, if we seek shareholder approval of an initial business combination, such initial business combination will be approved if we receive an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law and our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, which requires the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company. Our initial shareholders (and their permitted transferees will agree), pursuant to the terms of the agreements to be entered into with us, to vote any Class B ordinary shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to the founder shares and private placement shares held by our initial shareholders, we would need approximately 4,166,666 public shares, or approximately 16.7% of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted, the over-allotment option is not exercised and 2,500,000 founder shares are forfeited) in order to have such initial business combination approved.
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The non-managing investors have expressed to us an interest in purchasing up to an aggregate of approximately 24.75 million of the public units in this offering at the offering price (assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option). Because these expressions of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase, non-managing investors may determine to purchase a different number of units in this offering, or none at all. However, if the nonmanaging investors purchase all of the units for which they have expressed to us an interest in purchasing or otherwise hold a substantial number of our public units, then the non-managing investors will potentially have different interests than our other public shareholders in approving our initial business combination and otherwise exercising their rights as public shareholders because of their ownership of the private placement shares as further discussed in this prospectus.
Assuming that only the holders of one-third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing a quorum under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, vote their ordinary shares at a general meeting of the company, we will not need any public shares in addition to our founder shares to and the private placement shares be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to approve an initial business combination. However, if our initial business combination is structured as a statutory merger or consolidation with another company under Cayman Islands law, the approval of our initial business combination will require a special resolution, which requires the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company. Accordingly, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, the agreement by our initial shareholders and management team to vote in favor of our initial business combination will increase the likelihood that an ordinary resolution will be passed, being the requisite shareholder approval for such initial business combination.
Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash.
At the time of your investment in us, you will not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of one or more target businesses. Because our Board of Directors may consummate our initial business combination without seeking shareholder approval, public shareholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the business combination, unless we seek such shareholder vote. Accordingly, your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to exercising your redemption rights within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our public shareholders in which we describe our initial business combination.
The ability of our public shareholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into our initial business combination with a target.
We may enter into a transaction agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public shareholders exercise their redemption rights, we may not be able to meet such closing condition, and as a result, would not be able to proceed with such business combination. Furthermore, in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon the consummation of our initial business combination or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will require us to provide all of our public shareholders with an opportunity to redeem all of their shares in connection with the consummation of any initial business combination. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon the consummation of our initial business combination, 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. Prospective targets would be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into our initial business combination transaction with us.
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The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to consummate the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
In connection with the successful consummation of our initial business combination, we may redeem up to that number of Class A ordinary shares that would permit us to maintain net tangible assets of $5,000,001 upon the consummation of our initial business combination. If our initial business combination requires us to use substantially all of our cash to pay the purchase price, the redemption threshold may be further limited. Alternatively, we may need to arrange third-party financing to help fund our business combination in case a larger percentage of shareholders exercise their redemption rights than we expect. If the acquisition involves the issuance of our shares as consideration, we may be required to issue a higher percentage of our shares to the target or its shareholders to make up for the failure to satisfy a minimum cash requirement. Raising additional funds to cover any shortfall may involve dilutive equity financing or incurring indebtedness at higher than desirable levels.
Furthermore, this dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provision of the Class B ordinary shares results in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination. The effect of this dilution will be greater for shareholders who do not redeem. In addition, the amount of the deferred underwriting compensation payable to the underwriter will not be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with an initial business combination. We may not be able to generate sufficient value from the completion of our initial business combination in order to overcome the dilutive impact of these and other factors, and, accordingly, you may incur a net loss on your investment. Please see “— The nominal purchase price paid by our Sponsor and advisor for the founder shares and paid by non-managing investors for private placement shares may result in significant dilution to the implied value of your public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination.” The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure.
The requirement that we maintain a minimum net worth or retain a certain amount of cash could increase the probability that our business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your shares.
If, pursuant to the terms of our proposed business combination, we are required to maintain a minimum net worth or retain a certain amount of cash in trust in order to consummate the business combination and regardless of whether we proceed with redemptions under the tender or proxy rules, the probability that our business combination would be unsuccessful is increased. If our business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the trust account until we liquidate. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your shares in the open market; however, at such time our shares may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in our trust account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with our redemption until we liquidate or you are able to sell your shares in the open market.
The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating our initial business combination and may limit the amount of time we have to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to consummate our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our shareholders.
Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning our initial business combination will be aware that we must consummate our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering. Consequently, such target businesses may obtain leverage over us in negotiating our initial business combination, knowing that if we do not complete our initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the timeframe described above. In addition, we may have
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limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation. The length of time it may take us to complete our diligence and negotiate a business combination may reduce the amount of time available for us to ultimately complete an initial business combination should such diligence or negotiations not lead to a consummated initial business combination.
We may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within the required time period, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate.
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 consummate our initial business combination within such time period. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, political considerations, volatility in the capital and debt markets, other social and geopolitical events, and the other risks described herein, including, but not limited to, the war between Russia and Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict. Additionally, the outbreak of unforeseen occurrence of natural disasters, such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic, may negatively impact businesses we may seek to acquire and may make it harder for us to find a suitable target business and consummate our initial business combination.
If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within the required time period (or any extended period of time that we may have to consummate an initial business combination as a result of an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association), we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten (10) business days thereafter, redeem the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses and which interest shall be net of taxes payable, if any), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law; and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our Board of Directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, if we wind up for any other reason prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we will follow the foregoing procedures with respect to the liquidation of the trust account as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, subject to applicable Cayman Islands law. In either such case, our public shareholders may receive only $10.00 per public share, or less than $10.00 per public share, on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against the Company, the proceeds held in trust could be reduced and the per-share redemption price received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share.”
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 and ongoing military action between Russia and Ukraine.
On February 24, 2022, Russian military forces launched a military action in Ukraine, and sustained conflict and disruption in the region is likely. Although the length, impact and outcome of the ongoing military conflict in Ukraine is highly unpredictable, this conflict could lead to significant market and other disruptions, including significant volatility in commodity prices and supply of energy resources, instability in financial markets, supply chain interruptions, political and social instability, changes in consumer or purchaser preferences as well as increase in cyberattacks and espionage. Russia’s recognition of two separatist republics in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine and subsequent military action against Ukraine have led to an unprecedented expansion of sanction programs imposed by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom,
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Canada, Switzerland, Japan and other countries against Russia, Belarus, the Crimea Region of Ukraine, the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic and the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic.
The situation is rapidly evolving as a result of the conflict in Ukraine, and the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and other countries may implement additional sanctions, export controls or other measures against Russia, Belarus and other countries, regions, officials, individuals or industries in the respective territories. Such sanctions and other measures, as well as the existing and potential further responses from Russia or other countries to such sanctions, tensions and military actions, could adversely affect the global economy and financial markets and could adversely affect our ability to search for a business combination or finance such business combination, and the business, financial condition and results of operations of any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination may be materially adversely affected.
Our search for and ability to complete a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately complete a business combination, may be adversely affected by general market conditions, political considerations, pandemics, volatility in the capital and debt markets and other social and geopolitical events.
Our search for and ability to complete a business combination is subject to macroeconomic and geopolitical risks, including the emergence or continuation of widespread health emergencies or pandemics (similar to the recent COVID-19 pandemic), cyberattacks or campaigns, the current or anticipated impact of climate change, extreme weather events or natural disasters, military conflict, civil unrest, terrorism or other similar events, which could adversely affect business and economic conditions in the U.S. and abroad. The business of any potential target business with which we consummate a business combination could be materially and adversely affected by these types of events. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination as a result of these macroeconomic, geopolitical or other events, including if these events restrict travel, or 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 one of these types of events could impact our search for a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted. In addition, various conflicts, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and conflicts in the Middle East, could result in regional instability and adversely impact commodity and other financial markets as well as economic conditions. These events could create inflationary pressure or otherwise effect the global economy, all of which could negatively impact our ability to complete a business combination or otherwise affect target businesses.
If any macroeconomic, geopolitical or other matters of global concern cause disruptions to the business environment for an extended 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. Additionally, our ability to complete a business combination transaction may depend on the ability to raise sufficient equity and debt financing, and any of these or similar events could adversely impact our or the target’s ability to do so due to, among other things, increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and the availability of third-party financing on terms acceptable to us or at all.
Macro-economic turbulence and instability relating to recent and ongoing global conflicts and other drivers of uncertainty may adversely affect our business, investments and results of operations and our ability to successfully consummate a business combination.
A deterioration in economic conditions and related drivers of global uncertainty and change, such as reduced business activity, high unemployment, rising interest rates, housing prices, and energy prices (including the price of gasoline), increased consumer indebtedness, lack of available credit, the rate of inflation, and consumer perceptions of the economy, as well as other factors, such as terrorist attacks, protests, looting, and other forms of civil unrest, cyberattacks and data breaches, public health emergencies (such as the COVID-19 pandemic and other epidemics), extreme weather conditions and climate change, significant changes in the political environment, political instability, armed conflict (such as the ongoing military conflict between Ukraine
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and Russia and the military conflict in Israel and Gaza) and/or public policy, including increased state, local or federal taxation, could adversely affect our financial condition, the financial condition of prospective target companies for our initial business combination, or the financial condition of the combined company even if we successfully consummate a business combination, as well as our ability to locate a commercially viable target company for our business combination in the first instance.
Recent increases in inflation in the United States and elsewhere could make it more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
Recent increases in inflation in the United States and elsewhere may lead to increased price volatility for publicly traded securities, including ours, or other national, regional or international economic disruptions, any of which could make it more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
As the number of special purpose acquisition companies evaluating targets increases, and other issued SPAC entities may come to market with superior terms for the targets, 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 companies preparing for an initial public offering. 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 targets 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.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination pursuant to a proxy solicitation, our Sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares from other shareholders, in which case they may influence a vote in favor of a proposed business combination that you do not support.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination pursuant to a proxy solicitation (meaning we would not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules), our Sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates are permitted to purchase ordinary shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the consummation of our initial business combination. Any such purchase would be required to include a contractual acknowledgement that the selling shareholder, although he may still be the record holder of the shares being sold, would, upon consummation of such sale, no longer be the beneficial owner of such shares and would agree not to exercise the redemption rights applicable to such shares. In the event that our Sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates purchase Class A ordinary shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, any such selling shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their Class A ordinary shares prior to the consummation of the transaction.
The purpose of such purchases could be to (1) increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of the initial business combination or (2) satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to
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have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of the business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. This may result in the consummation of an initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
If a shareholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our initial business combination or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.
We will comply with the tender offer rules or proxy rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our initial business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a shareholder fails to receive our tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, such shareholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, the tender offer documents or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or redeem public shares. For example, we may require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer or proxy materials documents mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the 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 shareholder fails to comply with these procedures, its shares may not be redeemed. Please see “Proposed Business—Redemption Rights.”
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
Since the net proceeds of this offering are intended to be used to complete our initial business combination with a target business that has not been identified, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However, since we will have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon the successful consummation of this offering and will file a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means our units will be immediately tradable and we may have a longer period of time to complete our initial business combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, offerings subject to Rule 419 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 consummation of an initial business combination. For a more detailed comparison of our offering to offerings that comply with Rule 419, please see “Proposed Business—Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.”
Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, 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. 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 share and private placement warrants, our ability
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to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. Our Sponsor, any of its affiliates or any of their respective clients may make additional investments in us, although our Sponsor 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, in the event we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we are obligated to pay cash for public shares that are redeemed, it will potentially reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. Target companies will be aware that this may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. Any of these obligations may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating and completing a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. Please see “—If third parties bring claims against the Company, the proceeds held in trust could be reduced and the per-share redemption price received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share.” and other risk factors herein.
We will require public shareholders who wish to redeem their public shares in connection with a proposed business combination to comply with specific requirements for redemption that may make it more difficult for them to exercise their redemption rights prior to the deadline for exercising their rights.
We will require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the expiration date set forth in the tender offer documents mailed to such holders, or in the event we distribute proxy materials, up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option. In order to obtain a physical stock certificate, a shareholder’s broker and/or clearing broker, The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) and our transfer agent will need to act to facilitate this request. It is our understanding that shareholders should generally allot at least two weeks to obtain physical certificates from the transfer agent. However, because we do not have any control over this process or over the brokers or DTC, it may take significantly longer than two weeks to obtain a physical stock certificate. While we have been advised that it takes a short time to deliver shares through the DWAC System, this may not be the case. Under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, we are required to provide at least 7 days advance notice of any shareholder meeting, which would be the minimum amount of time a shareholder would have to determine whether to exercise redemption rights. Accordingly, if it takes longer than we anticipate for shareholders to deliver their shares, shareholders who wish to redeem may be unable to meet the deadline for exercising their redemption rights and thus may be unable to redeem their shares. In the event that a shareholder fails to comply with the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or redeem public shares, its shares may not be redeemed.
Additionally, despite our compliance with the proxy rules or tender offer rules, as applicable, shareholders may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem their shares.
If we seek shareholder approval of our business combination pursuant to a proxy solicitation (meaning we would not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules), and if you or a “group” of shareholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of the issued and outstanding public shares sold in this offering, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of the issued and outstanding public shares sold in this offering.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination pursuant to a proxy solicitation (meaning we would not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules), our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, individually or together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), would be restricted from seeking redemption rights with
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respect to an aggregate of more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering. Your inability to redeem an aggregate of more than 15% of the Class A ordinary shares sold in this offering will reduce your influence over our ability to consummate our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell such excess shares in open market transactions. As a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, you would be required to sell your shares in open market transaction, potentially at a loss.
If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement shares, private placement warrants and founder shares not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 24 months from the closing of this offering, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination, and we will depend on loans from our Sponsor or management team to fund our search and to complete our initial business combination.
The funds available to us outside of the trust account may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 24 months from the closing of this offering, assuming that our initial business combination is not consummated during that time. Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement shares, private placement warrants and founder shares, only approximately $2,050,005, including $100,000 which we already hold in cash, will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. Of the funds available to us, we could use a portion of the funds available to us to pay fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. We could also use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision in letters of intent designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we are unable to fund such down payments or “no shop” provisions, our ability to close a contemplated transaction could be impaired. Furthermore, if we entered into a letter of intent where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share (whether or not the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) or potentially less than $10.00 per share on our redemption, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete our initial business combination, which may adversely affect our financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our shareholders’ investment in us.
Although we have no other commitments as of the date of this prospectus to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete initial business combination. Furthermore, we may issue a substantial number of additional ordinary or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan upon or after consummation of our initial business combination. We and our officers and directors 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 any 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 our initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations; |
| • | acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant; |
| • | our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand; |
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| • | our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding; |
| • | our inability to pay dividends on our ordinary shares; |
| • | using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our ordinary shares if declared, 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. |
Our directors may decide not to enforce indemnification obligations against our Sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below $10.00 per share (whether or not the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) and our Sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine on our behalf whether to take legal action against our Sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our Sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations on our behalf, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders may be reduced below $10.00 per share.
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, adoption of a specific form of corporate structure and reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations.
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.
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 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 intend to spend a considerable amount of time actively managing the assets in the trust account for the primary purpose of achieving investment returns. 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 held as cash, including in demand deposit accounts at a bank, or invested in U.S. “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 initial business combination; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with the implementation by the directors of, following a shareholder vote, an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; or (iii) absent an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, our return of the funds held in the trust account to our public shareholders 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.
Further, under the subjective test of a “investment company” pursuant to Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act, even if the funds deposited in the trust account were invested in the assets discussed above, such assets, other than cash, are “securities” for purposes of the Investment Company Act and, therefore, there is a risk that we could be deemed an investment company and subject to the Investment Company Act.
We are aware of litigation claiming that certain SPACs should be considered to be investment companies. Although we believe that these claims were without merit, we cannot guarantee that we will not be deemed to be an investment company and thus subject to the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete an initial business combination or may result in our winding down our operations and our liquidation. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless, and our public shareholders would also lose the possibility of an investment opportunity in a target company as well as any potential price appreciation in the combined company following a business combination.
If our circumstances change over time, we will update our disclosure to reflect how such changes impact the risk that we may be considered to be operating as an unregistered investment company.
To mitigate the risk that we might be deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, we may, at any time, instruct the trustee to liquidate the securities held in the trust account and instead to hold the funds in the trust account in cash until the earlier of the consummation of our initial business combination or our liquidation. As a result, following the liquidation of securities in the trust account, the interest earned on the funds held in the trust account may be materially reduced, which would reduce the dollar amount our public shareholders would receive upon any redemption or liquidation of the Company.
We intend to initially hold the funds in the trust account as cash, including in demand deposit accounts at a bank, or in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. government treasury obligations and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under
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the Investment Company Act. U.S. government treasury obligations are considered “securities” for purposes of the Investment Company Act, while cash is not. As noted above, one of the factors the SEC identified as relevant to the determination of whether a SPAC which holds securities could potentially be deemed an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act is the SPAC’s duration. To mitigate the risk of us being deemed to be an unregistered investment company (including under the subjective test of Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act) and thus subject to regulation under the Investment Company Act, we may, at any time, instruct Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, the trustee with respect to the trust account, to liquidate the U.S. government treasury obligations or money market funds held in the trust account and thereafter to hold all funds in the trust account in cash until the earlier of consummation of our initial business combination or liquidation of the company. Following such liquidation, the rate of interest we receive on the funds held in the trust account may be materially decreased. However, interest previously earned on the funds held in the trust account still may be released to us for permitted withdrawals and certain other expenses as permitted. As a result, any decision to liquidate the securities held in the trust account and thereafter to hold all funds in the trust account in cash would reduce the dollar amount our public shareholders would receive upon any redemption or liquidation of the company.
In addition, we may still be deemed to be an investment company. The longer that the funds in the trust account are held in short-term U.S. government treasury obligations or in money market funds invested exclusively in such securities, the greater the risk that we may be deemed to be an unregistered investment company, in which case we may be required to liquidate. If our facts and circumstances change over time, we will update our disclosure to reflect how those changes impact the risk that we may be considered to be operating as an unregistered investment company. As disclosed above, we may determine, in our discretion, to liquidate the securities held in the trust account at any time and instead hold all funds in the trust account in an interest bearing demand deposit account or as cash or cash items at a bank, which could further reduce the dollar amount our public shareholders would receive upon any redemption or liquidation of the Company as compared to what they would have received had the investments not been so liquidated. Were we to liquidate the Company, our warrants would expire worthless, and our securityholders would lose the investment opportunity associated with an investment in the target company with which we could have consummated an initial business combination. In addition, upon moving the funds from the trust account to a deposit account, we will maintain the cash items in bank accounts which, at times, may exceed federally insured limits as guaranteed by the FDIC. While we intend to place our deposits in highquality banks, only a small portion of the funds in our trust account will be guaranteed by the FDIC.
Our shareholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them.
If we are forced to enter into an insolvent liquidation, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed as an unlawful payment if it was proved that immediately following the date on which the distribution was made, we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. As a result, a liquidator could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to us or our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, thereby exposing themselves and our company to claims, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons. We and our directors and officers who knowingly and willfully authorized or permitted any distribution to be paid out of our share premium account while we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business would be guilty of an offence and may be liable to a fine of $18,293 and to imprisonment for five years in the Cayman Islands.
If third parties bring claims against the Company, the proceeds held in trust could be reduced and the per-share redemption price received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share.
The Company’s placing of funds in trust may not protect those funds from third party claims against the Company. Although the Company will seek to have all vendors and service providers the Company engages and
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prospective target businesses the Company negotiates with execute agreements with the Company 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 Company’s public shareholders, they may not execute such agreements. Furthermore, even if such entities execute such agreements with the Company, they may seek recourse against the trust account. A court may not uphold the validity of such agreements. Accordingly, the proceeds held in trust could be subject to claims which could take priority over those of the Company’s public shareholders. If the Company is unable to complete a business combination and distribute the proceeds held in trust to the Company’s public shareholders, the Sponsor has agreed (subject to certain exceptions described in Exhibit 10.1 to this registration statement) that it will be liable to ensure that the proceeds in the trust account are not reduced below $10.00 per share by the claims of target businesses or claims of vendors or other entities that are owed money by the Company for services rendered or contracted for or products sold to the Company. However, it may not be able to meet such obligation. Therefore, the per-share distribution from the trust account may be less than $10.00, plus interest, due to such claims.
Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third-party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders could be less than the $10.00 per public share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors. Pursuant to the letter agreement the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, our Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to us (except for the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm), or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or other similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per public share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, we have not asked our Sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our Sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and we believe that our Sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our Sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 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.
The grant of registration rights to our initial shareholders, including the non-managing investors, 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 public shares.
Pursuant to agreements to be entered into on the date of this prospectus, our initial shareholders, non-managing investors and their respective permitted transferees, can demand that we register for resale an
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aggregate of 17,000,000 founder shares (assuming the exercise in full of the over-allotment option by the underwriter), 2,166,670 private placement shares, 3,719,000 private placement warrants (assuming exercise in full of the over-allotment by the underwriter) and underlying securities and securities issued upon conversion of working capital loans, if any. 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 public shares. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the shareholders of the target business may increase the equity stake they seek in the combined entity or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the market price of our public shares that is expected when the securities owned by our initial shareholders or their respective permitted transferees, are registered.
Because we are not limited to any particular business or specific geographic location or any specific target businesses with which to pursue our initial business combination, you will be unable to ascertain the merits or risks of any particular target business’ operations.
Although we intend to focus on the TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable businesses, we may pursue acquisition opportunities in any geographic region and in any business industry or sector. Except for the limitations that a target business has a fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the trust account (less any taxes payable on interest earned) and that we are not permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations, we will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective acquisition candidate. Because we have not yet identified or approached any specific target business with respect to our initial 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 consummate 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 may not properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors or we may not have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business. An investment in our units may not ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in an acquisition target.
The requirement that the target business or businesses that we acquire must collectively have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance of the funds in the trust account (less any taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination may limit the type and number of companies with which we may complete such a business combination.
Pursuant to the Nasdaq listing rules, the target business or businesses that we acquire must collectively have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance of the funds in the trust account (less any taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination. This restriction may limit the type and number of companies with which we may complete an initial business combination. If we are unable to locate a target business or businesses that satisfy this fair market value test, we may be forced to liquidate and you will only be entitled to receive your pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account.
We may seek acquisition opportunities outside the TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable industry, which may be outside of our management’s areas of expertise.
We will consider a business combination outside the TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable industries, which may be outside of our management’s areas of expertise, if a business
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combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive acquisition opportunity for our company. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in any particular business combination target, we may not adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our Class A ordinary shares will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors in this offering than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a business combination target. 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 shareholder who chooses to remain a shareholder following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
Although we 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 specific 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 consummate our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce our initial business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law or the Nasdaq rules, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain shareholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share (whether or not the underwriter’s over- allotment option is exercised in full) or potentially less than $10.00 per share on our redemption, and our warrants will expire worthless.
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.
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 executive officers and directors. 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 and we may not have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.
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We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity, and consequently, an independent source may not confirm that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our shareholders from a financial point of view.
Unless we consummate our initial business combination with an affiliated entity, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that the price we are paying is fair to our shareholders from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our shareholders will be relying on the judgment of our Board of Directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Our Board of Directors will have significant discretion in choosing the standard used to establish the fair market value of the target acquisition. Such standards used will be disclosed in our tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
We may issue additional ordinary or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan upon or after consummation of our initial business combination, which would dilute the interest of our shareholders and likely present other risks.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will authorize the issuance of up to 200,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, 20,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 preference shares, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 175,000,000 and 3,000,000 (assuming that the underwriter has not exercised its over-allotment option and 2,500,000 founder shares have been forfeited, as further described in this prospectus) authorized but unissued Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares, respectively, available for issuance which amount does not take into account shares issuable upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares, if any. The Class B ordinary shares are automatically convertible into Class A ordinary shares 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 in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Immediately after this offering, there will be no preference shares issued and outstanding.
The post-business combination company may issue a substantial number of additional Class A ordinary shares or preference shares to complete its initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of an initial business combination. The post-business combination company may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions as set forth herein. However, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide, among other things, that prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote as a class with our public shares (a) on our initial business combination or on any other proposal presented to shareholders prior to or in connection with the completion of an initial business combination or (b) to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to (x) extend the time we have to consummate a business combination beyond 24 months from the closing of this offering or (y) amend the foregoing provisions. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, like all provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, may be amended with a shareholder vote. The issuance of additional ordinary or preference shares:
| • | may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B ordinary shares resulted in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares; |
| • | may subordinate the rights of holders of Class A ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded to Class A ordinary shares; |
| • | could cause a change in control if a substantial number of Class A ordinary shares are issued, which may affect, among other things, the post-business combination company’s ability to use its net |
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| operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of the post-business combination company’s officers and directors; |
| • | may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of the post-business combination company by diluting the share ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of the post-business combination company; and |
| • | may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our Class A ordinary shares. |
For more information on additional financing that we may raise in connection with our business combination and risks related thereto, also see “— Risks Relating to the Post-Business Combination Company —The post-business combination company may issue shares to investors in connection with our initial business combination at a price which is less than $10.00 or the prevailing market price of our shares at that time, which could dilute the interests of our existing shareholders and add costs” and “— We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete our initial business combination, which may adversely affect our financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our shareholders’ investment in us.”
Resources could be wasted in researching acquisitions that are not consummated, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account.
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 consummate our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share (whether or not the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) or potentially less than $10.00 per share on our redemption, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We may engage in our initial business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our Sponsor, executive officers or directors, which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
We have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, executive officers, security holders or affiliates from having a direct or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. In light of the involvement of our Sponsor, executive officers, directors, and each of their affiliates, with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our Sponsor, executive officers or directors, or any of their affiliates. Our directors also serve as executive officers and board members for other entities. Our Sponsor, executive officers and directors are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to consummate our initial business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, and there have been no 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 our initial business combination as set forth in “Proposed Business—Initial Business Combination—Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of a Business Combination” and such transaction was approved by a majority of our disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity regarding the fairness to our shareholders from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or
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more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our executive officers, directors or existing holders, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the business combination may not be as advantageous to our public shareholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest. Our directors have a fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of our shareholders, whether or not a conflict of interest may exist.
The personal and financial interests of our directors and officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and selecting a target business and completing a business combination. Consequently, our directors’ and officers’ discretion in identifying and selecting a suitable target business may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our shareholders’ best interest. If this were the case, it would be a breach of their fiduciary duties to us as a matter of Cayman Islands law and we or our shareholders might have a claim against such individuals for infringing on our shareholders’ rights. See the section titled “Description of Securities — Certain Differences in Corporate Law — Shareholders’ Suits” for further information on the ability to bring such claims. However, we might not ultimately be successful in any claim we may make against them for such reason.
Since our Sponsor, officers and directors, any other holder of our founder shares and private placement shares, including the advisor and any non-managing investors, will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not consummated (other than with respect to public shares they may acquire during or after this offering), and our executive officers and directors have significant financial interests in our Sponsor, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular acquisition target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
At our formation on May 8, 2024, our Sponsor acquired one Class B ordinary share, or “founder share,” for a purchase price of $0.0001. Subsequently on May 31, 2024, our Sponsor purchased 16,999,999 Class B ordinary shares from us for an aggregate purchase price of $100,000, or $0.00588235 per share, of which up to 2,500,000 founder shares remain subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised during this offering. Following the May 31, 2024 purchase, our Sponsor surrendered 300,000 Class B ordinary shares to us for no consideration, resulting in our Sponsor holding 16,700,000 Class B ordinary shares. On June 6, 2024, we issued 300,000 Class B ordinary shares to an advisor for its consulting services in this offering for a purchase price of $0.01 per share, or an aggregate purchase price of $3,000. The non-managing investors have committed, pursuant to written agreements, to purchase an aggregate of 2,166,670 Class B ordinary shares, or “private placement shares,” from us in a private placement that will close simultaneously with this offering at the price $1.50 per share.
The number of founder shares to be held after this offering is determined based on the expectation that the founder shares together with the private placement shares held by non-managing investors would represent 40% of the outstanding shares (excluding any shares underlying the private placement warrants) upon the completion of this offering. The founder shares and the private placement shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. Drs. Katz and Dinu, who are husband and wife, have a financial interest in an affiliate of our Sponsor, Gig4L, LLC, and the management company, GigManagement, LLC, that is providing us with office space and general and administrative services. Dr. Katz and Dr. Dinu are also managing members of GigManagement, LLC. See “—Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.” In addition, our Sponsor has committed to purchase up to 3,719,000 private placement warrants, for an aggregate purchase price of $58,060 which will be worthless if we do not consummate our initial business combination. The personal and financial interests of our Sponsor, as well as our executive officers and directors with a significant financial interest in our Sponsor, may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination. This risk may become more acute as the end of the completion window nears, which is the deadline for our completion of an initial business combination.
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We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of this offering, and the sale of the private placement shares and private placement warrants, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business, which may have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operations and profitability.
The gross proceeds after this offering, the sale of founder shares to an advisor and the sale of the private placement shares and private placement warrants that we may use to complete our initial business combination will provide us with $253,311,065 (or $290,811,065 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full).
We may effectuate our initial business combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously. 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 consummating 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 consummate business combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to consummate 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 the initial business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.
We may attempt to consummate our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in our initial business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, or at all.
In pursuing our acquisition strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. By definition, very little public information 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 our initial business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, or at all.
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Unlike some blank check companies, we do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it easier for us to consummate our initial business combination with which a substantial majority of our shareholders do not agree.
Since we have no specified percentage threshold for redemption contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, our structure is different in this respect from the structure that has been used by many blank check companies. Historically, blank check companies would not be able to consummate an initial business combination if the holders of such company’s public shares voted against a proposed business combination and elected to redeem more than a specified maximum percentage of the shares sold in such company’s IPO, which percentage threshold was typically between 19.99% and 39.99%. As a result, many blank check companies were unable to complete a business combination because the amount of shares voted by their public shareholders electing redemption exceeded the maximum redemption threshold pursuant to which such company could proceed with its initial business combination. As a result, we may be able to consummate our initial business combination even though a substantial majority of our public shareholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to us or our Sponsor, executive officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates. However, in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon the consummation of our initial business combination. Furthermore, the redemption threshold may be further limited by the terms and conditions of our initial business combination. If too many public shareholders 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 and the related business combination, and instead may search for an alternate business combination.
Provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that relate to our pre-business combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account) may be amended with the approval of holders of at least a majority of our issued and outstanding shares. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our shareholders may not support.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that any of its provisions related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement shares into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public shareholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by special resolution, meaning holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at a shareholder meeting of the company, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our ordinary shares, which are represented in person or by proxy and are voted at a general meeting; provided that the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association governing the appointment of directors prior to our initial business combination and our continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands prior to our initial business combination may only be amended by a special resolution passed by holders representing at least two-thirds of our outstanding Class B ordinary shares. Our initial shareholders, and their permitted transferees, if any, who will collectively beneficially own, on an as-converted basis, 40% of our Class B ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any shares in this offering and that no over-allotment option is exercised by the underwriter), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association which govern our pre-business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete a business combination with which you do not agree. Our shareholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
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If an amendment to any such provision is approved by the requisite shareholder vote, then the corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended. Subsequent to this offering and prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we may not issue additional securities that can vote on amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Our Sponsor, executive officers and directors (and their permitted transferees) will collectively beneficially own approximately 34.1% of our outstanding ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any public units in this offering and that the underwriter does not exercise its over-allotment option), and they may participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose; provided, that, each of them has agreed (and any of their permitted transferees will agree), pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation 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 unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable, if any), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares. Our shareholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, this agreement and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our Sponsor, executive officers, directors or director nominees for any breach of this agreement. As a result, in the event of a breach, our shareholders would need to pursue a shareholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.
We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share (whether or not the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) or potentially less than $10.00 per share on our redemption, and the warrants will expire worthless.
Although we believe that the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants and founder shares, including the interest earned on the proceeds held in the trust account that may be available to us for our initial business combination, will be sufficient to allow us to consummate our initial business combination, because we have not yet identified any prospective target business we cannot ascertain the capital requirements for any particular transaction. If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants and founder shares prove to be insufficient, either because of the size of our initial business combination, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to repurchase for cash a significant number of shares from shareholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial business combination, we may be required to seek additional financing or to abandon the proposed business combination. Financing may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to consummate our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular initial business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share (whether or not the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) or potentially less than $10.00 per share on our redemption, and the warrants will expire worthless. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to consummate our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or shareholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination.
Our initial shareholders will control a substantial interest in us and thus may influence certain actions requiring a shareholder vote.
Upon consummation of our offering, our initial shareholders will own approximately 34.8% of the issued and outstanding shares (assuming that they do not purchase any public units in this offering and that the
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underwriter does not exercise its over-allotment option). None of our Sponsor, executive officers, directors, or any of their affiliates has indicated any intention to purchase public units in this offering or any public units or Class A ordinary shares from persons in the open market or in private transactions. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A ordinary shares. However, our initial shareholders or any of their affiliates could determine in the future to make such purchases in the open market or in private transactions, to the extent permitted by law, in order to influence the vote or magnitude of the number of shareholders seeking to tender their shares to us. Accordingly, they may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
In addition, prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to vote on transferring the Company by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the Company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the company, in each case, as a result of the company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands) and, as a result, our initial shareholders will be able to approve any such proposal without the vote of any other shareholder. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution passed by holders representing at least two-thirds of our outstanding Class B ordinary shares. If our initial shareholders purchase any shares in this offering or if our initial shareholders purchase any additional Class A ordinary shares in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their control. Accordingly, our Sponsor will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our initial business combination. In addition, we have agreed not to enter into a definitive agreement regarding an initial business combination without the prior consent of our Sponsor. In connection with any vote for a proposed business combination our Sponsor, executive officers and directors have agreed to vote the shares held by them immediately before this offering, as well as any Class A ordinary shares acquired in this offering or in the aftermarket in favor of such proposed business combination.
Because we must furnish our shareholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective target businesses.
The United States 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 must be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), or International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, and the historical financial statements must 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 statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and consummate our initial business combination within our 24-month time frame.
Redeeming shareholders may be unable to sell their securities when they wish to in the event that the proposed business combination is not approved.
We will require public shareholders who wish to redeem their public shares in connection with any proposed business combination to comply with the delivery requirements discussed above for redemption. If such proposed business combination is not consummated, we will promptly return such certificates to the tendering public shareholders. Accordingly, investors who attempted to redeem their shares in such a circumstance will be unable to sell their securities after the failed acquisition until we have returned their securities to them. The market price for our public shares may decline during this time and you may not be able to sell your securities when you wish to, even while other shareholders that did not seek redemption may be able to sell their securities.
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Our management team and our Sponsor may make a profit on any initial business combination, even if any public shareholders who did not redeem their shares would experience a loss on that business combination. As a result, the economic interests of our management team and our Sponsor may not fully align with the economic interests of public shareholders.
Like most special purpose acquisition companies, our structure may not fully align the economic interests of our Sponsor and those persons, including certain of our officers and directors, who have interests in our Sponsor with the economic interests of our public shareholders. Upon the closing of this offering, assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option, our Sponsor will have invested in us an aggregate of $158,060 comprised of the $100,000 purchase price for the 16,700,000 founder shares which it holds and the $58,060 purchase price for 3,719,000 private placement warrants. Assuming a trading price of $10.00 per share upon consummation of our initial business combination, the 16,700,000 founder shares held by the Sponsor would have an aggregate implied value of $167,000,000. Even if the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares was as low as $0.0094 per share, the value of the founder shares would be equal to the Sponsor’s aggregate investment in us. As a result, so long as we complete an initial business combination, our Sponsor is likely to be able to recoup its investment in us and make a substantial profit on that investment, even if our public shares lose significant value. Accordingly, our Sponsor and members of our management team who own interests in our Sponsor may have incentives to pursue and consummate an initial business combination quickly, with a risky or not well established target business, and/or on transaction terms favorable to the equityholders of the target business, rather than continue to seek a more favorable business combination transaction that could result in an improved outcome for our public shareholders or liquidate and return all of the cash in the trust to the public shareholders. For the foregoing reasons, you should consider our Sponsor’s and management team’s financial incentive to complete an initial business combination when evaluating whether to invest in this offering and/or redeem your shares prior to or in connection with an initial business combination. The non-managing investors will share in any appreciation of the private placement shares if we successfully complete a business combination. Accordingly, non-managing investors’ interests in the private placement shares owned by them may provide them with an incentive to vote any public shares they own in favor of a business combination, and make a substantial profit on such interests, even if the business combination is with a target that ultimately declines in value and is not profitable for other public shareholders
If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, our public shareholders may be forced to wait beyond such period before redemption from our trust account.
If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering (or any extended period of time that we may have to consummate an initial business combination as a result of an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association), we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten (10) business days thereafter, redeem the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses and which interest shall be net of taxes payable, if any), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law; and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our Board of Directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
If we are required to liquidate prior to distributing the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable, if any, and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) pro rata to our public shareholders, then such winding up, liquidation and distribution must comply with the applicable provisions of the Cayman laws. In that case, investors may be forced to wait beyond 24 months from the closing of this offering before the redemption proceeds of our trust account become available to them, and they receive
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the return of their pro rata portion of the proceeds from our trust account. Except as otherwise described herein, we have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to the date of any redemption required as a result of our failure to consummate our initial business combination within the period described above or our liquidation, unless we consummate our initial business combination prior thereto and only then in cases where investors have sought to redeem their Class A ordinary shares. Only upon any such redemption of public shares as we are required to effect or any liquidation will public shareholders be entitled to distributions if we are unable to complete our initial business combination.
We may be unable to consummate an initial business combination if a target business requires that we have a certain amount of cash at closing, in which case public shareholders may have to remain shareholders of our company and wait until our redemption of the public shares to receive a pro rata share of the trust account or attempt to sell their shares in the open market.
A potential target may make it a closing condition to our initial business combination that we have a certain amount of cash in excess of the $5,000,001 of net tangible assets we are required to have pursuant to our organizational documents available at the time of closing, and thus, increasing the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful. If the number of our public shareholders electing to exercise their redemption rights has the effect of reducing the amount of money available to us to consummate an initial business combination below such minimum amount required by the target business and we are not able to locate an alternative source of funding, we will not be able to consummate such initial business combination and we may not be able to locate another suitable target within the applicable time period, if at all. In that case, public shareholders may have to remain shareholders of our company and wait the full 24 months from the closing of this offering, in order to be able to receive a portion of the trust account, or attempt to sell their shares in the open market prior to such time, in which case they may receive less than they would have in a liquidation of the trust account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your shares in the open market; however, at such time our shares may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in the trust account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with your exercise of redemption rights until we liquidate or you are able to sell your shares in the open market.
Our Sponsor may decide not to extend the term we have to consummate our initial business combination, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, and the warrants will be worthless.
We will have until 24 months from the closing of this offering to consummate our initial business combination. Our shareholders will not be entitled to vote or redeem their shares in connection with any such extension. However, our shareholders will be entitled to vote and redeem their shares in connection with a general meeting held to approve an initial business combination or in a tender offer undertaken in connection with an initial business combination if we propose such a business combination during any extension period. If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within the applicable time period, we will, as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than five business days thereafter, redeem the public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account and as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to possible claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such event, the warrants will be worthless.
If we anticipate that we may be unable to consummate our initial business combination within the 24-month period, we may seek shareholder approval to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the date by which we must consummate our initial business combination. If we seek shareholder approval for an extension and the related amendments are implemented by the directors, holders of Class A ordinary shares will be offered an opportunity to redeem their shares at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned thereon (less
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permitted withdrawals), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law. However, we may decide not to seek to extend the date by which we must consummate our initial business combination. If we do not seek to extend the date by which we must consummate our initial business combination, and we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within the applicable time period, we will, as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account, subject to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
We may seek business combination opportunities with a high degree of complexity that require significant operational improvements, which could delay or prevent us from achieving our desired results.
We may seek business combination opportunities with large, highly complex companies that we believe would benefit from operational improvements. While we intend to implement such improvements, to the extent that our efforts are delayed or we are unable to achieve the desired improvements, the business combination may not be as successful as we anticipate.
To the extent we complete our initial business combination with a large complex business or entity with a complex operating structure, we may also be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine, which could delay or prevent us from implementing our strategy. Although our management team will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business and its operations, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors until we complete our business combination. If we are not able to achieve our desired operational improvements, or the improvements take longer to implement than anticipated, we may not achieve the gains that we anticipate. Furthermore, some of these risks and complexities may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks and complexities will adversely impact a target business. Such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a smaller, less complex organization.
We may not hold an annual meeting of shareholders until after the consummation of our initial business combination.
In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until one year after the first full fiscal year that the company is in existence. As an exempted company, there is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual or shareholder meetings to elect directors. Until we hold an annual meeting of shareholders, public shareholders may not be afforded the opportunity to elect directors and to discuss company affairs with management.
In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and other governing instruments. We may seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or governing instruments in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination that our shareholders may not support.
In order to effectuate a business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and governing instruments. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds, and extended the time to consummate a business combination. Amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will require at least a special resolution of our shareholders as a matter of Cayman Islands law, meaning the approval of holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at a shareholder meeting of the company. In addition, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will require us to provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash if we implement, following the approval of the shareholders, an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed or repurchased in connection with our initial
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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 the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares. To the extent any of such amendments would be deemed to fundamentally change the nature of the securities offered hereby, we would register, or seek an exemption from registration for, the affected securities. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our charter or governing instruments or extend the time to consummate an initial business combination in order to effectuate our initial business combination.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, 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 shareholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy 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 shareholders and the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy 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 shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
Holders of Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on any appointment of directors we hold prior to the completion of our initial business combination and will also not be able to vote on our continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands prior to our initial business combination.
Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares and private placement shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such time. Accordingly, you may not have any say in the management of our company prior to the consummation of an initial business combination.
Further, prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to vote on transferring the Company by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the Company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the company, in each case, as a result of the company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands) and, as a result, our initial shareholders will be able to approve any such proposal without the vote of any other shareholder.
The provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association governing the appointment of directors prior to our initial business combination and our continuation in a jurisdiction outside
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the Cayman Islands prior to our initial business combination may only be amended by a special resolution passed by holders representing at least two-thirds of our outstanding Class B ordinary shares.
We may not be able to complete a business combination with certain potential target companies if a proposed transaction with the target company may be subject to review or approval by regulatory authorities pursuant to certain U.S. or foreign laws or regulations.
Our Sponsor is a Cayman Islands exempted company. Our Sponsor currently owns 16,700,000 founder shares (of which, 2,500,000 are subject to forfeiture if the underwriter does not exercise its over-allotment option). Our Sponsor is governed by a board of directors consisting of two directors, Avi S. Katz and Raluca Dinu, who are U.S. citizens. As such, Drs. Katz and Dinu have voting and investment discretion with respect to the securities held of record by the Sponsor and may be deemed to have shared beneficial ownership of the securities held directly by the Sponsor. The Sponsor is not “controlled” (as defined in 31 CFR 800.208) by a foreign person, such that the Sponsor’s involvement in any business combination would be a “covered transaction” (as defined in 31 CFR 800.213). However, it is possible that non-U.S. persons could be involved in our business combination, which may increase the risk that our business combination becomes subject to regulatory review, including review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”), and that restrictions, limitations or conditions will be imposed by CFIUS. If our business combination with a U.S. business is subject to CFIUS review, the scope of which was expanded by FIRRMA, to include certain non-passive, non-controlling investments in sensitive U.S. businesses and certain acquisitions of real estate even with no underlying U.S. business. FIRRMA, and subsequent implementing regulations that are now in force, also subjects certain categories of investments to mandatory filings. If our potential business combination with a U.S. business falls within CFIUS’s jurisdiction, we may determine that we are required to make a mandatory filing or that we will submit a voluntary notice to CFIUS, or to proceed with a business combination without notifying CFIUS and risk CFIUS intervention, before or after closing a business combination. CFIUS may decide to block or delay our business combination, impose conditions to mitigate national security concerns with respect to such business combination or order us to divest all or a portion of a U.S. business of the combined company without first obtaining CFIUS clearance, which may limit the attractiveness of or prevent us from pursuing certain initial business combination opportunities that we believe would otherwise be beneficial to us and our shareholders. As a result, the pool of potential targets with which we could complete a business combination may be limited and we may be adversely affected in terms of competing with other special purpose acquisition companies which do not have similar foreign ownership issues. A failure to notify CFIUS of a transaction where such notification was required or otherwise warranted based on the national security considerations presented by an investment target may expose our Sponsor and/or the combined company to legal penalties, costs, and/or other adverse reputational and financial effects, thus potentially diminishing the value of the combined company. In addition, CFIUS is actively pursuing transactions that were not notified to it and may ask questions regarding, or impose restrictions or mitigation on, a business combination post-closing.
Moreover, the process of government review, whether by the CFIUS or otherwise, could be lengthy and we have limited time to complete our business combination. If we cannot complete a business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering because the transaction is still under review or because our business combination is ultimately prohibited by CFIUS or another U.S. government entity, we may be required to liquidate, and the warrants of the Company will expire worthless. If we liquidate, shareholders of record may only receive their pro rata portion of funds available in the trust account. This will also cause you to lose the investment opportunity in a target company and the chance of realizing future gains on your investment through any price appreciation in the combined company.
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Risks Relating to the Post-Business Combination Company
Subsequent to our consummation of our initial business combination, we may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, or we may be subject to 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 public shares, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
Even if we conduct thorough due diligence on a target business with which we combine, this diligence may not surface all material issues that may be present inside a particular target business. Factors outside of the target business and outside of our control may, at any time, 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 holders who choose to retain their securities following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
Our management team and our shareholders may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination.
We may structure our initial business combination to acquire less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business, but we will only consummate such business combination if we become the majority shareholder of the target (or control the target through contractual arrangements in limited circumstances for regulatory compliance purposes) or are otherwise not required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even though we may own a majority interest in the target, our shareholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination 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. In this case, we acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority shareholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger share of the company’s stock than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that we will not be able to maintain our control of the post-transaction company.
Transactions in connection with or in anticipation of our initial business combination and our structure thereafter may not be tax-efficient to our shareholders and warrant holders. As a result of our initial business combination, our tax obligations may be more complex, burdensome and uncertain.
Although we will attempt to structure transactions in connection with our initial business combination in a tax-efficient manner, tax structuring considerations are complex, the relevant facts and law are uncertain and may change, and we may prioritize commercial and other considerations over tax considerations. For example, in anticipation of or as a result of our initial business combination, we may enter into one or more transactions that require shareholders and/or warrant holders to recognize gain or income for tax purposes or otherwise increase their tax burden without prior notice to or approval from our shareholders and warrant holders. We do not intend to make any cash distributions to shareholders or warrant holders to pay taxes in connection with our business
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combination or thereafter. Accordingly, a shareholder or a warrant holder may be required to satisfy any liability resulting from any such transactions with cash from its own funds or by selling all or a portion of such holder’s shares or public warrants.
Furthermore, we will likely effect a business combination with a target company that has business operations outside of the Cayman Islands and, possibly, business operations in multiple jurisdictions, and we may reincorporate in a different jurisdiction in connection therewith (including, but not limited to, the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located). For example, in anticipation of engaging in a business combination with certain target companies, we may unilaterally convert into a U.S. company without notice pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles, even if such a business combination ultimately is not achieved. If we effect any such transaction, including such a conversion, we could be subject to significant income, withholding and other tax obligations in a number of jurisdictions with respect to income, operations and subsidiaries related to those jurisdictions. Due to the complexity of tax obligations and filings in many jurisdictions, we may have a heightened risk related to audits or examinations by taxing authorities. This additional complexity and risk could have an adverse effect on our after-tax profitability and financial condition. In addition, shareholders and warrant holders may be subject to additional income, withholding or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after any such transaction.
After our initial business combination, substantially all of our assets may be located in a foreign country and substantially all of our revenue will be derived from our operations in such country. Accordingly, our results of operations and prospects will be subject, to a significant extent, to the economic, political and legal policies, developments and conditions in the country in which we operate.
The economic, political and social conditions, as well as government policies, of the country in which our operations are located could affect our business. Economic growth could be uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy and such growth may not be sustained in the future. If in the future such country’s economy experiences a downturn or grows at a slower rate than expected, there may be less demand for spending in certain industries. A decrease in demand for spending in certain industries could materially and adversely affect our ability to find an attractive target business with which to consummate our initial business combination and if we effect our initial business combination, the ability of that target business to become profitable.
The post-business combination company may issue shares to investors in connection with our initial business combination at a price which is less than $10.00 or the prevailing market price of our shares at that time, which could dilute the interests of our existing shareholders and add costs.
In connection with our initial business combination, the post-business combination company may issue shares to investors in private placement transactions (so-called PIPE transactions) in order to complete an initial business combination and provide sufficient liquidity and capital to the post-business combination entity. The price of the shares so issued in connection with an initial business combination may be less, and potentially significantly less, than $10.00 per share or the market price for our shares at such time. Any such issuances of equity securities at a price that is less than $10.00 or the prevailing market price of our shares at that time could be structured to ensure a return on investment to the investors and could dilute the interests of our existing shareholders in a manner that would not ordinarily occur in a traditional initial public offering and could result in both a reduction in the trading price of our shares to the price at which the post-business combination company issues such equity securities and fluctuations in the net tangible book value per share of the combined company’s securities following the completion of our initial business combination. The post-business combination company may also provide price protection or other incentives, or issue convertible securities such as preferred equity or convertible debt, and the exercise or conversion price of those securities may be fixed or adjustable, and may be less, and potentially significantly less, than $10.00 per share or the market price for our shares at such time. Such issuances could also result in additional transaction costs related to our initial business combination compared to a traditional initial public offering, including the placement fees associated with the engagement of a placement agent in connection with PIPE transactions.
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Risks Relating to Our Management Team
Our officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Our officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for a business combination and their other businesses. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our officers is engaged in several other business endeavors, including but not limited to new and existing Private-to-Public Equity (PPE) companies, for which they may be entitled to substantial compensation and our officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. In particular, certain of our officers and directors provide services to affiliates of our Sponsor. In particular, certain of our officers and directors serve as officers or directors of UpHealth, Inc. and QT Imaging Holdings, Inc. Our independent directors also serve as officers or board members for other entities. If our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination. For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs, please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Management—Directors and Officers.”
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be largely dependent upon the efforts of our executive officers and directors, some of whom may join the post-transaction company following our initial business combination. The loss of our executive officers or directors could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our business.
Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and, in particular, our executive officers and directors. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our executive officers and directors, at least until we have consummated our initial business combination. In addition, our executive officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our directors or executive officers. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or executive officers could have a detrimental effect on us. Additionally, we do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the consummation of our initial business combination.
The role of such persons in the target business following a business combination, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of such persons may remain with the post-transaction company in senior management or advisory positions following our initial business combination, it is likely that some or all of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after our initial business combination, our assessment of these individuals may not prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements.
We 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’ 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
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management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to retain their securities following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
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, including other blank check companies, and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time and determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
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, and may in the future become, affiliated with entities that are engaged in a similar business. In addition, our Sponsor, officers and directors may participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, our Sponsor, officers or directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company, or operating company, with which they may become involved. Any of such companies may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target.
Our officers and directors also may become aware of business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us and the other entities to which they owe certain fiduciary or contractual duties.
Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association 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.
For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest that you should be aware of, please see the sections of this prospectus entitled “Management—Directors and Officers,” “Management—Conflicts of Interest” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”
Management’s flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective acquisition candidate, along with our management’s financial interest in consummating our initial business combination, may lead management to enter into an acquisition agreement that is not in the best interest of our shareholders.
Subject to the requirement that our initial business combination must be with one or more target businesses or assets having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the trust account (less any taxes, if any, payable on interest earned) at the time of the agreement to enter into such initial business combination, we will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective acquisition candidate. Investors will be relying on management’s ability to identify business combinations, evaluate their merits, conduct or monitor diligence and conduct negotiations. Management’s flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective acquisition candidate, along with management’s financial interest in consummating our initial business combination, may lead management to enter into an acquisition agreement that is not in the best interest of our shareholders.
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Our executive officers and directors 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 a particular business combination is the most advantageous.
Our executive officers and directors may be able to remain with the post-transaction company after the consummation 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 consummation of the business combination. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business. Moreover, there is no certainty that any of our executive officers or directors will remain with the post-transaction company after the consummation of our initial business combination. Our executive officers and directors may not remain in senior management or advisory positions with the post-transaction company. The determination as to whether any of our executive officers and directors will remain with the post-transaction company will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
The officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon consummation of our initial business combination. The loss of an acquisition target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
The role of an acquisition target’s key personnel upon the consummation 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 post-transaction company following our initial business combination, it is possible that some members of the management team of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place.
Past performance by our management team may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in the Company.
Information regarding performance by, or businesses associated with, our management team and their affiliates, including GIG1, GIG2, GIG3, GIG4 and GIG5, is presented for informational purposes only. Past performance by our management team, including with respect to GIG1, GIG2, GIG3, GIG4, and GIG5, is not a guarantee either (i) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (ii) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team’s performance as indicative of our future performance of an investment in the company or the returns the company will, or is likely to, generate going forward.
Members of our management team and board of directors have significant experience as founders, board members, officers or executives of other companies. As a result, certain of those persons have been, may be, or may become, involved in proceedings, investigations and litigation relating to the business affairs of the companies with which they were, are, or may in the future be, affiliated. This may have an adverse effect on us, which may impede our ability to consummate an initial business combination.
During the course of their careers, members of our management team and board of directors have had significant experience as founders, board members, officers or executives of other companies. As a result of their involvement and positions in these companies, certain persons were, are now, or may in the future become, involved in litigation, investigations or other proceedings relating to the business affairs of such companies or transactions entered into by such companies. Individual members of our management team and board of directors also may become involved in litigation, investigations or other proceedings involving claims or allegations related to or as a result of their personal conduct, either in their capacity as a corporate officer or director or otherwise, and may be personally named in such actions and potentially subject to personal liability. Any such
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liability may or may not be covered by insurance and/or indemnification, depending on the facts and circumstances. The defense or prosecution of these matters could be time-consuming. Any such litigation, investigations or other proceedings may divert our management team’s and directors’ attention and resources away from identifying and selecting a target business or businesses for our initial business combination and may negatively affect our reputation, which may impede our ability to complete an initial business combination.
Changes in the market for directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate and complete an initial business combination.
The market for directors and officers liability insurance for special purpose acquisition companies has changed in ways adverse to us and our management team. Fewer insurance companies are offering quotes for directors and officers liability coverage, the premiums charged for such policies have generally increased and the terms of such policies have generally become less favorable. These trends may continue into the future.
The increased cost and decreased availability of directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate an initial business combination. In order to obtain directors and officers liability insurance or modify its coverage as a result of becoming a public company, the post-business combination entity might need to incur greater expense, accept less favorable terms or both. However, any failure to obtain adequate directors and officers liability insurance could have an adverse impact on the post-business combination’s ability to attract and retain qualified officers and directors.
In addition, even after we were to complete an initial business combination, our directors and officers could still be subject to potential liability from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to the initial business combination. As a result, in order to protect our directors and officers, the post-business combination entity may need to purchase additional insurance with respect to any such claims (“run-off insurance”). The need for run-off insurance would be an added expense for the post-business combination entity, and could interfere with or frustrate our ability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors.
Our letter agreement with our Sponsor, officers, directors and advisors may be amended without shareholder approval.
Our letter agreement with our Sponsor, officers and directors contains provisions relating to transfer restrictions of our founder shares, indemnification of the trust account, waiver of redemption rights and participation in liquidating distributions from the trust account. The letter agreement may be amended without shareholder approval with our written consent as well as the written consent of the Sponsor and our directors and officers to the extent they are the subject of any change, amendment, modification or waiver to the letter agreement. The written consent of EF Hutton will also be required for an amendment of a provision of the letter agreement that subjects the Sponsor and our directors and officers to certain of the restrictions included in the underwriting agreement and pursuant to which the Sponsor and our officers and directors agree that, for a period of 180 days from the date of this prospectus, they will not, without the prior written consent of EF Hutton, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, Class A ordinary shares or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, Class A ordinary shares (for more information, also see “Underwriting—Contractual Transfer Restrictions”). While we do not expect our board to approve any amendment to the letter agreement prior to our initial business combination, it may be possible that our board, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to the letter agreement. Any such amendments to the letter agreement would not require approval from our shareholders and may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities.
After our initial business combination, it is possible that a majority of our directors and officers will live outside the United States and all of our assets will be located outside the United States; therefore investors may not be able to enforce federal securities laws or their other legal rights.
It is possible that after our initial business combination, a majority of our directors and officers will reside outside of the United States and all of our assets will be located outside of the United States. As a result, it may
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be difficult, or in some cases not possible, for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights, to effect service of process upon all of our directors or officers or to enforce judgments of United States courts predicated upon civil liabilities and criminal penalties on our directors and officers under United States laws.
In particular, there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Cayman Islands or any other applicable jurisdictions would recognize and enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained against us or our directors or officers predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States or entertain original actions brought in the Cayman Islands or any other applicable jurisdiction’s courts against us or our directors or officers predicated upon the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States. For a more detailed discussion, see the section of this prospectus captioned “Description of Securities — Certain Differences in Corporate Law.”
Risks Relating to Our Securities
The securities in which we invest the funds held in the trust account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share.
The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act, which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. While short-term U.S. government treasury obligations currently yield a positive rate of interest, they have briefly yielded negative interest rates in recent years. Central banks in Europe and Japan pursued interest rates below zero in recent years, and the Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve has not ruled out the possibility that it may in the future adopt similar policies in the United States. In the event that we are unable to complete our initial business combination or make certain amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, our public shareholders are entitled to receive their pro-rata share of the proceeds held in the trust account, plus any interest income, net of taxes paid or payable (less, in the case we are unable to complete our initial business combination, $100,000 of interest). Negative interest rates could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share.
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, potentially at a loss.
Our public shareholders shall be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only (i) in the event of a redemption to public shareholders prior to any winding up in the event we do not consummate our initial business combination or our liquidation, (ii) if they redeem their shares in connection with an initial business combination that we consummate or, (iii) if they redeem their shares in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to 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 our pre-business combination activity and related shareholders’ rights. In no other circumstances will a shareholder have any right or interest of any kind to the funds in the trust account. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your securities, potentially at a loss.
Nasdaq may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
We have applied to have our public units listed on Nasdaq. We expect that our public units will be listed on Nasdaq on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. Following the date our Class A ordinary shares and rights are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that our Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be
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separately listed on Nasdaq. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq. Although after giving effect to this offering, we expect to meet, on a pro forma basis, the minimum initial listing standards set forth in the Nasdaq listing standards, we cannot assure you that our securities will be, or will continue to be, listed on Nasdaq in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on Nasdaq prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and share price levels. Generally, following our initial public offering, we must maintain a minimum market value of listed securities (generally $50,000,000) and a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 400 public holders). Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with Nasdaq’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on Nasdaq. For instance, unless we decide to list on a different Nasdaq tier, such as the Nasdaq Capital Market which has different initial listing requirements, our share price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share and we would be required to have a minimum of 400 round lot holders of our securities. We may not be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.
If Nasdaq delists our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list our securities on another national securities exchange, we expect our securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:
| • | a limited availability of market quotations for our securities; |
| • | reduced liquidity for our securities; |
| • | a determination that our Class A ordinary shares is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A ordinary shares to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities; |
| • | a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and |
| • | a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future. |
The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because we expect that our units and eventually our Class A ordinary shares and rights will be listed on Nasdaq, our units, Class A ordinary shares, and rights will be covered securities. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the State of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on Nasdaq, our securities would not be covered securities and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities, including in connection with our initial business combination.
Purchases of public shares in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions by our Sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may make it difficult for us to maintain the listing of our public shares on Nasdaq following the consummation of an initial business combination.
If our Sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase public shares in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions, the public “float” of our public shares and the number of beneficial holders of our securities would both be reduced, possibly making it difficult to maintain the listing or trading of our securities on Nasdaq following consummation of the initial business combination. Additionally, at any time at or prior to the completion of our initial business combination, subject to applicable securities laws (including with respect to material nonpublic information), our initial shareholders, directors, executive officers, advisors or
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their affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire public shares or not redeem their public shares. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgment that such shareholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights or submitted a proxy to vote against our initial business combination, such selling shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares and any proxy to vote against our initial business combination. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will be required to comply with such rules. It is intended that, if Rule 10b-18 would apply to purchases by our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates, then such purchases will comply with Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act, to the extent it applies, which provides a safe harbor for purchases made under certain conditions, including with respect to timing, pricing and volume of purchases.
There is no limit on the number of shares our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and Nasdaq rules. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds held in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares 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 not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act.
The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to (i) increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of the business combination or (ii) to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of the business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. Any such transactions may result in the completion of our business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our securities may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
Our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and/or their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the shareholders with whom our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may pursue privately negotiated purchases by either the shareholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by shareholders (holding Class A ordinary shares) following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates enter into a private purchase, they would identify and contact only potential selling shareholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against our initial business combination, whether or not such shareholder has already submitted a proxy with respect to our initial business combination but only if such shares have not already been voted at the general meeting related to our initial business combination. Our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates will select which shareholders to purchase shares from based on the negotiated price and number of shares and any other factors that they may deem relevant, and will only purchase shares if such purchases comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.
Any purchases by our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and/or their affiliates who are affiliated purchasers under Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act will only be made to the extent such purchases are able to be made in compliance with Rule 10b-18, which is a safe harbor from liability for manipulation under Section 9(a)(2) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Rule 10b-18 has certain technical requirements that must be
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complied with in order for the safe harbor to be available to the purchaser. Our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and/or their affiliates will be subject to restrictions in making purchases of ordinary shares if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements.
Additionally, in the event our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates were to purchase public shares from public shareholders, such purchases would be structured in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act including, in pertinent part, through adherence to the following:
| • | Our registration statement/proxy statement filed for our business combination transaction would disclose the possibility that our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates may purchase public shares from public shareholders outside the redemption process, along with the purpose of such purchases; |
| • | if our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates were to purchase public shares from public shareholders, they would do so at a price no higher than the price offered through our redemption process; |
| • | our registration statement/proxy statement filed for our business combination transaction would include a representation that any of our securities purchased by our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction; |
| • | our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates would not possess any redemption rights with respect to our securities or, if they do acquire and possess redemption rights, they would waive such rights; and |
| • | we would disclose in a Form 8-K, before our security holder meeting to approve the business combination transaction, the following material items: |
| • | the amount of our securities purchased outside of the redemption offer by our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates, along with the purchase price; |
| • | the purpose of the purchases by our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates; |
| • | the impact, if any, of the purchases by our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates on the likelihood that the business combination transaction will be approved; |
| • | the identities of our security holders who sold to our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates (if not purchased on the open market) or the nature of our security holders (e.g., 5% security holders) who sold to our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates; and |
| • | the number of our securities for which we have received redemption requests pursuant to our redemption offer. |
Since only holders of our founder shares and private placement shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors prior to our initial business combination, Nasdaq may consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq’s rules and, as a result, we may qualify for exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements that would otherwise provide protection to shareholders of other companies.
After completion of this offering, only holders of our founder shares and private placement shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors. As a result, Nasdaq may consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq’s corporate governance standards. Under Nasdaq corporate governance
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standards, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power for the election of directors is held by an individual, a group or another company is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including the requirements that:
| • | we have a board that includes a majority of “independent directors,” as defined under Nasdaq rules; |
| • | we have a compensation committee of our board that is comprised entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities; and |
| • | we have independent director oversight of our director nominations. |
We do not intend to utilize these exemptions and intend to comply with the corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq, subject to applicable phase-in rules. However, if we determine in the future to utilize some or all of these exemptions, you will not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of Nasdaq’s corporate governance requirements.
Because our Sponsor paid an aggregate of $100,000, or $0.00588235 per founder share (assuming the full exercise of the over-allotment option), our advisor paid an aggregate of $3,000, or $0.01 per founder share, and, prior to the consummation of this offering, certain non-managing investors will purchase 2,166,670 private placement shares, or $1.50 per share, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our public shares.
The difference between the public offering price per share (allocating the entire unit purchase price to the public shares and none to the warrants included in the public units) and the pro forma net tangible book value per public share after this offering constitutes the dilution to you and the other investors in this offering. Our Sponsor and advisor acquired the founder shares at a nominal price and non-managing investors purchased private placement shares at $1.50 per share, contributing to this dilution. Upon closing of this offering, you and the other public shareholders will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 101.3% or $10.13 per Class A ordinary share (the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value of $(0.13) per share and the initial offering price of $10.00 per Class A ordinary share).
The non-managing investors have expressed an interest to purchase substantially all of the public units in this offering, which could reduce the trading volume, volatility and liquidity for our public shares, adversely affect the trading price of our public shares.
The non-managing investors have expressed to us an interest in purchasing up to an aggregate of approximately 24.75 million of public units in this offering at the offering price (assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option). None of the non-managing investors has expressed to us an interest in purchasing more than 9.9% of the public units to be sold in this offering. Because these expressions of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase, each of the non-managing investors may determine to purchase fewer or no public units in this offering or the underwriter may determine to sell fewer or no public units to the non-managing investors. Depending on how many public units are purchased by the non-managing investors, the post-offering trading volume, volatility and liquidity of our securities may be reduced relative to what they would have been had the public units been more widely offered and sold to other public investors. We do not expect any purchase of public units by the non-managing investors to negatively impact our ability to meet Nasdaq listing eligibility requirements
Although we have no knowledge of any affiliation or other agreement or arrangement, as to voting of our securities or otherwise, among the non-managing investors, if such investors all elect to purchase the full amount of our public units described herein and so long as they hold a substantial portion of the public units purchased, the Sponsor and the non-managing investors would collectively own a significant number of our shares. Therefore, in the event that the nonmanaging investors purchase the full amount of public units described herein,continue to hold the shares included in the public units and individually decide to vote such shares in favor of our initial business combination, we would not need any additional public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of our initial business combination to have our initial business combination approved.
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The nominal purchase price paid by our Sponsor and advisor for the founder shares and paid by non-managing investors for private placement shares may result in significant dilution to the implied value of your public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination.
We are offering our units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit and the amount deposited in our trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share, implying an initial value of $10.00 per public share. However, at our formation on May 8, 2024, our Sponsor acquired one Class B ordinary share, or “founder share,” for a purchase price of $0.0001. Subsequently on May 31, 2024, our Sponsor purchased 16,999,999 Class B ordinary shares from us for an aggregate purchase price of $100,000, or $0.00588235 per share, of which up to 2,500,000 founder shares remain subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised during this offering. Following the May 31, 2024 purchase, our Sponsor surrendered 300,000 Class B ordinary shares to us for no consideration, resulting in our Sponsor holding 16,700,000 Class B ordinary shares. On June 6, 2024, we issued 300,000 Class B ordinary shares to an advisor for its consulting services in this offering for a purchase price of $0.01 per share, or an aggregate purchase price of $3,000. Certain non-managing investors have committed, pursuant to written agreements, to purchase an aggregate of 2,166,670 private placement shares from us in a private placement that will close simultaneously with this offering at the price $1.50 per share. As a result, the value of your public shares may be significantly diluted upon the consummation of our initial business combination, when the founder shares are converted into public shares. For example, the following table shows the dilutive effect of the founder shares on the implied value of the public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination, assuming that our equity value at that time is $250,000,000, which is the amount in cash we would have for our initial business combination in the trust account, assuming the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised, no interest is earned on the funds held in the trust account, and no public shares are redeemed in connection with our initial business combination, and without taking into account any other potential impacts on our valuation at such time, such as the trading price of our public shares, the business combination transaction costs, any equity issued or cash paid to the target’s equityholders or other third parties, or the target’s business itself, including its assets, liabilities, management and prospects, or the impact of our public warrants and the private placement warrants. At such valuation, our Class A ordinary shares would have an implied value of $6.00 per share upon consummation of our initial business combination, which would be a 40.0% decrease as compared to the initial implied value per public share of $10.00 (the price per unit in this offering, assuming no value is ascribed to the public warrants).
| Public shares |
25,000,000 | |||
| Founder shares(1) |
14,500,000 | |||
| Private Placement Shares |
2,166,670 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Total shares |
41,666,670 | |||
| Total funds in trust available for initial business combination |
$ | 250,000,000 | ||
| Initial implied value per public share |
$ | 10.00 | ||
| Implied value per share upon consummation of initial business combination |
$ | 6.00 |
| (1) | Assumes that the over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of 2,500,000 founder shares have been forfeited by our Sponsor as a result thereof. |
This dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the founder shares result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the founder shares at the time of our initial business combination and would become exacerbated to the extent that public shareholders seek redemptions from the trust for their public shares. In addition, because of the anti-dilution protection in the founder shares, any equity or equity-linked securities issued in connection with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our Class A ordinary shares.
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We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders with the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants.
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 will provide 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. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the 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 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, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of warrant shares issuable upon exercise of a warrant.
Our warrants may have an adverse effect on the market price of our public shares and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.
We will be issuing warrants to purchase 18,750,000 shares of our Class A ordinary shares (or up to 21,562,500 shares if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) as part of the public units offered by this prospectus, and private placement warrants to purchase 3,719,000 shares of our Class A ordinary shares as part of a private placement. In each case, the warrants are exercisable at a price of $11.50. In addition, if the Sponsor makes any working capital loans, it may convert those loans into up to an additional 1,500,000 private placement warrants, at the price of $1.00 per warrant. To the extent we issue ordinary shares to effectuate a business transaction, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of these warrants could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Any such issuance will increase the number of issued and outstanding ordinary shares and reduce the value of the Class A ordinary shares issued to complete the business transaction. Therefore, our warrants may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
Our management’s ability to require holders of our warrants to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis will cause holders to receive fewer Class A ordinary shares upon their exercise of the warrants than they would have received had they been able to exercise their warrants for cash.
If we call our public warrants for redemption after the redemption criteria described elsewhere in this prospectus have been satisfied, our management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise his warrants (including any warrants held by our Sponsor, executive officers and directors, or any of their permitted transferees) to do so on a “cashless basis.” If our management chooses to require holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, the number of warrant shares received by a holder upon exercise will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised his warrants for cash. This will have the effect of reducing the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company.
Holders of warrants will not participate in liquidating distributions if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the required time period.
If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the required time period and we liquidate the funds held in the trust account, the warrants will expire and holders will not receive any of such proceeds with respect to the warrants. In this case, holders of warrants are treated in the same manner as holders of warrants of blank check companies whose units are comprised of shares and warrants, as the warrants in those companies do not participate in liquidating distribution. Nevertheless, holders of public units may have a financial incentive to vote in favor of any proposed initial business combination as each whole warrant would entitle the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share, resulting in an increase in their overall economic stake in our company. If a business combination is not approved, the warrants will expire and will be worthless.
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Our warrant agreement will designate the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our warrant agreement will provide that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum. With respect to any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, we note, however, that there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce this provision and that investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for state and federal courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.
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 of the forum provisions of our warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”) in the name of any holder of our warrants, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.
This choice-of-forum provision may limit a warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our warrant agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.
A provision of our warrant agreement may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
Unlike most blank check companies, if
| • | we issue additional ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share, |
| • | the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 65% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and |
| • | the Market Value is below $9.20 per share, |
then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the price at which we issue the additional ordinary shares or equity-linked securities. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.
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Certain of our warrants are expected to be accounted for as a warrant liability 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 public shares or may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
Following the consummation of the concurrent private placement of warrants, our Sponsor will hold 3,719,000 private placement warrants. We expect to account for these private placement warrants as a warrant liability at fair value upon issuance and any subsequent changes in fair value each reporting period will be reported in earnings. The impact of changes in fair value on earnings may have an adverse effect on the market price of our public shares. In addition, potential targets may seek a SPAC that does not have warrants that are accounted for as a warrant liability, which may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.
If we do not maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the warrant shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, public holders will only be able to exercise such warrants on a “cashless basis” which would result in a fewer number of shares being issued to the holder had such holder exercised the warrants for cash.
If we do not maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the warrant shares issuable upon exercise of the public warrants at the time that holders wish to exercise such warrants, they will only be able to exercise them on a “cashless basis” provided that an exemption from registration is available. As a result, the number of warrant shares that a holder will receive upon exercise of its public warrants will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised its warrant for cash. Further, if an exemption from registration is not available, holders would not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis and would only be able to exercise their warrants for cash if a current and effective prospectus relating to the warrant issuable upon exercise of the warrants is available. Under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement for the registration under the Securities Act of the warrant shares and thereafter use its best efforts to cause the registration statement to become effective and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement until the expiration of the warrants. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to do so. If we are unable to do so, the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company may be reduced or the warrants may expire worthless. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under the Securities Act or applicable state securities laws. If the issuance of the warrant shares upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrants shall not be entitled to exercise such warrants and such warrants may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the Class A ordinary shares included in the public units. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the private placement warrants may be exercisable for unregistered warrant shares for cash even if the prospectus relating to the warrant shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not current and effective.
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.
Prior to this offering there has been no public market for any of our securities. The public offering price of the public units and the terms of the warrants were negotiated between us and the underwriter. In determining the size of this offering, management held customary organizational meetings with representative of the underwriter, both prior to our inception and thereafter, with respect to the state of capital markets, generally, and the amount the underwriter believed it reasonably could raise on our behalf. Factors considered in determining the size of this offering, prices and terms of the public units, including the Class A ordinary shares and warrants underlying the public units, include:
| • | the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies; |
| • | prior offerings of those companies; |
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| • | our prospects for acquiring an operating business at attractive values; |
| • | a review of debt-to-equity ratios in leveraged transactions; |
| • | our capital structure; |
| • | an assessment of our management and their experience in identifying operating companies; |
| • | general conditions of the securities markets at the time of this offering; and |
| • | other factors as were deemed relevant. |
Although these factors were considered, the determination of our offering 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.
Although we have applied to list our securities on Nasdaq, as of the date of this prospectus there is currently no market for our securities. Prospective shareholders therefore have no access to information about prior market history on which to base their investment decision. Following this offering, the price of our securities may vary significantly due to one or more potential business combinations and general market or economic conditions. Once listed on Nasdaq, an active trading market for our securities may never develop or, if developed, it may not be sustained. Additionally, if our securities become delisted from Nasdaq for any reason, and are quoted on the OTC Pink Sheets, an inter-dealer automated quotation system for equity securities not listed on a national exchange, the liquidity and price of our securities may be more limited than if we were listed on Nasdaq or another national exchange. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market can be established and sustained.
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. The purpose of such issuances will 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.
An investment in our securities, and certain subsequent transactions with respect to our securities, may result in uncertain or adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences for an investor.
An investment in our securities, and certain subsequent transactions with respect to our securities, may result in uncertain or adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences for an investor. For instance, because there is no authority that directly addresses the U.S. federal income tax implications of instruments similar to the public units we are issuing in this offering, the allocation an investor makes of the purchase price of a public unit between the Class A ordinary share and the public warrants included in each unit could be challenged by the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) or the courts. Furthermore, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of a cashless exercise of public warrants is unclear under current law. Additionally, it is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to our Class A ordinary shares suspend the running of a U.S. Holder’s (as defined in the section captioned “Taxation—Material United States Federal Income Tax Considerations—U.S. Holders” below) holding period for purposes of determining whether any gain or loss realized by such holder on the sale or exchange of Class A ordinary shares is long-term capital gain or loss and for determining whether any dividend we pay would be eligible for favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment. See “Taxation—Material United States
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Federal Income Tax Considerations” below for a summary of the principal U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in our securities. Each prospective investor is urged to consult with and rely solely upon its own tax advisors with respect to these and other tax consequences when purchasing, holding or disposing of our securities.
Whether a redemption of Class A ordinary shares will be treated as a sale of such Class A ordinary shares for U.S. federal income tax purposes will depend on a shareholder’s specific facts.
The U.S. federal income tax treatment of a redemption of Class A ordinary shares will depend on whether the redemption qualifies as a sale of such Class A ordinary shares under Section 302(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), which will depend largely on the total number of our shares treated as held by the shareholder electing to redeem Class A ordinary shares (including any shares constructively owned by the holder as a result of owning private placement warrants or public warrants or otherwise) relative to all of our shares outstanding both before and after the redemption. If such redemption is not treated as a sale of Class A ordinary shares for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the redemption will instead be treated as a corporate distribution of cash from us. For more information about the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the redemption of Class A ordinary shares, see the sections entitled “Taxation—Material United States Federal Income Tax Considerations—U.S. Holders—Redemption or Repurchase of Class A Ordinary Shares” or “Taxation—Material United States Federal Income Tax Considerations—Non-U.S. Holders,” as applicable.
We are likely to be treated as a passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”), which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors.
If we are treated as a PFIC for any taxable year in which a U.S. Holder holds our Class A ordinary shares or warrants (regardless of whether we remain a PFIC for subsequent taxable years), such U.S. Holder may be subject to certain adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences and may be subject to additional reporting requirements. Our PFIC status for our current and subsequent taxable years may depend on, among other things, the timing of our business combination, the amount of our passive income and assets in the year of the business combination, whether we combine with a U.S. or non-U.S. target company, and the amount of passive income and assets of the acquired business. Our actual PFIC status for our current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year. However, we anticipate that we are likely to be treated as a PFIC in our current taxable year.
If we determine we are a PFIC for any taxable year, upon written request by a U.S. Holder, we will endeavor to provide to such U.S. Holder such information as the IRS may require, including a PFIC annual information statement, in order to enable such U.S. Holder to make and maintain a “qualified electing fund” (“QEF”) election with respect to its Class A ordinary shares, but there is no assurance that we will timely provide such required information. Furthermore, a U.S. Holder may not make a QEF election with respect to its warrants to acquire our Class A ordinary shares. The rules dealing with PFICs and with the QEF election are very complex and are affected by various factors in addition to those described in this prospectus. Accordingly, U.S. investors are strongly urged to consult with and rely solely upon their own tax advisors regarding the application of the PFIC rules to them in their particular circumstances.
For a more detailed discussion of the PFIC rules and the related tax considerations for U.S. Holders, see the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation—Material United States Federal Income Tax Considerations—U.S. Holders—Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.”
If our initial business combination involves a company organized under the laws of the United States (or any subdivision thereof), a U.S. federal excise tax could be imposed on us in connection with any redemptions of our Class A ordinary shares after or in connection with such initial business combination.
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 provides for, among other things, a new 1% U.S. federal excise tax on certain repurchases (including redemptions) of stock by publicly traded U.S. corporations after December 31,
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2022 (the “stock buyback tax”), subject to certain exceptions. If applicable, the amount of the stock buyback tax is generally 1% of the aggregate fair market value of any stock repurchased by the corporation during a taxable year, net of the aggregate fair market value of certain new stock issuances by the repurchasing corporation during the same taxable year. The Biden administration has proposed increasing the stock buyback tax rate from 1% to 4%; however, it is unclear whether such a change will be enacted and, if enacted, how soon it could take effect. In addition, the U.S. Treasury Department and IRS have released preliminary guidance that would potentially cause a non-U.S. corporation’s U.S. subsidiaries to be subject to the stock buyback tax with respect to any share repurchases made by the non-U.S. corporation under certain circumstances.
As an entity incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company, the stock buyback tax is currently not expected to apply to redemptions of our Class A ordinary shares (absent any regulations or other additional guidance that may be issued in the future).However, in connection with an initial business combination involving a company organized under the laws of the United States (or any subdivision thereof), it is possible that we domesticate and continue as a Delaware corporation prior to certain redemptions. Because we expect that, following such a domestication, our securities would continue to trade on Nasdaq, in such a case we could be subject to the stock buyback tax with respect to any subsequent redemptions (including redemptions in connection with the initial business combination) that are treated as repurchases for this purpose. In all cases, whether and to what extent we would be subject to the stock buyback tax will depend on a number of factors, including (i) the structure of the initial business combination, including the extent to which the initial business combination involves a U.S. corporation and the extent to which we issue shares in the initial business combination or otherwise during the same taxable year that are eligible to offset any redemptions or other repurchases, (ii) the fair market value of the shares redeemed and (iii) the extent such redemptions could be treated as dividends and not as repurchases. The applicability of the stock buyback tax to us could be further affected by the content of any regulations, clarifications or other additional guidance from the U.S. Treasury Department that may be issued and applicable to the redemptions.
Any stock buyback tax that becomes payable as a result of any redemptions of our Class A ordinary shares (or other shares into which such Class A ordinary shares may be converted) in connection with our initial business combination or otherwise would be payable by us and not by the redeeming holder. To the extent such taxes are applicable, the amount of cash available to pay redemptions or to transfer to the target business in connection with our initial business combination may be reduced, which could result in our inability to meet conditions in the agreement relating to our initial business combination related to a minimum cash requirement, if any, or otherwise result in the shareholders of the combined company (including any of our shareholders who do not exercise their redemption rights in connection with the initial business combination) to economically bear the impact of such stock buyback tax.
General Risk Factors
We are a blank check company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
We are a blank check company 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. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to this offering. We have not selected any specific business combination target 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 we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies will make our securities less attractive to investors.
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
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other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our shareholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our public shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of any June 30 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following January 1. 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 a comparison of our financial statements with another public company, unless it is an emerging growth company that has not opted out of using the extended transition period, difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
Because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, you may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through the U.S. federal courts may be limited.
We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon our directors or executive officers, or enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against our directors or officers.
Our corporate affairs and the rights of shareholders will be governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act (as the same may be supplemented or amended from time to time) and the common law of the Cayman Islands. We will also be subject to the federal securities laws of the United States. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding on a court in the Cayman
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Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are different from what they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and certain states, such as Delaware, may have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholders derivative action in a Federal court of the United States. For a more detailed discussion of the principal differences between the provisions of the Companies Act applicable to us and, for example, the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders, see the section of this prospectus captioned “Description of Securities — Certain Differences in Corporate Law.”
Shareholders of Cayman Islands exempted companies like the Company have no general rights under Cayman Islands law to inspect corporate records or to obtain copies of the register of members of these companies. Our directors have discretion under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to determine whether or not, and under what conditions, our corporate records may be inspected by our shareholders, but are not obliged to make them available to our shareholders. This may make it more difficult for you to obtain the information needed to establish any facts necessary for a shareholder motion or to solicit proxies from other shareholders in connection with a proxy contest.
We have been advised by our Cayman Islands legal counsel that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands Court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a United States company.
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 a business combination.
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2025. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company, we will not be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because a target company with which we seek to complete our business combination may not be in compliance with the
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provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal control of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such business combination.
Provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our Class A ordinary shares and could entrench management.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that shareholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include a staggered board of directors and the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preference shares, which may make the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that the courts of the Cayman Islands will be the exclusive forums for certain disputes between us and our shareholders, which could limit our shareholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for complaints against us or our directors, officers or employees.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the courts of the Cayman Islands shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any claim or dispute arising out of or in connection with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or otherwise related in any way to each shareholder’s shareholding in us, including but not limited to (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of any fiduciary or other duty owed by any of our current or former director, officer or other employee to us or our shareholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Companies Act or our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us governed by the internal affairs doctrine (as such concept is recognized under the laws of the United States of America) and that each shareholder irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Cayman Islands over all such claims or disputes. The forum selection provision in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will not apply to actions or suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act, Exchange Act or any claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are, as a matter of the laws of the United States of America, the sole and exclusive forum for determination of such a claim.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association also provide that, without prejudice to any other rights or remedies that we may have, each of our shareholders acknowledges that damages alone would not be an adequate remedy for any breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum and that accordingly we shall be entitled, without proof of special damages, to the remedies of injunction, specific performance or other equitable relief for any threatened or actual breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum.
This choice of forum provision may increase a shareholder’s cost and limit the shareholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and other employees. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any of our shares or other securities, whether by transfer, sale, operation of law or otherwise, shall be deemed to have notice of and have irrevocably agreed and consented to these provisions. There is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such provisions, and the enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ charter documents has been challenged in legal proceedings. It is possible that a court could find this type of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable, and if a court were to find this provision in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving the dispute in other jurisdictions, which could have adverse effect on our business and financial performance.
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Our independent registered public accounting firm’s report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern.”
As of May 31, 2024, we had $100,000 in cash and working capital of $82,348. Further, we expect to incur significant costs in pursuit of our acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through this offering are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” Our plans to raise capital and to consummate our initial business combination may not be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements contained elsewhere in this prospectus do not include any adjustments that might result from our inability to consummate this offering or our inability to continue as a going concern.
Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, investments and results of operations.
We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we will be required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application also may 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 and results of operations.
We are subject to changing law and regulations regarding regulatory matters, corporate governance and public disclosure that have increased both our costs and the risk of non-compliance.
We are subject to rules and regulations by various governing bodies, including, for example, the SEC, which are charged with the protection of investors and the oversight of companies whose securities are publicly traded, and to new and evolving regulatory measures under applicable law. Our efforts to comply with new and changing laws and regulations have resulted in and are likely to continue to result in, increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management time and attention from seeking a business combination target.
Moreover, because these laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance becomes available. This evolution may result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and additional costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to our disclosure and governance practices. If we fail to address and comply with these regulations and any subsequent changes, we may be subject to penalty and our business may be harmed.
Changes to laws or regulations or in how such laws or regulations are interpreted or applied, or a failure to comply with any laws, regulations, interpretations or applications may adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination.
We are subject to laws and regulations, and interpretations and applications of such laws and regulations, of national, regional, state and local governments and applicable non-U.S. jurisdictions. In particular, we are required to comply with certain SEC and potentially other legal and regulatory requirements, and our consummation of an initial business combination may be contingent upon our ability to comply with certain laws, regulations, interpretations and applications and any post-business combination company may be subject to additional laws, regulations, interpretations and applications. Compliance with, and monitoring of, the foregoing 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, including our ability to negotiate and complete an initial business combination. 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.
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On January 24, 2024, the SEC issued final rules (the “2024 SPAC Rules”), which became effective on July 1, 2024, that formally adopted some of the SEC’s proposed rules for SPACs that were released on March 30, 2022. The 2024 SPAC Rules, among other items, impose additional disclosure requirements in initial public offerings by SPACs and business combination transactions involving SPACs and private operating companies; amend the financial statement requirements applicable to business combination transactions involving such companies; update and expand guidance regarding the general use of projections in SEC filings, as well as when projections are disclosed in connection with proposed business combination transactions; increase the potential liability of certain participants in proposed business combination transactions; and could impact the extent to which SPACs could become subject to regulation under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The 2024 SPAC Rules may materially adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete, and the costs associated with, our initial business combination, and results of operations.
We may reincorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination and such reincorporation may result in taxes imposed on shareholders.
We may, in connection with our initial business combination, reincorporate in the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located or in another jurisdiction. The transaction may require a shareholder to recognize taxable income in the jurisdiction in which the shareholder is a tax resident or in which its members are resident if it is a tax transparent entity. We do not intend to make any cash distributions to shareholders to pay such taxes. Shareholders may be subject to withholding taxes or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after the reincorporation.
Our initial business combination or reincorporation may result in taxes imposed on shareholders.
We may, subject to requisite shareholder approval under the Companies Act, effect a business combination with a target company in another jurisdiction, reincorporate in the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located, or reincorporate in another jurisdiction. The transaction may require a shareholder to recognize taxable income in the jurisdiction in which the shareholder is a tax resident or in which its members are resident if it is a tax transparent entity. We do not intend to make any cash distributions to shareholders to pay taxes attributable to such income. Shareholders may be subject to withholding taxes or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after the reincorporation.
Neither the underwriter nor any of its affiliates has an obligation to provide us with potential investment opportunities or to devote any specified amount of time or support to our company’s business.
Neither the underwriter nor any of its affiliates has any legal or contractual obligation to seek on our behalf or to present to us investment opportunities that might be suitable for our business, and may allocate any such opportunities at their discretion to us or other parties. We have no investment management, advisory, consulting or other agreement in place with the underwriter or any of its affiliates that obligates them to undertake efforts on our behalf or that govern the manner in which they will allocate investment opportunities. Even if the underwriter or one of its affiliates refer an opportunity to us, no assurance can be given that such opportunity will result in an acquisition agreement or our initial business combination.
We intend to offer each public shareholder the option to vote in favor of the proposed business combination and still seek redemption of such shareholders’ shares.
In connection with any meeting held to approve an initial business combination, we will offer each public shareholder (but not our initial shareholders or the underwriter) the right to have his, her or its Class A ordinary shares redeemed for cash (subject to the limitations described elsewhere in this prospectus) regardless of whether such shareholder votes for or against such proposed business combination or votes at all. We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and a majority of the outstanding shares voted are voted in favor of the business combination.
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This is different than other similarly structured blank check companies where shareholders are offered the right to redeem their shares only when they vote against a proposed business combination. This threshold and the ability to seek redemption while voting in favor of a proposed business combination may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination.
Because of our structure, other companies may have a competitive advantage and we may not be able to consummate an attractive business combination.
We expect to encounter intense competition from entities other than blank check companies having a business objective similar to ours, including private equity groups, venture capital funds, leveraged buyout funds and operating businesses competing for acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. Therefore, our ability to compete in acquiring certain sizable target businesses may be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, seeking shareholder approval of our initial business combination may delay the consummation of a transaction. Any of the foregoing may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating our initial business combination.
In addition, we do not intend to hold an annual meeting of shareholders to elect new directors prior to the completion of our business combination. Unless we hold an annual meeting, all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the completion of the business combination. If there is an annual meeting, the entire Board of Directors will be considered for election, however our initial shareholders, because of their ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. Accordingly, our initial shareholders will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our business combination.
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 del berate 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.
We may face risks related to companies in the TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable industries.
Business combinations with companies in the TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable industries entail special considerations and risks. If we are successful in completing a business combination with such a target business, we may be subject to, and possibly adversely affected by, the following risks:
| • | an inability to compete effectively in a highly competitive environment with many incumbents having substantially greater resources; |
| • | an inability to manage rapid change, increasing consumer expectations and growth; |
| • | an inability to build strong brand identity and improve subscriber or customer satisfaction and loyalty; |
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| • | a reliance on proprietary technology to provide services and to manage our operations, and the failure of this technology to operate effectively, or our failure to use such technology effectively; |
| • | an inability to deal with our subscribers’ or customers’ privacy concerns; |
| • | an inability to attract and retain subscribers or customers; |
| • | an inability to license or enforce intellectual property rights on which our business may depend; |
| • | any significant disruption in our computer systems or those of third parties that we would utilize in our operations; |
| • | an inability by us, or a refusal by third parties, to license intellectual property to us upon acceptable terms; |
| • | potential liability for negligence, copyright, or trademark infringement or other claims based on the nature and content of materials that we may distribute; |
| • | competition for the leisure and entertainment time and discretionary spending of subscribers or customers, which may intensify in part due to advances in technology and changes in consumer expectations and behavior; |
| • | disruption or failure of our networks, systems or technology as a result of computer viruses, “cyber-attacks,” misappropriation of data or other malfeasance, as well as outages, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, accidental releases of information or similar events; |
| • | an inability to obtain necessary hardware, software and operational support; and |
| • | reliance on third-party vendors or service providers. |
Any of the foregoing could have an adverse impact on our operations following a business combination. However, our efforts in identifying prospective target businesses will not be limited to the TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable industries. Accordingly, if we acquire a target business in another industry, we will be subject to risks attendant with the specific industry in which the target business we acquire operates, which may or may not be different than those risks listed above.
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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, private placement shares and founder shares sold to an adviser will be used as set forth in the following table.
| Without Over- Allotment Option |
Over-Allotment Option Exercised |
|||||||
| Gross proceeds |
||||||||
| Offering(1) |
$ | 250,000,000 | $ | 287,500,000 | ||||
| Private Placement Shares(2) |
3,250,005 | 3,250,005 | ||||||
| Private Placement Warrants(3) |
58,060 | 58,060 | ||||||
| Founder Shares(4) |
3,000 | 3,000 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Total gross proceeds |
$ | 253,311,065 | $ | 290,811,065 | ||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Offering expenses(5)(6) |
||||||||
| Underwriting discount (7) |
$ | 600,000 | $ | 600,000 | ||||
| Legal fees and expenses |
350,000 | 350,000 | ||||||
| Advisory fees |
300,000 | 300,000 | ||||||
| Nasdaq listing fee |
95,000 | 95,000 | ||||||
| Accounting fees and expenses |
80,000 | 80,000 | ||||||
| FINRA filing fee |
43,625 | 43,625 | ||||||
| SEC registration fee |
42,435 | 42,435 | ||||||
| Reimbursement to underwriter for expenses |
50,000 | 50,000 | ||||||
| Miscellaneous expenses |
100,000 | 100,000 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Total offering expenses |
$ | 1,661,060 | $ | 1,661,060 | ||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Total offering expenses (excluding underwriting discount) |
$ | 1,061,060 | $ | 1,061,060 | ||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Reimbursement by underwriter for offering expenses(8) |
(300,000 | ) | (300,000 | ) | ||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Net offering expenses (including underwriting discount) |
$ | 1,361,060 | $ | 1,361,060 | ||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Net proceeds |
||||||||
| Held in the trust account from this offering |
$ | 250,000,000 | $ | 287,500,000 | ||||
| Not held in the trust account from this offering |
1,950,005 | 1,950,005 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Total net proceeds (after estimated reimbursed offering expenses) |
$ | 251,950,005 | $ | 289,450,005 | ||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Cash Position |
||||||||
| Net proceeds not held in the trust account from this offering |
$ | 1,950,005 | $ | 1,950,005 | ||||
| Cash held before offering not held in trust |
100,000 | 100,000 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Total cash not held in the trust account |
$ | 2,050,005 | $ | 2,050,005 | ||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Use of cash not held in the trust account(9) |
||||||||
| Legal, accounting and other third-party expenses related to business combination |
$ | 200,000 | $ | 200,000 | ||||
| SEC filing and other legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations |
100,000 | 100,000 | ||||||
| Office space and other administrative expenses ($30,000 per month for up to 24 months) |
720,000 | 720,000 | ||||||
| D&O insurance |
250,000 | 250,000 | ||||||
| Payments to Chief Financial Officer ($20,000 per month for up to 24 months) |
480,000 | 480,000 | ||||||
| Working capital to cover miscellaneous expense and general corporate purposes |
300,005 | 300,005 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Total |
$ | 2,050,005 | $ | 2,050,005 | ||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| (1) | Includes amounts payable to public shareholders who properly redeem their shares in connection with our successful completion of our initial business combination. |
| (2) | Includes $3,250,005 from the sale of 2,166,670 private placement shares to non-managing investors. |
| (3) | Includes $58,060 from the sale of 3,719,000 private placement warrants to the Sponsor. |
| (4) | Includes $3,000 from the sale of 300,000 founder shares to the advisor. |
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| (5) | In the event that offering expenses are more than as set forth in this table, they will be repaid using a portion of the $1,950,005 offering proceeds not held in the trust account and set aside for post-closing working capital expenses. In the event that offering expenses are less than set forth in this table, any such amounts will be used for post-closing working capital expenses. |
| (6) | These expenses are estimates only. Our actual expenditures for some or all of these items may differ from the estimates set forth in this prospectus. 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 an acquisition 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. |
| (7) | If the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised, the underwriting discount applicable to each unit sold pursuant to the over-allotment option will be approximately $0.0209. No discounts or commissions will be paid with respect to the purchase of the private placement warrants. |
| (8) | The underwriter has agreed to reimburse certain of our expenses in connection with this offering, not to exceed $300,000. |
| (9) | This amount represents additional expenses that may be incurred by the Company over and above those specifically listed above, including transfer agent and trustee fees. |
The Nasdaq rules 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 gross proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, a total of $250,000,000 (or $287,500,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), will be placed in a segregated trust account located in the United States maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills, notes and bonds 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 and which invest solely in U.S. Treasuries. Except for (x) all interest income that may be released to us to pay taxes, and (y) up to $100,000 to pay dissolution expenses, as discussed below, none of the funds held in the trust account will be released from the trust account until the earlier of: (1) the completion of our initial business combination within the required time period; (2) our redemption of 100% of the outstanding public shares if we have not completed an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering; and (3) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to our pre-business combination activity and related shareholders’ rights.
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 shares or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the purchase price in connection with our business combination, we may apply the cash released from the trust account that is not applied to the purchase price for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of acquired businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in consummating the initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital. We believe that amounts not held in trust will be sufficient to pay the costs and expenses to which such proceeds are allocated. This belief is based on the fact that while we may begin preliminary due diligence of a target business in connection with an indication of interest, we intend to undertake in-depth due diligence, depending on the circumstances of the relevant prospective acquisition, only after we have negotiated and signed a letter of intent or other preliminary agreement that addresses the terms of our initial business
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combination. However, if our estimate of the costs of undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating our initial 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. In this event, we could seek such additional capital through loans or additional investments from members of our Sponsor or an affiliate of our Sponsor or our executive officers and directors, but such members of our management team are not under any obligation to advance funds to, or invest in, us.
Commencing on the date that our securities are first listed on Nasdaq, we have agreed to pay GigManagement, LLC, an affiliate of our Sponsor, a monthly fee of $30,000 for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative services. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our Sponsor, executive officers, directors, or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we consummate our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the offering proceeds 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 additional private placement warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. The terms of such loans by our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans.
In no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon the consummation of our initial business combination. Furthermore, the redemption threshold may be further limited by the terms and conditions of our initial business combination. If too many public shareholders 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.
A public shareholder will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earlier to occur of: (i) our consummation of our initial business combination, and then only in connection with those Class A ordinary shares that such shareholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein, (ii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or, if our charter documents are amended to so provide, (iii) the redemption of our public shares in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to 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 any extended period of time that we may have to consummate an initial business combination as a result of an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association), or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity, subject to applicable law. In no other circumstances will a public shareholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.
Our initial shareholders will each enter into agreements with us, pursuant to which they will agree: (1) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, private placement shares, private placement warrants and shares underlying any private placement warrants held by them in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination or a tender offer conducted prior to a business combination or in connection with it; and (2) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares and private placement shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, 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.
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We have not paid any cash dividends on our ordinary shares to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to our initial business combination will be within the discretion of our Board of Directors at such time. Our Board of Directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any share dividends in the foreseeable future, except if we increase the size of this offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, in which case we will effect a share dividend immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the collective ownership of our Sponsor’s ownership through its ownership of the founder shares, together with the private placement shares, at least at 40% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (assuming no purchase in this offering and not taking into account ownership of the private shares). 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, assuming no value is attributed to the public warrants or the private placement warrants, and the pro forma net tangible book value per share after this offering constitutes the dilution to investors in this offering. Such calculation does not reflect any dilution associated with sale and exercise of warrants, including the private placement warrants. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our net tangible book value, which is our total tangible assets less total liabilities (including the value of Class A ordinary shares which may be redeemed for cash), by the number of issued and outstanding ordinary shares.
As of May 31, 2024, our net tangible book value was $82,348 or approximately $0.00 per share. For purposes of the dilution calculation, in order to present the maximum estimated dilution as a result of this offering, we have assumed the number of shares included in the public units offered hereby will be deemed to be 25,000,000, and the price per unit in this offering will be deemed to be $10.00. After giving effect to the sale of 25,000,000 Class A ordinary shares included in the public units we are offering by this prospectus (assuming the over-allotment option has not been exercised), the deduction of the underwriting discount and estimated expenses of this offering, the sale of the private placement shares to the non-managing investors and the sale of private placement warrants, our pro forma net tangible book value as of May 31, 2024 would have been $(0.13) per share, representing an immediate decrease in net tangible book value of $(0.13) per share to the Sponsor and an immediate dilution of $10.13 per share, or 101.3%, to new investors not exercising their redemption rights. For purposes of presentation, our pro forma net tangible book value after this offering is $250,000,000 less than it otherwise would have been because if we effect our initial business combination, the redemption rights of the public shareholders (but not our Sponsor) may result in the redemption of up to 25,000,000 shares sold in this offering (assuming the over-allotment option has not been exercised).
The following table illustrates the dilution to our public shareholders on a per-share basis, assuming no over-allotment and no value is attributed to the warrants included in the public units and the private placement warrants.
| Public offering price |
$ | 10.00 | ||||||
| Net tangible book value before this offering |
$ | 0.00 | ||||||
| Decrease attributable to new investors and private sales |
(0.13 | ) | ||||||
| Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants |
(0.13 | ) | ||||||
|
|
|
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| Dilution to public shareholders |
$ | 10.13 | ||||||
|
|
|
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| Percentage of dilution to new investors |
101.3 | % |
If the underwriter exercises in full its option to purchase additional Class A ordinary shares from us, the pro forma net tangible book value per share after giving effect to this offering, including the over-allotment, would be $(0.11) per share, and the dilution to investors participating in the offering, including the over-allotment, and not exercising their redemption rights would be $10.11 per share or 101.1%. Our pro forma net tangible book value after this offering, including the over-allotment, is the same as it otherwise would have been because if we effect our initial business combination with the inclusion of the over-allotment, the redemption rights of the public shareholders (but not our Sponsor) may result in the redemption of up to 28,750,000 public shares sold.
For purposes of presentation, we have reduced our pro forma net tangible book value after this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option) by $250,000,000 because holders 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 as set forth in our proxy materials or tender offer documents, divided by the number of public shares sold in this offering.
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The following table sets forth information with respect to our initial shareholders and the underwriter:
| Shares Purchased | Total Consideration | Average Price per Share |
||||||||||||||||||
| Number | Percentage | Amount | Percentage | |||||||||||||||||
| Sponsor (with respect to founder shares) |
14,200,000 | (1) | 34.1 | % | $ | 100,000 | 0.04 | % | $ | 0.01 | ||||||||||
| Advisor |
300,000 | 0.7 | % | $ | 3,000 | 0.01 | % | $ | 0.01 | |||||||||||
| Non-managing investors |
2,166,670 | 5.2 | % | $ | 3,250,005 | 1.28 | % | $ | 1.50 | |||||||||||
| Public shareholders |
25,000,000 | 60.0 | % | $ | 250,000,000 | 98.68 | % | $ | 10.00 | |||||||||||
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|
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| Total |
41,666,670 | 100.00 | % | $ | 253,353,005 | 100.00 | % | |||||||||||||
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| (1) | Assumes that the over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of 2,500,000 founder shares have been forfeited by our Sponsor as a result thereof. |
The pro forma net tangible book value per share after the offering is calculated as follows:
| Numerator: |
||||
| Net tangible book value before the offering |
$ | 82,348 | ||
| Proceeds from this offering and sale of private placement warrants, net of expenses |
251,950,005 | (1) | ||
| Less: Warrant Liability |
(4,138,186 | ) | ||
| Less: Shares subject to redemption |
(250,000,000 | ) | ||
|
|
|
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| $ | (2,105,833 | ) | ||
|
|
|
|||
| Denominator: |
||||
| Class B ordinary shares outstanding prior to this offering |
17,000,000 | |||
| Less: Shares forfeited if over-allotment is not exercised |
(2,500,000 | )(2) | ||
| Class A ordinary shares to be sold as part of the public units |
25,000,000 | |||
| Class B ordinary shares to be sold to non-managing investors |
2,166,670 | |||
| Less: Class A ordinary shares subject to redemption |
(25,000,000 | ) | ||
|
|
|
|||
| 16,666,670 | ||||
|
|
|
| (1) | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our Sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. In the event of any such purchases of our shares prior to the completion of our initial business combination, the number of Class A ordinary shares subject to redemption will be reduced by the amount of any such purchases, increasing the pro forma net tangible book value per share. See “Proposed Business.” |
| (2) | Assumes the non-exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option. |
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The following table sets forth our capitalization as of May 31, 2024 and as adjusted to give effect to the sale of our units offered by this prospectus and the private placement shares and private placement warrants, the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities, and the issuance of the private placement shares:
| As of May 31, 2024 | ||||||||
| Actual | As Adjusted(1)(2) | |||||||
| Warrant liability(3) |
$ | — | $ | 4,138,186 | ||||
| Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, subject to redemption, no shares subject to possible redemption, actual; 25,000,000 shares subject to redemption, as adjusted |
— | 250,000,000 | ||||||
|
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|
|
|
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| Shareholders’ equity: |
||||||||
| Preference shares, par value $0.0001 per share, 1,000,000 authorized; none issued or outstanding, actual and adjusted |
— | — | ||||||
| Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, 200,000,000 shares authorized no shares issued and outstanding actual and as adjusted |
— | — | ||||||
| Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, 20,000,000 shares authorized (actual and as adjusted; 16,700,000 shares issued and outstanding, actual; 16,666,670 shares issued and outstanding, as adjusted)(4) |
1,670 | 1,667 | ||||||
| Additional paid-in capital |
98,330 | — | ||||||
| Accumulated deficit |
(17,652 | ) | (2,107,500 | ) | ||||
|
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|
|
|
|||||
| Total shareholders’ equity (deficit) |
$ | 82,348 | $ | (2,105,833 | ) | |||
|
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|
|
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| Total capitalization |
$ | 82,348 | $ | 252,032,353 | ||||
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| (1) | Includes $58,060 we will receive from the sale of the 3,719,000 private placement warrants to our Sponsor at $0.01561 per warrant. Also includes the purchase of 300,000 founders shares for $3,000 on June 6, 2024. Assumes the forfeiture of 2,500,000 shares that are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s option to purchase additional shares is exercised. |
| (2) | Upon the completion of our initial business combination, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares, regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or against, or our initial business combination, for cash at a per share price equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to any limitations (including, but not limited to, cash requirements) created by the terms of the proposed business combination. |
| (3) | The private placement warrants are expected to be accounted for as a warrant liability and will be recorded at fair value upon issuance with changes in fair value each period reported in earnings as determined by the Company based upon a valuation report obtained from its independent third-party valuation firm. |
| (4) | Actual share amount is prior to any forfeiture of founder shares by our Sponsor and as adjusted assumes the forfeiture of 2,500,000 shares that are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s option to purchase additional shares is exercised. |
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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Overview
We are a newly organized Private-to-Public Equity (PPE) company, also known as a blank check company or special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), incorporated in the Cayman Islands and formed by an affiliate of the serial SPAC issuer GigCapital Global, for the purpose of acquiring, engaging in a share exchange, share reconstruction and amalgamation with, purchasing all or substantially all of the assets of, or engaging in any other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities. We have not selected any specific business combination target. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to this offering. Our efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic region, although we intend to focus on companies in the TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable industries. Our Sponsor and its principals may from time to time become aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue, for a business combination, but from the date of our incorporation through the date of this prospectus, there have been no substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, between any of our officers, directors, promoters and other affiliates on our behalf and any of their contacts or relationships regarding a potential initial business combination with our company. Additionally, we have not engaged or retained any agent or other representative to identify or locate any suitable acquisition candidate for us.
We will seek to capitalize on the significant experience and contacts of our management team to complete our initial business combination. GigCapital7 is our seventh SPAC affiliated with GigCapital Global, with five of the other six having completed business combinations; GigCapital, Inc. (“GIG1”), which successfully completed its business combination with Kaleyra S.p.A., following which it was renamed as Kaleyra, Inc. (NYSE American: KLR) in November 2019, and Kaleyra, Inc. was then acquired in November 2023 by Tata Communications; GigCapital2, Inc. (“GIG2”), which successfully completed its business combination with UpHealth Holding, Inc. and Cloudbreak Health, LLC, following which it was renamed as UpHealth, Inc. (OTC: UPHL) in June 2021, and UpHealth, Inc. sold its subsidiaries Innovations Group Incorporated in June 2023 to Belmar Pharma Solutions and Cloudbreak Health in March 2024 to an affiliate of GTCR, LLC; GigCapital3, Inc. (“GIG3”), which successfully completed its business combination with Lightning Systems, Inc. (doing business as Lightning eMotors), following which it was renamed as Lightning eMotors, Inc. (OTC: ZEVY) in May 2021; GigCapital4, Inc. (“GIG4”), which successfully completed its business combination with BigBear.ai Holdings, LLC, following which it was renamed as BigBear.ai Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: BBAI) in December 2021; and GigCapital5, Inc.(“GIG5”), which successfully completed its business combination with QT Imaging, Inc., following which it was renamed as QT Imaging Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: QTI) in March 2024.
We believe our management team’s distinctive background and record of acquisition and operational success could have a significant impact on target businesses. Although we may pursue our initial business combination in any business, industry or geographic location, we currently intend to focus on opportunities to capitalize on the ability of our management team, particularly our executive officers, to identify, acquire and operate a business in the TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable industries.
Based on few megatrends in the world, we believe that our new SPAC is timely and relevant to support enhancement of public capital investments in growing and commercializing innovative small and middle-cap exceptional technology companies.
For one, urban population is expected to increase from today’s 53% to 70% by 2050. Based on United Nations data, overall growth of the world’s population will add close to 2.5 billion people to urban areas by 2050.9 The number of new mega-cities will increase rapidly, particularly in developing countries, requiring
| 9 | Report of the UN Economist Network for the UN 75th Anniversary—Sept. 2020. |
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massive investments in smart and sustainable city infrastructures. These trends will be further emphasized and challenged by the ongoing demographic shift and new population age structure. In addition, climate change and consequent environmental and social impacts are some of the world’s greatest concerns. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement are driving the agenda and world’s efforts toward a green economy and sustainable solutions.10 Consumer sensitivity to sustainable-marketed products grew substantially in the last 5 years, representing today more than 50% of total Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) market growth.11 Capital allocation in funds embracing Environmental, Social and Governance principles reached record numbers in the last few years.12
Another megatrend is that data has become many enterprises’ most valuable asset. Digital transformation, built on cloud-based platforms and enabled with new technologies, including AI, the internet of things (IoT), mobile and robotics, offer companies across all industries new opportunities to drive new business models, with the scalability, flexibility, agility, and dynamism heretofore infeasible. These transformations, in turn, are powering the movements to address the other megatrends. The focus of global growth has been shifting. Developing countries, particularly in Asia Pacific and Latin America, are starting to bring their economies to the forefront of interlinked global trade and investment flows. The emerging markets are not only transitioning to more consumption-oriented economies, but also starting to export capital and innovation. Enterprises that are prepared and able to adapt and capitalize on the evolving global competitive landscape will be the winners of the 21st century. Our focus will be on companies with sustainable business and solid corporate governance that may have high impact on the world’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and are determined to better society and the environment.
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 common equity or any preferred equity that we may create in accordance with the terms of our charter documents, debt, or a combination of cash, common or preferred equity and debt.
The issuance of additional ordinary shares or the creation of one or more classes of preference shares during our initial business combination:
| • | may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering who would not have pre-emption rights in respect of any such issue; |
| • | may subordinate the rights of holders of ordinary shares if the rights, preferences, designations and limitations attaching to the preference shares are senior to those afforded our ordinary shares; |
| • | could cause a change in control if a substantial number of ordinary shares are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; |
| • | may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the share ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us; and |
| • | may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our public shares. |
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 our initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations; |
| 10 | UN Framework Convention on Climate Change-FCC/CP/2-15/L.9/Rev1. |
| 11 | New York University, Stern School of Business, Center for Sustainable Business. Research on 2015-2020 IRI Purchasing Data Reveals Sustainability Drives Growth, Survives the Pandemic, July 2020. |
| 12 | Blackrock -Sustainability: The tectonic shift transforming investing, Feb. 2020. |
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| • | 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 any document governing such debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding; |
| • | our inability to pay dividends on our ordinary shares; |
| • | using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our ordinary shares if declared, 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. |
As indicated in the accompanying financial statements as of May 31, 2024, we had $100,000 in cash and working capital of $82,348. Further, we expect 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 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 to date through receipt of $100,000 from the sale of the founder shares. We estimate that the net proceeds from (1) the sale of the public units in this offering, after deducting net offering expenses of approximately $1,361,060, which includes an underwriting discount of $600,000, (2) the sale of the founder shares to the advisor for a purchase price of $3,000, (3) the private placement warrants to our Sponsor for a purchase price of $58,060, and (4) the sale of the private placement shares to non-managing investors for a purchase price of $3,250,005, will be $251,950,005 (or $289,450,005 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), of which $250,000,000 will be held in the trust account. The remaining estimated $1,950,005, plus an additional $100,000 that we already have, will not be held in the trust account.
We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the trust account (less any taxes payable on interest earned), including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account (which interest shall be net of taxes payable by us, if any), to acquire a target business or businesses and to pay our expenses relating thereto.
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We may withdraw interest to pay our taxes, if any. We expect the interest earned on the amount in the trust account will be sufficient to pay our income taxes. To the extent that our equity or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.
We believe that, upon consummation of this offering, the estimated $2,050,005 of cash not held in the trust account will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 24 months from the closing of this offering, assuming that a business combination is not consummated during that time. Over this time period, we will be using these funds for identifying and evaluating prospective acquisition candidates, performing business due diligence on prospective target businesses, traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses, reviewing corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, selecting the target business to acquire and structuring, negotiating and consummating the business combination. We anticipate that we will incur the following approximate expenses to be paid from the $2,050,005 not held in the trust account:
| • | $200,000 of expenses for the legal, accounting and other third-party expenses attendant to the structuring and negotiating of our initial business combination; |
| • | $100,000 of expenses for SEC filing and other legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations; |
| • | $720,000 (equal to $30,000 per month for up to 24 months) for office space and administrative fees; |
| • | $250,000 for directors and officers insurance; |
| • | $480,000 (equal to $20,000 per month for up to 24 months) for payments to our Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”); and |
| • | $300,005 for working capital to cover miscellaneous expense and general corporate purposes. |
If our estimates of the costs of undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating our initial business combination is 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 consummate our initial business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon consummation of our initial business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only consummate such financing simultaneously with the consummation of our initial business combination. Following our initial business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations.
As of May 31, 2024, we had $100,000 in cash and working capital of $82,348. We have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our acquisition plans. Our plans to raise capital and to consummate our initial business combination may not be successful. These factors among others raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
Controls and Procedures
We are not currently required to maintain an effective system of internal controls as defined by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We will be required to comply with the internal control requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025. Only in the event that we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer and no longer an emerging growth company would we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company as defined in the JOBS Act, we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement.
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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, if necessary, to implement and test additional controls as we may determine are necessary in order to state that we maintain an effective system of internal controls. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes- Oxley Act regarding the adequacy of internal controls. Many small and mid-sized target businesses we may consider for our initial business combination may have internal controls that need improvement in areas such as:
| • | staffing for financial, accounting and external reporting areas, including segregation of duties; |
| • | reconciliation of accounts; |
| • | proper recording of expenses and liabilities in the period to which they relate; |
| • | 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 expense in meeting our public reporting responsibilities, particularly in the areas of designing, enhancing, or remediating internal and disclosure controls. Doing so effectively also may take longer than we expect, thus increasing our exposure to financial fraud or erroneous financing reporting.
Once our management’s report on internal controls is complete, we will retain our independent registered public accounting firm to audit and render an opinion on such report when required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The independent registered public accounting firm may identify additional issues concerning a target business’s internal controls while performing their audit of internal control over financial reporting.
Related Party Transactions
At our formation on May 8, 2024, our Sponsor acquired one Class B ordinary share, or “founder share,” for a purchase price of $0.0001. Subsequently on May 31, 2024, our Sponsor purchased 16,999,999 Class B ordinary shares from us for an aggregate purchase price of $100,000, or $0.00588235 per share, of which up to 2,500,000 founder shares remain subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised during this offering. Following the May 31, 2024 purchase, our Sponsor surrendered 300,000 Class B ordinary shares to us for no consideration, resulting in our Sponsor holding 16,700,000 Class B ordinary shares. The purchase price per founder share was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the Company by the number of founder shares issued. Prior to the initial investment of $100,000 by our Sponsor, the Company had no assets, tangible or intangible. In connection with this offering, up to 2,500,000 founder shares are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised during this offering.
Dr. Katz, our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, formed a limited liability company named Gig4L, LLC, of which 100% is owned equally by Drs. Katz and Dinu, who are husband and wife; and that partnership, which is also managed by Drs. Katz and Dinu, has the sole financial and voting interest in our Sponsor that entitles it to participate in any economic return that the Sponsor receives for its investment in the Company in accordance with terms negotiated with the other holders of financial and voting interests in our Sponsor. Accordingly, Drs. Katz and Dinu will benefit from the transaction to the extent of their interest in our Sponsor.
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Drs. Katz and Dinu also formed a limited liability company named GigManagement, LLC, of which 50% is owned by each of Drs. Katz and Dinu. Drs. Katz and Dinu are also managing members of GigManagement, LLC. We are obligated, pursuant to an Administrative Services Agreement, commencing on the date of this prospectus, to pay GigManagement, LLC a monthly fee of $30,000 per month for office space and general and administrative services until the consummation of an initial business combination. In conjunction with our services agreement with GigManagement, LLC and in connection with GigManagement, LLC’s affiliation with GigFounders, LLC, we have a licensing arrangement with GigFounders, LLC whereby we are permitted to use its “Private-to-Public Equity (PPE).”
Our Sponsor, officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our Board of Directors may also approve the payment of advisory fees to directors in connection with such activities, including board committee service and extraordinary administrative and analytical services. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our Sponsor, officers, directors or our or any of their affiliates and will determine which expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.
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, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our Sponsor, executive officers, directors, or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts, but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Such loans would be evidenced by promissory notes. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into additional private placement warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. The terms of such loans by our Sponsor, executive officers, directors, or their affiliates, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans.
Our Sponsor has committed that it will purchase 3,719,000 private placement warrants at $0.01561 per warrant. These purchases will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering and the over-allotment option, as applicable. The foregoing purchases will only be made by our Sponsor if it is able to do so in accordance with Regulation M and Sections 9(a)(2) and 10(b) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. A portion of the proceeds we receive from the purchase of the private placement warrants will be placed in the trust account described below.
Pursuant to a registration rights agreement we will enter into an agreement with each of our initial shareholders on or prior to the closing of this offering, we may be required to register certain securities for sale under the Securities Act. These holders, and the 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 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 any other registration statement filed by us. However, the registration rights agreement provides that we will not permit any registration statement filed under the Securities Act to become effective until the securities covered thereby are released from their respective lock-up restrictions, as described herein. We will bear the costs and expenses of filing any such registration statements. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
The amounts in the trust account, will be invested in United States government treasury bills, bonds or notes having a maturity of 185 days or less, or in money market funds meeting the applicable conditions under Rule
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2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act and that invest solely in U.S. treasuries. 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 Results
As of the date of this prospectus, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K and did not have any commitments or contractual obligations. No unaudited quarterly operating data is included in this prospectus, as we have conducted no operations to date.
JOBS Act
On April 5, 2012, the JOBS Act was signed into law. The JOBS Act contains provisions that, among other things, relax certain reporting requirements for qualifying public companies. We will qualify as an “emerging growth company” and under the JOBS Act will be allowed to comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements based on the effective date for private (not publicly traded) companies. We are electing to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards, and as a result, we may not comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.
Additionally, we are in the process of evaluating the benefits of relying on the other reduced reporting requirements provided by the JOBS Act. Subject to certain conditions set forth in the JOBS Act, if, as an “emerging growth company,” we choose to rely on such exemptions we may not be required to, among other things, (i) provide an independent registered public accounting firm’s attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404, (ii) provide all of the compensation disclosure that may be required of non-emerging growth public companies under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, including but not limited to reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved, (iii) comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the PCAOB regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (auditor discussion and analysis), and (iv) disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the Chief Executive Officer’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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General
We are a newly organized Private-to-Public Equity (PPE) company, also known as a blank check company or special purpose acquisition company, incorporated in the Cayman Islands and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other 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 specific business combination target. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to this offering. Our efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic region, although we intend to focus on companies in the TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable industries. Our Sponsor and its principals may from time to time become aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue, for a business combination, but from the date of our incorporation through the date of this prospectus, there have been no substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, between any of our officers, directors, promoters and other affiliates on our behalf and any of their contacts or relationships regarding a potential initial business combination with our company. Additionally, we have not engaged or retained any agent or other representative to identify or locate any suitable acquisition candidate for us.
We will seek to capitalize on the significant experience and contacts of our management team to complete our initial business combination. GigCapital7 is our seventh SPAC affiliated with GigCapital Global, with five of the other six having completed business combinations; GigCapital, Inc. (“GIG1”), which successfully completed its business combination with Kaleyra S.p.A., following which it was renamed as Kaleyra, Inc. (NYSE American: KLR) in November 2019, and Kaleyra, Inc. was then acquired in November 2023 by Tata Communications; GigCapital2, Inc. (“GIG2”), which successfully completed its business combination with UpHealth Holding, Inc. and Cloudbreak Health, LLC, following which it was renamed as UpHealth, Inc. (OTC: UPHL) in June 2021, and UpHealth, Inc. sold its subsidiaries Innovations Group Incorporated in June 2023 to Belmar Pharma Solutions and Cloudbreak Health in March 2024 to an affiliate of GTCR, LLC; GigCapital3, Inc. (“GIG3”), which successfully completed its business combination with Lightning Systems, Inc. (doing business as Lightning eMotors), following which it was renamed as Lightning eMotors, Inc. (OTC: ZEVY) in May 2021; GigCapital4, Inc. (“GIG4”), which successfully completed its business combination with BigBear.ai Holdings, LLC, following which it was renamed as BigBear.ai Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: BBAI) in December 2021; and GigCapital5, Inc.(“GIG5”), which successfully completed its business combination with QT Imaging, Inc., following which it was renamed as QT Imaging Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: QTI) in March 2024.
We believe our management team’s distinctive background and record of acquisition and operational success could have a significant impact on target businesses. Although we may pursue our initial business combination in any business, industry or geographic location, we currently intend to focus on opportunities to capitalize on the ability of our management team, particularly our executive officers, to identify, acquire and operate a business in the TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable industries.
Based on few megatrends in the world, we believe that our new SPAC is timely and relevant to support enhancement of public capital investments in growing and commercializing innovative small and middle-cap exceptional technology companies.
For one, urban population is expected to increase from today’s 53% to 70% by 2050. Based on United Nations data, overall growth of the world’s population will add close to 2.5 billion people to urban areas by 2050.13 The number of new mega-cities will increase rapidly, particularly in developing countries, requiring massive investments in smart and sustainable city infrastructures. These trends will be further emphasized and challenged by the ongoing demographic shift and new population age structure. In addition, climate change and
| 13 | Report of the UN Economist Network for the UN 75th Anniversary—Sept. 2020. |
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consequent environmental and social impacts are some of the world’s greatest concerns. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement are driving the agenda and world’s efforts toward a green economy and sustainable solutions.14 Consumer sensitivity to sustainable-marketed products grew substantially in the last 5 years, representing today more than 50% of total Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) market growth.15 Capital allocation in funds embracing Environmental, Social and Governance principles reached record numbers in the last few years.16
Another megatrend is that data has become many enterprises’ most valuable asset. Digital transformation, built on cloud-based platforms and enabled with new technologies, including AI, the internet of things (IoT), mobile and robotics, offer companies across all industries new opportunities to drive new business models, with the scalability, flexibility, agility, and dynamism heretofore infeasible. These transformations, in turn, are powering the movements to address the other megatrends. The focus of global growth has been shifting. Developing countries, particularly in Asia Pacific and Latin America, are starting to bring their economies to the forefront of interlinked global trade and investment flows. The emerging markets are not only transitioning to more consumption-oriented economies, but also starting to export capital and innovation. Enterprises that are prepared and able to adapt and capitalize on the evolving global competitive landscape will be the winners of the 21st century. Our focus will be on companies with sustainable business and solid corporate governance that may have high impact on the world’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and are determined to better society and the environment.
We intend to target companies in the TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable industries anywhere in the world that embrace today’s digital transformation and intelligent automation as a competitive advantage. Being conscientious corporate citizens, we will focus on sustainable technology companies that can shape a better society and healthier environment. We believe that such an approach enables both organic and inorganic fast-paced growth, creating new strategic, operational and business opportunities fueled by emerging cloud, analytics, big data, and cognitive technologies. Businesses who rethink their current and future capabilities amid disruption will be better positioned for growth in the digital age. We intend to evaluate both private and public companies, listed in international or “over the counter” exchanges, as potential initial business combination targets, focusing on opportunities that we believe would provide appropriate risk adjusted returns to shareholders. Following our initial business combination, our objective will be to implement or support the acquired company’s operating strategies and actively partner with management to provide it with a seamless and smooth introduction to its public market operations, in order to generate additional value for shareholders. General goals will include enhancement of organic growth efficiencies, total global operations improvements, and additional acquisitions to support a roll-up in an attempt to establish an industry-leading platform in the selected emerging market vertical.
Our management team has significant hands-on experience helping TMT, cybersecurity and MedTech companies to optimize their existing and new growth initiatives by exploiting insights from rich data assets that already exist within most TMT, cybersecurity and MedTech companies. Further, we intend to share best practices and key learnings, gathered from our management team’s operating and investing experience through their more than 30 years of experience in the public markets and more so the last 7 years as re-issuer of SPAC entities, as well as strong relationships in the TMT, cybersecurity and MedTech industries, to help shape corporate strategies. Additionally, our management team has operated and invested in leading global TMT, cybersecurity and MedTech companies across their corporate life cycles and has developed deep relationships with key large multi-national organizations, global leaders and executives, and private and public investors. We believe that these relationships and our management team’s know-how present a significant opportunity to help
drive strategic dialogue, access new customer and strategic partner relationships, and achieve global ambitions to
| 14 | UN Framework Convention on Climate Change-FCC/CP/2-15/L.9/Rev1. |
| 15 | New York University, Stern School of Business, Center for Sustainable Business. Research on 2015-2020 IRI Purchasing Data Reveals Sustainability Drives Growth, Survives the Pandemic, July 2020. |
| 16 | Blackrock -Sustainability: The tectonic shift transforming investing, Feb. 2020. |
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unlock value through the combination closing, as well as following the completion of our initial business combination for a horizon of 3-5 years.
In light of these market conditions, we intend to primarily focus our target sourcing efforts on private companies that we believe would benefit from a public listing and partnership with our team and that otherwise cannot gain access to public capital in this current market environment. We believe that our management team’s distinctive background and record of acquisition and operational success over more than 30 years could have a significant short- and long-term impact on target businesses. Furthermore, we believe that we are providing an interesting alternative investment opportunity to late-stage private companies that capitalizes on key trends impacting the capital markets for TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable companies, and through our association with GigCapital Global and its affiliates.
Based on our many years of TMT, cybersecurity and MedTech operations and experience, and more so, the last seven years of SPAC target sourcing and partnership with targets worldwide and our very extensive and diversified funnel of prospective targets, we trust that our management team is well positioned to identify attractive businesses within the TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable industries that would benefit from access to the public markets and the skills of our management team. Our objective is to consummate our initial business combination with such a business and enhance shareholder value by improving its operational performance through and post the deSPAC and through the initial operational duration as a public company. We believe we can achieve this objective by utilizing our management team’s extensive experience in the TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable industries and operating such companies in combination with our management team’s network of contacts in those industries. We believe many companies in the TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable sectors could benefit from access to the public markets but have been unable to do so due to a number of factors, including the time it takes to conduct a traditional IPO, market volatility and pricing uncertainty, and lack of experience and knowledge of the public market. We intend to focus on evaluating more established companies with leading competitive positions and differentiating technology and products, strong management teams and strong long-term potential for revenue growth and margin expansion.
Our Sponsor, GigAcquisitions7 Corp., was co-founded and is managed by and affiliated with Dr. Avi S. Katz, who is also our Chief Executive Officer and the Chairman of our Board of Directors and Dr. Raluca Dinu, who is also our director. Dr. Katz and Dr. Dinu have spent 36 years and 23 years, respectively, in international executive positions within the TMT industry, working for privately held start-ups, middle-cap companies and large enterprises. In these roles, they have been instrumental in launching and accelerating entities, building teams, large scale fundraising, developing key alliances and technology partnerships, M&A activities, business development, financial management, global operations and sales and marketing. In October 2017, Dr. Katz founded GigCapital Global’s first SPAC, GIG1, a Private-to-Public Equity (PPE) company formed for the purpose of acquiring a company in the TMT industry. GIG1 completed its initial public offering in December 2017, generating $144 million. In February 2019, after intensive screening of more than 400 companies worldwide, GIG1 entered into a stock purchase agreement to acquire Kaleyra S.p.A., a company with shares formed under the laws of Italy (“Kaleyra”), at a transaction enterprise value of $187,000,000 with combined cash and/or promissory note consideration of $15,000,000. Kaleyra is a global company specialized in providing secure and reliable customer communication for financial institutions and companies of all sizes. The transaction closed in November 2019, and GIG1 was renamed Kaleyra, Inc. and listed on the NYSE American stock exchange under the symbol “KLR.” In November 2023, KLR was sold to Tata Communications at a transaction enterprise value of about $320 million in a cash deal and ceased to exist as a public company. Dr. Katz served as the Chairman of the board and Secretary of Kaleyra since the consummation of the transaction in November 2019 and till the acquisition by Tata. Prior to that time, in addition to being the Executive Chairman and Secretary, he was also the Chief Executive Officer of GIG1. In March 2019, Dr. Katz founded GIG2, a Private-to-Public Equity (PPE) company formed for the purpose of acquiring a company in the TMT industry. GIG2 completed its initial public offering in June 2019, generating aggregate proceeds of $172.5 million. In June
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2021, GIG2 completed its business combination with each of UpHealth Holdings, Inc. and Cloudbreak Health, LLC, and the combined company changed its name to UpHealth, Inc. and trades on the OTC under the ticker symbol “UPHL.” The deal combined UpHealth’s patient care management, telemedicine and digital pharmacy services with Cloudbreak’s video consultation platform for doctors and patients. Dr. Katz initially served as the Chief Executive Officer of GIG2 until August 2019, when Dr. Dinu substituted for him in that position. He also served as the Executive Chairman and Secretary of GIG2 since inception until the closing of the business combination in June 2021, when Dr. Katz was appointed as the Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors of UpHealth, Inc. and subsequently became the sole Chairman of the Board. In this capacity, Dr. Katz has steered many restructuring and refinancing of the company, including the sale of Innovations Group Incorporated to Belmar Pharma Solutions for $56 million in a cash deal in June 2023 and the recently completed sale of Cloudbreak for $180 million in a cash deal to GTCR in March 2024. In February 2020, Drs. Katz and Dinu co-founded GIG3, a Private-to-Public Equity (PPE) company formed for the purpose of acquiring a company in the TMT industry. GIG3 completed its initial public offering in May 2020, generating aggregate proceeds of $200 million. In May 2021, GIG3 completed its business combination with Lightning Systems, Inc., a company that designs and manufactures all-electric powertrains for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, which used to do business as Lightning eMotors, and the combined company retained such name. Lightning eMotors, Inc. is listed on the OTC under the new ticker symbol “ZEVY.” Dr. Katz served as the Chief Executive Officer, Executive Chairman and Secretary of GIG3 since its inception until the closing of the business combination in May 2021, when Dr. Katz was appointed as the Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Lightning eMotors, Inc., and held that position until October 2021, when he resigned from the Board. In December 2020, Drs. Katz and Dinu co-founded GIG4, a Private-to-Public Equity (PPE) company formed for the purpose of acquiring a company in the TMT and sustainable industries. GIG4 completed its initial public offering in February 2021, generating aggregate proceeds of $358.8 million. GIG4 is listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “GIG.” The business combination between GIG4 and BigBear.ai Holdings, LLC closed in December 2021, and GIG4 was renamed BigBear.ai Holdings, Inc. BigBear.ai moved its listing from Nasdaq to the NYSE, where it is listed under the ticker symbol “BBAI.” Dr. Katz served as the Executive Chairman of GIG4 from its inception until the closing of the business combination with BigBear.ai on December 9, 2021, and since then and until March 2024, has continued to serve as a member of the board of directors of BigBear.ai. In September 2021, GIG5 completed its initial public offering, generating aggregate proceeds of $230 million. In March 2024, GIG5 completed the business combination with QT Imaging, Inc., and GIG5 was renamed QT Imaging Holdings, Inc. Dr. Katz is also the sole managing member of GigFounders, LLC and a managing member of GigManagement, LLC. He is also a co-founder of Cognizer Inc. (“Cognizer”), a software company specializing in deep-learning powered natural language AI, and was the Executive Chairman of Cognizer’s board of directors from its inception in December 2018 until August 2020. Prior to launching his first Private-to-Public (PPE) company, Dr. Katz dedicated 10 years to incept and bootstrap, develop and manage GigPeak, Inc. (“GigPeak,” NYSE American: formerly GIG), originally known as GigOptix, Inc. He served as Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President of GigOptix / GigPeak. From its bootstrapped inception in April 2007 until its sale in April 2017 to Integrated Device Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: IDTI) (“IDT”) for $250 million in cash, GigPeak provided semiconductor integrated circuits (ICs) and software solutions for high-speed connectivity and video compression. While Dr. Katz was at GigPeak’s helm, the company completed 10 M&A global deals. From 2003 to 2005, Dr. Katz was the chief executive officer, president, and member of the board of directors of Intransa, Inc., which at the time provided full-featured , enterprise-class IP-based Storage Area Networks (SAN). From 2000 to 2003, Dr. Katz was the chief executive officer, president, and a member of the board of directors of Equator Technologies Inc. (“Equator Technologies”), which at the time sought to commercialize leading edge programmable media processing platform technology for the rapid design and deployment of digital media and imaging products. Dr. Katz has held several leadership positions over the span of his career within the TMT industry since serving as member of Technical Staff at AT&T Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, NJ, between 1988 and 1994, and has made numerous angel investments in high-tech companies around the world. Dr. Katz is a graduate of the 1976 class of the Israeli Naval Academy, graduate of the 1979 USA Naval ASW class, and holds a B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Semiconductors Materials from the Technion (Israel Institute of Technology). He is a serial entrepreneur, holds many U.S. and international patents, has published more than 300 technical papers and is the editor of a number of technical books.
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With respect to the foregoing examples, the past performance of the members of our management team or their affiliates, including with respect to GIG1, GIG2, GIG3, GIG4, and GIG5, and their engagement in the TMT and other markets, is not a guarantee that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. The principals of GigCapital7 and our management team have a significant number of relationships across numerous innovative industries. The operational background of the GigCapital team provides significant touchpoints across relevant industries. They have developed a meaningful pipeline of high potential, mutually-interested targets from extensive screening with previous GigCapital PPE platforms. The Company team’s expertise in data-driven identification, evaluation and engagement with potential targets will facilitate and efficient deSPAC process. You should not rely on the historical record of the performance of our management or any of its affiliates’ performance, including GIG1, GIG2, GIG3, GIG4, and GIG5, as indicative of our future performance. In addition, members of our management team and their affiliates are likely to form other Private-to-Public Equity (PPE) companies prior to the completion of our initial business combination.
Any future Private-to-Public Equity (PPE) companies, while also likely focusing on the TMT industry, will likely address other verticals to avoid competition with the Company and will likely involve the addition to their board, management and consulting analysts of individuals who are not involved with the Company that will exhibit expertise in the specific vertical of interest of those companies.
Business Strategy
Our business strategy is to identify and complete our initial business combination with a company that complements the experience of our management team and can benefit from our management team’s operational expertise. The Company’s unique expertise offers a comprehensive framework for a publicly traded company to foster both organic and strategic growth initiatives within its operational ecosystem. Our selection process is expected to leverage our management team’s broad and deep relationship network and unique TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable industries expertise, including proven deal-sourcing and structuring capabilities, to provide us with a multitude of business combination opportunities. Our management team has experience:
| • | operating companies, setting and changing strategies, and identifying, mentoring and recruiting world-class talent; |
| • | developing and growing companies, both organically and strategically, and expanding the product ranges and geographic footprints of a number of businesses; |
| • | sourcing, structuring, acquiring and selling businesses and achieving synergies to create shareholder value at the initial stages of the public life cycle and through long-term operational horizon; |
| • | establishing a wide deal flow and efficient methodology of screening superior M&A targets worldwide; |
| • | partnering with industry-leading companies to increase sales and improve the competitive position of those companies; |
| • | addressing business and technological changes in an evolving global TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable industries landscape; |
| • | evaluating the viability of emerging TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable business models; |
| • | providing complete “one stop shop” services required for a successful process of becoming public, including, but not limited to, access to investors, legal and accounting support, investment and commercial banking services, investor and public relations services, and human resources services; |
| • | fostering relationships with sellers, capital providers and target management teams; and |
| • | accessing the capital markets across various business cycles, including financing businesses and assisting companies with the transition to public ownership. |
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Following the completion of this offering, we intend to enhance and extend the process of communicating with our management team and its affiliates’ network of relationships worldwide to articulate the parameters for our search for a potential target initial business combination and begin the process of pursuing and reviewing potential opportunities.
Business Combination Criteria
Consistent with our strategy, we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses and, when evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review that will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews and inspection of facilities, as applicable, as well as a review of financial and other information that will be made available to us. We intend to use the following and other criteria and guidelines in evaluating acquisition opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet any or all of these criteria or guidelines:
| • | Companies that embrace today’s digital transformation and intelligent automation. We will seek TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable companies anywhere in the world that embrace today’s digital transformation and intelligent automation as a competitive advantage. Being conscientious corporate citizens, we will focus on sustainable technology companies that can shape a better society and healthier environment. We believe that such an approach enables both organic and inorganic fast-paced growth, creating new strategic, operational and business opportunities fueled by the emerging cloud, analytics, big data and cognitive technologies. Businesses who rethink their current and future capabilities amid disruption will be better positioned for growth in the digital age. We seek to combine with the best available U.S. private or overseas private or foreign listed companies. |
| • | Companies that will benefit from a public listing. We will focus on partners looking to move to the next level through a public combination and roll-up and primarily seek companies with entrepreneurial owners and leadership that may benefit from being publicly traded and may effectively utilize in furtherance of growth a broader access to capital and a public profile. A public status is designed to enhance organic and strategic growth opportunities and accelerate execution of business ideas in dynamic and competitive growth markets. |
| • | Companies that will benefit from our industry expertise and relationships. We will seek companies that will be best positioned to leverage our industry expertise, international capabilities, global experience, prior references, insights and relationships to create opportunities for value creation, whether through acquisitions, capital investments in organic growth opportunities, generating greater operating efficiencies or significantly improving financial performance. Our management has a proven track record and extensive M&A and capital market experience to help to define the public market strategy for our initial business combination. We believe our strategy leverages our management team’s distinctive background and vast network of industry leaders in the TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable industries. We will seek to identify such opportunities for value creation in evaluating potential business combinations. Our management also demonstrated the speed, certainty, and efficiency in executing prior deals, which is highly desirable to quality business partners. |
| • | Companies that are market-leading participants. We will seek a target that has an established business and market position. While we will focus on the TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable businesses, we will not seek a target that is pre-revenue or in early stages of development with unproven technologies. |
| • | Companies that are mid-sized businesses. We believe targeting companies in the mid-market will provide the greatest number of opportunities for investment and will maximize the benefits of the collective network of our management team and its affiliates. |
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| • | Companies with strong management. We will prioritize entities with well-established, proven and talented management teams that wish to continue to drive their companies to growth by leveraging a public market platform and are eager to succeed with support from an interactive and hands-on board of directors. To the extent we believe it will enhance shareholder value, we would seek to selectively supplement the existing leadership of the business with proven leaders from our network, whether at the senior management level or at the board level. |
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our management team may deem relevant.
Status as a Public Company
We believe our structure will make us an attractive business combination partner to target businesses. As an existing public company, we offer a target business an alternative to the traditional IPO through a merger or other business combination. In this situation, the owners of the target business would exchange their shares of stock in the target business for shares of stock or other securities or for a combination of shares of stock, other securities and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. We believe target businesses might find this method a more certain and cost-effective method to becoming a public company than the typical IPO. In a typical IPO, there are additional expenses incurred in marketing, roadshow and public reporting efforts that will likely not be present to the same extent in connection with a business combination with us. Furthermore, once the business combination is consummated, the target business will have effectively become public, whereas an IPO is always subject to the underwriter’s ability to complete the offering, as well as general market conditions, which could 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 shareholders’ interests than it would have as a privately held company. It can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees. However, there is currently no market for our securities and a market for our securities may not develop. As a result, this purported benefit may not be realized.
Although we believe that our status as a public company will make us an attractive business partner, some potential target businesses may view the inherent limitations in our status as a blank check company as a deterrent and may prefer to effect a business combination with a more established entity or with a private company. These inherent limitations include limitations on our available financial resources, which may be inferior to those of other entities pursuing the acquisition of similar target businesses; the requirement that we seek shareholder approval of a business combination or conduct a tender offer in relation thereto, which may delay the consummation of a transaction; and the existence of our outstanding warrants, which may represent a source of future dilution.
Financial Position
With funds available for a business combination initially in the amount of $250,000,000 (or $287,500,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised), we can offer a target business a variety of options to facilitate a business combination and fund future expansion and growth of its business. Because we are able to consummate a business combination using the cash proceeds in our trust account, debt or a combination of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to use an efficient structure allowing us to tailor the consideration to be paid to the target business to address the needs of the parties. However, if a business combination requires us to use substantially all of our cash to pay for the purchase price, we may need to arrange third party financing to help fund our business combination. Since we have no specific business combination under consideration, we have not taken any steps to secure third-party financing. Accordingly, our flexibility in structuring a business combination may be subject to constraints resulting from a need to finance such business combination.
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Initial Business Combination
General
We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations for an indefinite period of time following this offering. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our common and preferred equity (if any), new debt, or a combination of these, as the consideration to be paid in effecting a business combination which has not yet been identified. Accordingly, investors in this offering are investing without first having an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of any one or more business combinations. A business combination may involve the acquisition of, or merger with, a company which does not need substantial additional capital but which desires to establish a public trading market for its shares, while avoiding what it may deem to be adverse consequences of undertaking a public offering itself. These include time delays, significant expense, loss of voting control and compliance with various federal and state securities laws. In the alternative, we may seek to consummate 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, although we will not be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.
We will have until 24 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination. If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within the applicable time period, we will, as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than 10 business days thereafter, redeem the public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account and as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our Board of Directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under the Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
We Have Not Identified a Target Business
To date, we have not selected any specific business combination target. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to this offering. Our efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic region, although we intend to focus on companies in the TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable industries. Our Sponsor and its principals may from time to time become aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue, for a business combination, but from the date of our incorporation through the date of this prospectus, there have been no substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, between any of our officers, directors, promoters and other affiliates on our behalf and any of their contacts or relationships regarding a potential initial business combination with our company. Additionally, we have not engaged or retained any agent or other representative to identify or locate any suitable acquisition candidate for us. As a result, we cannot assure you that we will be able to locate a target business or that we will be able to engage in a business combination with a target business on favorable terms or at all.
We will seek to capitalize on the significant experience and contacts of our management team to complete our initial business combination. GigCapital7 is our seventh SPAC affiliated with GigCapital Global, with five of the other six having completed business combinations; GigCapital, Inc. (“GIG1”), which successfully completed its business combination with Kaleyra S.p.A., following which it was renamed as Kaleyra, Inc. (NYSE American: KLR) in November 2019, and Kaleyra, Inc. was then acquired in November 2023 by Tata Communications; GigCapital2, Inc. (“GIG2”), which successfully completed its business combination with UpHealth Holding, Inc. and Cloudbreak Health, LLC, following which it was renamed as UpHealth, Inc. (OTC: UPHL) in June 2021, and UpHealth, Inc. sold its subsidiaries Innovations Group Incorporated in June 2023 to Belmar Pharma Solutions and Cloudbreak Health in March 2024 to an affiliate of GTCR, LLC; GigCapital3, Inc. (“GIG3”), which successfully completed its business combination with Lightning Systems, Inc. (doing business as Lightning eMotors), following which it was renamed as Lightning eMotors, Inc. (OTC: ZEVY) in May 2021;
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GigCapital4, Inc. (“GIG4”), which successfully completed its business combination with BigBear.ai Holdings, LLC, following which it was renamed as BigBear.ai Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: BBAI) in December 2021; and GigCapital5, Inc.(“GIG5”), which successfully completed its business combination with QT Imaging, Inc., following which it was renamed as QT Imaging Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: QTI) in March 2024.
We believe our management team’s distinctive background and record of acquisition and operational success could have a significant impact on target businesses. Although we may pursue our initial business combination in any business, industry or geographic location, we currently intend to focus on opportunities to capitalize on the ability of our management team, particularly our executive officers, to identify, acquire and operate a business in the TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable industries.
Based on a few megatrends in the world, we believe that our new SPAC is timely and relevant to support enhancement of public capital investments in growing and commercializing innovative small and middle-cap exceptional technology companies.
For one, urban population is expected to increase from today’s 53% to 70% by 2050. Based on United Nations data, overall growth of the world’s population will add close to 2.5 billion people to urban areas by 2050.17 The number of new mega-cities will increase rapidly, particularly in developing countries, requiring massive investments in smart and sustainable city infrastructures. These trends will be further emphasized and challenged by the ongoing demographic shift and new population age structure. In addition, climate change and consequent environmental and social impacts are some of the world’s greatest concerns. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement are driving the agenda and world’s efforts toward a green economy and sustainable solutions.18 Consumer sensitivity to sustainable-marketed products grew substantially in the last 5 years, representing today more than 50% of total Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) market growth.19 Capital allocation in funds embracing Environmental, Social and Governance principles reached record numbers in the last few years.20
Another megatrend is that data has become many enterprises’ most valuable asset. Digital transformation, built on cloud-based platforms and enabled with new technologies, including AI, the internet of things (IoT), mobile and robotics, offer companies across all industries new opportunities to drive new business models, with the scalability, flexibility, agility, and dynamism heretofore infeasible. These transformations, in turn, are powering the movements to address the other megatrends. The focus of global growth has been shifting. Developing countries, particularly in Asia Pacific and Latin America, are starting to bring their economies to the forefront of interlinked global trade and investment flows. The emerging markets are not only transitioning to more consumption-oriented economies, but also starting to export capital and innovation. Enterprises that are prepared and able to adapt and capitalize on the evolving global competitive landscape will be the winners of the 21st century. Our focus will be on companies with sustainable business and solid corporate governance that may have high impact on the world’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and are determined to better society and the environment.
We intend to target companies in the TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable industries anywhere in the world that embrace today’s digital transformation and intelligent automation as a competitive advantage. Being conscientious corporate citizens, we will focus on sustainable technology companies that can shape a better society and healthier environment. We believe that such an approach enables both organic and inorganic fast-paced growth, creating new strategic, operational and business opportunities fueled by emerging cloud, analytics, big data, and cognitive technologies. Businesses who rethink their current and future capabilities amid disruption will be better positioned for growth in the digital age. We intend to
| 17 | Report of the UN Economist Network for the UN 75th Anniversary—Sept. 2020. |
| 18 | UN Framework Convention on Climate Change-FCC/CP/2-15/L.9/Rev1. |
| 19 | New York University, Stern School of Business, Center for Sustainable Business. Research on 2015-2020 IRI Purchasing Data Reveals Sustainability Drives Growth, Survives the Pandemic, July 2020. |
| 20 | Blackrock -Sustainability: The tectonic shift transforming investing, Feb. 2020. |
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evaluate both private and public companies, listed in international or “over the counter” exchanges, as potential initial business combination targets, focusing on opportunities that we believe would provide appropriate risk adjusted returns to shareholders. Following our initial business combination, our objective will be to implement or support the acquired company’s operating strategies and actively partner with management to provide it with a seamless and smooth introduction to its public market operations, in order to generate additional value for shareholders. General goals will include enhancement of organic growth efficiencies, total global operations improvements, and additional acquisitions to support a roll-up in an attempt to establish an industry-leading platform in the selected emerging market vertical.
Subject to our officers’ and directors’ pre-existing fiduciary duties and the limitation that a target business have a fair market value of at least 80% of the balance in the trust account (excluding any taxes payable on the interest earned, if any) at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination, as described below in more detail, we will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective acquisition candidate. Except for the general criteria and guidelines set forth above under the caption “Business Strategy,” we have not established any other specific attributes or criteria (financial or otherwise) for prospective target businesses. Accordingly, there is no basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the target business with which we may ultimately complete a business combination. To the extent we effect a business combination with a financially unstable company or an entity in its early stage of development or growth, including entities without established records of sales or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business and operations of financially unstable and early stage or potential emerging growth companies. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.
Sources of Target Businesses
We expect to evaluate opportunities that are sourced through the relationship networks of Dr. Katz and our combined management and advisory team, which includes numerous entrepreneurs, management teams, intermediaries and venture capital funds. Dr. Katz and our combined management and advisory team has considerable expertise in the evaluation of technology investments.
While we have not yet identified any acquisition candidates, we believe based on our combined team’s business knowledge and past experience that there are numerous acquisition candidates. We expect that our principal means of identifying potential target businesses will be through the extensive contacts and relationships of our combined management and advisory team. Although our Sponsor, executive officers and directors are not required to commit any specific amount of time in identifying or performing due diligence on potential target businesses, our Sponsor, executive officers and directors, as augmented by our advisors, believe that the relationships they have developed collectively over their careers and their access to their contacts and resources will generate a number of potential business combination opportunities that will warrant further investigation. We also anticipate that target business candidates may also be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers, including the underwriter, venture capital funds, private equity funds, leveraged buyout funds, management buyout funds and other members of the financial community. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being solicited by us through calls or mailings. These sources may also introduce us to target businesses they think we may be interested in on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read this prospectus and know what types of businesses we are targeting. Our Sponsor, executive officers and directors, as well as their affiliates, may also bring to our attention target business candidates that they become aware of through their business contacts as a result of formal or informal inquiries or discussions they may have, as well as attending trade shows or conventions. Our Sponsor, executive officers and directors must present to us all target business opportunities in the sectors of the TMT, AI/ML, cybersecurity, MedTech, semiconductor and sustainable industries that we are focusing on and that have a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding any taxes payable on the interest earned, if any) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business
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combination, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations. While we do not presently anticipate engaging the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on any formal basis, we may engage these firms or other individuals in the future, in which event we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. In no event, however, will our Sponsor, executive officers, directors or their respective affiliates be paid any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of an initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is) other than the $30,000 monthly administrative services fee, the repayment of any loans, including but not limited to the Sponsor note, from our Sponsor, officers and directors for working capital purposes and reimbursement of any out-of-pocket expenses.
Our audit committee will review and approve all reimbursements and payments made to our Sponsor, executive officers, directors or their respective affiliates, with any interested director abstaining from such review and approval. We have no present intention to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with any of our Sponsor, executive officers, directors or their respective affiliates. However, we are not restricted from entering into any such transactions and may do so if (i) such transaction is approved by a majority of our disinterested independent directors and (ii) we obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions on the type of target business we are seeking to acquire, that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated shareholders from a financial point of view.
Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of a Business Combination
Subject to our executive officers’ and directors’ pre-existing fiduciary duties and the limitations that a target business have a fair market value of at least 80% of the balance in the trust account (excluding any taxes payable on the interest earned, if any) at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination, as described below in more detail, and that we must acquire a controlling interest in the target business, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective target business. Except for the general criteria and guidelines set forth above under the caption “Business Strategy,” we have not established any specific attributes or criteria (financial or otherwise) for prospective target businesses. In evaluating a prospective target business, our management may consider a variety of factors, including one or more of the following:
| • | financial condition and results of operation; |
| • | growth potential; |
| • | brand recognition and potential; |
| • | experience and skill of management and availability of additional personnel; |
| • | capital requirements; |
| • | competitive position; |
| • | barriers to entry; |
| • | stage of development of the products, processes or services; |
| • | existing distribution and potential for expansion; |
| • | degree of current or potential market acceptance of the products, processes or services; |
| • | proprietary aspects of products and the extent of intellectual property or other protection for products or formulas; |
| • | impact of regulation on the business; |
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| • | regulatory environment of the industry; |
| • | costs associated with effecting the business combination; |
| • | industry leadership, sustainability of market share and attractiveness of market industries in which a target business participates; |
| • | macro competitive dynamics in the industry within which the company competes; and |
| • | fit, cooperation and coachability of management team. |
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular business combination will be based, to the extent relevant, on the above factors as well as other considerations deemed relevant by our management in effecting a business combination consistent with our business objective. In evaluating a prospective target business, we will conduct an extensive due diligence review which will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and inspection of facilities, as well as review of financial and other information which is made available to us. This due diligence review will be conducted either by our management or by unaffiliated third parties we may engage, although we have no current intention to engage any such third parties.
The time and costs required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete the business combination cannot presently be ascertained with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which a business combination is not ultimately completed will result in a loss to us and reduce the amount of capital available to otherwise complete a business combination.
Fair Market Value of Target Business
The target business or businesses that we acquire must collectively have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance of the funds in the trust account (excluding any taxes payable on the interest earned, if any) at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination, although we may acquire a target business whose fair market value significantly exceeds 80% of the trust account balance.
We currently anticipate structuring a business combination involving 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination where we merge directly with the target business or involving less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination 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. In this case, we could acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target; however, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% fair market value test. In order to consummate such an acquisition, we may issue a significant amount of our debt or equity securities to the sellers of such businesses and/or seek to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt or equity securities. Since we have no specific business combination under consideration, we have not entered into any such fundraising arrangement and have no current intention of doing so. The fair market value of the target will be determined by our Board of Directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial
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community (such as actual and potential sales, earnings, cash flow and/or book value). The proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents used by us in connection with any proposed transaction will provide public shareholders with our analysis of the fair market value of the target business, as well as the basis for our determinations. If our Board of Directors is not able to independently determine that the target business has a sufficient fair market value, we will obtain an opinion from an unaffiliated, independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions on the type of target business we are seeking to acquire, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We will not be required to obtain an opinion from an investment banking firm as to the fair market value if our Board of Directors independently determines that the target business complies with the 80% threshold.
Lack of business diversification
For an indefinite period of time after consummation of our initial business combination, the prospects for our success may depend entirely on the future performance of a single business. Unlike other entities that have the resources to complete business combinations with multiple entities in one or several industries, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations and mitigate the risks of being in a single line of business. By consummating our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:
| • | subject us to negative economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact on the particular industry in which we operate after our initial business combination, and |
| • | cause us to depend on the marketing and sale of a single product or limited number of products or services. |
Limited ability to evaluate the target’s management team
Although we intend to closely scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with that business, our assessment of a target business’ management may not prove to be correct. Moreover, members of our management team may not have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business. The future role of members of our management team, if any, in a post-transaction company cannot presently be stated with any certainty. Consequently, members of our management team may not become a part of the post-transaction company’s management team or serve it in advisory positions, and the future management may not have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Further, it is also not certain whether one or more of our directors will remain associated with the post-transaction company in some capacity following our initial business combination. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with the post-transaction 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. However, we may not have the ability to recruit additional managers, or to locate additional managers who will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.
Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve an Initial Business Combination
In connection with any proposed business combination, we will either (1) seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which shareholders may seek to convert their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our shareholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a shareholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein. We will seek shareholder approval if it is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement, provided, that we may also decide to seek shareholder approval for business or other reasons.
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Under the Nasdaq listing rules, shareholder approval would be required for our initial business combination if, for example:
| • | we issue (other than in a public offering for cash) ordinary shares that will either (a) be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of ordinary shares then outstanding or (b) have voting power equal to or in excess of 20% of the voting power then outstanding; |
| • | any of our directors, officers or substantial security holders (as defined by the Nasdaq rules) has a 5% or greater interest, directly or indirectly, in the target business or assets to be acquired and if the number of ordinary shares to be issued, or if the number of ordinary shares into which the securities may be convertible or exercisable, exceeds either (a) 1% of the number of ordinary shares or 1% of the voting power outstanding before the issuance in the case of any of our directors and officers or (b) 5% of the number of ordinary shares or 5% of the voting power outstanding before the issuance in the case of any substantial security holders; or |
| • | the issuance or potential issuance of ordinary shares will result in our undergoing a change of control. |
If we determine to engage in a tender offer, such tender offer will be structured so that each shareholder may tender any or all of his, her or its shares rather than some pro rata portion of his, her or its shares. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow shareholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on business and legal reasons, which include a variety of factors, including, but not limited to:
| • | the timing of the proposed transaction, including in the event we determine shareholder approval would require additional time and there is either not enough time to seek shareholder approval or doing so would place us at a disadvantage in the transaction or result in other additional burdens on us; |
| • | the expected cost of holding a shareholder vote; |
| • | the risk that our shareholders would fail to approve the initial business combination; |
| • | other time and budget constraints; and |
| • | potential additional legal complexities of an initial business combination that would be time-consuming and burdensome to present to shareholders. |
Unlike other blank check companies which require shareholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business combinations and related conversions of public shares for cash upon consummation of such initial business combination even when a vote is not required by law, we will have the flexibility to avoid such shareholder vote and allow our shareholders to sell their shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers. In that case, we will file tender offer documents with the SEC, which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and, if we seek shareholder approval, a majority of the ordinary shares voted at a shareholder meeting are voted in favor of the business combination.
We chose our net tangible asset threshold of $5,000,001 to ensure that we would avoid being subject to Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. However, if we seek to consummate an initial business combination with a target business that imposes any type of working capital closing condition or requires us to have a minimum amount of funds available from the trust account upon consummation of such initial business combination, we may need to have more than $5,000,001 in net tangible assets upon consummation and this may force us to seek third party financing which may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. As a result, we may not be able to consummate such initial business combination and we may not be able to locate another suitable target within the applicable time period, if at all. Public shareholders may therefore have to wait up to 24 months from the closing of this offering in order to be able to receive a pro rata share of the trust account.
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Our initial shareholders will agree to vote any Class B ordinary shares owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination, including the founder shares and the private placement shares. In addition, the Sponsor, executive officers and directors will agree (1) not to convert any Class A ordinary shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination and (2) not sell any Class A ordinary shares in any tender in connection with a proposed initial business combination. As a result, we would need only approximately 4,166,666 public shares, or approximately 16.7% of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming (i) the over-allotment option is not exercised and all shares were present and entitled to vote at the meeting, (ii) 2,500,000 founder shares have been forfeited and (iii) there are 2,166,670 private placement shares outstanding).
None of our Sponsor, executive officers, directors, or their affiliates has indicated any intention to purchase units or Class A ordinary shares in this offering or from persons in the open market or in private transactions. However, our Sponsor, executive officers and directors will agree to vote any public shares they may hold in favor of our initial business combination.
However, if we hold a meeting to approve a proposed business combination and a significant number of shareholders vote, or indicate an intention to vote, against such proposed business combination, our Sponsor, executive officers, directors, or their affiliates could make such purchases in the open market or in private transactions in order to influence the vote. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our Sponsor, executive officers, directors, and their affiliates will not make purchases of Class A ordinary shares if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act, which are rules designed to stop potential manipulation of a company’s stock.
Redemption Rights
At any meeting called to approve an initial business combination, public shareholders (but not our initial shareholders or the underwriter) may seek to redeem their Class A ordinary shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, by converting such shares into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, less any taxes then due but not yet paid (which taxes may be paid only from the interest earned on the funds in the trust account, net of taxes). Alternatively, we may provide our public shareholders (but not our initial shareholders or the underwriter) with the opportunity to sell their Class A ordinary shares to us through a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a shareholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, less any taxes then due but not yet paid. Our Sponsor, executive officers and directors will enter into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they will agree to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. The non-managing investors are not required to (i) hold any public units, public shares or public warrants they may purchase in this offering or thereafter for any amount of time, (ii) vote any public shares they may own at the applicable time in favor of our initial business combination or (iii) refrain from exercising their right to redeem their public shares at the time of our initial business combination. The non-managing investors will have the same rights to the funds held in the trust account with respect to the public shares comprising part of the public units they may purchase in this offering as the rights afforded to our other public shareholders. However, if the non-managing investors purchase all of the units for which they have expressed to us an interest in purchasing or otherwise hold a substantial number of our public units, then the non-managing investors will potentially have different interests than our other public shareholders in approving our initial business combination and otherwise exercising their rights as public shareholders because of their ownership of private placement shares as further discussed in this prospectus.
We may also require public shareholders seeking redemption, whether they are a record holder or hold their shares in “street name,” to either (i) tender their certificates to our transfer agent or (ii) deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian)
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System, at the holder’s option, in each case prior to a date set forth in the proxy materials sent in connection with the proposal to approve the business combination.
There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced delivery process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker $80.00 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the holder. This fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights to do so prior to the time that we know that the proposed business combination will be consummated. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated. Thus, in the event we require shareholders seeking to exercise redemption rights to deliver their shares prior to the consummation of the proposed business combination and the proposed business combination is not consummated, this may result in an increased cost to shareholders.
Any proxy solicitation materials we furnish to shareholders in connection with a vote for any proposed business combination will indicate whether we are requiring shareholders to satisfy such certification and delivery requirements. Accordingly, a shareholder would have from the time the shareholder received our proxy statement up until the time designated in the proxy statement to deliver his, her or its shares if he, she or it wishes to seek to exercise his, her or its redemption rights. This time period varies depending on the specific facts of each transaction. However, as the delivery process can be accomplished by the shareholder, whether or not he, she or it is a record holder or his, her or its shares are held in “street name,” in a matter of hours by simply contacting the transfer agent or his, her or its broker and requesting delivery of his her or its shares through the DWAC System, we believe this time period is sufficient for an average investor. However, we cannot assure you of this fact. Please see the risk factor titled “We will require public shareholders who wish to redeem their public shares in connection with a proposed business combination to comply with specific requirements for redemption that may make it more difficult for them to exercise their redemption rights prior to the deadline for exercising their rights” for further information on the risks of failing to comply with these requirements.
The foregoing is different from the procedures historically used by some blank check companies. Traditionally, in order to perfect redemption rights in connection with a blank check company’s business combination, the company would distribute proxy materials for the shareholders’ vote on an initial business combination, and a holder could simply vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holder was seeking to exercise his, her or its redemption rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would contact such shareholder to arrange for him, her or it to deliver his, her or its certificate to verify ownership. As a result, the shareholder then had an “option window” after the consummation of the business combination during which he, she or it could monitor the price of the company’s stock in the market. If the price rose above the conversion price, he could sell his, her or its shares in the open market before actually delivering his, her or its shares to the company for cancellation. As a result, the redemption rights, to which shareholders were aware they needed to commit before the shareholder meeting, would become a “continuing” right surviving past the consummation of the business combination until the holder delivered his, her or its certificate or shares. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a holder’s election to convert his, her or its shares 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 vote on the proposed business combination. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivered his, her or its certificate in connection with an election of such shares’ redemption and subsequently decides prior to the vote on the proposed business combination not to elect to exercise such rights, he, she or it may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate or shares (physically or electronically).
If the initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public shareholders who elected to exercise their redemption rights would not be entitled to redeem their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account (net of taxes payable) as of two (2) business days prior to the consummation of the
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initial business combination. In such case, we will promptly return any certificates or shares delivered by public holders. Furthermore, if the initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public shareholders who elected to exercise their redemption rights will not be entitled to convert their shares into a full pro rata portion of the trust account (net of taxes payable and less $100,000 for dissolution expenses), as applicable. We will thereafter promptly return any shares delivered by public shareholders. In such case, public shareholders may only share in the assets of the trust account upon our liquidation. This may result in public shareholders receiving less than they would have received if the business combination was completed and they had exercised redemption rights in connection therewith due to potential claims of creditors. If we would be left with less than $5,000,001 of net tangible assets as a result of the holders of public shares properly demanding redemption of their shares, we will likely be unable to consummate a business combination.
Liquidation if No Business Combination
Our amended and restated articles and memorandum of association provides that we will have only 24 months from the closing of this offering to complete an initial business combination. If we have not completed an initial business combination by such date, we 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 outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, (less 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 shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our Board of Directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under the Cayman Islands laws to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
Our Sponsor, executive officers and directors have agreed (pursuant to a written letter agreement with us filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part) that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would stop our public shareholders from converting or selling their public shares to us in connection with a business combination or affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete a business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, net of franchise and income taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. This redemption right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment, whether proposed by our Sponsor, any executive officer, director or director nominee, or any other person. The non-managing investors are not required to (i) hold any public units, public shares or public warrants they may purchase in this offering or thereafter for any amount of time, (ii) vote any public shares they may own at the applicable time in favor of our initial business combination or (iii) refrain from exercising their right to redeem their public shares at the time of our initial business combination. The non-managing investors will have the same rights to the funds held in the trust account with respect to the public shares comprising part of the public units they may purchase in this offering as the rights afforded to our other public shareholders. However, if the non-managing investors purchase all of the units for which they have expressed to us an interest in purchasing or otherwise hold a substantial number of our public units, then the non-managing investors will potentially have different interests than our other public shareholders in approving our initial business combination and otherwise exercising their rights as public shareholders because of their ownership of private placement shares as further discussed in this prospectus.
We are required to use our reasonable best efforts to have all third parties (including any vendors or other entities we engage after this offering) and any prospective target businesses enter into agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the trust account. As a result, the claims that could be made against us will be limited, thereby lessening the likelihood that any
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claim would result in any liability extending to the trust. We therefore believe that any necessary provision for creditors will be reduced and should not have a significant impact on our ability to distribute the funds in the trust account (net of taxes and less $100,000 for dissolution expenses) to our public shareholders. Nevertheless, we cannot assure you of this fact as there is no guarantee that vendors, service providers and prospective target businesses will execute such agreements. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third-party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. Our underwriter and auditor are the only third parties we are currently aware of that may not execute a waiver. Nor is there any guarantee that, even if they execute such agreements with us, they will not seek recourse against the trust account.
We anticipate notifying the trustee of the trust account to begin liquidating such assets promptly after such date and anticipate it will take no more than ten (10) business days to effectuate such distribution. Our initial shareholders have waived their rights to participate in any liquidation distribution with respect to the founder shares and private placement shares. There will be no distribution from the trust account with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless. We will pay the costs of any subsequent liquidation from our remaining assets outside of the trust account and the interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that we are permitted to withdraw to pay such expenses.
If we are unable to complete an initial business combination and expend all of the net proceeds of this offering, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account, the initial per-share redemption price would be $10.00. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to claims of our creditors that are in preference to the claims of public shareholders.
Our public shareholders shall be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only in the event of our failure to complete a business combination within the required time period or if the shareholders seek to have us redeem or purchase their respective shares upon a business combination which is actually completed by us or upon certain amendments to our charter documents as described elsewhere herein. In no other circumstances shall a shareholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.
Our initial shareholders will not participate in any redemption distribution from our trust account with respect to their founder shares and private placement shares. Additionally, any loans made by our officers, directors, sponsors or their affiliates for working capital needs will be forgiven and not repaid if we are unable to complete an initial business combination.
If we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we cannot make any assurance of the amount we will be able to return to our public shareholders.
If we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, because we intend to distribute the proceeds held in the trust account to our public shareholders promptly after 24 months from the closing of this offering, this may be viewed or interpreted as giving preference to our public shareholders over any potential
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creditors with respect to access to or distributions from our assets. Furthermore, our Board of Directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties 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 shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.
Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the consummation of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without the approval of a majority of our shareholders. If we seek to amend any provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would stop our public shareholders from converting or selling their shares to us in connection with a business combination or affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete a business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, we will provide dissenting public shareholders with the opportunity to convert their public shares in connection with any such vote. This redemption right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment, whether proposed by our Sponsor, any executive officer, director or director nominee, or any other person. Our initial shareholders have agreed to waive any redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and private placement shares held by them, and the Sponsor has agreed to waive its redemption rights with respect to any public shares it may hold, in each case in connection with any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Specifically, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides, among other things, that:
| • | we shall either (1) seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which shareholders may seek to redeem their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our shareholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a shareholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein; |
| • | we will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and, if we seek shareholder approval, a majority of the ordinary shares voted at a shareholder meeting are voted in favor of the business combination; |
| • | if our initial business combination is not consummated within 24 months from the closing of this offering then we will redeem all of the outstanding public shares and thereafter liquidate and dissolve the Company; |
| • | upon the consummation of this offering, $250,000,000, or approximately $287,500,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, shall be placed into the trust account; and |
| • | prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional stock that participates in any manner in the proceeds of the trust account, or that votes as a class with the public shares sold in this offering on any matter. |
Competition
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources than us and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. Although we believe there may be numerous potential target businesses that we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering, our ability to compete in acquiring certain sizable target businesses may be limited by our available financial resources.
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The following also may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses:
| • | our obligation to seek shareholder approval of a business combination or engage in a tender offer may delay the completion of a transaction; |
| • | our obligation to convert or repurchase Class A ordinary shares held by our public shareholders may reduce the resources available to us for a business combination; and |
| • | our outstanding warrants and unit purchase options, and the potential future dilution they represent. |
Any of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. Our management believes, however, that our status as a public entity and potential access to the United States public equity markets may give us a competitive advantage over privately held entities having a similar business objective as ours in acquiring a target business with significant growth potential on favorable terms.
If we succeed in effecting a business combination, there will be, in all likelihood, intense competition from competitors of the target business. We cannot assure you that, subsequent to a business combination, we will have the resources or ability to compete effectively.
Facilities
We currently maintain our principal executive offices at 1731 Embarcadero Rd., Suite 200, Palo Alto, CA 94303. The cost for this space is included in the $30,000 monthly fee GigManagement, LLC will charge us for general and administrative services commencing on the date of this prospectus pursuant to an Administrative Services Agreement between us and GigManagement, LLC until the consummation of an initial business combination. We believe, based on rents and fees for similar services in the San Francisco Bay Area, that the fee charged by our Sponsor is at least as favorable as we could have obtained from an unaffiliated person. We consider our current office space, combined with the other office space otherwise available to our executive officers, adequate for our current operations.
Employees
We have two executive officers. The amount of time they will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for the business combination and the stage of the business combination process the Company is in. Accordingly, once a suitable target business to acquire has been located, management will spend more time investigating such target business and negotiating and processing the business combination (and consequently spend more time on our affairs) than had been spent prior to locating a suitable target business. We presently expect our executive officers to devote such amount of time as they reasonably believe is necessary to our business. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the consummation of a business combination.
Periodic Reporting and Audited Financial Statements
We have registered our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual report will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accountants.
We will provide shareholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of any proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents sent to shareholders to assist them in assessing the target business. These financial statements will need to be prepared in accordance with or reconciled to GAAP or IFRS. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential acquisition candidate will have the necessary financial statements. To the extent that this requirement cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business.
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We may be required to have our internal control procedures audited for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. A target company 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.
Legal Proceedings
There is no material litigation, arbitration or governmental proceeding currently pending against us or any members of our management team.
Comparison of Redemption or Purchase Prices in Connection with Our Initial Business Combination and if We Fail to Complete Our Initial Business Combination.
The following table compares the redemptions and other permitted purchases of public shares that may take place in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window.
| Redemptions in Connection |
Other Permitted Purchases of |
Redemptions if we fail to | ||||
| Calculation of redemption price | Redemptions at the time of our initial business combination may be made pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a shareholder vote. The redemption price will be the same whether we conduct redemptions pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a shareholder vote. In either case, our public shareholders may redeem their public shares for cash equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination (which is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per share), including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our Sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares or warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following completion of our initial business combination. | If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, we will redeem all public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount, then on deposit in the trust account (which is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per share), including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest to pay liquidation expenses) divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares. |
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| Redemptions in Connection |
Other Permitted Purchases of |
Redemptions if we fail to | ||||
| public shares, subject to any limitations (including but not limited to cash requirements) agreed to in connection with the negotiation of terms of a proposed business combination. | ||||||
| Impact to remaining shareholders | The redemptions in connection with our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for our remaining shareholders, who will bear the burden of the deferred underwriting commissions 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 would be no impact to our remaining shareholders because the purchase price would not be paid by us. | The redemption of our public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for the shares held by our initial shareholders, who will be our only remaining shareholders after such redemptions. | |||
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 underwriter will not exercise its 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 | $250,000,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement shares will be deposited into a trust account located in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. | Approximately $210,375,000 of the offering proceeds, representing the gross proceeds of this offering, would be required to be deposited into either an escrow account with an insured depositary institution or in a separate bank account established by a broker-dealer in which the broker-dealer acts as trustee for persons having the beneficial interests in the account | ||
| Investment of net proceeds | $250,000,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement shares, held in | Proceeds could be invested only in specified securities such as a money market fund meeting | ||
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| Terms of Our Offering |
Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
| trust will be invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. | conditions of the Investment Company Act or in securities that are direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed as to principal or interest by, the United States. | |||
| Receipt of interest on escrowed funds | Interest on proceeds from the trust account to be paid to shareholders is reduced by any taxes paid or payable and up to $100,000 payable for dissolution expenses. | 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 consummation of a business combination. | ||
| Limitation on fair value or net assets of target business | Our initial business combination must be with one or more target businesses or assets having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the trust account (less any taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of the agreement to enter into such initial business combination. | The fair value or net assets of a target business must represent at least 80% of the maximum offering proceeds. | ||
| Trading of securities issued | The public units may commence trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The public shares and public warrants may begin trading separately on the 52nd day after the date of this prospectus unless our underwriter informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, provided we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K, which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the proceeds of this offering, such Form 8-K to be amended or supplemented with updated financial information in the event the over- allotment option is exercised or if our underwriter permits separate trading prior to the 52nd day after the date of this prospectus. | No trading of the public units or the underlying public shares or 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. | ||
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| Terms of Our Offering |
Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
| 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 and, accordingly, will be exercised only after the trust account has been terminated and distributed. | 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 either (1) give our shareholders the opportunity to vote on the business combination or (2) provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to sell their Class A ordinary shares to us in a tender offer for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, less any taxes payable on interest earned. If we hold a meeting to approve a proposed business combination, we will send each shareholder a proxy statement containing information required by the SEC. Under the Cayman Islands law and our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, we must provide notice of any meeting of shareholders at least 10 days in advance. Accordingly, this is the minimum amount of time we would need to provide holders to determine whether to exercise their rights to convert their shares into cash or to remain an investor in our company. Alternatively, if we do not hold a meeting and instead conduct a tender offer, we will conduct such tender offer in accordance with 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 as we would have included in a proxy statement. Under the tender offer rules, a tender offer must remain open for 20 business days. | A prospectus containing information pertaining to the business combination required by the SEC would be sent to each investor. Each investor would be given the opportunity to notify the company in writing, within a period of no less than 20 business days and no more than 45 business days from the effective date of a post-effective amendment to the company’s registration statement, to decide if he, she or it elects to remain a shareholder of the company or require the return of his, her or its investment. If the company has not received the notification by the end of the 45th business day, funds and interest or dividends, if any, held in the trust or escrow account are automatically returned to the shareholder. Unless a sufficient number of investors elect to remain investors, all funds on deposit in the escrow account must be returned to all of the investors and none of the securities are issued. | ||
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| Terms of Our Offering |
Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
| Accordingly, this is the minimum amount of time we would need to provide holders to determine whether to sell their shares to us in such a tender offer or to remain an investor in our company. | ||||
| Business combination deadline | Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering (or any extended period of time that we may have to consummate an initial business combination as a result of an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association), we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than 10 business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest earned on the funds held in the trust account net of interest that may be used by us to pay our franchise and income taxes payable, less $100,000 for dissolution expenses, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our Board of Directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under the Cayman Islands law to provide for claims | If an acquisition has not been consummated within 24 months after the effective date of the company’s registration statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account are returned to investors. | ||
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| Terms of Our Offering |
Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
| of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. | ||||
| Release of funds | Except for interest earned on the funds in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our tax obligations, the proceeds held in the trust account will not be released until the earlier; (1) of the completion of our initial business combination within the required time period; (2) our redemption of 100% of the outstanding public shares if we have not completed an initial business combination in the required time period; and, if our charter documents are amended to require it and (3) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity. | The proceeds held in the escrow account are not released until the earlier of the completion of a business combination or the failure to effect our initial business combination within the allotted time. | ||
| Delivering share certificates in connection with the exercise of redemption rights | We intend to require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to, at the holder’s option, either deliver their share certificates to our transfer agent or deliver their shares to our transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) system, prior to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. In the case of proxy materials, this date may be up to two business days | Many blank check companies provide that a shareholder can vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating that such shareholder is seeking to exercise its redemption rights. After the business combination is approved, the company would contact such shareholder to arrange for delivery of its share certificates to verify ownership. | ||
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| Terms of Our Offering |
Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
| prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination. In addition, if we conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote, we intend to require a public shareholder seeking redemption of its public shares to also submit a written request for redemption to our transfer agent two business days prior to the vote in which the name of the beneficial owner of such shares is included. The proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public shareholders to satisfy such delivery requirements, which will include the requirement that any beneficial owner on whose behalf a redemption right is being exercised must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Accordingly, a public shareholder would have up to two business days prior to the vote on the initial business combination if we distribute proxy materials, or from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, as applicable, to submit or tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. | ||||
| Limitation on redemption rights of shareholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold a shareholder vote | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder (including our affiliates), together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such | Many blank check companies provide no restrictions on the ability of shareholders to redeem shares based on the number of shares held by such shareholders in connection with an initial business combination. | ||
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| Terms of Our Offering |
Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||
| shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to Excess Shares, without our prior consent. However, we would not restrict our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. |
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Our current directors, director nominees and executive officers are listed below.
| Name | Age | Position | ||
| Dr. Avi S. Katz | 66 | Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer | ||
| Christine M. Marshall | 53 | Chief Financial Officer | ||
| Dr. Raluca Dinu | 50 | Director | ||
| Karen Rogge | 68 | Director Nominee | ||
| Raanan I. Horowitz | 63 | Director Nominee | ||
| Ambassador Adrian Zuckerman | 67 | Director Nominee | ||
| Professor Darius Moshfeghi | 55 | Director Nominee |
Dr. Avi S. Katz
Dr. Avi S. Katz co-founded the Company together with Dr. Raluca Dinu, who is also a director of GigCapital7. Dr. Katz has served as the Chief Executive Officer and the Chairman of the Board since the inception of GigCapital7 in May 2024. Dr. Katz holds 50% indirect membership interest in the Sponsor. Dr. Katz also holds a 50% membership interest in GigManagement, LLC, the managing company of the Sponsor, and has served as a managing member of such managing company since its inception. Dr. Katz has spent approximately 35 years in international executive positions within the TMT industry working for privately held start-ups, and publicly traded middle-cap companies and large enterprises. After the sale of GigPeak (also known as GigOptix, NYSE GIG), which he founded and bootstrapped in April 2007 to IDT International (NYSE IDT) in April 2017, in October 2017, Dr. Katz founded GigCapital Global as a serial issuer of private-to-public equity (PPE) entity, also known as special-purpose-acquisition-company (SPAC) and served as since as its executive chairman of the board. In September 2017 he founded GigCapital, Inc. (“GIG1”), company formed for the purpose of acquiring a company in the TMT industry. GIG1 completed its initial public offering in December 2017, in which it sold 14,375,000 units at price of $10.00 per unit, with each unit consisting of one share of GIG1 common stock, three-fourths (3/4) of one warrant to purchase one share of GIG1 common stock and one right to receive one-tenth (1/10) of one share of GIG1 common stock, generating aggregate proceeds of approximately $144 million. On February 22, 2019, GIG1 entered into a stock purchase agreement to acquire Kaleyra S.p.A. at about transaction enterprise value of $187 million with combined cash and/or promissory note consideration of $15 million. The transaction closed on November 25, 2019, and GIG1 was renamed Kaleyra, Inc. and listed on the NYSE American stock exchange under the symbol “KLR” (and since that time, Kaleyra uplisted to the NYSE. In November 2023, KLR was sold to Tata Communications at a transaction enterprise value of about $320 million in a cash deal and ceased to exist as a public company. Dr. Katz served as the Chairman of the board and Secretary of Kaleyra since the consummation of the transaction in November 2019 and till the acquisition by Tata. In this capacity, Dr. Katz steered many restructuring and refinancing, including the acquisition of mGage from Blackstone for about $225 million in a cash and stock deal in June 2021. Prior to that time, Dr. Katz served as the Executive Chairman, Secretary, and Chief Executive Officer of GIG1. In March 2019, Dr. Katz founded GigCapital2, Inc. (“GIG2”), a Private-to-Public Equity (PPE) company formed for the purpose of acquiring a company in the TMT industry. GIG2 completed its initial public offering in June 2019, in which it sold 17,250,000 units at a per unit price of $10.00, with each unit consisting of one share of GIG2 common stock, one warrant to purchase one share of GIG2 common stock, and one right to receive one-twentieth (1/20) of one share of GIG2 common stock, generating aggregate proceeds of about $173 million. On June 8, 2021, GIG2 completed its business combination with each of UpHealth Holdings, Inc. and Cloudbreak Health, LLC, and the Company changed its name to UpHealth, Inc. and trades on the OTC under the new ticker symbol “UPHL.” Dr. Katz initially served as the Chief Executive Officer of GIG2 until August 2019, when Dr. Dinu substituted for him in that position. He also served as the Executive Chairman and Secretary of GIG2 since inception until the closing of the business combination in June 2021, when Dr. Katz was appointed as the Co-Chairman of the board of directors of UpHealth, becoming the sole Chairman of the board of UpHealth in June 2022. In this capacity, Dr. Katz was steering many restructuring and refinancing of the company, including the sale of Innovations
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Group Incorporated to Belmar Pharma Solutions for $56 million in a cash deal in June 2023 and the recently completed sale of Cloudbreak for $180 million in a cash deal to GTCR in March 2024. In February 2020, Drs. Katz and Dinu co-founded GigCapital3, Inc. (“GIG3”), a Private-to-Public Equity (PPE) company formed for the purpose of acquiring a company in the TMT industry. GIG3 completed its initial public offering in May 2020, in which it sold 20,000,000 units at a per unit price of $10.00, with each unit consisting of one share of GIG3 common stock and three-fourths (3/4) of one warrant to purchase one share of GIG3 common stock, generating aggregate proceeds of $200 million. On May 6, 2021, GIG3 completed its business combination with Lightning Systems, Inc., which does business as Lightning eMotors, and the Company retained such name. Lightning eMotors, Inc. was listed on the NYSE under the new ticker symbol “ZEV”, but now is listed on the OTC under the ticker symbol “ZEVY.” Dr. Katz served as the Chief Executive Officer, Executive Chairman and Secretary of GIG3 since its inception until the closing of the business combination in May 2021, when Dr. Katz was appointed as the Co-Chairman of the board of directors of Lightning eMotors, and served in that position until October 2021 when he did not stand for reelection to the board of directors. In December 2020, Drs. Katz and Dinu co-founded GIG4, a Private-to-Public Equity (PPE) company formed for the purpose of acquiring a company in the TMT and sustainable industries. GIG4 completed its initial public offering in February 2021, in which it sold 35,880,000 units at a per unit price of $10.00, with each unit consisting of one share of GIG4 common stock and one-third (1/3) of one (1) warrant to purchase one share of GIG4 common stock, generating aggregate proceeds of about $359 million. GIG4 listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “GIG.” In June 2021, GIG4 announced its agreement for a business combination with BigBear.ai Holdings, LLC. The business combination between GIG4 and BigBear.ai Holdings, LLC closed in December 9, 2021, and GIG4 was renamed BigBear.ai Holdings, Inc. BigBear.ai moved its listing from Nasdaq to the NYSE, where it is listed under the ticker symbol “BBAI.” Dr. Katz served as the Executive Chairman of GIG4 from its inception until the closing of the business combination with BigBear.ai on December 9, 2021, and since then and until March 2024, has continued to serve as a member of the board of directors of BigBear.ai. In February 2021, Drs. Katz and Dinu co-founded GigInternational1, Inc. a Private-to-Public Equity (PPE) company formed for the purpose of acquiring a company in the TMT, aerospace and defense, mobility and semiconductor industries with a particular emphasis on the EMEA market. GigInternational1 completed its initial public offering in May 2021, in which it sold 20,900,000 units at a per unit price of $10.00, with each unit consisting of one share of GigInternational1 common stock and one-half (1/2) of one (1) warrant to purchase one share of GigInternational1 common stock, generating aggregate proceeds of $209 million. GigInternational1 listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “GIW,” but in November 2022, decided to liquidate and dissolve the company rather than pursue a business combination, and in December 2022, GigInternational1 delisted from Nasdaq after liquidating its trust account. In January 2021, Drs. Katz and Dinu co-founded GIG5, a Private-to-Public Equity (PPE) company formed for the purpose of acquiring a company in the TMT, aerospace and defense, intelligent automation and sustainable industries. GIG5 completed its initial public offering in September 2021, in which it sold 23,000,000 units at a per unit price of $10.00, with each unit consisting of one share of GIG5 common stock and one warrant to purchase one share of GIG5 common stock, generating aggregate proceeds of 230 million. GIG5 listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “GIG.” Dr. Katz served as the Executive Chairman of GIG5 from its inception until the closing of the business combination with QT Imaging, Inc. on March 4, 2024, and since then he serves as the chairman of the board of directors of QT Imaging Holdings, Inc. The combined company is now listed on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol “QTI”. Prior to launching his first Private-to-Public (PPE) company in 2017, Dr. Katz dedicated 10 years to incept and bootstrap, develop and manage GigPeak (NYSE American: formerly GIG), originally known as GigOptix, Inc. He served as Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President of GigOptix / GigPeak from its inception in 2007 until its sale in April 2017 to IDT International (Nasdaq: IDTI) for $250 million in cash. Under Dr. Katz’s leadership, the company completed 10 M&A deals. From February 2014 to September 2017, Dr. Katz was the chairman of the board of directors of Brazil-Photonics, in Campinas, Brazil, a joint venture that GigPeak established with the Centro de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento em Telecomunicações (CPqD). While Dr. Katz was at GigPeak’s helm, the company completed 10 M&A deals. From 2003 to 2005, Dr. Katz was the chief executive officer, president, and member of the board of directors of Intransa, Inc. From 2000 to 2003, Dr. Katz was the chief executive officer, president and a member of the board of directors of Equator Technologies. Prior to it, Dr. Katz held several leadership positions over the span of his career within the TMT industry since serving as member of Technical Staff at AT&T Bell Laboratories between 1988 and 1994,
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and made numerous angel investments in high-tech companies around the world, being a serial entrepreneur. He holds many U.S. and international patents, authored and co-authored more than 350 published scientific and technical articles in reputable journals, and is the editor of a number of technical books. Dr. Katz is a global philanthropist, and among many other activities, serves as board member of the NY Philharmonic Company. He is a graduate of the 1976 class of the Israeli Naval Academy, graduate of the 1979 USA Naval ASW class, and holds a B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Materials from the Technion (Israel Institute of Technology). Dr. Katz is married to Dr. Dinu, a director of the Company.
Christine M. Marshall joined the Company as Chief Financial Officer in May 2024. Ms. Marshall is an accomplished finance leader with extensive expertise in GAAP, SEC reporting, SOX compliance, financial policies and procedures, process enhancements, mergers and acquisitions, debt offerings and operation accounting. Ms. Marshall has a proven track record of building and leading high performing teams throughout her long career. Prior to joining the Company, Ms. Marshall was a consultant for the DeWinter Group from September 2023 to March 2024, and in that capacity, acted as the Interim Controller for one of their SaaS clients. From 2015 to 2023, Ms. Marshall was the Senior Director of Accounting, as well as for a portion that time, the Assistant Controller at Vocera Communications, Inc., a company supplying a wireless network-based software solution for voice communication in a variety of settings, which was acquired by Stryker Corporation in February 2022. Her extensive experience also includes acting as an External Reporting and Technical Accounting Consultant from 2009 until 2015 for a number of companies. From 2005 until 2007, Ms. Marshall also performed management and technical accounting functions in her role as External Reporting Manager at Adaptec, Inc., a computer storage company acquired by Microchip Technology. She was also previously a Senior Manager of Assurance and Advisory Services at Deloitte, one of the largest global accounting firms, from 1993 until 2004. Ms. Marshall holds a Bachelor of Science in Commerce from Santa Clara University and is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) with the State of California.
Dr. Raluca Dinu co-founded the Company with Dr. Avi S. Katz, who is our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, of the Board of Directors since May 2024. Dr. Dinu has spent approximately 21 years in international executive positions within the TMT industry working for privately held start-ups, middle-cap companies and large enterprises. In these roles, Dr. Dinu has been instrumental in launching and accelerating entities, building teams, large scale fund-raising, developing key alliances and technology partnerships, M&A activities, business development, financial management, global operations and sales and marketing. She served as the Chief Executive Officer of GIG2 from August 2019 to June 2021 and as a member of its board of directors since March 2019 and has continued in that role after that company became UpHealth, Inc. She also served on the board of directors of GIG3 beginning in February 2020 and continued in that role after that company became Lightning eMotors, Inc. in May 2021 until October 2021. She has also served as a member of the board of directors of BigBear.ai Holdings, Inc. since its inception in December 2020 as GIG4, and prior to the December 2021 business combination, was also the President, Chief Executive Officer and Secretary of GIG4 since its inception in December 2020. Drs. Katz and Dinu co-founded GigInternational1, a Private-to-Public Equity (PPE) company formed for the purpose of acquiring a company in the TMT, aerospace and defense, mobility and semiconductor industries with a particular emphasis on the EMEA market. GigInternational1 completed its initial public offering in May 2021, in which it sold 20,900,000 units at a per unit price of $10.00, with each unit consisting of one share of GigInternational1 common stock and one-half (1/2) of one warrant to purchase one share of GigInternational1 common stock, generating aggregate proceeds of $209 million. Dr. Dinu has served as a director since the inception of GigInternational1 and as the Chief Executive Officer, President and Secretary of GigInternational1 since March 2021. In November 2022, GigInternational1 decided to liquidate and dissolve the company rather than pursue a business combination, and in December 2022, GigInternational1 delisted from Nasdaq after liquidating its trust account. In January 2021, Drs. Katz and Dinu co-founded GIG5, a Private-to-Public Equity (PPE) company formed for the purpose of acquiring a company in the TMT, aerospace and defense, intelligent automation and sustainable industries. GIG5 completed its initial public offering in September 2021, in which it sold 23,000,000 units at a per unit price of $10.00, with each unit consisting of one share of GIG5 common stock and one warrant to purchase one share of GIG5 common stock, generating aggregate proceeds of 230 million. GIG5 listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “GIG.” Dr. Dinu served as the Chief
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Executive Officer of GIG5 from its inception until the closing of the business combination with QT Imaging, Inc. on March 4, 2024, and since then she serves as the Chief Executive Officer and director of QT Imaging Holdings, Inc. The combined company is now listed on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol “QTI.” Dr. Dinu also holds a 50% membership interest in the managing company of GigCapital5’s sponsor, GigManagement, LLC, and has served as a managing member of GigManagement, LLC since its inception. From April 2017 to May 2019, Dr. Dinu was the Vice President and General Manager of IDT’s Optical Interconnects Division. Prior to that, she held several executive-level positions at GigPeak, including Executive Vice President and Chief Operation Officer from April 2016 until it was acquired by IDT in April 2017, and before that, as its Executive Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing from August 2015 to April 2016, and as its Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing from December 2014 to August 2015. From February 2014 to September 2017, Dr. Dinu was a member of the board of directors of Brazil-Photonics, in Campinas, Brazil, a joint venture that GigPeak established with the Centro de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento em Telecomunicações (CPqD). From 2001 to 2008, Dr. Dinu was Vice President of Engineering at Lumera (Nasdaq: LMRA). Lumera was acquired by GigPeak in 2008, and Dr. Dinu joined GigPeak at that time. Dr. Dinu holds a B.Sc. in Physics and Ph.D. in Solid State Condensed Matter Physics from the University of Bucharest, and an Executive-M.B.A. from Stanford University. She also has a Corporate Director certificate from Harvard Business School, after completing the certification for Audit Committees and Compensation Committees in 2021, and Making Corporate Boards More Effective in 2022. Dr. Dinu is married to Dr. Katz, the Chairman of the Board.
Karen Rogge will serve as our director upon the completion of this offering. Most recently, Ms. Rogge was a board director at Onto Innovation, a semiconductor equipment company, from 2021 to 2024. Previously, she was a board director at GigCapital5 through the business combination with QT Imaging from 2023 to March 2024, and Rambus, Inc., a semiconductor product and silicon IP company, from 2021 to 2023. Before that, she was a board director at Kemet Corporation, an electronic components company, acquired by Yageo, from 2018 to 2020. In addition, Ms. Rogge served on the board of directors of AeroCentury, an aircraft leasing company, from 2017 to 2018. She is president of the RYN Group LLC, a management consulting business, which she founded in 2010. She has served as the interim vice president and chief financial officer of Applied Micro Circuits Corporation, a semiconductor company, from 2015 to 2016. Previously, Ms. Rogge served as the senior vice president and chief financial officer of Extreme Networks, a computer network company, from 2007 to 2009. Earlier in her career, she held executive financial and operations management positions at Hewlett Packard Company and Seagate Technology. Ms. Rogge holds an MBA degree from Santa Clara University, and a B.S. degree in business administration from California State University, Fresno. She maintains an NACD Board Leadership Fellow credential.
Raanan I. Horowitz will serve as our director upon the completion of this offering. Mr. Horowitz currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Institute for Defense Analysis, an Americannon-profit corporation that administers three federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs) to assist the United States government in addressing national security issues. He was a member of the board of directors of BigBear.ai Holdings, Inc. (BBAI: NYSE) following its business combination with GIG4 in December 2021, serving as the chair of the Nominations and Governance Committee until May 2023. He also served on the board of directors of GIG5 (NASDAQ:GIA) until its business combination with QTI, Inc. (NASDAQ:QTI) in February 2024. Mr. Horowitz was the President, Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of Elbit Systems of America, LLC, a leading provider of high-performance products and systems solutions for the defense, homeland security, commercial aviation, and medical instrumentation markets from 2007 until March 2024. Elbit Systems of America, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Elbit Systems Ltd., a global source of innovative, technology-based systems for diverse defense and commercial applications with more than 19,500 employees in 15 countries. Prior to being appointed to lead Elbit Systems of America, LLC, Mr. Horowitz served as the Executive Vice President and General Manager of EFW, Inc., a subsidiary of Elbit Systems of America, from 2003 to 2007. In 2014, 2015, 2018, 2022 and 2023, The Ethisphere Institute named Elbit Systems of America one of the “World’s Most Ethical Companies.” In addition, Mr. Horowitz is active in the Aerospace & Defense industry, serving on the Board of Governors of the Aerospace Industries Association since 2008, the board of directors for the National Defense Industrial Association since 2015, as a member of Business
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Executives for National Security since 2014, and as a member of the Wall Street Journal CEO Council since 2018 until 2024. Since April 2024, Mr. Horowitz has also been a member of the board of trustees of the Institute for Defense Analysis and the board of directors of Parry Labs, LLC, an engineering services company. Previously, he served on the National Board of Directors for one of the nation’s largest volunteer health organizations, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, from 2009 to 2018. Mr. Horowitz earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the Seidman School of Business (1993) at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan. He was also awarded a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering (1991) and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering (1981) from Tel-Aviv University in Israel.
Ambassador Adrian Zuckerman will serve as our director upon the completion of this offering. Ambassador Zuckerman was the United States Ambassador to Romania from 2019 to 2021. Under his leadership Romania signed a ten-year defense cooperation agreement with the United States that provided financial, military and strategic support and cooperation. He also advanced and helped structure an intergovernmental agreement between the US and Romania for the $8 billion refurbishment of the Cernavoda nuclear plant which included refurbishing one operating reactor and building two additional nuclear reactors. To help finance this project the Ambassador negotiated a $7 billion financing agreement with the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM). The Cernavoda project was the largest-ever joint project between the United States and Romania. He was the recipient of the Star of Romania, Order of Grand Cross. Ambassador Zuckerman has worked as an Of Counsel to DLA Piper LLP (US) from 2021 to date, bringing his unique skills as a lawyer and former government official to advise multinational corporations on legal, regulatory, and governmental affairs as they expand into emerging markets in Eastern Europe and around the world. Before that, he was also a partner at Seyfath Shaw LLP from 2013 to 2019. Ambassador Zuckerman is also a member of the advisory board of the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue University. He holds an undergraduate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a law degree from the New York Law School.
Professor Darius Moshfeghi will serve as our director upon the completion of this offering. Professor Moshfeghi is Professor and Chief of Retina at the Byers Eye Institute at the Stanford University School of Medicine where he has been continuously employed since 2002, and where he established the vitreoretinal fellowship program. He is internationally recognized for his pioneering work to promote telemedicine for the prevention of blindness in premature and term infants, establishing the Stanford University Network for the Diagnosis of Retinopathy of Prematurity (SUNDROP) network in 2005. Dr. Moshfeghi has led the Telemedicine for ROP screening program (TeleROP) collaboration between Stanford University and Pediatrix since 2017. SUNDROP and TeleROP provide ROP screening coverage for >2.5% of USA neonatal intensive care units and 3.8% of eligible infants. His entrepreneurial work centers around telemedicine applications in eye health: in 2020, he founded and was Chairman of Placid0 until its acquisition by Waldo, Inc., in 2021 and served on the Board of directors of 1800 Contacts from 2017 until its acquisition by KKR in 2020. Dr. Moshfeghi teamed with Dr. Jochen Kumm to form Pr3vent in 2017 to implement universal newborn eye screening for retinal and ocular abnormalities in healthy newborn infants and currently sits on the board. He is a founding member of the Collaborative Community on Ophthalmic Imaging—ROP section, serving from 2019 to present, which works with the FDA to develop guidelines for new technology and served on the American Academy of Ophthalmology Telemedicine Working Group from 2014 to 2022 and ROP Telemedicine Task Force Panel from 2009 to 2011. He led the steering committee for the Regeneron BUTTERFLEYE trial from 2019 to present and the photographic imaging committee for Bayer FIREFLEYE trial of aflibercept for ROP from 2018 to 2020. He leads the scientific advisory boards for Akebia from 2023 to present, Feliqs from 2023 to present, and Aspire Pharma in 2023 for their prevention trials in ROP. He also joined the Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. Independent Medical Monitor, Rescue Therapy in 2024 until present, and the Osanni Bio, Inc., Data Monitoring Committee, where he joined as Chair in 2024 and continues to serve. He is active in Data Monitoring Safety Boards working with Affamed from 2022 to present, Alcon from 2015 to 2018, Icon Clinical Research, Insite DME from 2023 to present, Novartis from 2019 to 2020, and Vanotech Chengdu from 2023 to present.
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Number, Terms of Office and Election of Executive Officers and Directors
Our Board of Directors will be elected each year at our annual meeting of shareholders. We may not hold an annual meeting of shareholders until after we consummate our initial business combination (unless required by Nasdaq).
Our executive officers are elected 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 by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to appoint persons to serve as officers as it deems appropriate. Our executive officers may consist of a Chairman, a Chief Executive Officer, a President, a Chief Financial Officer, Vice Presidents, a Secretary, Assistant Secretaries, a Treasurer and such other offices as may be determined by the Board of Directors.
Director Independence
Nasdaq requires that a majority of our board must be composed of “independent directors,” which is defined generally as a person other than an executive officer or employee of the Company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship, which, in the opinion of the Company’s Board of Directors would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director.
Upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, Ms. Rogge and Mr. Horowitz, Ambassador Zuckerman and Professor Moshfeghi will be our independent directors. Our independent directors may have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present in certain circumstances. Any affiliated transactions will be on terms no less favorable to us than could be obtained from independent parties. Any affiliated transactions must be approved by a majority of our independent and disinterested directors.
Executive Officer and Director Compensation
Commencing on the date that our securities are first listed on Nasdaq through the earlier of consummation of our initial business combination and our liquidation, we will pay GigManagement, LLC, an affiliate of our Sponsor, a monthly fee of $30,000 per month for office space and general and administrative services until the consummation of an initial business combination. The CFO shall be entitled to payment of $20,000 per month for services in such capacity, and Sponsor and the officers and directors shall also be entitled to reimbursement from the Company for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred and advisory fees shall be paid to the directors and advisors in connection with certain activities on the Company’s behalf. This arrangement is being agreed to by an affiliate of our Chairman of our Board of Directors for our benefit and is not intended to provide such affiliate of our Chairman of our Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer compensation in lieu of a salary. We believe that such fees are at least as favorable as we could have obtained from an unaffiliated third party for such services.
Except as set forth above and in this paragraph, no compensation will be paid to our Sponsor, executive officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, prior to or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Additionally, these individuals will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our Board of Directors may also approve the payment of advisory fees to directors in connection with such activities, including board committee service, and extraordinary administrative and analytical services. Our independent directors will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our Sponsor, executive officers, directors or our or their affiliates.
After the completion of our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us, may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to shareholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our shareholders in connection with a proposed business combination. It is
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unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers will be determined, or recommenced, to the Board of Directors for determination, either by a committee constituted solely of independent directors or by a majority of the independent directors on our Board of Directors.
We do not intend to take any action to ensure that members of our management team maintain their positions with us after the consummation of our initial business combination, although it is possible that some or all of our officers and directors may negotiate employment or consulting arrangements to remain with us after the initial business combination. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements to retain their positions with us may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business but we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination. We are not party to any agreements with our officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.
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 our audit committee, our compensation committee and our nominating and corporate governance committee will be composed 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. Mr. Horowitz and Ambassador Zuckerman will serve as members of our audit committee. Ms. Rogge will serve as the chairwoman of the audit committee. Under Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have three members of the audit committee, all of whom must be independent. Each of Ms. Rogge, Mr. Horowitz and Ambassador Zuckerman are independent.
Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our Board of Directors will determine that Ms. Rogge qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules.
We will adopt an audit committee charter, which will detail the purpose and principal functions of the audit committee, including:
| • | assisting the Board of Directors in the oversight of (1) the accounting and financial reporting processes of the Company and the audits of the financial statements of the Company, (2) the preparation and integrity of the financial statements of the Company, (3) the compliance by the Company with financial statement and regulatory requirements, (4) the performance of the Company’s internal finance and accounting personnel and its independent registered public accounting firms, and (5) the qualifications and independence of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firms; |
| • | reviewing with each of the internal and independent registered public accounting firms the overall scope and plans for audits, including authority and organizational reporting lines and adequacy of staffing and compensation; |
| • | reviewing and discussing with management and internal auditors the Company’s system of internal control and discussing with the independent registered public accounting firm any significant matters regarding internal controls over financial reporting that have come to its attention during the conduct of its audit; |
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| • | reviewing and discussing with management, internal auditors and the independent registered public accounting firm the Company’s financial and critical accounting practices, and policies relating to risk assessment and management; |
| • | receiving and reviewing reports of the independent registered public accounting firm and discussing 1) all critical accounting policies and practices to be used in the firm’s audit of the Company’s financial statements, 2) all alternative treatments of financial information within GAAP that have been discussed with management, ramifications of the use of such alternative disclosures and treatments, and the treatment preferred by the independent registered public accounting firm, and 3) other material written communications between the independent registered public accounting firm and management, such as any management letter or schedule of unadjusted differences; |
| • | reviewing and discussing with management and the independent registered public accounting firm the annual and quarterly financial statements and section entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of the Company prior to the filing of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q; |
| • | reviewing, or establishing, standards for the type of information and the type of presentation of such information to be included in, earnings press releases and earnings guidance provided to analysts and rating agencies; |
| • | discussing with management and the independent registered public accounting firm any changes in the Company’s critical accounting principles and the effects of alternative GAAP methods, off-balance sheet structures and regulatory and accounting initiatives; |
| • | reviewing material pending legal proceedings involving the Company and other contingent liabilities; |
| • | meeting periodically with the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, the senior internal auditing executive and the independent registered public accounting firm in separate executive sessions to discuss results of examinations; |
| • | reviewing and approving all transactions between the Company and related parties or affiliates of the officers of the Company requiring disclosure under Item 404 of Regulation S-K prior to the Company entering into such transactions; |
| • | establishing procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by the Company regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters, and the confidential, anonymous submissions by employees or contractors of concerns regarding questionable accounting or accounting matters; |
| • | reviewing periodically with the Company’s management, independent registered public accounting firm and outside legal counsel (i) legal and regulatory matters which may have a material effect on the financial statements, and (ii) corporate compliance policies or codes of conduct, including any correspondence with regulators or government agencies and any employee complaints or published reports that raise material issues regarding the Company’s 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; and |
| • | establishing policies for the hiring of employees and former employees of the independent registered public accounting firm. |
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 Ms. Rogge and Ambassador Zuckerman, and Mr. Horowitz will serve as the chairman of the compensation committee. We will adopt a compensation committee charter, which will detail the purpose and responsibility of the compensation committee, including:
| • | reviewing the performance of the Chief Executive Officer and executive management; |
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| • | assisting the Board in developing and evaluating potential candidates for executive positions (including Chief Executive Officer); |
| • | reviewing and approving goals and objectives relevant to the Chief Executive Officer and other executive officer compensation, evaluating the Chief Executive Officer’s and other executive officers’ performance in light of these corporate goals and objectives, and setting the Chief Executive Officer and other executive officer compensation levels consistent with its evaluation and the company philosophy; |
| • | approving the salaries, bonus and other compensation for all executive officers; |
| • | reviewing and approving compensation packages for new corporate officers and termination packages for corporate officers as requested by management; |
| • | reviewing and discussing with the Board of Directors and senior officers plans for officer development and corporate succession plans for the Chief Executive Officer and other senior officers; |
| • | reviewing and making recommendations concerning executive compensation policies and plans; |
| • | reviewing and recommending to the Board of Directors the adoption of or changes to the compensation of the Company’s directors; |
| • | reviewing and approving the awards made under any executive officer bonus plan, and providing an appropriate report to the Board of Directors; |
| • | reviewing and making recommendations concerning long-term incentive compensation plans, including the use of stock options and other equity-based plans, and, except as otherwise delegated by the Board of Directors, acting as the “Plan Administrator” for equity-based and employee benefit plans; |
| • | approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for the Company’s executive officers and employees; |
| • | reviewing periodic reports from management on matters relating to the Company’s personnel appointments and practices; |
| • | assisting management in complying with the Company’s proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements; |
| • | issuing an annual Report of the Compensation Committee on Executive Compensation for the Company’s annual proxy statement in compliance with applicable SEC rules and regulations; |
| • | annually evaluating the committee’s performance and the committee’s charter and recommending to the Board of Directors any proposed changes to the charter or the committee; and |
| • | undertaking all further actions and discharge all further responsibilities imposed upon the Committee from time to time by the Board of Directors, the federal securities laws or the rules and regulations of the SEC. |
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 Nasdaq 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 will be Professor Moshfeghi and Mr. Horowitz, and Ambassador Zuckerman will serve as the
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chairman 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:
| • | developing and recommending to the Board of Directors the criteria for appointment as a director; |
| • | identifying, considering, recruiting and recommending candidates to fill new positions on the Board of Directors; |
| • | reviewing candidates recommended by shareholders; |
| • | conducting the appropriate and necessary inquiries into the backgrounds and qualifications of possible candidates; and |
| • | recommending director nominees for approval by the Board of Directors and election by the shareholders at the next annual meeting. |
The charter will also provide that the nominating and corporate governance committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of, and terminate, any search firm to be used to identify director candidates and will be directly responsible for approving the search firm’s fees and other retention terms.
We have not formally established any specific, minimum qualifications that must be met or skills that are necessary for directors to possess. In general, in identifying and evaluating nominees for director, the Board of Directors considers educational background, diversity of professional experience, knowledge of our business, integrity, professional reputation, independence, wisdom, and the ability to represent the best interests of our shareholders. Prior to our initial business combination, holders of our public shares will not have the right to recommend director candidates for nomination to our Board of Directors.
Code of Conduct and Ethics
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will adopt a code of conduct and ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees in accordance with applicable federal securities laws. We will file a copy of our form of Code of Business Conduct and our board committee charters as exhibits to the registration statement. You will be able to review these documents by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the Code of Business Conduct 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 Business Conduct in a Current Report on Form 8-K. See “Where You Can Find Additional Information.”
Conflicts of Interest
Our management team is responsible for the management of our affairs. As described above and below, each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, he or she will honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us (including as described in “Proposed Business—Initial Business Combination”). These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us.
We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless (i) such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or
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her capacity as a director or officer of our company, (ii) such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue and (iii) the director or officer is permitted to refer the opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation.
Our Sponsor, officers and directors may participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, our Sponsor, officers 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. Further, there is significant overlap among the directors and officers of UpHealth, Inc., QT Imaging Holdings, Inc. and the Company. Dr. Katz, our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, serves as the Chairman of QT Imaging Holdings, Inc. and the Chairman of UpHealth, Inc., and Dr. Dinu, our director, is also a member of the board of directors of UpHealth, Inc. and the Chief Executive Officer and member of the board of directors of QT Imaging Holdings, Inc. Any of such companies may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target. Investors should be aware of the following potential conflicts of interest:
| • | None of our officers and directors is required to commit their full time to our affairs and, accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time among various business activities. |
| • | In the course of their other business activities, our Sponsor, officers and directors may become aware of investment and business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to our company as well as the other entities with which they are affiliated. However, our officers and directors have agreed to present to us all suitable target business opportunities, subject to any fiduciary or contractual obligations. |
| • | Unless we consummate our initial business combination, our executive officers, directors and Sponsor will not receive reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them to the extent that such expenses exceed the amount of available proceeds not deposited in the trust account. |
| • | The founder shares, insider shares, private placement shares and private placement warrants (and underlying securities) will be released from their respective lock-up restrictions only if a business combination is successfully completed, and the private placement warrants will expire worthless if a business combination is not consummated. |
For the foregoing reasons, our Board of Directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is appropriate to effect a business combination with the Company.
In general, executive officers and directors of a corporation incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands are required to present business opportunities to a corporation if:
| • | the corporation could financially undertake the opportunity; |
| • | the opportunity is within the corporation’s line of business; and |
| • | it would not be fair to the corporation and its shareholders for the opportunity not to be brought to the attention of the corporation. |
Accordingly, as a result of multiple business affiliations, our officers and directors may have similar legal obligations relating to presenting business opportunities meeting the above-listed criteria to multiple entities. In addition, conflicts of interest may arise when our Board of Directors evaluates a particular business opportunity with respect to the above-listed criteria. We cannot assure you that any of the above-mentioned conflicts will be resolved in our favor.
In order to minimize potential conflicts of interest which may arise from multiple corporate affiliations, each of our officers and directors has contractually agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, until the earliest of our execution of a definitive agreement for a business combination, our liquidation or such time as he or she ceases to be an officer or director, to present to our company for our consideration, prior to presentation to
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any other entity, any suitable business opportunity which may reasonably be required to be presented to us, subject to any fiduciary or contractual obligations he or she might have in the event their respective business combinations are not consummated. Accordingly, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that the doctrine of corporate opportunity will not apply with respect to any of our executive officers or directors in circumstances where the application of the doctrine would conflict with any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations they may have.
Below is a table summarizing the entities to which our executive officers and directors currently have fiduciary duties or contractual obligations.
| Individual |
Entity |
Entity’s Business |
Affiliation | |||
| Dr. Avi S. Katz | GigFounders, LLC | Consulting and Investment | Founder and managing member | |||
| Gig4L, LLC | Consulting and Investment | Founder and managing member | ||||
| GigManagement, LLC | Management Company | Co-founder and managing member | ||||
| GigAcquisitions, LLC | PPE (SPAC) sponsorship | Founder and manager | ||||
| GigAcquisitions2, LLC | PPE (SPAC) sponsorship | Founder and manager | ||||
| GigAcquisitions3, LLC | PPE (SPAC) sponsorship | Founder and manager | ||||
| GigAcquisitions4, LLC | PPE (SPAC) sponsorship | Founder and manager | ||||
| GigAcquisitions5, LLC | PPE (SPAC) sponsorship | Founder and manager | ||||
| GigAcquisitions7 Corp. | PPE (SPAC) sponsorship | Founder and manager | ||||
| UpHealth, Inc. | Healthcare and Telemedicine | Chairman of board of directors | ||||
| QT Imaging Holdings, Inc. | Medical Device | Chairman of board of directors | ||||
| Dr. Raluca Dinu | GigManagement, LLC | Management Company | Co-founder and managing member | |||
| Gig4L, LLC | Consulting and Investment | Founder and managing member | ||||
| UpHealth, Inc. | Healthcare and Telemedicine | Director | ||||
| QT Imaging Holdings, Inc. | Medical Device | Chief Executive Officer | ||||
| Professor Darius Moshfeghi | Stanford University School of Medicine Collaborative Community |
Ophthalmic Ophthalmic |
Professor and Chief of Retina Founding Member | |||
| Ambassador Adrian Zuckerman | DLA Piper LLP (US) | Law Firm | Of Counsel | |||
| Raanan Horowitz | Institute for Defense Analysis Parry Labs LLC |
Technical and Scientific Analysis Engineering Services |
Member of board of trustees Member of board of directors |
If we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, our initial shareholders have agreed to vote any shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. In addition, they have agreed to waive their respective rights to participate in any liquidation distribution with respect to their founder shares, insider shares or private shares. If they purchase Class A ordinary shares as part of this offering or in the open market, however, they would be entitled to participate in any liquidation distribution in respect of such
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shares but have agreed not to convert or sell such shares to us in connection with the consummation of an initial business combination.
All ongoing and future transactions between us and any of our Sponsor, executive officers and directors or their respective affiliates will be on terms believed by us to be no less favorable to us than are available from unaffiliated third parties. Such transactions will require prior approval by a majority of our uninterested “independent” directors or the members of our Board of Directors who do not have an interest in the transaction, in either case who had access, at our expense, to our attorneys or independent legal counsel. We will not enter into any such transaction unless our disinterested “independent” directors determine that the terms of such transaction are no less favorable to us than those that would be available to us with respect to such a transaction from unaffiliated third parties.
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The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our shares as of the date of this prospectus, and as adjusted to reflect the sale of our Class A ordinary shares included in the public units offered by this prospectus and private placement warrants, 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 the outstanding ordinary shares; |
| • | each of our executive officers and directors that beneficially owns ordinary shares; and |
| • | all our executive officers and directors as a group. |
Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect record or beneficial ownership of any shares issuable upon exercise of warrants as these warrants are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this prospectus. The post-offering numbers and percentages presented assume the forfeiture of 2,500,000 shares that are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s option to purchase additional shares is exercised, and that there are 25,000,000 Class A ordinary shares issued and outstanding after this offering.
| Prior to Offering | After Offering(2) | |||||||||||||||
| Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1) | Amount and Nature of Beneficial Ownership(3) |
Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Shares |
Amount and Nature of Beneficial Ownership |
Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Shares(4) |
||||||||||||
| GigAcquisitions7 Corp.(5) |
16,700,000 | 98.2 | % | 14,200,000 | 34.1 | % | ||||||||||
| Dr. Avi S. Katz(5) |
16,700,000 | 98.2 | % | 14,200,000 | 34.1 | % | ||||||||||
| Dr. Raluca Dinu(5) |
16,700,000 | 98.2 | % | 14,200,000 | 34.1 | % | ||||||||||
| Karen Rogge |
— | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Raanan I. Horowitz |
— | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Ambassador Adrian Zuckerman |
— | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Professor Darius Moshfeghi |
— | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Christine M. Marshall |
— | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
| All directors and officers as a group |
16,700,000 | 98.2 | % | 14,200,000 | 34.1 | % | ||||||||||
| (1) | Unless otherwise indicated, the business address of each of the individuals is 1731 Embarcadero Rd., Suite 200, Palo Alto, CA 94303. |
| (2) | Assumes (i) no exercise of the over-allotment option and (ii) an aggregate of 2,500,000 Class B ordinary shares have been forfeited by our Sponsor. |
| (3) | Based on 17,000,000 Class B ordinary shares outstanding immediately prior to this offering. |
| (4) | Based on 41,166,670 shares outstanding immediately after this offering. |
| (5) | Represents shares held by our Sponsor. The shares held by our Sponsor are beneficially owned by Dr. Katz, our Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Dr. Raluca Dinu, our director, who both have the voting and dispositive power over the shares held by our Sponsor. The Sponsor’s business address is 1731 Embarcadero Rd., Suite 200, Palo Alto, CA 94303. |
Immediately after this offering (without the exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option), our initial shareholders and any of their permitted transferees will beneficially own approximately 40.0% of our issued and outstanding shares (assuming none of our initial shareholders purchase any public units), with our Sponsor beneficially owning approximately 34.1% of such issued and outstanding shares. Because of this ownership
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block, our Sponsor, acting alone, may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all matters requiring approval by our shareholders, including the election of directors, amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approval of significant corporate transactions.
To the extent the underwriter does not exercise its over-allotment option, up to an aggregate of 2,500,000 founder shares will be subject to forfeiture. Our Sponsor will be required to forfeit only that number of founder shares necessary to maintain the representation by the founder shares, together with the founder shares held by an advisor and the private placement shares owned by non-managing investors, of a 40% ownership interest in our outstanding ordinary shares (without giving effect to the sale of the private placement warrants) after consummation of this offering.
Assuming no exercise of the over-allotment option, our Sponsor has committed that it will purchase an aggregate of 3,719,000 private placement warrants at $0.01561 per warrant. These purchases will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. The private placement warrants are identical to the public warrants, except that the underlying warrants: (i) will not be redeemable by us and (ii) may be exercised for cash or on a cashless basis, as described in this prospectus, so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their respective permitted transferees.
Our initial shareholders have agreed (A) to vote their private shares in favor of any proposed business combination, (B) not to propose an amendment to our charter documents with respect to our pre-business combination activities prior to the consummation of such a business combination unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable, divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, (C) not to redeem any private placement shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve our proposed initial business combination and (D) that such private placement shares shall not participate in any liquidating distribution upon winding up if a business combination is not consummated, until all of the claims of any redeeming shareholders and creditors are fully satisfied (and then only from funds held outside the trust account).
Our initial shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their respective founder shares, private placement shares, private placement warrants or any securities underlying the private placement warrants that they hold until the date that is (i) in the case of the founder shares and private placement shares, the earlier of (A) 6 months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) the date on which the last sale price of our public shares equals or exceeds $11.50 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 90 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we consummate a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction after our initial business combination which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their public shares for cash, securities or other property, and (ii) in the case of the private placement warrants or any securities underlying the private placement warrants, until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the lock-up period of the non-managing investors shall not be longer than the Sponsor’s lock-up period; provided that if upon consummation of an initial business combination, any securityholder holding more than three percent (3.0%) of the capital stock of the surviving company is not subject to a lock-up agreement or is subject to a lock-up agreement for a shorter period of time than non-managing investors, the non-managing investors’ lock-up period shall be reduced to the shortest lock-up period or terminated, as the case may be, unless such exclusion from the lock-up obligations is required in compliance with the listing rules of Nasdaq or any other national stock exchange. Further, if any such securityholder is released from a lock-up period subsequent to the consummation of an initial business combination, the Company shall release the private placement shares held by non-managing investors from the lock-up provisions.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, during their respective lock-up periods, the initial shareholders may transfer, assign or sell any of the aforenamed securities (1) amongst the Sponsor and its affiliates, to our executive officers
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or directors, or to any affiliate or family member of any of our executive officers or directors, (2) in the case of an entity, as a distribution to its partners, shareholders or members upon its liquidation, (3) in the case of an individual, (i) by bona fide gift to such person’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of such person’s immediate family, an affiliate of such person or to a charitable organization, (ii) by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death of such person, (iii) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, (4) by certain pledges to secure obligations incurred in connection with purchases of the Company’s securities, (5) through private sales or transfers made in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination at prices no greater than the price at which such securities were originally purchased, or (6) to us for no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination; provided, that, in each such case (except clause (6)), these transferees (the “permitted transferees”) shall enter into a written agreement with us agreeing to be bound by the transfer restrictions agreed to by the original holder in connection with the purchase of the securities being transferred.
Expression of Interest
The non-managing investors have expressed an interest in purchasing up to an aggregate of approximately 99% of $250 million or $247.5 million of the public units in this offering at the offering price (assuming the underwriter does not exercise its over-allotment option). None of the non-managing investors has expressed to us an interest in purchasing more than 9.9% of the public units to be sold in this offering. There can be no assurance that the non-managing investors will acquire any public units, either directly or indirectly, in this offering, or as to the amount of the public units the non-managing investors will retain, if any, prior to or upon the consummation of our initial business combination. Because these expressions of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase, the non-managing investors may determine to purchase a different number or no public units in this offering. In addition, the underwriter has full discretion to allocate the public units to investors and may determine to sell a different number or no public units to the non-managing investors. The underwriter will receive the same upfront discounts and commissions on public units purchased by the non-managing investors in this offering, if any, as it will on the other public units sold to the public in this offering. In addition, none of the non-managing investors has any obligation to vote any of their public shares in favor of our initial business combination.
In the event that the non-managing investors purchase such public units (either in this offering or after) and vote them in favor of our initial business combination, no affirmative votes from other public shareholders would be required to approve our initial business combination. However, because the non-managing investors are not obligated to continue owning any public shares following the closing and are not obligated to vote any public shares in favor of our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that any of these non-managing investors will be public shareholders at the time our shareholders vote on our initial business combination, and, if they are public shareholders, we cannot assure you as to how such non-managing investors will vote on any business combination.
The non-managing investors are not granted any shareholder or other rights in addition to those afforded to our other public shareholders, and will only be issued the private placement shares of the Company. The non-managing investors are not required to (i) hold any public units, public shares or public warrants they may purchase in this offering or thereafter for any amount of time, (ii) vote any public shares they may own at the applicable time in favor of our initial business combination or (iii) refrain from exercising their right to redeem their public shares at the time of our initial business combination. The non-managing investors will have the same rights to the funds held in the trust account with respect to the public shares comprising part of the public units they may purchase in this offering as the rights afforded to our other public shareholders. However, if the non-managing investors purchase all of the public units for which they have expressed to us an interest in purchasing or otherwise hold a substantial number of our public units, then the non-managing investors will potentially have different interests than our other public shareholders in approving our initial business combination and otherwise exercising their rights as public shareholders because of their ownership of private placement shares as further discussed in this prospectus.
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There can be no assurance that the non-managing investors will acquire any public units, either directly or indirectly, in this offering, or as to the amount of the public units these investors will retain, if any, prior to or upon the consummation of our initial business combination. Because these expressions of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase, non-managing investors may determine to purchase a different number of public units in this offering, or none at all. In addition, the underwriter has full discretion to allocate the public units to investors and may determine to sell a different number or no public units to the non-managing investors. The underwriter will receive the same upfront discounts and commissions and deferred underwriting commissions on public units purchased by the non-managing investors, if any, as it will on the other public units sold to the public in this offering. In the event that the non-managing investors purchase the number of public units in which they have expressed an interest (either in this offering or after) and vote them in favor of our initial business combination, no affirmative votes from other public shareholders would be required to approve our initial business combination. However, because our non-managing investors are not obligated to continue owning any public shares following the closing of this offering and are not obligated to vote any public shares in favor of our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that any of these non-managing investors will be public shareholders at the time our shareholders vote on our initial business combination, and, if they are public shareholders, we cannot assure you as to how such non-managing investors will vote on any business combination
Registration Rights
Our initial shareholders, the non-managing investors and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the founder shares, the private placement shares, the private placement warrants and underlying securities and any securities issued upon conversion of working capital loans, pursuant to an agreement to be signed prior to or on the date of this prospectus. The holders of a majority of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands that we register such securities. The holders of a majority of these securities or units issued in payment of working capital loans made to us (or underlying securities) can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time after we consummate a business combination. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights on registration statements filed after the Company’s consummation of a business combination.
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CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
At our formation on May 8, 2024, our Sponsor acquired one Class B ordinary share, or “founder share,” for a purchase price of $0.0001. Subsequently on May 31, 2024, our Sponsor purchased 16,999,999 Class B ordinary shares from us for an aggregate purchase price of $100,000, or $0.00588235 per share, of which up to 2,500,000 founder shares remain subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised during this offering. Following the May 31, 2024 purchase, our Sponsor surrendered 300,000 Class B ordinary shares to us for no consideration, resulting in our Sponsor holding 16,700,000 Class B ordinary shares. The purchase price per founder share was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the Company by the number of founder shares issued. Prior to the investment of $100,000 by our Sponsor, the Company had no assets, tangible or intangible.
The number of founder shares, and the forfeiture mechanism underlying the founder shares, has been determined in order to ensure that the founder shares, together with the private placement shares owned by non-managing investors will collectively represent 40% of the outstanding shares (excluding any shares underlying the private placement warrants) upon completion of this offering and the exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option, if any. In connection with this offering, our Sponsor holds 16,700,000 founder shares, of which up to 2,500,000 founder shares are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised during this offering.
Our Sponsor has committed that it will purchase an aggregate of 3,719,000 private placement warrants at $0.01561 per warrant. These purchases of private placement warrants shall take place as a private placement simultaneously with the sale of the public units in this offering.
Except with respect to permitted transferees as described herein under “Principal Shareholders,” our initial shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their respective founder shares, private placement shares, private placement warrants or any securities underlying the private placement warrants that they may hold until the date that is (i) in the case of the founder shares and private placement shares, the earlier of (A) 6 months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) the date on which the last sale price of our public shares equals or exceeds $11.50 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 90 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we consummate a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction after our initial business combination which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their public shares for cash, securities or other property, and (ii) in the case of the private placement warrants or any securities underlying the private placement warrants, until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial shareholders with respect to any such securities.
In order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering, our Sponsor, executive officers, directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into additional private placement warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. The terms of such loans by our Sponsor, executive officers, directors, or their affiliates, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans.
The holders of our founder shares and private placement shares issued and outstanding on the date of this prospectus, as well as the holders of the private placement warrants, our Sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates may be issued in payment of working capital loans made to us (and all underlying securities), will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to an agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this
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offering. The holders of a majority of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands that we register such securities. The holders of a majority of these securities or units issued in payment of working capital loans made to us (or underlying securities) can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time after we consummate a business combination. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our consummation of a business combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Dr. Katz, our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, formed a limited liability company named Gig4L, LLC, of which 100% is owned equally by Drs. Katz and Dinu, who are husband and wife; and that partnership, which is also managed by Drs. Katz and Dinu, has the sole financial and voting interest in our Sponsor that entitles it to participate in any economic return that the Sponsor receives for its investment in the Company in accordance with terms negotiated with the other holders of financial and voting interests in our Sponsor. Accordingly, Drs. Katz and Dinu will benefit from the transaction to the extent of their interest in our Sponsor.
Drs. Katz and Dinu also formed a limited liability company named GigManagement, LLC, of which 50% is owned by each of Drs. Katz and Dinu. Drs. Katz and Dinu are also managing members of GigManagement, LLC. We are obligated, pursuant to an Administrative Services Agreement, commencing on the date of this prospectus, to pay GigManagement, LLC a monthly fee of $30,000 per month for office space and general and administrative services until the consummation of an initial business combination. In conjunction with our services agreement with GigManagement, LLC and in connection with GigManagement, LLC’s affiliation with GigFounders, LLC, we have a licensing arrangement with GigFounders, LLC whereby we are permitted to use its “Private-to-Public Equity (PPE).”
Other than the foregoing and as described in this paragraph, no compensation or fees of any kind, including finder’s, consulting fees and other similar fees, will be paid to our Sponsor, members of our management team or their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, such individuals will receive the repayment of any loans from our Sponsor, officers and directors for working capital purposes and reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target businesses, performing business due diligence on suitable target businesses and business combinations as well as traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses to examine their operations. Our Board of Directors may also approve the payment of advisory fees for such activities, including board committee service, and extraordinary administrative and analytical services. There is no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by us. Our independent directors will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our Sponsor, executive officers or our or their affiliates.
After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to shareholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials furnished to our shareholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of a shareholder meeting held to consider an initial business combination, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation. In this event, such compensation will be publicly disclosed at the time of its determination in a Current Report on Form 8-K, as required by the SEC.
All ongoing and future transactions between us and any of our officers and directors or their respective affiliates will be on terms believed by us to be no less favorable to us than are available from unaffiliated third parties. Such transactions will require prior approval by a majority of our uninterested “independent” directors or the members of our Board of Directors who do not have an interest in the transaction, in either case who had access, at our expense, to our attorneys or independent legal counsel. We will not enter into any such transaction unless our disinterested “independent” directors determine that the terms of such transaction are no less favorable to us than those that would be available to us with respect to such a transaction from unaffiliated third parties.
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Dr. Katz, our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Dr. Dinu, one of our directors, are husband and wife.
Related Party Policy
Our Code of Business Conduct will require us to avoid, wherever possible, all related party transactions that could result in actual or potential conflicts of interests, except under guidelines approved by the Board of Directors (or the audit committee). Related party transactions are defined as transactions in which (1) the aggregate amount involved will or may be expected to exceed $120,000 in any calendar year, (2) we or any of our subsidiaries is a participant, and (3) any (a) executive officer, director or nominee for election as a director, (b) greater than 5% beneficial owner of our shares, or (c) immediate family member, of the persons referred to in clauses (a) and (b), has or will have a direct or indirect material interest (other than solely as a result of being a director or a less than 10% beneficial owner of another entity). A conflict of interest situation can arise when a person takes actions or has interests that may make it difficult to perform his or her work objectively and effectively. Conflicts of interest may also arise if a person, or a member of his or her family, receives improper personal benefits as a result of his or her position.
Our audit committee, pursuant to its written charter, will be responsible for reviewing and approving related party transactions to the extent we enter into such transactions. The audit committee will consider all relevant factors when determining whether to approve a related party transaction, including whether the related party transaction is on terms no less favorable to us than terms generally available from an unaffiliated third party under the same or similar circumstances and the extent of the related party’s interest in the transaction. No director may participate in the approval of any transaction in which he is a related party, and that director is required to provide the audit committee with all material information concerning the transaction. We also require each of our directors and executive officers to complete a directors’ and officers’ questionnaire that elicits information about related party transactions.
These procedures are intended to determine whether any such related party transaction impairs the independence of a director or presents a conflict of interest on the part of a director, employee or officer.
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, including (i) an entity that is either a portfolio company of, or has otherwise received a material financial investment from, any private equity fund or investment company (or an affiliate thereof) that is affiliated with any of the foregoing, (ii) an entity in which any of the foregoing or their affiliates are currently passive investors, (iii) an entity in which any of the foregoing or their affiliates are currently officers or directors, or (iv) an entity in which any of the foregoing or their affiliates are currently invested through an investment vehicle controlled by them, unless we have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions on the type of target business we are seeking to acquire, and the approval of a majority of our disinterested independent directors that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated shareholders from a financial point of view.
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General
As of the date of this prospectus, we are authorized to issue 200,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, 20,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 preference shares, par value $0.0001 per share. As of the date of this prospectus, 17,000,000 Class B ordinary shares are outstanding, and we expect to issue 2,166,670 Class B ordinary shares to non-managing investors prior to the public offering. No preference shares are currently outstanding. The following description summarizes the material terms of our securities. Because it is only a summary, it may not contain all the information that is important to you. For a complete description, you should refer to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the form of warrant agreement, which are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and to the applicable provisions of the Cayman Islands law.
Units
Each unit consists of one Class A ordinary share and three quarters of one warrant to purchase one share of our Class A ordinary shares for an exercise price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. Only whole warrants are exercisable. The warrants will become exercisable on the later of (a) the consummation of our initial business combination; and (b) 12 months after this registration statement is declared effective by the SEC. The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the fifth anniversary of our completion of an initial business combination, or earlier upon redemption.
The Class A ordinary shares and warrants will begin to trade separately on the 52nd day after the date of this prospectus unless the underwriter informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, provided that in no event may the Class A ordinary shares and warrants be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds of this offering. Once the Class A ordinary shares and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component pieces.
We will file a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet promptly upon the consummation of this offering. The audited balance sheet will reflect proceeds we receive from the exercise of the over-allotment option, if the over-allotment option is exercised on the date of this prospectus. If the over-allotment option is exercised after the date of this prospectus, we will file an amendment to the Form 8-K to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the over-allotment option. We will also include in this Form 8-K, an amendment thereto, or in a subsequent Form 8-K information indicating if the underwriter has allowed separate trading of the Class A ordinary shares and warrants prior to the 52nd day after the date of this prospectus.
Ordinary Shares
Prior to the date of this prospectus, there were 17,000,000 ordinary shares outstanding, of which 16,700,000 were held of record by our Sponsor, so that our Sponsor will own approximately 34.1% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (assuming our Sponsor does not purchase any units in this offering and not including private placements shares or the ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants and the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriter). Up to 2,500,000 of the founder shares will be forfeited by our Sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised. Upon the closing of this offering, 41,666,670 of our ordinary shares will be outstanding (assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option and the corresponding forfeiture of 2,500,000 founder shares by our initial shareholders) including:
| • | 25,000,000 Class A ordinary shares underlying units issued as part of this offering; |
| • | 14,200,000 Class B ordinary shares held by the Sponsor; |
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| • | 300,000 Class B ordinary shares held by an advisor; and |
| • | 2,166,670 private placement shares. |
If we increase or decrease the size of the offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, we will effect a stock dividend or share contribution back to capital, as applicable, immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our Sponsor and an advisor, together with non-managing investors, prior to this offering at 40% of our issued and outstanding shares (excluding any shares underlying the private placement shares) upon the consummation of this offering, as described above. Ordinary shareholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by shareholders. Unless specified in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or as required by applicable provisions of Cayman Island laws or stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of our shares that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our shareholders. Our shareholders are entitled to receive ratable dividends when, as and if declared by the Board of Directors out of funds legally available therefor. 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 a vote is held to approve a business combination, a majority of the outstanding shares voted are voted in favor of the business combination.
Ordinary shareholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by shareholders. Except as described below, holders of Class A ordinary shares and holders of Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders except as required by law. Unless otherwise specified in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or as required by applicable provisions of the Companies Act or applicable stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of our ordinary shares that are represented in person or by proxy and are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our shareholders. Approval of certain actions will require a special resolution under Cayman Islands law, being the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company, and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association; such actions include amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approving a statutory merger or consolidation with another company. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the election of directors, with the result that the holders of more than 50% of the shares entitled to vote and voted for the election of directors can elect all of the directors. Our shareholders are entitled to receive ratable dividends when, as and if declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available therefor. Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such time. Further, prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to vote on transferring the Company by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the Company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the company, in each case, as a result of the company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands) and, as a result, our initial shareholders will be able to approve any such proposal without the vote of any other shareholder. The provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association governing the appointment of directors prior to our initial business combination and our continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands prior to our initial business combination may only be amended by a special resolution passed by holders representing at least two-thirds of our outstanding Class B ordinary shares.
Our Board of Directors is elected each year at our annual meeting of shareholders; however, we do not currently intend to hold an annual meeting of shareholders until after we consummate a business combination (unless required by Nasdaq).
In accordance with the Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. Our fiscal year end will be on December 31.
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We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price which is payable in cash and equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable by us) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described in this prospectus. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be approximately $10.00 per public share. Our initial shareholders will enter into agreements with us, pursuant to which they will agree to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, private placement shares, private placement warrants and shares underlying any private placement warrants in connection with the completion of our business combination.
Unlike many blank check companies that hold shareholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business combinations and provide for related redemptions of public shares for cash upon completion of such initial business combinations even when a vote is not required by law, if a shareholder vote is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association requires 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 shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its public shares with respect to Excess Shares, without our prior consent. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Our shareholders’ inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination, and such shareholders could suffer a material loss in their investment if they sell such Excess Shares on the open market. Additionally, such shareholders will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. And, as a result, such shareholders will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose such shares would be required to sell their shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the ordinary shares, represented in person or by proxy and entitled to vote thereon, voted at a shareholder meeting are voted in favor of the business combination. In such case, our Sponsor and each member of our management team have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement shares and public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares and private placement shares, we would need 4,166,666 public shares, or approximately 16.7% of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised). Assuming that only the holders of one-third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing a quorum under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, vote their shares, we will not need any public shares in addition to our founder shares and the private placement shares held by our Sponsor to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to approve an initial business combination. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or vote at all.
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If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares for or against our business combination.
Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, if we are unable to complete our business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but no more than 10 business days thereafter, subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price which is payable in cash and equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable by us and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our Board of Directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Our initial shareholders have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares and private placement shares if we fail to complete our business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering. However, if our Sponsor, underwriter, executive officers or directors acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our business combination within the prescribed time period.
In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company after a business combination, our shareholders are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining available for distribution to them after payment of liabilities and after provision is made for each class of stock, if any, having preference over the ordinary shares. Our shareholders have no preemptive or other subscription rights. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to the ordinary shares, except that we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash 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 by us) upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described in this prospectus.
Warrants
No warrants are currently outstanding. Each whole warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing on the later of 12 months from the closing of this offering or 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of Class A ordinary shares. This means that only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time by a warrant holder. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the public units and only whole warrants will trade. The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the fifth anniversary of our completion of an initial business combination, or earlier upon redemption.
No public warrants will be exercisable for cash unless we have an effective and current registration statement covering the warrant shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to such warrant shares. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the issuance of the warrant shares issuable upon exercise of the public warrants is not effective within 90 days from the closing of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement,
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exercise warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to an available exemption from registration under the Securities Act. If an exemption from registration is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. In the event of a cashless exercise, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of warrant shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of warrant shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” for this purpose will mean the average reported last sale price of the public shares for the five trading days ending on the trading day prior to the date of exercise.
The private placement warrants will be identical to the public warrants underlying the public units being offered by this prospectus, except that such private placement warrants will be exercisable for cash (even if a registration statement covering the issuance of the warrant shares issuable upon exercise of such warrants is not effective) or on a cashless basis, at the holder’s option, and will not be redeemable by us, in each case so long as they are still held by the Sponsor or its affiliates.
Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants (excluding the private placement warrants):
| • | 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 ordinary shares 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. |
We will not redeem the warrants unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the warrant shares underlying the warrants to be so redeemed is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those warrant shares is available throughout the 30-day redemption period, except if the warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption, each warrant holder may exercise his, her or its warrants prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of the public shares may fall below the $18.00 trigger price (as adjusted) as well as the $11.50 exercise price (as adjusted) after the redemption notice is issued.
The redemption criteria for our warrants have been conditioned on a share price which is intended to provide warrant holders a reasonable premium to the initial exercise price and provide a sufficient differential between the then-prevailing share price and the exercise price so that if the share price declines as a result of our redemption call, the redemption will not cause the share price to drop below the exercise price of the warrants.
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 making such determination, our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our shareholders of issuing the maximum number of warrant shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants. In such event, the holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of warrant shares underlying the warrants to be so exercised, and the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the fair market value by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the average reported last sale price of the public shares for the five trading days ending on the third trading day
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prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. No fractional shares 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 Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the holder.
A holder of a warrant may notify us in writing in the event it elects to be subject to a requirement that such holder will not have the right to exercise such warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), to the warrant agent’s actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 9.8% (or such other amount as a holder may specify) of the shares outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise.
The warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. You should review a copy of the warrant agreement, which will be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, for a complete description of the terms and conditions applicable to the warrants. The warrant agreement will provide 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.
The exercise price and number of warrant shares issuable on exercise of the warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a stock dividend, extraordinary dividend or our recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, except as described below, the warrants will not be adjusted for issuances of Class A ordinary shares at a price below their respective exercise prices.
If (x) we issue additional ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our Board of Directors, and in the case of any such issuance to our Sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by them prior to such issuance), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 65% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the Market Value is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) the price at which we issue the additional ordinary shares or equity-linked securities.
The warrants may be exercised upon surrender of the warrant certificate on or prior to the expiration date at the offices of the warrant agent, with the exercise form on the reverse side of the warrant certificate completed and executed as indicated, accompanied by full payment of the exercise price (or on a cashless basis, if applicable), by certified or official bank check payable to us, for the number of warrants being exercised. The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of Class A ordinary shares and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive Class A ordinary shares. After the issuance of Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of the warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by shareholders.
Under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement for the registration under the Securities Act of the warrant shares and thereafter use its best efforts to cause the registration statement to become effective and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement until the expiration of the warrants. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to do so and, if we do not maintain a current prospectus relating to the warrant shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, holders will be unable to exercise their warrants for cash and we will not be required to net cash settle or cash settle the warrant exercise.
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No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the warrants. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number of shares to be issued to the warrant holder. As a result, warrant holders not purchasing an even number of warrants must sell any odd number of warrants in order to obtain full value from the fractional interest that will not be issued.
We have agreed that, subject to applicable law, any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction will be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. See “Risk Factors — Our warrant agreement will designate the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.” This provision applies to claims under the Securities Act but does not apply to claims under the Exchange Act or any claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum.
Preference Shares
There are no preference shares outstanding. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will authorize the issuance of 1,000,000 preference shares with such designation, rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by our Board of Directors. No preference shares are being issued or registered in this offering. Accordingly, our Board of Directors is empowered, without shareholder approval, to issue preference shares with dividend, liquidation, conversion, voting or other rights which could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of ordinary shares. However, the underwriting agreement prohibits us, prior to a business combination, from issuing preference shares which participates in any manner in the proceeds of the trust account, or which votes as a class with the ordinary shares on a business combination. We may issue some or all of the preference shares to effect a business combination. In addition, the preference shares could be utilized as a method of discouraging, delaying or preventing a change in control of us. Although we do not currently intend to issue any preference shares, we cannot assure you that we will not do so in the future.
Register of Members
Under the Companies Act, we must keep a register of members and there should be entered therein:
| • | the names and addresses of the members of the company, a statement of the shares held by each member, which: |
| • | distinguishes each share by its number (so long as the share has a number); |
| • | confirms the amount paid, or agreed to be considered as paid, on the shares of each member; |
| • | confirms the number and category of shares held by each member; and |
| • | confirms whether each relevant category of shares held by a member carries voting rights under the Articles, and if so, whether such voting rights are conditional; |
| • | the date on which the name of any person was entered on the register as a member; and |
| • | the date on which any person ceased to be a member. |
For these purposes, “voting rights” means rights conferred on shareholders, including the right to appoint directors, in respect of their shares to vote at general meetings of the company on all or substantially all matters. A voting right is conditional where the voting right arises only in certain circumstances.
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Under Cayman Islands law, the register of members of our company is prima facie evidence of the matters set out therein (i.e. the register of members will raise a presumption of fact on the matters referred to above unless rebutted) and a member registered in the register of members will be deemed as a matter of Cayman Islands law to have legal title to the shares as set against its name in the register of members. Upon the closing of this public offering, the register of members will be immediately updated to reflect the issue of shares by us. Once our register of members has been updated, the shareholders recorded in the register of members will be deemed to have legal title to the shares set against their name. However, there are certain limited circumstances where an application may be made to a Cayman Islands court for a determination on whether the register of members reflects the correct legal position. Further, the Cayman Islands court has the power to order that the register of members maintained by a company should be rectified where it considers that the register of members does not reflect the correct legal position. If an application for an order for rectification of the register of members were made in respect of our ordinary shares, then the validity of such shares may be subject to re-examination by a Cayman Islands court.
Dividends
We have not paid any cash dividends on our shares to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of a business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of a business combination. The payment of any dividends subsequent to a business combination will be within the discretion of our then Board of Directors. It is the present intention of our Board of Directors to retain all earnings, if any, for use in our business operations and, accordingly, our Board of Directors does not anticipate declaring any dividends in the foreseeable future.
Our Transfer Agent and Warrant Agent
The transfer agent for our shares and warrant agent for our warrants will be Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company.
Listing of Securities
We anticipate that the public units, as well as the Class A ordinary shares and warrants underlying the public units (once they begin separate trading), will be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “GIGGU,” “GIG,” and “GIGGW,” respectively.
Certain Differences in Corporate Law
Cayman Islands companies are governed by the Companies Act. The Companies Act is modeled on English Law but does not follow recent English Law statutory enactments, and differs from laws applicable to United States corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of the material differences between the provisions of the Companies Act applicable to us and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders.
Mergers and Similar Arrangements. In certain circumstances, the Companies Act allows for mergers or consolidations between two Cayman Islands companies, or between a Cayman Islands exempted company and a company incorporated in another jurisdiction (provided that is facilitated by the laws of that other jurisdiction) so as to form a single surviving company.
Where the merger or consolidation is between two Cayman Islands companies, the directors of each company must approve and enter into a written plan of merger or consolidation containing certain prescribed information. That plan or merger or consolidation must then be authorized by either (a) a special resolution (usually a majority of two-thirds in value of the voting shares voted at a shareholder meeting) of the shareholders
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of each company; or (b) such other authorization, if any, as may be specified in such constituent company’s articles of association. No shareholder resolution is required for a merger between a parent company (i.e., a company that owns at least 90% of the issued shares of each class in a subsidiary company) and its subsidiary company. The consent of each holder of a fixed or floating security interest of a constituent company must be obtained, unless the court waives such requirement. If the Cayman Islands Registrar of Companies is satisfied that the requirements of the Companies Act (which includes certain other formalities) have been complied with, the Registrar of Companies will register the plan of merger or consolidation.
Where the merger or consolidation involves a foreign company, the procedure is similar, save that with respect to the foreign company, the directors of the Cayman Islands exempted company are required to make a declaration to the effect that, having made due enquiry, they are of the opinion that the requirements set out below have been met: (i) that the merger or consolidation is permitted or not prohibited by the constitutional documents of the foreign company and by the laws of the jurisdiction in which the foreign company is incorporated, and that those laws and any requirements of those constitutional documents have been or will be complied with; (ii) that no petition or other similar proceeding has been filed and remains outstanding or order made or resolution adopted to wind up or liquidate the foreign company in any jurisdictions; (iii) that no receiver, trustee, administrator or other similar person has been appointed in any jurisdiction and is acting in respect of the foreign company, its affairs or its property or any part thereof; (iv) that no scheme, order, compromise or other similar arrangement has been entered into or made in any jurisdiction whereby the rights of creditors of the foreign company are and continue to be suspended or restricted; and (v) there is no other reason why it would be against the public interest to permit the merger or consolidation.
Where the surviving company is the Cayman Islands exempted company, the directors of the Cayman Islands exempted company are further required to make a declaration to the effect that, having made due enquiry, they are of the opinion that the requirements set out below have been met: (i) that the foreign company is able to pay its debts as they fall due and that the merger or consolidation is bona fide and not intended to defraud unsecured creditors of the foreign company; (ii) that in respect of the transfer of any security interest granted by the foreign company to the surviving or consolidated company (a) consent or approval to the transfer has been obtained, released or waived; (b) the transfer is permitted by and has been approved in accordance with the constitutional documents of the foreign company; and (c) the laws of the jurisdiction of the foreign company with respect to the transfer have been or will be complied with; (iii) that the foreign company will, upon the merger or consolidation becoming effective, cease to be incorporated, registered or exist under the laws of the relevant foreign jurisdiction; and (iv) that there is no other reason why it would be against the public interest to permit the merger or consolidation.
Where the above procedures are adopted, the Companies Act provides certain limited appraisal rights for dissenting shareholders to be paid a payment of the fair value of his shares upon their dissenting to the merger or consolidation if they follow a prescribed procedure. In essence, that procedure is as follows: (a) the shareholder must give his written objection to the merger or consolidation to the constituent company before the vote on the merger or consolidation, including a statement that the shareholder proposes to demand payment for his shares if the merger or consolidation is authorized by the vote; (b) within 20 days following the date on which the merger or consolidation is approved by the shareholders, the constituent company must give written notice to each shareholder who made a written objection; (c) a shareholder must within 20 days following receipt of such notice from the constituent company, give the constituent company a written notice of his intention to dissent including, among other details, a demand for payment of the fair value of his shares; (d) within seven days following the date of the expiration of the period set out in paragraph (b) above or seven days following the date on which the plan of merger or consolidation is filed, whichever is later, the constituent company, the surviving company or the consolidated company must make a written offer to each dissenting shareholder to purchase his shares at a price that the company determines is the fair value and if the company and the shareholder agree the price within 30 days following the date on which the offer was made, the company must pay the shareholder such amount; and (e) if the company and the shareholder fail to agree a price within such 30 day period, within 20 days following the date on which such 30 day period expires, the company (and any dissenting shareholder) must file
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a petition with the Cayman Islands Grand Court to determine the fair value and such petition must be accompanied by a list of the names and addresses of the dissenting shareholders with whom agreements as to the fair value of their shares have not been reached by the company. At the hearing of that petition, the court has the power to determine the fair value of the shares together with a fair rate of interest, if any, to be paid by the company upon the amount determined to be the fair value. Any dissenting shareholder whose name appears on the list filed by the company may participate fully in all proceedings until the determination of fair value is reached. A shareholder who dissents must do so in respect of all shares that such person holds in the constituent company. Upon the giving of a notice of dissent under paragraph (c) above, the shareholder to whom the notice relates shall cease to have any of the rights of a shareholder except the right to be paid the fair value of that person’s shares and certain rights specified in the Companies Act. These rights of a dissenting shareholder are not available in certain circumstances, for example, to dissenters holding shares of any class in respect of which an open market exists on a recognized stock exchange or recognized interdealer quotation system at the relevant date or where the consideration for such shares to be contributed are shares of any company listed on a national securities exchange or shares of the surviving or consolidated company.
Moreover, Cayman Islands law has separate statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction or amalgamation of companies in certain circumstances, schemes of arrangement will generally be more suited for complex mergers or other transactions involving widely held companies, commonly referred to in the Cayman Islands as a “scheme of arrangement” which may be tantamount to a merger. In the event that a merger was sought pursuant to a scheme of arrangement (the procedures for which are more rigorous and take longer to complete than the procedures typically required to consummate a merger in the United States), the arrangement in question must be approved by a majority in number of each class of shareholders and creditors with whom the arrangement is to be made and who must in addition represent three-fourths in value of each such class of shareholders or creditors, as the case may be, that are present and voting either in person or by proxy at a meeting, or meeting summoned for that purpose and in relation to a compromise or arrangement between a company and its shareholders or any class of them, shareholders who represent 75% in value of the company’s shareholders or class of shareholders, as the case may be, that are present and voting either in person or by proxy at a meeting summoned for that purpose.
The convening of the meetings and subsequently the terms of the arrangement must be sanctioned by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. While a dissenting shareholder would have the right to express to the court the view that the transaction should not be approved, the court can be expected to approve the arrangement if it satisfies itself that:
| • | we are not proposing to act illegally or beyond the scope of our corporate authority and the statutory provisions as to majority vote have been complied with; |
| • | the shareholders have been fairly represented at the meeting in question; |
| • | the arrangement is such as a businessman would reasonably approve; and |
| • | the arrangement is not one that would more properly be sanctioned under some other provision of the Companies Act or that would amount to a “fraud on the minority.” |
If a scheme of arrangement or takeover offer (as described below) is approved, any dissenting shareholder would have no rights comparable to dissenters’ rights or appraisal rights (providing rights to receive payment in cash for the judicially determined value of the shares), which would otherwise ordinarily be available to dissenting shareholders of United States corporations.
Squeeze-out Provisions. When a tender offer is made and accepted by holders of 90% of the shares to whom the offer relates within four months, the offeror may, within a two-month period after the expiration of the initial four-month period, require the holders of the remaining shares to transfer such shares on the terms of the offer. An objection can be made to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, but this is unlikely to succeed unless there is evidence of fraud, bad faith, collusion or inequitable treatment of the shareholders.
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Further, transactions similar to a merger, reconstruction and/or an amalgamation may in some circumstances be achieved through means other than these statutory provisions, such as a share capital exchange, asset acquisition or control, or through contractual arrangements of an operating business.
Shareholders’ Suits. Our Cayman Islands counsel is not aware of any reported class action having been brought in a Cayman Islands court. Derivative actions have been brought in the Cayman Islands courts, and the Cayman Islands courts have confirmed the availability for such actions. In most cases, we will be the proper plaintiff in any claim based on a breach of duty owed to us, and a claim against (for example) our officers or directors usually may not be brought by a shareholder. However, based both on Cayman Islands authorities and on English authorities, which would in all likelihood be of persuasive authority and be applied by a court in the Cayman Islands, exceptions to the foregoing principle apply in circumstances in which:
| • | a company is acting, or proposing to act, illegally or ultra vires (beyond the scope of its authority); |
| • | the act complained of, although not beyond the scope of the authority, could be effected if duly authorized by more than the number of votes which have actually been obtained; or |
| • | those who control the company are perpetrating a “fraud on the minority.” |
A shareholder may have a direct right of action against us where the individual rights of that shareholder have been infringed or are about to be infringed.
Enforcement of Civil Liabilities. The Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States and provides less protection to investors. Additionally, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to sue before the Federal courts of the United States.
We have been advised by our Cayman Islands legal counsel that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, and or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands Court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
Special Considerations for Exempted Companies. We are an exempted company with limited liability (meaning our public shareholders have no liability, as members of the company, for liabilities of the company over and above the amount paid for their shares) under the Companies Act. The Companies Act distinguishes between ordinary resident companies and exempted companies. Any company that is registered in the Cayman Islands but conducts business mainly outside of the Cayman Islands may apply to be registered as an exempted company. The requirements for an exempted company are essentially the same as for an ordinary company except for the exemptions and privileges listed below:
| • | annual reporting requirements are minimal and consist mainly of a statement that the company has conducted its operations mainly outside of the Cayman Islands and has complied with the provisions of the Companies Act; |
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| • | an exempted company’s register of members is not open to inspection; |
| • | an exempted company does not have to hold an annual shareholder meeting; |
| • | an exempted company may issue negotiable or bearer shares or shares with no par value; |
| • | an exempted company may obtain an undertaking against the imposition of any future taxation (such undertakings are usually given for 20 years in the first instance); |
| • | an exempted company may register by way of continuation in another jurisdiction and be deregistered in the Cayman Islands; |
| • | an exempted company may register as a limited duration company; and |
| • | an exempted company may register as a segregated portfolio company. |
Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain provisions designed to provide certain rights and protections relating to this offering that will apply to us until the completion of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without a special resolution. As a matter of Cayman Islands law, a resolution is deemed to be a special resolution where it has been approved by either (i) the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds (or any higher threshold specified in a company’s articles of association) of a company’s shareholders entitled to vote and so voting at a shareholder meeting for which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution has been given; or (ii) if so authorized by a company’s articles of association, by a unanimous written resolution of all of the company’s shareholders. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that special resolutions must be approved either by at least two-thirds of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at a shareholder meeting of the company (i.e., the lowest threshold permissible under Cayman Islands law), or by a unanimous written resolution of all of our shareholders. Further, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a quorum at our shareholder meetings will consist of one or more shareholders who together hold not less than one-third of the ordinary shares entitled to vote at such meeting being individuals present in person or by proxy.
Our initial shareholders, non-managing investors and their permitted transferees, if any, who will collectively beneficially own 40% of our ordinary shares (assuming they do not purchase any public shares in this offering) upon the closing of this offering, will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Specifically, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide, among other things, that:
| • | if we do not consummate an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but no more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us for permitted withdrawals (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law; |
| • | prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we may not, except in connection with the conversion of Class B ordinary shares into Class A ordinary shares where the holders of such shares |
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| have waived any rights to receive funds from the trust account, issue additional securities that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote as a class with our public shares (a) on our initial business combination or on any other proposal presented to shareholders prior to or in connection with the completion of an initial business combination or (b) to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to (x) extend the time we have to consummate a business combination beyond 24 months from the closing of this offering or (y) amend the foregoing provisions; |
| • | in the event we enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our Sponsor, our directors or our executive officers, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or an independent valuation or accounting firm that such a business combination or transaction is fair to our company from a financial point of view; |
| • | if a shareholder vote on our initial business combination is not required by applicable law or stock exchange rule and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons, we will offer to redeem our public shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, and will file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act; |
| • | we must complete one or more business combinations that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts held in trust and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of signing the agreement to enter into the initial business combination; |
| • | our initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors; |
| • | if our directors implement, following the approval of the shareholders, an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed or repurchased 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 the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their ordinary shares upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us for permitted withdrawals, divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein; |
| • | we will not effectuate our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations; and |
| • | unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the courts of the Cayman Islands shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any claim or dispute arising out of or in connection with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or otherwise related in any way to each shareholder’s shareholding in us, including but not limited to (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of any fiduciary or other duty owed by any of our current or former director, officer or other employee to us or our shareholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Companies Act or our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us governed by the internal affairs doctrine (as such concept is recognized under the laws of the United States of America) and that each shareholder irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Cayman Islands over all such claims or disputes. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association also provide that, without prejudice to any other rights or remedies that we may have, each of our shareholders acknowledges that damages alone would not be an adequate |
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| remedy for any breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum and that accordingly we shall be entitled, without proof of special damages, to the remedies of injunction, specific performance or other equitable relief for any threatened or actual breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum. The forum selection provision in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will not apply to actions or suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act, Exchange Act or any claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are, as a matter of the laws of the United States of America, the sole and exclusive forum for determination of such a claim. This choice of forum provision may increase a shareholder’s cost and limit the shareholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and other employees. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any of our shares or other securities, whether by transfer, sale, operation of law or otherwise, shall be deemed to have notice of and have irrevocably agreed and consented to these provisions. There is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such provisions, and the enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ charter documents has been challenged in legal proceedings. It is possible that a court could find this type of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable, and if a court were to find this provision in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving the dispute in other jurisdictions, which could have adverse effect on our business and financial performance. |
The Companies Act permits a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands to amend its memorandum and articles of association with the approval of a special resolution. A company’s articles of association may specify that the approval of a higher majority is required but, provided the approval of the required majority is obtained, any Cayman Islands exempted company may amend its memorandum and articles of association regardless of whether its memorandum and articles of association provides otherwise. Accordingly, although we could amend any of the provisions relating to our proposed offering, structure and business plan which are contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, we view all of these provisions as binding obligations to our shareholders and neither we, nor our officers or directors, will take any action to amend or waive any of these provisions unless we provide dissenting public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares.
Anti-Money Laundering — Cayman Islands
In order to comply with legislation or regulations aimed at the prevention of money laundering, we are required to adopt and maintain anti-money laundering procedures, and may require subscribers to provide evidence to verify their identity and source of funds. Where permitted, and subject to certain conditions, we may also delegate the maintenance of our anti-money laundering procedures (including the acquisition of due diligence information) to a suitable person.
We reserve the right to request such information as is necessary to verify the identity of a subscriber. In some cases the directors may be satisfied that no further information is required since an exemption applies under the Anti-Money Laundering Regulations (As revised) of the Cayman Islands, as amended and revised from time to time (the “Regulations”). Depending on the circumstances of each application, a detailed verification of identity might not be required where:
| (a) | the subscriber makes the payment for their investment from an account held in the subscriber’s name at a recognized financial institution; |
| (b) | the subscriber is regulated by a recognized regulatory authority and is based or incorporated in, or formed under the law of, a recognized jurisdiction; or |
| (c) | the application is made through an intermediary which is regulated by a recognized regulatory authority and is based in or incorporated in, or formed under the law of a recognized jurisdiction and an assurance is provided in relation to the procedures undertaken on the underlying investors. |
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For the purposes of these exceptions, recognition of a financial institution, regulatory authority or jurisdiction will be determined in accordance with the Regulations by reference to those jurisdictions recognized by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority as having equivalent anti-money laundering regulations.
In the event of delay or failure on the part of the subscriber in producing any information required for verification purposes, we may refuse to accept the application, in which case any funds received will be returned without interest to the account from which they were originally debited.
We also reserve the right to refuse to make any distribution payment to a shareholder if our directors or officers suspect or are advised that the payment of such distribution to such shareholder might result in a breach of applicable anti-money laundering or other laws or regulations by any person in any relevant jurisdiction, or if such refusal is considered necessary or appropriate to ensure our compliance with any such laws or regulations in any applicable jurisdiction.
If any person resident in the Cayman Islands knows or suspects, or has reasonable grounds for knowing or suspecting, that another person is engaged in criminal conduct or is involved with terrorism or terrorist property and the information for that knowledge or suspicion came to their attention in the course of business in the regulated sector or other trade, profession, business or employment, the person will be required to report such knowledge or suspicion to (i) the Financial Reporting Authority of the Cayman Islands (“FRA”) or a nominated officer (appointed in accordance with the Proceeds of Crime Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands) if the disclosure relates to criminal conduct or money laundering, or (ii) the FRA or a police constable or a nominated officer, pursuant to the Terrorism Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, if the disclosure relates to involvement with terrorism or terrorist financing and terrorist property. Such a report will not be treated as a breach of confidence or of any restriction upon the disclosure of information imposed by any enactment or otherwise. We reserve the right to refuse to make any payment to a shareholder if our directors or officers suspect or are advised that the payment to such shareholder might result in a breach of applicable anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing, prevention of proliferation financing and financial sanctions or other laws or regulations by any person in any relevant jurisdiction, or if such refusal is considered necessary or appropriate to ensure our compliance with any such laws or regulations in any applicable jurisdiction.
Should a shareholder or its duly authorized delegates or agents be, or become (or is believed by the company or its affiliates (“Agents”) to be or become) at any time while it owns or holds an interest in the company, (a) an individual or entity named on any sanctions list maintained by the United Kingdom (including as extended to the Cayman Islands by Orders in Council) or the Cayman Islands or any similar list maintained under applicable law or is otherwise subject to applicable sanctions in the Cayman Islands (a “Sanctions Subject”) or (b) an entity owned or controlled directly or indirectly by a Sanctions Subject, as determined by the company in its sole discretion, then (i) the company or its Agents may immediately and without notice to the shareholder cease any further dealings with the shareholder or freeze any dealings with the interests or accounts of the shareholder (e.g., by prohibiting payments by or to the shareholder or restricting or suspending dealings with the interests or accounts) or freeze the assets of the company (including interests or accounts of other shareholders who are not Sanctions Subjects), until the relevant person ceases to be a Sanctions Subject or a license is obtained under applicable law to continue such dealings (a “Sanctioned Persons Event”), (ii) the company and its Agents may be required to report such action or failure to comply with information requests and to disclose the shareholder’s identity (and/or the identity of the shareholder’s beneficial owners and control persons) to the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority, the Cayman Islands Financial Reporting Authority, or other applicable governmental or regulatory authorities (without notifying the Subscriber that such information has been so provided) and (iii) the company and its Agents have no liability whatsoever for any liabilities, costs, expenses, damages and/or losses (including but not limited to any direct, indirect or consequential losses, loss of profit, loss of revenue, loss of reputation and all interest, penalties and legal costs and all other professional costs and expenses) incurred by the shareholder as a result of a Sanctioned Persons Event.
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Data Protection in the Cayman Islands — Privacy Notice
This privacy notice explains the manner in which the company collects, processes and maintains personal data about investors of the company pursuant to the Data Protection Act (Revised) of the Cayman Islands, as amended from time to time and any regulations, codes of practice or orders promulgated pursuant thereto (“DPL”).
The company is committed to processing personal data in accordance with the DPL. In its use of personal data, the company will be characterized under the DPL as a ‘data controller’, whilst certain of the company’s service providers, affiliates and delegates may act as ‘data processors’ under the DPL. These service providers may process personal information for their own lawful purposes in connection with services provided to the company.
By virtue of making an investment in the company, the company and certain of the company’s service providers may collect, record, store, transfer and otherwise process personal data by which individuals may be directly or indirectly identified.
Your personal data will be processed fairly and for lawful purposes, including (a) where the processing is necessary for the company to perform a contract to which you are a party or for taking pre-contractual steps at your request (b) where the processing is necessary for compliance with any legal, tax or regulatory obligation to which the company is subject, (c) where the processing is for the purposes of legitimate interests pursued by the company or by a service provider to whom the data are disclosed, or (d) where you otherwise consent to the processing of personal data for any other specific purpose. As a data controller, we will only use your personal data for the purposes for which we collected it. If we need to use your personal data for an unrelated purpose, we will contact you.
We anticipate that we will share your personal data with the company’s service providers for the purposes set out in this privacy notice. We may also share relevant personal data where it is lawful to do so and necessary to comply with our contractual obligations or your instructions or where it is necessary or desirable to do so in connection with any regulatory reporting obligations. In exceptional circumstances, we will share your personal data with regulatory, prosecuting and other governmental agencies or departments, and parties to litigation (whether pending or threatened), in any country or territory including to any other person where we have a public or legal duty to do so (e.g. to assist with detecting and preventing fraud, tax evasion and financial crime or compliance with a court order). Your personal data shall not be held by the company for longer than necessary with regard to the purposes of the data processing.
We will not sell your personal data. Any transfer of personal data outside of the Cayman Islands shall be in accordance with the requirements of the DPL. Where necessary, we will ensure that separate and appropriate legal agreements are put in place with the recipient of that data.
The company will only transfer personal data in accordance with the requirements of the DPL, and will apply appropriate technical and organizational information security measures designed to protect against unauthorized or unlawful processing of the personal data and against the accidental loss, destruction or damage to the personal data.
The company will collect, use, disclose, retain and secure personal data to the extent reasonably required only and within the parameters that could be reasonably expected during the normal course of business. The company will only process, disclose, transfer or retain personal data to the extent legitimately required to conduct the activities of the company on an ongoing basis or to comply with legal and regulatory obligations to which we are subject. The company will only transfer personal data in accordance with the requirements of the DPL, and will apply appropriate technical and organizational information security measures designed to protect against unauthorized or unlawful processing of the personal data and against the accidental loss, destruction or damage to the personal data.
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In our use of this personal data, we will be characterized as a “data controller” for the purposes of the DPL, while our affiliates and service providers who may receive this personal data from us in the conduct of our activities may either act as our “data processors” for the purposes of the DPL or may process personal information for their own lawful purposes in connection with services provided to us.
The company may also obtain personal data from other public sources. Personal data includes, without limitation, the following information relating to a shareholder and/or any individuals connected with a shareholder as an investor: name, residential address, email address, contact details, corporate contact information, signature, nationality, place of birth, date of birth, tax identification, credit history, correspondence records, passport number, bank account details, source of funds details and details relating to the shareholder’s investment activity.
If you are a natural person, this will affect you directly. If you are a corporate investor (including, for these purposes, legal arrangements such as trusts or exempted limited partnerships) that provides us with personal data on individuals connected to you for any reason in relation to your investment into the company, this will be relevant for those individuals and you should inform such individuals of the content.
The company, as the data controller, may collect, store and use personal data for lawful purposes, including, in particular:
| • | where this is necessary for the performance of our rights and obligations under any purchase agreements; |
| • | where this is necessary for compliance with a legal and regulatory obligation to which we are subject (such as compliance with anti-money laundering, counter terrorist financing, prevention of proliferation financing, financial sanctions and FATCA/CRS requirements); and/or |
| • | where this is necessary for the purposes of our legitimate interests and such interests are not overridden by your interests, fundamental rights or freedoms. |
Should the company wish to use personal data for other specific purposes (including, if applicable, any purpose that requires your consent), we will contact you.
You have certain rights under the DPL, including (a) the right to be informed as to how we collect and use your personal data (and this privacy notice fulfils the Company’s obligation in this respect) (b) the right to obtain a copy of your personal data (c) the right to require us to stop direct marketing (d) the right to have inaccurate or incomplete personal data corrected (e) the right to withdraw your consent and require us to stop processing or restrict the processing, or not begin the processing of your personal data (f) the right to be notified of a data breach (unless the breach is unlikely to be prejudicial) (g) the right to obtain information as to any countries or territories outside the Cayman Islands to which we, whether directly or indirectly, transfer, intend to transfer or wish to transfer your personal data, general measures we take to ensure the security of personal data and any information available to us as to the source of your personal data (h) the right to complain to the Office of the Ombudsman of the Cayman Islands and (i) the right to require us to delete your personal data in some limited circumstances.
If you consider that your personal data has not been handled correctly, or you are not satisfied with the company’s responses to any requests you have made regarding the use of your personal data, you have the right to complain to the Cayman Islands’ Ombudsman. The Ombudsman can be contacted by email at info@ombudsman.ky or by accessing their website here: ombudsman.ky.
Certain Anti-Takeover Provisions of our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
Our authorized but unissued ordinary shares and preference shares are available for future issuances without shareholder approval and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise
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additional capital, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved ordinary shares and preference shares could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.
In addition, prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to appoint and remove directors prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination.
Extraordinary General Meetings
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that extraordinary general meetings may be called only by a majority vote of our board of directors.
Advance Notice Requirements for Shareholder Proposals and Director Nominations
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that shareholders seeking to bring business before our annual general meeting, or to nominate candidates for appointment as directors at our annual general meeting must provide timely notice of their intent in writing. To be timely, a shareholder’s notice will need to be received by the company secretary at our principal executive offices not later than the close of business on the 90th day nor earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual general meeting. Pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act, proposals seeking inclusion in our annual proxy statement must comply with the notice periods contained therein. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will also specify certain requirements as to the form and content of a shareholders’ meeting. These provisions may preclude our shareholders from bringing matters before our annual general meeting or from making nominations for directors at our annual general meeting. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will allow the chairman of the meeting at a meeting of the shareholders to adopt rules and regulations for the conduct of meetings which may have the effect of precluding 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.
Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Directors and Officers
Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against willful default, fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide for indemnification of our officers and directors to the maximum extent permitted by law, including for any liability incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own actual fraud, willful default or willful neglect. We expect to purchase a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors.
Our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account, and have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied by us if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination.
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Our indemnification obligations may discourage shareholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our shareholders. Furthermore, a shareholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
We believe that these provisions, the insurance and the indemnity agreements are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced officers and directors.
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SECURITIES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE
Immediately after this offering we will have 41,666,670 (or 47,916,670 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) ordinary shares outstanding. Of these shares, the 25,000,000 (or 28,750,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) Class A ordinary shares 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 14,500,000 founder shares (or 17,000,000 if the over-allotment is exercised in full) and 2,166,670 private placement shares purchased by non-managing investors are restricted securities under Rule 144, in that they were issued in private transactions not involving a public offering.
Contractual transfer restrictions
Our Sponsor and our management team have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell (i) any of their founder shares and private placement shares until the earliest of (A) 6 months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) the date on which the last sale price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $11.50 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 90 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we consummate a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction after our initial business combination which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property, and (ii) any of their private placement warrants or any securities underlying the private placement warrants, until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. The foregoing restrictions are not applicable to transfers (a) to our officers or directors, any affiliates or family members of any of our officers or directors, any members or partners of our Sponsor or their affiliates, any affiliates of our Sponsor, or any employees of such affiliates; (b) in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of one of the individual’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of the individual’s immediate family, an affiliate of such person or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of 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 founder shares or private placement shares, as applicable, were originally purchased; (f) by virtue of our Sponsor’s organizational documents upon liquidation or dissolution of our Sponsor; (g) to the Company for no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination; (h) in the event of our liquidation prior to the completion of our initial business combination; or (i) in the event of our completion of a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (f) these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions and the other restrictions contained in the letter agreement.
The letter agreement with our Sponsor, officers and directors that includes the transfer restrictions described in the foregoing may be amended without shareholder approval with our written consent as well as the written consent of the Sponsor and our directors and officers to the extent they are the subject of any change, amendment, modification or waiver to the letter agreement. The written consent of EF Hutton will also be required for an amendment of a provision of the letter agreement that subjects the Sponsor and our directors and officers to certain of the restrictions included in the underwriting agreement and pursuant to which the Sponsor and our officers and directors agree that, for a period of 180 days from the date of this prospectus, they will not, without the prior written consent of EF Hutton, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, Class A ordinary shares or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, Class A ordinary shares (for more information on the transfer restrictions included in the underwriting agreement, also see “Underwriting—Contractual Transfer Restrictions”). While we do not expect
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our board to approve any amendment to the letter agreement prior to our initial business combination, it may be possible that our board, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to the letter agreement. Any such amendments to the letter agreement would not require approval from our shareholders and may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities.
Rule 144
Pursuant to Rule 144, a person who has beneficially owned restricted securities for at least six months would be entitled to sell their securities provided that (i) such person is not deemed to have been one of our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale and (ii) we are subject to the Exchange Act periodic reporting requirements for at least three months before the sale and have filed all required reports under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the 12 months (or such shorter period as we were required to file reports) preceding the sale.
Persons who have beneficially owned restricted shares and 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 our ordinary shares then outstanding, which will equal 416,667 shares immediately after this offering (or 479,167 if the underwriters exercise its over-allotment option in full); or |
| • | the average weekly reported trading volume of shares of our public shares during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to the sale. |
Sales by our affiliates under Rule 144 are also limited by manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us.
Restrictions on the Use of Rule 144 by Shell Companies or Former Shell Companies
Rule 144 is not available for the resale of securities initially issued by shell companies (other than business combination-related shell companies) or issuers that have been at any time previously a shell company. However, Rule 144 also includes an important exception to this prohibition if the following conditions are met:
| • | the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company; |
| • | the issuer of the securities is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act; |
| • | the issuer of the securities has filed all Exchange Act reports and material required to be filed, as applicable, during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than Current Reports on Form 8-K; and |
| • | at least one year has elapsed from the time that the issuer filed current Form 10-type information with the SEC reflecting its status as an entity that is not a shell company. |
As a result, our Sponsor will be able to sell its founder shares and private placement warrants, as applicable, pursuant to Rule 144 without registration one year after we have completed our initial business combination.
The below table summarizes the material terms of the restrictions described in the subsections above and whether and when our initial shareholders may sell securities purchased in connection with this offering:
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| Stakeholder |
Market Standoff Restrictions |
Shares Subject to Market Standoff Restrictions(1) |
Market Standoff Period(2) | |||
| Sponsor | Letter Agreement | Founder shares | Subject to the exceptions described above, the earlier of (A) 6 months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) the date on which the last sale price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $11.50 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 90 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we consummate a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction after our initial business combination which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property | |||
| Private placement warrants | 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination | |||||
| Public shares (if any purchased in connection with this offering) | 180 days from the date of this prospectus | |||||
| Directors and officers | Letter Agreement | Founder shares | Subject to the exceptions described above, the earlier of (A) 6 months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) the date on which the last sale price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $11.50 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 90 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we consummate a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction after our initial business combination which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property | |||
| Public shares (if any purchased in connection with this offering) | 180 days from the date of this prospectus | |||||
| Advisor | Subscription Agreement | Founder Shares | Subject to the exceptions described above, the earlier of (A) 6 months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) the date on which the last sale price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $11.50 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading | |||
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| Stakeholder |
Market Standoff Restrictions |
Shares Subject to Market Standoff Restrictions(1) |
Market Standoff Period(2) | |||
| day period commencing at least 90 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we consummate a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction after our initial business combination which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property | ||||||
| Non-managing investors | Subscription Agreements | Private Placement Shares | Subject to the exceptions described above, the earlier of (A) 6 months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) the date on which the last sale price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $11.50 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 90 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we consummate a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction after our initial business combination which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property | |||
| (1) | For more information on the number securities beneficial held by our initial shareholders, please see the section entitled “Principal Shareholders” in this prospectus. |
| (2) | The founder shares and private placement shares issued in connection with this offering are restricted securities and subject to the limitations on transfer described above under “Securities Eligible for Future Sale — Rule 144” and “Securities Eligible for Future Sale — Restrictions on the Use of Rule 144 by Shell Companies or Former Shell Companies.” Further, our initial shareholders that become affiliates of the post-business combination company for purposes of Rule 144 under the Securities Act may be subject to additional resale restrictions, as described above. |
Registration Rights
Pursuant to agreements to be entered into on the date of this prospectus, our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees, may demand that we register for resale the founder shares, private placement shares, the private placement warrants and underlying securities and any securities issued upon conversion of working capital loans. The holders of a majority of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that we register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our consummation of our initial business combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
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TAXATION
The following summary of certain Cayman Islands and United States federal income tax consequences of an investment in our units, each consisting of one Class A ordinary share and one-third of one redeemable warrant, which we refer to collectively as our securities, is based upon laws and relevant interpretations thereof in effect as of the date of this prospectus, all of which are subject to change. This summary does not deal with all possible tax consequences relating to an investment in our Class A ordinary shares and warrants, such as the tax consequences under state, local and other tax laws.
Prospective investors should consult their advisors on the possible tax consequences of investing in our securities under the laws of their country of citizenship, residence or domicile.
Cayman Islands Tax Considerations
The following is a discussion on certain Cayman Islands income tax consequences of an investment in the securities of the Company. The discussion is a general summary of present law, which is subject to prospective and retroactive change. It is not intended as tax advice, does not consider any investor’s particular circumstances, and does not consider tax consequences other than those arising under Cayman Islands law.
Under Existing Cayman Islands Laws
The Cayman Islands currently levies no taxes on individuals or corporations based upon profits, income, gains, or appreciation and there is no taxation in the nature of inheritance tax or estate duty. There are no other taxes likely to be material to us levied by the Government of the Cayman Islands except for stamp duties which may be applicable on instruments executed in, or, after execution, brought within the jurisdiction of the Cayman Islands. No stamp duty is payable in the Cayman Islands on the issue of shares by, or any transfers of shares of, Cayman Islands companies (except those which hold interests in land in the Cayman Islands). There are no exchange control regulations or currency restrictions in the Cayman Islands.
Payments of dividends and capital in respect of our securities will not be subject to taxation in the Cayman Islands and no withholding will be required on the payment of a dividend or capital to any holder of the securities nor will gains derived from the disposal of the securities be subject to Cayman Islands income or corporate tax. The Cayman Islands currently has no income, corporate or capital gains tax and no estate duty, inheritance tax or gift tax.
No stamp duty is payable in respect of the issue of the warrants. An instrument of transfer in respect of a warrant is stampable if executed in or brought into the Cayman Islands.
No stamp duty is payable in respect of the issue of our Class A ordinary shares or on an instrument of transfer in respect of such shares.
The Company has been incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands as an exempted company with limited liability and, as such, has applied for and has obtained an undertaking from the Financial Secretary of the Cayman Islands in substantively the following form on October 4, 2023:
The Tax Concessions Act (Revised)
Undertaking as to Tax Concessions
In accordance with the Tax Concessions Act (Revised), the following undertaking is hereby given to the Company:
| 1. | That no Law which is hereafter enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations shall apply to the Company or its operations; and |
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| 2. | In addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax shall be payable: |
| 2.1 | On or in respect of the shares, debentures or other obligations of the Company; or |
| 2.2 | by way of the withholding in whole or part, of any relevant payment as defined in the Tax Concessions Act (Revised). |
These concessions shall be for a period of twenty years from the 4th day of October, 2023.
Material United States Federal Income Tax Considerations
General
The following discussion summarizes material United States federal income tax considerations generally applicable to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our units (each consisting of one Class A ordinary share and one-third of one redeemable warrant) that are purchased in this offering, which we refer to collectively as our securities, by U.S. Holders (as defined below) and Non-U.S. Holders (as defined below). Because the components of a public unit are generally separable at the option of the holder, the holder of a public unit generally should be treated, for United States federal income tax purposes, as the owner of the underlying Class A ordinary share and one-third of one redeemable warrant components of the public unit. As a result, the discussion below with respect to actual holders of Class A ordinary shares and warrants also should apply to holders of units (as the deemed owners of the underlying Class A ordinary shares and warrants that constitute the public units).
This discussion does not address the United States federal income tax consequences to our founders, sponsors, officers or directors, or to holders of private placement warrants. This discussion is limited to material United States federal income tax considerations to beneficial owners of our securities who are initial purchasers of a public unit pursuant to this offering and hold the public unit and each component of the public unit as a capital asset within the meaning of Section 1221 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). This discussion assumes that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants will trade separately and that any distributions made (or deemed made) by us on our Class A ordinary shares and any consideration received (or deemed received) by a holder in consideration for the sale or other disposition of our securities will be in U.S. dollars.
This discussion is a summary only and does not describe all of the tax consequences that may be relevant to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of a public unit by a prospective investor in light of its particular circumstances, including but not limited to, the alternative minimum tax, the Medicare tax on net investment income and the different consequences that may apply to investors that are subject to special rules under U.S. federal income tax laws, including but not limited to:
| • | banks, financial institutions or financial services entities; |
| • | broker-dealers; |
| • | taxpayers that are subject to the mark-to-market tax accounting rules; |
| • | tax-exempt entities; |
| • | governments or agencies or instrumentalities thereof; |
| • | insurance companies; |
| • | regulated investment companies; |
| • | real estate investment trusts; |
| • | expatriates or former long-term residents of the United States; |
| • | persons that actually or constructively own five percent or more (by vote or value) of our shares; |
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| • | persons that acquired our securities pursuant to an exercise of employee share options, in connection with employee share incentive plans or otherwise as compensation; |
| • | persons that hold our securities as part of a straddle, constructive sale, hedge, wash sale, conversion or other integrated or similar transaction; |
| • | persons that are subject to the “applicable financial statement” accounting rules under Section 451 of the Code; |
| • | U.S. Holders (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar; |
| • | controlled foreign corporations; |
| • | passive foreign investment companies; and |
| • | partnerships (or entities or arrangements classified as partnerships or other pass-through entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes) and any beneficial owners of such partnerships. |
Moreover, the discussion below is based upon the provisions of the Code, the Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder and administrative and judicial interpretations thereof, all as of the date hereof, and such provisions may be repealed, revoked, modified or subject to differing interpretations, possibly on a retroactive basis, which may result in United States federal income tax consequences different from those discussed below. Furthermore, this discussion does not address any aspect of United States federal non-income tax laws, such as gift or estate tax laws, or state, local or non-United States tax laws.
We have not sought, and do not expect to seek, a ruling from the United States Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) as to any United States federal income tax consequence described herein. The IRS may disagree with the discussion herein, and its determination may be upheld by a court. Moreover, there can be no assurance that future legislation, regulations, administrative rulings or court decisions will not adversely affect the accuracy of the statements in this discussion.
If a partnership (or other entity or arrangement classified as a partnership or other pass-through entity for United States federal income tax purposes) is the beneficial owner of our securities, the United States federal income tax treatment of a partner, member or other beneficial owner in such partnership or other pass-through entity generally will depend on the status of the partner, member or other beneficial owner and the activities of the partnership or other pass-through entity. If you are a partner, member or other beneficial owner of a partnership or other pass-through entity holding our securities, you are urged to consult your own tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our securities.
THIS DISCUSSION IS ONLY A SUMMARY OF CERTAIN UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR SECURITIES. EACH PROSPECTIVE INVESTOR IN OUR SECURITIES IS URGED TO CONSULT ITS OWN TAX ADVISOR WITH RESPECT TO THE PARTICULAR TAX CONSEQUENCES TO SUCH INVESTOR OF THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR SECURITIES, INCLUDING THE APPLICABILITY AND EFFECT OF ANY UNITED STATES FEDERAL NON-INCOME, STATE, LOCAL, AND NON-UNITED STATES TAX LAWS.
Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a public Unit
No statutory, administrative or judicial authority directly addresses the treatment of a public unit or any instrument similar to a public unit for United States federal income tax purposes, and therefore, that treatment is not entirely clear. The acquisition of a public unit should be treated for United States federal income tax purposes as the acquisition of one Class A ordinary share and one-third of one warrant, and the Company intends to treat the acquisition of a public unit in such manner. By purchasing a public unit, you agree to adopt such treatment for United States federal income tax purposes. For United States federal income tax purposes, each holder of a public unit must allocate the purchase price
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paid by such holder for such public unit between the one Class A ordinary share and the one-third of one warrant based on the relative fair market value of each 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 advisor regarding the determination of value for these purposes. The price allocated to each Class A ordinary share and the one-third of one warrant should be the shareholder’s initial tax basis in such share and the fraction of a warrant. Any disposition of a public unit should be treated for United States federal income tax purposes as a disposition of the Class A ordinary share and one-third of one warrant comprising the public unit, and the amount realized on the disposition should be allocated between the Class A ordinary share and one-third of one warrant based on their respective fair market values (as determined by each such public unit holder based on all the relevant facts and circumstances) at the time of disposition. The separation of the Class A ordinary share and the one-third of one warrant constituting a unit and the combination of thirds of warrants into a single warrant should not be a taxable event for United States federal income tax purposes.
The foregoing treatment of the public units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants and a holder’s purchase price allocation are not binding on the IRS or the courts. Because there are no authorities that directly address instruments that are similar to the public units, no assurance can be given that the IRS or the courts will agree with the characterization described above or the discussion below. Accordingly, each prospective investor is urged to consult its tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of an investment in a public unit (including alternative characterizations of a public unit). The balance of this discussion assumes that the characterization of the public units described above will be respected for United States federal income tax purposes.
U.S. Holders
This section applies to you if you are a “U.S. Holder.” A U.S. Holder is a beneficial owner of our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants who or that is, for United States federal income tax purposes:
| • | an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States; |
| • | a corporation (or other entity taxable as a corporation for United States federal income tax purposes) organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia; |
| • | an estate whose income is subject to United States federal income tax regardless of its source; or |
| • | a trust, if (i) a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more U.S. persons (as defined in the Code) have authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (ii) it has a valid election in effect under Treasury Regulations to be treated as a U.S. person. |
Taxation of Distributions
Subject to the passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”) rules discussed below, a U.S. Holder generally will be required to include in gross income as dividends in the year actually or constructively received by the U.S. Holder the amount of any distribution of cash or other property (other than certain distributions of our shares or rights to acquire our shares) paid on our Class A ordinary shares to the extent the distribution is paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under United States federal income tax principles). Distributions in excess of such earnings and profits generally will be applied against and reduce the U.S. Holder’s basis in its Class A ordinary shares (but not below zero) and, to the extent in excess of such basis, will be treated as gain from the sale or exchange of such Class A ordinary shares (the treatment of which is described under “— Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants” below).
Dividends paid by us will be taxable to a corporate U.S. Holder at regular rates and will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction generally allowed to domestic corporations in respect of dividends received
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from other domestic corporations. With respect to non-corporate U.S. Holders, dividends generally will be taxed at the preferential applicable long-term capital gains rate (see “— Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants” below) only if our Class A ordinary shares are readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States, we are not a PFIC at the time the dividend was paid or in the previous year, and certain other requirements are met. It is unclear, however, whether certain redemption rights described in this prospectus may suspend the running of the applicable holding period for this purpose. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the availability of such preferential rate for any dividends paid with respect to our Class A ordinary shares.
Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss on the sale or other taxable disposition of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants (including a redemption of our Class A ordinary shares (as described below) or warrants that is treated as a taxable disposition, including pursuant to our dissolution and liquidation if we do not consummate an initial business combination within the required time period). Any such capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder’s holding period for such Class A ordinary shares or warrants exceeds one year. Long-term capital gain realized by a non-corporate U.S. Holder may be taxed at preferential rates of taxation. It is unclear, however, whether certain redemption rights described in this prospectus may suspend the running of the applicable holding period of the Class A ordinary shares for this purpose. If the running of the holding period for the Class A ordinary shares 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 other taxable disposition of the Class A ordinary shares would be subject to short-term capital gain treatment and would be taxed at regular ordinary income tax rates. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to certain limitations.
The amount of gain or loss recognized by a U.S. Holder on a sale or other taxable disposition generally will be equal to the difference between (i) the sum of the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received in such disposition (or, if the Class A ordinary shares or warrants are held as part of units at the time of the disposition, the portion of the amount realized on such disposition that is allocated to the Class A ordinary shares or warrants based upon the then relative fair market values of the Class A ordinary shares and the warrants constituting the public units) and (ii) the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A ordinary shares or warrants so disposed of. A U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A ordinary shares or warrants generally will equal the U.S. Holder’s acquisition cost (that is, the portion of the purchase price of a public unit allocated to a Class A ordinary share or one-third of one warrant, as described above under “— Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a public Unit”) reduced, in the case of a Class A ordinary share, by any prior distributions treated as a return of capital. See “Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant” below for a discussion regarding a U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the Class A ordinary share acquired pursuant to the exercise of a warrant.
Redemption of Class A Ordinary Shares
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, in the event that a U.S. Holder’s Class A ordinary shares are redeemed pursuant to the redemption provisions described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Ordinary Shares” or if we purchase a U.S. Holder’s Class A ordinary shares in an open market transaction (such open market purchase of Class A ordinary shares by us referred to as a “redemption” for the remainder of this discussion), the treatment of the transaction for United States federal income tax purposes will depend on whether the redemption qualifies as a sale of the Class A ordinary shares under Section 302 of the Code. If the redemption qualifies as a sale of Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. Holder will be treated as described under “— Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants” above. If the redemption does not qualify as a sale of Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. Holder will be treated as receiving a corporate distribution with the tax consequences described above under “— Taxation of Distributions.” Whether a redemption qualifies for sale treatment will depend largely on the total number of our shares treated as held by the U.S. Holder (including any shares constructively owned by the
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U.S. Holder described in the following paragraph, including as a result of owning warrants) relative to all of our shares outstanding both before and after such redemption. A redemption of Class A ordinary shares generally will be treated as a sale of the Class A ordinary shares (rather than as a corporate distribution) if such redemption (i) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the U.S. Holder, (ii) results in a “complete termination” of the U.S. Holder’s interest in us or (iii) is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the U.S. Holder. These tests are explained more fully below.
In determining whether any of the foregoing tests are satisfied, a U.S. Holder takes into account not only our shares actually owned by the U.S. Holder, but also our shares that are constructively owned by such holder. A U.S. Holder may constructively own, in addition to shares owned directly, shares owned by certain related individuals and entities in which the U.S. Holder has an interest or that have an interest in such U.S. Holder, as well as any shares the U.S. Holder has a right to acquire by exercise of an option, which generally would include Class A ordinary shares which could be acquired by such U.S. Holder pursuant to the exercise of the warrants. In order to meet the substantially disproportionate test, the percentage of our issued and outstanding voting shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder immediately following the redemption of Class A ordinary shares must, among other requirements, be less than 80% of the percentage of our issued and outstanding voting shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder immediately before the redemption. Prior to our initial business combination the Class A ordinary shares may not be treated as voting shares for this purpose and, consequently, this substantially disproportionate test may not be applicable. There will be a complete termination of a U.S. Holder’s interest if either (i) all of our shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder are redeemed or (ii) all of our shares actually owned by the U.S. Holder are redeemed and the U.S. Holder is eligible to waive, and effectively waives in accordance with specific rules, the attribution of shares owned by certain family members and the U.S. Holder does not constructively own any other shares of ours (including any shares constructively owned by the U.S. Holder as a result of owning our warrants). The redemption of the Class A ordinary shares will not be essentially equivalent to a dividend if such redemption results in a “meaningful reduction” of the U.S. Holder’s proportionate interest in us. Whether the redemption will result in a meaningful reduction in a U.S. Holder’s proportionate interest in us will depend on the particular facts and circumstances. However, the IRS has indicated in a published ruling that even a small reduction in the proportionate interest of a small minority shareholder in a publicly held corporation who exercises no control over corporate affairs may constitute such a “meaningful reduction.” A U.S. Holder should consult with its own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of a redemption of any Class A ordinary shares.
If none of the foregoing tests are satisfied, then the redemption of any Class A ordinary shares will be treated as a corporate distribution and the tax effects will be as described under “— Taxation of Distributions” above. After the application of those rules, any remaining tax basis of the U.S. Holder in the redeemed Class A ordinary shares will be added to the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its remaining shares, or, if it has none, to the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its warrants or possibly in other shares constructively owned by it.
U.S. holders who actually or constructively own five percent (or, if our Class A ordinary shares are not then publicly traded, one percent) or more of our shares (by vote or value) may be subject to special reporting requirements with respect to a redemption of Class A ordinary shares, and such holders are urged to consult with their own tax advisors with respect to their reporting requirements.
Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below and except as discussed below with respect to the cashless exercise of a warrant, a U.S. Holder generally will not recognize gain or loss upon the acquisition of a Class A ordinary share on the exercise of a warrant for cash. A U.S. Holder’s tax basis in a Class A ordinary share received upon exercise of the warrant generally will equal the sum of the U.S. Holder’s initial investment in the warrant (that is, the portion of the U.S. Holder’s purchase price for the public units that is allocated to the warrant, as described above under “— Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Public Unit”) and the exercise price. It is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary share received will commence on
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the date of exercise of the warrant or the day following the date of exercise of the warrant; in either case, the holding period will not include the period during which the U.S. Holder held the warrant. If a warrant is allowed to lapse unexercised, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize a capital loss equal to such holder’s tax basis in the warrant.
The tax consequences of a cashless exercise of a warrant are not clear under current law. Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, a cashless exercise may not be taxable, either because the exercise is not a realization event or because the exercise is treated as a recapitalization for United States federal income tax purposes. In either situation, a U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the Class A ordinary shares received generally should equal the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the warrants exercised therefor. If the cashless exercise was not a realization event, it is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares received would be treated as commencing on the date of exercise of the warrants or the day following the date of exercise of the warrants; in either case, the holding period will not include the period during which the U.S. Holder held the warrants. If the cashless exercise were treated as a recapitalization, the holding period of the Class A ordinary shares received would include the holding period of the warrants.
It is also possible that a cashless exercise could be treated in part as a taxable exchange in which gain or loss would be recognized. In such event, a U.S. Holder could be deemed to have surrendered a number of warrants equal to the number of Class A ordinary shares having a value equal to the exercise price for the total number of warrants to be exercised. In such case, subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, the U.S. Holder would recognize capital gain or loss with respect to the warrants deemed surrendered in an amount equal to the difference between the fair market value of the Class A ordinary shares that would have been received in a regular exercise of 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 aggregate tax basis in the Class A ordinary shares received would equal the sum of the U.S. Holder’s initial investment in the warrants deemed exercised (i.e., the portion of the U.S. Holder’s purchase price for the public units that is allocated to the warrants, as described above under “— Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Public Unit”) and the aggregate exercise price of such warrants. It is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares would commence on the date of exercise of the warrants or the day following the date of exercise of the warrants; in either case, the holding period will not include the period during which the U.S. Holder held the warrants.
Due to the absence of authority on the United States federal income tax treatment of a cashless exercise, including when a U.S. Holder’s holding period would commence with respect to the Class A ordinary share received, there can be no assurance regarding which, if any, of the alternative tax consequences and holding periods described above would be adopted by the IRS or a court of law. Accordingly, U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of a cashless exercise.
Subject to the PFIC rules described below, if we redeem warrants for cash pursuant to the redemption provisions described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities-Warrants — Public Shareholders’ Warrants” or if we purchase warrants in an open market transaction, such redemption or purchase generally will be treated as a taxable disposition to the U.S. Holder, taxed as described above under “— Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants.”
Possible Constructive Distributions
The terms of each warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of Class A ordinary shares for which the warrant may be exercised or to the exercise price of the warrant in certain events, as discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Shareholders’ Warrants.” An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution generally is not taxable. The U.S. Holders of the warrants would, however, be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment increases such U.S. Holders’ proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of Class A ordinary shares that would be obtained upon exercise or through a decrease in the
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exercise price of the warrants), which adjustment may be made as a result of a distribution of cash or other property to the holders of our Class A ordinary shares. Such constructive distribution to a U.S. Holder of warrants would be treated as if such U.S. Holder had received a cash distribution from us generally equal to the fair market value of such increased interest (taxed as described above under “— Taxation of Distributions”).
Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules
A foreign (i.e., non-U.S.) corporation will be classified as a PFIC for United States federal income tax purposes if either (i) at least 75% of its gross income in a taxable year, including its pro rata share of the gross income of any corporation in which it is considered to own at least 25% of the shares by value, is passive income or (ii) at least 50% of its assets in a taxable year (ordinarily determined based on fair market value and averaged quarterly over the year), including its pro rata share of the assets of any corporation in which it is considered to own at least 25% of the shares by value, are held for the production of, or produce, passive income. Passive income generally includes, among other things, dividends, interest, rents and royalties (other than rents or royalties derived from the active conduct of a trade or business) and gains from the disposition of assets giving rise to passive income.
Because we are a blank check company, with no current active business, we believe that it is likely that we will meet the PFIC asset or income test for our current taxable year. However, pursuant to a startup exception, a corporation will not be a PFIC for the first taxable year the corporation has gross income (the “startup year”), if (1) no predecessor of the corporation was a PFIC; (2) the corporation satisfies the IRS that it will not be a PFIC for either of the first two taxable years following the startup year; and (3) the corporation is not in fact a PFIC for either of those years. The applicability of the startup exception to us is uncertain and will not be known until after the close of our current taxable year and, perhaps, until after the end of our two taxable years following our startup year. After the acquisition of a company or assets in a business combination, we may still meet one of the PFIC tests depending on the timing of the acquisition and the amount of our passive income and assets as well as the passive income and assets of the acquired business. If the company that we acquire in a business combination is a PFIC, then we will likely not qualify for the startup exception and will be a PFIC for our current taxable year. Our actual PFIC status for our current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year (and, in the case of the startup exception to our current taxable year, perhaps until after the end of our two taxable years following our startup year). Accordingly, there can be no assurance with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year or any future taxable year. In addition, our U.S. counsel expresses no opinion with respect to our PFIC status for our current or future taxable years.
Although our PFIC status is determined annually, an initial determination that our company is a PFIC generally will apply for subsequent years to a U.S. Holder who held Class A ordinary shares or warrants while we were a PFIC, whether or not we meet the test for PFIC status in those subsequent years. If we are determined to be a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. Holder of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants and, in the case of our Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. Holder did not make either a timely mark-to-market election or a qualified electing fund (“QEF”) election for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. Holder held (or was deemed to hold) Class A ordinary shares, as described below, such U.S. Holder generally will be subject to special rules with respect to (i) any gain recognized by the U.S. Holder on the sale or other disposition of its Class A ordinary shares or warrants (which may include gain realized by reason of transfers of Class A ordinary shares or warrants that would otherwise qualify as nonrecognition transactions for U.S. federal income tax purposes) and (ii) any “excess distribution” made to the U.S. Holder (generally, any distributions to such U.S. Holder during a taxable year of the U.S. Holder that are greater than 125% of the average annual distributions received by such U.S. Holder in respect of the Class A ordinary shares during the three preceding taxable years of such U.S. Holder or, if shorter, the portion of such U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares that preceded the taxable year of the distribution).
Under these rules:
| • | the U.S. Holder’s gain or excess distribution will be allocated ratably over the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares or warrants; |
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| • | the amount allocated to the U.S. Holder’s taxable year in which the U.S. Holder recognized the gain or received the excess distribution, or to the period in the U.S. Holder’s holding period before the first day of our first taxable year in which we are a PFIC, will be taxed as ordinary income; |
| • | the amount allocated to other taxable years (or portions thereof) of the U.S. Holder and included in its holding period will be taxed at the highest tax rate in effect for that year and applicable to the U.S. Holder without regard to the U.S. Holder’s other items of income and loss for such year; and |
| • | an additional amount equal to the interest charge generally applicable to underpayments of tax will be imposed on the U.S. Holder with respect to the tax attributable to each such other taxable year of the U.S. Holder. |
In general, if we are determined to be a PFIC, a U.S. Holder may be able to avoid the PFIC tax consequences described above in respect of our Class A ordinary shares by making a timely and valid QEF election (if eligible to do so) to include in income its pro rata share of our net capital gains (as long-term capital gain) and other earnings and profits (as ordinary income), on a current basis, in each case whether or not distributed, in the taxable year of the U.S. Holder in which or with which our taxable year ends. A U.S. Holder generally may make a separate election to defer the payment of taxes on undistributed income inclusions under the QEF rules, but if deferred, any such taxes will be subject to an interest charge.
If a U.S. Holder makes a QEF election with respect to its Class A ordinary shares in a year after our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. Holder held (or was deemed to hold) Class A ordinary shares, then notwithstanding such QEF election, the rules relating to “excess distributions” discussed above, adjusted to take into account the current income inclusions resulting from the QEF election, will continue to apply with respect to such U.S. Holder’s Class A ordinary shares, unless the U.S. Holder makes a purging election under the PFIC rules. Under the purging election, the U.S. Holder will be deemed to have sold such shares at their fair market value and any gain recognized on such deemed sale will be treated as an excess distribution, as described above. As a result of the purging election, the U.S. Holder will have additional basis (to the extent of any gain recognized on the deemed sale) and, solely for purposes of the PFIC rules, a new holding period in the Class A ordinary shares.
It is not entirely clear how various aspects of the PFIC rules apply to the warrants. However, a U.S. Holder may not make a QEF election with respect to its warrants to acquire our Class A ordinary shares. As a result, if a U.S. Holder sells or otherwise disposes of such warrants (other than upon exercise of such warrants) and we were a PFIC at any time during the U.S. Holder’s holding period of such warrants, any gain recognized generally will be treated as an excess distribution, taxed as described above. If a U.S. Holder that exercises such warrants properly makes and maintains a QEF election with respect to the newly acquired Class A ordinary shares (or has previously made a QEF election with respect to our Class A ordinary shares), the QEF election will apply to the newly acquired Class A ordinary shares. Notwithstanding such QEF election, the rules relating to “excess distributions” discussed above, adjusted to take into account the current income inclusions resulting from the QEF election, will continue to apply with respect to such newly acquired Class A ordinary shares (which, while not entirely clear, generally will be deemed to have a holding period for purposes of the PFIC rules that includes the period the U.S. Holder held the warrants), unless the U.S. Holder makes a purging election under the PFIC rules. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors as to the application of the rules governing purging elections to their particular circumstances.
The QEF election is made on a shareholder-by-shareholder basis and, once made, can be revoked only with the consent of the IRS. A U.S. Holder generally makes a QEF election by attaching a completed IRS Form 8621 (Information Return by a Shareholder of a Passive Foreign Investment Company or Qualified Electing Fund), including the information provided in a PFIC annual information statement, to a timely filed United States federal income tax return for the tax year to which the election relates. Retroactive QEF elections generally may be made only by filing a protective statement with such return and if certain other conditions are met or with the consent of the IRS. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the availability and tax consequences of a retroactive QEF election under their particular circumstances.
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In order to comply with the requirements of a QEF election, a U.S. Holder must receive a PFIC annual information statement from us. If we determine we are a PFIC for any taxable year, upon written request, we will endeavor to provide to a U.S. Holder such information as the IRS may require, including a PFIC annual information statement, in order to enable the U.S. Holder to make and maintain a QEF election, but there is no assurance that we will timely provide such required information. There is also no assurance that we will have timely knowledge of our status as a PFIC in the future or of the required information to be provided.
If a U.S. Holder has made a QEF election with respect to our Class A ordinary shares, and the excess distribution rules discussed above do not apply to such shares (because of a timely QEF election for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. Holder holds (or is deemed to hold) such shares or a purge of the PFIC taint pursuant to a purging election, as described above), any gain recognized on the sale of our Class A ordinary shares generally will be taxable as capital gain and no additional interest charge will be imposed under the PFIC rules. As discussed above, if we are a PFIC for any taxable year, a U.S. Holder of our Class A ordinary shares that has made a QEF election will be currently taxed on its pro rata share of our earnings and profits, whether or not distributed for such year. A subsequent distribution of such earnings and profits that were previously included in income generally should not be taxable when distributed to such U.S. Holder. The tax basis of a U.S. Holder’s shares in a QEF will be increased by amounts that are included in income, and decreased by amounts distributed but not taxed as dividends, under the above rules. In addition, if we are not a PFIC for any taxable year, such U.S. Holder will not be subject to the QEF inclusion regime with respect to our Class A ordinary shares for such a taxable year.
Alternatively, if a U.S. Holder, at the close of its taxable year, owns shares in a PFIC that are treated as marketable stock, the U.S. Holder may make a mark-to-market election with respect to such shares for such taxable year. If the U.S. Holder makes a valid mark-to-market election for the first taxable year of the U.S. Holder in which the U.S. Holder holds (or is deemed to hold) Class A ordinary shares in us and for which we are determined to be a PFIC, such U.S. Holder generally will not be subject to the PFIC rules described above in respect of its Class A ordinary shares. Instead, in general, the U.S. Holder will include as ordinary income in each taxable year the excess, if any, of the fair market value of its Class A ordinary shares at the end of its taxable year over its adjusted basis in its Class A ordinary shares. These amounts of ordinary income would not be eligible for the favorable tax rates applicable to qualified dividend income or long-term capital gains. The U.S. Holder also will recognize an ordinary loss in respect of the excess, if any, of its adjusted basis in its Class A ordinary shares over the fair market value of its Class A ordinary shares at the end of its taxable year (but only to the extent of the net amount of previously included income as a result of the mark-to-market election). The U.S. Holder’s basis in its Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted to reflect any such income or loss amounts, and any further gain recognized on a sale or other taxable disposition of its Class A ordinary shares will be treated as ordinary income. Currently, a mark-to-market election may not be made with respect to warrants. The mark-to-market election is available only for stock that is regularly traded on a national securities exchange that is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Nasdaq Capital Market LLC (on which we intend to list the Class A ordinary shares), or on a foreign exchange or market that the IRS determines has rules sufficient to ensure that the market price represents a legitimate and sound fair market value. If made, a mark-to-market election would be effective for the taxable year for which the election was made and for all subsequent taxable years unless the Class A ordinary shares ceased to qualify as “marketable stock” for purposes of the PFIC rules or the IRS consented to the revocation of the election. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the availability and tax consequences of a mark-to-market election in respect to our Class A ordinary shares under their particular circumstances.
If we are a PFIC and, at any time, have a foreign subsidiary that is classified as a PFIC, U.S. Holders generally would be deemed to own a portion of the shares of such lower-tier PFIC, and generally could incur liability for the deferred tax and interest charge described above if we receive a distribution from, or dispose of all or part of our interest in, the lower-tier PFIC or the U.S. Holders otherwise were deemed to have disposed of an interest in the lower-tier PFIC. Upon written request, we will endeavor to cause any lower-tier PFIC to provide to a U.S. Holder the information that may be required to make or maintain a QEF election with respect to
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the lower-tier PFIC. There can be no assurance that we will have timely knowledge of the status of any such lower-tier PFIC. In addition, we may not hold a controlling interest in any such lower-tier PFIC and thus there can be no assurance we will be able to cause the lower-tier PFIC to provide such required information. A mark-to-market election generally would not be available with respect to such lower-tier PFIC. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the tax issues raised by lower-tier PFICs.
A U.S. Holder that owns (or is deemed to own) shares in a PFIC during any taxable year of the U.S. Holder, may have to file an IRS Form 8621 (whether or not a QEF or mark-to-market election is made) and such other information as may be required by the U.S. Treasury Department. Failure to do so, if required, will extend the statute of limitations until such required information is furnished to the IRS.
The rules dealing with PFICs and with the QEF, purging, and mark-to-market elections are very complex and are affected by various factors in addition to those described above. Accordingly, U.S. Holders of our Class A ordinary shares and warrants should consult their own tax advisors concerning the application of the PFIC rules to our Class A ordinary shares and warrants under their particular circumstances.
Non-U.S. Holders
This section applies to you if you are a “Non-U.S. Holder.” As used herein, the term “Non-U.S. Holder” means a beneficial owner of our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants (other than a partnership or other entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) that is for United States federal income tax purposes:
| • | a non-resident alien individual (other than certain former citizens and residents of the United States subject to U.S. tax as expatriates); |
| • | a foreign corporation; or |
| • | an estate or trust that is not a U.S. Holder; |
but generally does not include an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of the disposition of our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants. If you are such an individual, you should consult your tax advisor regarding the United States federal income tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our securities.
The determination of the extent to which a distribution will be treated as a dividend, return of capital or gain from the sale of Class A ordinary shares is generally the same for Non-U.S. Holders as that described in “—U.S. Holders—Taxation of Distributions”. Dividends (including, as described under “— U.S. Holders — Possible Constructive Distributions” above, constructive distributions treated as dividends) paid or deemed paid to a Non-U.S. Holder in respect of our Class A ordinary shares generally will not be subject to United States federal income tax, unless the dividends are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, are attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base that such Non-U.S. Holder maintains in the United States). In addition, a Non-U.S. Holder generally will not be subject to United States federal income tax on any gain attributable to a sale or other disposition of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants unless such gain is effectively connected with its conduct of a trade or business in the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, is attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base that such Non-U.S. Holder maintains in the United States).
Dividends (including, as described under “— U.S. Holders — Possible Constructive Distributions” above, constructive distributions treated as dividends) and gains that are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business in the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, are attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base in the United States) generally will be subject to United States federal income tax at the same regular United States federal income tax rates applicable
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to a comparable U.S. Holder and, in the case of a Non-U.S. Holder that is a corporation for United States federal income tax purposes, also may be subject to an additional branch profits tax at a 30% rate or a lower applicable tax treaty rate.
The characterization for U.S. federal income tax purposes 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 characterization of the exercise or lapse of a warrant by a U.S. Holder, as described under “— U.S. Holders — Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant,” above, although to the extent a cashless exercise results in a taxable exchange, the consequences would be similar to those described in the preceding paragraphs above for a Non-U.S. Holder’s gain on the sale or other disposition of our Class A ordinary shares and warrants.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding
Dividend payments with respect to our Class A ordinary shares and proceeds from the sale, exchange or redemption of our Class A ordinary shares may be subject to information reporting to the IRS and possible United States backup withholding. Backup withholding will not apply, however, to a U.S. Holder who furnishes a correct taxpayer identification number and makes other required certifications, or who is otherwise exempt from backup withholding and establishes such exempt status. A Non-U.S. Holder generally will eliminate the requirement for backup withholding by providing certification of its foreign status, under penalties of perjury, on a duly executed applicable IRS Form W-8 or by otherwise establishing an exemption.
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Amounts withheld as backup withholding may be credited against a holder’s United States federal income tax liability, and a holder generally may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules by timely filing the appropriate claim for refund with the IRS and furnishing any required information.
Certain U.S. Holders may be required to file an IRS Form 926 (Return by a U.S. Transferor of Property to a Foreign Corporation) to report a transfer of property (including cash) to us. Substantial penalties may be imposed on a U.S. Holder that fails to comply with this reporting requirement, and the period of limitations on assessment and collection of United States federal income taxes will be extended in the event of a failure to comply. Furthermore, certain U.S. Holders who are individuals and certain entities will be required to report information with respect to such U.S. Holder’s investment in “specified foreign financial assets” on IRS Form 8938 (Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets), subject to certain exceptions. Specified foreign financial assets generally include any financial account maintained with a non-U.S. financial institution and should also include our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants if they are not held in an account maintained with a U.S. financial institution.
Persons who are required to report specified foreign financial assets and fail to do so may be subject to substantial penalties, and the period of limitations on assessment and collection of United States federal income taxes may be extended in the event of a failure to comply. Potential investors are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the foreign financial asset and other reporting obligations and their application to an investment in our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants.
INVESTORS CONSIDERING THE PURCHASE OF OUR SECURITIES ARE URGED TO CONSULT WITH AND RELY SOLELY UPON THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS REGARDING THE APPLICATION OF THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX LAWS TO THEIR PARTICULAR SITUATIONS AND THE APPLICABILITY AND EFFECT OF ANY OTHER TAX LAWS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO U.S. FEDERAL ESTATE AND GIFT TAX LAWS AND ANY STATE, LOCAL OR NON-U.S. TAX LAWS AND TAX TREATIES.
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We are offering the public units described in this prospectus through the underwriter named below. We have entered into an underwriting agreement with EF Hutton. Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement, the underwriter has agreed to purchase, and we have agreed to sell to the underwriter, the number of units listed next to each name in the following table.
| Underwriter | Number of Units |
|||
| EF Hutton LLC |
25,000,000 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Total |
25,000,000 | |||
|
|
|
|||
The underwriting agreement provides that the underwriter must buy all of the public units if it buys any of them. However, the underwriter is not required to purchase the public units covered by the underwriter’s option to purchase additional units as described below. The underwriter may offer and sell the public units through certain of its affiliates or other registered broker-dealers or selling agents.
Our public units are offered hereby subject to a number of conditions, including:
| • | receipt and acceptance of such public units by the underwriter; and |
| • | the underwriter’s right to reject orders in whole or in part. |
In connection with this offering, the underwriter or securities dealers may distribute prospectuses electronically.
Our Sponsor is supported by affiliates of Meteora and/or Meteora Capital, LLC, an investment adviser specializing in SPAC-related investments (“Meteora”). Meteora’s principals have previous experience across the full lifecycle of SPACs, from the initial public offering to the deSPAC business combination process. Meteora will act as a consultant to the Company in connection with this offering. Meteora will be paid by the Company for consulting services. Meteora is expected to purchase units from the underwriter in this offering at the offering price. Meteora is neither a broker-dealer nor affiliated with one and is not acting as an underwriter in connection with this offering.
Option to Purchase Additional Units
We have granted the underwriter an option to buy up to an aggregate of 3,750,000 additional units. The underwriter has 45 days from the date of this prospectus to exercise this option. If the underwriter exercises this option, it will purchase additional units approximately in proportion to the amounts specified in the table above.
Underwriting Discount
Units sold by the underwriter to the public will initially be offered at the initial offering price set forth on the cover of this prospectus. Any units sold by the underwriter to securities dealers may be sold at a discount of up to $10.00 per unit from the IPO price. Sales of units made outside of the United States may be made by affiliates of the underwriter. After the initial public offering, if all the public units are not sold at the IPO price, the representative may change the offering price and the other selling terms. Upon execution of the underwriting agreement, the underwriter will be obligated to purchase the public units at the prices and upon the terms stated therein.
The following table shows the per unit and total underwriting discount we will pay to the underwriter assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriter’s option to purchase up to 3,750,000 additional units.
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| No Exercise |
Full Exercise |
|||||||
| Per Unit(1) |
$ | 0.024 | $ | 0.0209 | ||||
| Total |
$ | 600,000 | $ | 600,000 | ||||
| (1) | $0.024 per unit or $600,000 in the aggregate (or $0.0209 per unit or $600,000 in the aggregate if the underwriter’s option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), is payable upon the closing of this offering. There is no deferred underwriting commission payable to the underwriter. |
We estimate that the total expenses of the offering payable by us, not including the underwriting discount and commissions referred to above, will be approximately $967,435, of which EF Hutton has agreed to reimburse us $300,000 for these expenses. Further, we have agreed to pay for the FINRA-related fees and expenses of the underwriter’s legal counsel, not to exceed $93,625.
The non-managing investors have expressed an interest in purchasing up to an aggregate of approximately 99% of $250 million or $247.5 million of the units in this offering at the offering price (assuming the underwriter does not exercise its over-allotment option). None of the non-managing investors has expressed to us an interest in purchasing more than 9.9% of the units to be sold in this offering. There can be no assurance that the non-managing investors will acquire any units, either directly or indirectly, in this offering, or as to the amount of the units the non-managing investors will retain, if any, prior to or upon the consummation of our initial business combination. Because these expressions of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase, the non-managing investors may determine to purchase a different number or no units in this offering. In addition, EF Hutton has full discretion to allocate the units to investors and may determine to sell a different number or no units to the non-managing investors. EF Hutton will receive the same upfront discounts and commissions on units purchased by the non-managing investors in the offering, if any, as it will on the other units sold to the public in this offering. Any trading decisions made by any of the foregoing entities will be made by them based on market conditions at the time of the proposed sale or redemption. EF Hutton’s affiliates will not become non-managing investors or receive any economic or other interest in the Sponsor.
No Sales of Similar Securities
We, our executive officers and directors, and our Sponsor will enter into lock-up agreements with the underwriter. Under the lock-up agreements, subject to certain exceptions, we and each of these persons may not, without the prior written approval of the underwriter offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, or hedge our units, warrants, Class A ordinary shares, Class B ordinary shares or any other securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for Class A ordinary shares. These restrictions will be in effect for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus.
The underwriter may, at any time and in its sole discretion, release some or all the securities from these lock-up agreements. The underwriter will consider, among other factors, the holder’s reasons for requesting the release, the number of securities for which the release is being requested and market conditions at the time. If the restrictions under the lock-up agreements are waived, our units, warrants, Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares may become available for resale into the market, subject to applicable law, which could reduce the market price of our securities.
Except with respect to permitted transferees as described herein under “Principal Shareholders,” our initial shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their respective founder shares, private placement shares, private placement warrants or any securities underlying the private placement warrants that they may hold until the date that is (i) in the case of the founder shares and private placement shares, the earlier of (A) 6 months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination, (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) the date on which the last sale price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $11.50 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20
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trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 90 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we consummate a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction after our initial business combination which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property, and (ii) in the case of the private placement warrants or any securities underlying the private placement warrants, until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial shareholders with respect to any shares.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the lock-up period of the non-managing investors shall not be longer than the Sponsor’s lock-up period; provided that if upon consummation of an initial business combination, any securityholder holding more than three percent (3.0%) of the capital stock of the surviving company is not subject to a lock-up agreement or is subject to a lock-up agreement for a shorter period of time than the non-managing investors, unless required to comply with the Nasdaq listing conditions, the non-managing investors’ lock-up period shall be reduced to the shortest lock-up period or terminated, as the case may be. Further, if any such securityholder is released from a lock-up period subsequent to the consummation of an initial business combination, the Company shall release the private placement shares held by non-managing investors from the lock-up provisions.
Indemnification
We have agreed to indemnify the underwriter against certain liabilities, including certain liabilities under the Securities Act. If we are unable to provide this indemnification, we have agreed to contribute to payments the underwriter may be required to make in respect of those liabilities.
Nasdaq Listing
We intend to apply for listing of our units on Nasdaq under the symbol “GIGGU” and, once the public units begin separate trading, we expect our Class A ordinary shares and warrants to be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “GIG” and “GIGGW,” respectively.
Price Stabilization, Short Positions
In connection with this offering, the underwriter may engage in activities that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of units during and after this offering, including:
| • | stabilizing transactions; |
| • | short sales; |
| • | purchases to cover positions created by short sales; |
| • | imposition of penalty bids; and |
| • | syndicate covering transactions. |
Stabilizing transactions consist of bids or purchases made for the purpose of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our units while this offering is in progress. Stabilization transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum. These transactions may also include making short sales of our units, which involve the sale by the underwriter of a greater number of units than it is required to purchase in this offering and purchasing units on the open market to cover short positions created by short sales. Short sales may be “covered short sales,” which are short positions in an amount not greater than the underwriter’s option to purchase additional units referred to above, or may be “naked short sales,” which are short positions in excess of that amount.
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The underwriter may close out any covered short position by either exercising its over-allotment option, in whole or in part, or by purchasing units in the open market. In making this determination, the underwriter will consider, among other things, the price of units available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase units through the over-allotment option.
Naked short sales are short sales made in excess of the over-allotment option. The underwriter must close out any naked short position by purchasing units in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriter is concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the public units in the open market that could adversely affect investors who purchased in this offering.
These stabilizing transactions, short sales, purchases to cover positions created by short sales, the imposition of penalty bids and syndicate covering transactions 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 of these activities, the price of our units may be higher than the price that otherwise might exist in the open market. The underwriter may carry out these transactions on Nasdaq, in the over-the-counter market or otherwise. Neither we nor the underwriter make any representation or prediction as to the effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of the public units. Neither we, nor the underwriter make any representation that the underwriter will engage in these stabilization transactions or that any transaction, once commenced, will not be discontinued without notice.
Determination of Offering Price
Prior to this offering, there was no public market for our units. The initial public offering price will be determined by negotiation between us and the representative of the underwriter. The principal factors to be considered in determining the initial public offering price include:
| • | the information set forth in this prospectus and otherwise available to the representative; |
| • | our history and prospects and the history and prospects for the industry in which we compete; |
| • | our past and present financial performance; |
| • | our prospects for future earnings and the present state of our development; |
| • | the general condition of the securities market at the time of this offering; |
| • | the recent market prices of, and demand for, publicly traded units of generally comparable companies; and |
| • | other factors deemed relevant by the underwriter and us. |
The estimated public offering price range set forth on the cover page of this preliminary prospectus is subject to change as a result of market conditions and other factors. Neither we nor the underwriter can assure investors that an active trading market will develop for our units, warrants or Class A ordinary shares or that the public units will trade in the public market at or above the initial public offering price.
Affiliations
The underwriter and its 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 underwriter and its 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 underwriter and its 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)
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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 underwriter and its 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 the underwriter to provide any services for us after this offering and have no present intent to do so. However, the underwriter may introduce us to potential target businesses or assist us in raising additional capital in the future. If the underwriter provides 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 underwriter and no fees for such services will be paid to the underwriter prior to the date that is 60 days from the date of this prospectus, unless such payment would not be deemed underwriter’s compensation in connection with this offering and we may pay the underwriter of this offering or any entity with which it is affiliated a finder’s fee or other compensation for services rendered to us in connection with the completion of a business combination.
Notice to Residents of Canada
The securities may be sold 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 securities 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 underwriter is 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 and United Kingdom
This prospectus is not a prospectus for the purposes of the Prospectus Regulation (as defined below). This prospectus and any offer if made subsequently is directed only at persons in Member States of the European Economic Area (the “EEA”) or in the United Kingdom (the “UK”) (each, a “Relevant State”) who are “qualified investors” within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation. This prospectus has been prepared on the basis that any offer of our securities in any Relevant State will be made pursuant to an exemption under the Prospectus Regulation from the requirement to publish a prospectus for offers of our securities. Accordingly any person making or intending to make an offer in that Relevant State of our securities which are the subject of the offering contemplated in this prospectus may only do so in circumstances in which no obligation arises for the Company or any of the underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation in relation to such offer. Neither we nor the underwriter has authorized, nor do we or they authorize, the making of any offer of our securities in circumstances in which an obligation arises for us or the underwriter to publish a prospectus for such offer. The expression “Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.
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In relation to each Relevant State, no offer of our securities which are the subject of the offering contemplated by this prospectus to the public may be made in that Relevant State other than:
(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 relevant underwriter or underwriter nominated by us for any such offer; or
(c) in any other circumstances falling within Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation, provided that no such offer of our securities shall require us or any underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer of our securities to the public” in relation to our securities in any Relevant State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and our securities to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for our securities.
This EEA and UK selling restriction is in addition to any other selling restrictions set out below.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Switzerland
This prospectus is not intended to constitute an offer or solicitation to purchase or invest in the public units in Switzerland. The public units offered hereby may not be publicly offered, directly or indirectly, in Switzerland within the meaning of the Swiss Financial Services Act (“FinSA”) and no application has or will be made to admit the public units to trading on any trading venue (exchange or multilateral trading facility) in Switzerland. Neither this prospectus nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the public units constitutes a prospectus pursuant to the FinSA, and neither this prospectus nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the public units may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.
Selling Restrictions with Respect to the United Kingdom
This prospectus may not be distributed or circulated to any person in the UK other than to (i) persons who have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the “Order”); and (ii) high net worth entities falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as “relevant persons”). This prospectus is directed only at relevant persons. Other persons should not act on this prospectus or any of its contents. This prospectus is confidential and is being supplied to you solely for your information and may not be reproduced, redistributed or passed on to any other person or published, in whole or in part, for any other purpose.
Any invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the United Kingdom’s Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, as amended (the “FSMA”)) in connection with the issue or sale of our securities may only be communicated or caused to be communicated in circumstances in which Section 21(1) of the FSMA does not apply to us.
All applicable provisions of the FSMA must be complied with in respect to anything done by any person in relation to our securities in, from or otherwise involving the UK.
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Notice to Prospective Investors in France
Neither this prospectus nor any other offering material relating to the public units described in this prospectus has been submitted to the clearance procedures of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers or by the competent authority of another member state of the European Economic Area and notified to the Autorité des Marchés Financiers. The public units have not been offered or sold and will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, to the public in France. Neither this prospectus nor any other offering material relating to the public units has been or will be:
| • | released, issued, distributed or caused to be released, issued or distributed to the public in France; or |
| • | used in connection with any offer for subscription or sale of the public units to the public in France. |
Such offers, sales and distributions will be made in France only:
| • | to qualified investors (investisseurs qualifiés) and/or to a restricted circle of investors (cercle restreint d’investisseurs), in each case investing for their own account, all as defined in, and in accordance with, Article L.411-2, D.411-1, D.411-2, D.734-1, D.744-1, D.754-1 and D.764-1 of the French Code monétaire et financier; |
| • | to investment services providers authorized to engage in portfolio management on behalf of third parties; or |
| • | in a transaction that, in accordance with article L.411-2-II-1° -or-2° -or 3° of the French Code monétaire et financier and article 211-2 of the General Regulations (Règlement Général) of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers, does not constitute a public offer (appel public à l’épargne). |
The public units may be resold directly or indirectly, only in compliance with Articles L.411-1, L.411-2, L.412-1 and L.621-8 through L.621-8-3 of the French Code monétaire et financier.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Hong Kong
No securities have been offered or sold, and no securities may be offered or sold, in Hong Kong, by means of any document, other than (a) to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571) of Hong Kong (“SFO”) and any rules made under the SFO; or (b) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” as defined in the Companies Ordinance (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions Ordinance (Cap. 32) of Hong Kong (the “C(WUMP)O”) or which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the C(WUMP)O. No document, invitation or advertisement relating to the securities has been issued or may be issued or may be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere), which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public of Hong Kong (except if permitted under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to securities which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” as defined in the SFO and any rules made under that Ordinance.
This prospectus has not been registered with the Registrar of Companies in Hong Kong. Accordingly, this prospectus may not be issued, circulated or distributed in Hong Kong, and the securities may not be offered for subscription to members of the public in Hong Kong. Each person acquiring the securities will be required, and is deemed by the acquisition of the securities, to confirm that he is aware of the restriction on offers of the securities described in this prospectus and the relevant offering documents and that he is not acquiring, and has not been offered any securities in circumstances that contravene any such restrictions.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Singapore
This prospectus has not been and will not be lodged or registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale,
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or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the securities may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the securities be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the “SFA”), (ii) to a relevant person pursuant to Section 275(1), or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275, of the SFA, or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA.
Where the securities are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is:
| • | a corporation (which is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA)) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or |
| • | a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary of the trust is an individual who is an accredited investor, securities (as defined in Section 239(1) of the SFA) of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferred within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the securities pursuant to an offer made under Section 275 of the SFA except: |
| (i) | to an institutional investor or to a relevant person defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA, or to any person arising from an offer referred to in Section 275(1A) or Section 276(4)(i)(B) of the SFA; |
| (ii) | where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer; |
| (iii) | where the transfer is by operation of law; |
| (iv) | as specified in Section 276(7) of the SFA; or |
| (v) | as specified in Regulation 32 of the Securities and Futures (Offers of Investments) (Shares and Debentures) Regulations 2005 of Singapore. |
Notice to Prospective Investors in the Cayman Islands
No offer or invitation, whether directly or indirectly may be made to the public in the Cayman Islands to subscribe for our securities.
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DLA Piper LLP (US), San Francisco, California, is acting as counsel in connection with the registration of our securities under the Securities Act, and as such, will pass upon the validity of the securities offered in this prospectus with respect to units and warrants. Harney Westwood & Riegels LP will pass upon the validity of the securities offered in this prospectus with respect to the ordinary shares and matters of Cayman Islands law. Lucosky Brookman LLP, New York, New York, is acting as counsel to the underwriter in connection with this offering.
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The financial statements of the Company as of May 31, 2024 and for the period from May 8, 2024 (date of inception) through May 31, 2024 included in this prospectus have been so included in reliance on the report (which contains an explanatory paragraph relating to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern as described in Note 1 to the financial statements) of BPM LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.
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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 (if we are a foreign private issuer, in certain cases voluntarily) annual, quarterly and current event reports, proxy statements (if we will not be a foreign private issuer at such time) 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. In addition, copies of our SEC filings may be accessed on our company website at http://www.gigcapital7.com.
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GIGCAPITAL7 CORP.
| Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID:207) |
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| F-3 | ||
| F-4 | ||
| F-5 | ||
| F-6 | ||
| F-7 |
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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Board of Directors and
Shareholders of GigCapital7 Corp.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of GigCapital7 Corp. (a Cayman Islands exempted company) (the “Company”) as of May 31, 2024, and the related statements of operations and comprehensive loss, shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for the period from May 8, 2024 (date of inception) through May 31, 2024, 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 May 31, 2024, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from May 8, 2024 (date of inception) through May 31, 2024, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Going Concern Uncertainty
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that GigCapital7 Corp. will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company has no present revenue, its business plan is dependent on the completion of a financing and the Company’s cash and working capital as of May 31, 2024 are not sufficient to complete its planned activities for the upcoming year. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans regarding these matters are also described in Notes 1, 3 and 4. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB and in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America. 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 audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our 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/ BPM LLP
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2024.
San Jose, California
July 9, 2024
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GIGCAPITAL7 CORP.
| May 31, 2024 | ||||
| ASSETS |
||||
| Current assets—cash |
$ | 100,000 | ||
|
|
|
|||
| TOTAL ASSETS |
$ | 100,000 | ||
|
|
|
|||
| LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY |
||||
| Current liabilities |
||||
| Related party payable |
$ | 4,985 | ||
| Accrued expenses |
12,667 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Total liabilities |
17,652 | |||
|
|
|
|||
|
Commitments (Note 4-Related Party Transactions) |
||||
| Shareholders’ equity |
||||
| Preferred shares, par value of $0.0001 per share; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding |
— | |||
| Class A ordinary shares, par value of $0.0001 per share; 200,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding |
— | |||
| Class B ordinary shares, par value of $0.0001 per share; 20,000,000 shares authorized; 16,700,000 shares issued and outstanding(1) |
1,670 | |||
| Additional paid-in capital |
98,330 | |||
| Accumulated deficit |
(17,652 | ) | ||
|
|
|
|||
| Total shareholders’ equity |
82,348 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY |
$ | 100,000 | ||
|
|
|
|||
| (1) | This number includes up to 2,500,000 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriter. |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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GIGCAPITAL7 CORP.
AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS
| Period from May 8, 2024 (Inception) through May 31, 2024 |
||||
| Revenues |
$ | — | ||
| General and administrative expenses |
17,652 | |||
|
|
|
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| Net loss and comprehensive loss |
$ | 17,652 | ||
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|
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| Weighted-average shares outstanding, basic and diluted(1) |
591,668 | |||
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|
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| Net loss per ordinary share, basic and diluted |
$ | (0.03 | ) | |
|
|
|
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| (1) | This number excludes up to 2,500,000 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriter. |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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GIGCAPITAL7 CORP.
STATEMENT OF SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
| Ordinary Shares | Additional Paid-In Capital |
Accumulated Deficit |
Shareholders’ Equity |
|||||||||||||||||
| Class B | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Amount | |||||||||||||||||||
| Balance as of May 8, 2024 (inception) |
— | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | |||||||||||
| Issuance of Class B ordinary share at inception |
1 | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||
| Sale of Class B ordinary shares to Sponsor at $0.00588235 per share, net of surrender(1) |
16,699,999 | 1,670 | 98,330 | — | 100,000 | |||||||||||||||
| Net loss |
— | — | — | (17,652 | ) | (17,652 | ) | |||||||||||||
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
| Balance as of May 31, 2024 |
16,700,000 | $ | 1,670 | $ | 98,330 | $ | (17,652 | ) | $ | 82,348 | ||||||||||
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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| (1) | This number includes up to 2,500,000 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriter. |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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GIGCAPITAL7 CORP.
| Period from May 8, 2024 (Inception) through May 31, 2024 |
||||
| OPERATING ACTIVITIES |
||||
| Net loss |
$ | (17,652 | ) | |
| Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by operating activities: |
||||
| Increase in related party payable |
4,985 | |||
| Increase in accrued expenses |
12,667 | |||
|
|
|
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| Net cash provided by operating activities |
— | |||
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|
|
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| FINANCING ACTIVITIES |
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| Proceeds from sale of Class B ordinary shares to Sponsor |
100,000 | |||
|
|
|
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| Net cash provided by financing activities |
100,000 | |||
|
|
|
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| Net increase in cash during period |
100,000 | |||
| Cash, beginning of period |
— | |||
|
|
|
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| Cash, end of period |
$ | 100,000 | ||
|
|
|
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The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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1. DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS
Organization and General
GigCapital7 Corp. (the “Company”) was incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company on May 8, 2024. The Company was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”). The Company will be an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”) upon the closing of the initial public offering.
As of May 31, 2024, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from May 8, 2024 (date of inception) through May 31, 2024 relates to the Company’s formation and the proposed initial public offering (“Proposed Offering”) described below. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after completion of the 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 Offering. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.
Sponsor, Founder and Proposed Financing
The Company’s sponsor is GigAcquisitions7 Corp., a Cayman Island exempted company (the “Sponsor” and is sometimes referred to as the “Founder”). The Company intends to finance a Business Combination with proceeds from a $250,000,000 public offering (Note 3), and a $3,311,065 private placement with the Sponsor and certain institutional investors (Notes 3 and 4). Upon the closing of the Proposed Offering, $250,000,000 (or $287,500,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full by EF Hutton LLC (the “Underwriter”)—Note 3) will be held in the Trust Account (discussed below).
The Trust Account
The funds in the Trust Account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of one hundred and eighty-five (185) days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 which invest only in direct U.S. government obligations. Funds will remain in the Trust Account until the earlier of (i) the completion of the Business Combination or (ii) the distribution of the Trust Account as described below.
The Company’s memorandum and articles of association provides that, other than the withdrawal of interest to pay taxes none of the funds held in the Trust Account will be released until the earlier of: (1) the completion of the Business Combination; (2) the redemption of 100% of the outstanding public shares if the Company has not completed an initial Business Combination within 24 months from the closing of the Proposed Offering or (3) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend the memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of the Company’s public shares if the Company does not complete its initial Business Combination within the required time period or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the Company’s pre-business combination activity and related shareholders’ rights.
Business Combination
The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Proposed Offering, although substantially all of the net proceeds of the Proposed Offering are intended to be generally applied toward consummating a Business Combination with (or acquisition of) a Target Business. As used herein, “Target Business” must be with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the Trust Account (less the deferred underwriting commissions and the taxes payable on interest earned) at the time the Company signs a definitive agreement in connection with the Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to successfully effect a Business Combination.
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The Company, after signing a definitive agreement for a Business Combination, will either (i) seek shareholder approval of the Business Combination at a meeting called for such purpose in connection with which shareholders may seek to redeem their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the Business Combination, for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination, including interest but less taxes payable, or (ii) provide shareholders with the opportunity to have their shares redeemed by the Company by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a shareholder vote) for an amount in cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account as of two business days prior to commencement of the tender offer, including interest but less taxes payable. The decision as to whether the Company will seek shareholder approval of the Business Combination or will allow shareholders to redeem their shares in a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require the Company to seek shareholder approval unless a vote is required by the Nasdaq rules. If the Company seeks shareholder approval, it will complete its Business Combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares are voted in favor of the Business Combination. However, in no event will the Company redeem its public shares in an amount that would cause its net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of a Business Combination. In such case, the Company would not proceed with the redemption of its public shares and the related Business Combination, and instead may search for an alternate Business Combination.
If the Company holds a shareholder vote or there is a tender offer for shares in connection with the Business Combination, a public shareholder will have the right to redeem its shares for an amount in cash equal to its pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination, including interest but less taxes payable. As a result, such shares of common stock will be recorded at redemption amount and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Proposed Offering. The amount in the Trust Account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share ($250,000,000 held in the Trust Account divided by 25,000,000 public shares).
The Company will have 24 months from the closing date of the Proposed Offering to complete its initial Business Combination. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within this period of time, it shall (i) cease all operations except for the purposes of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible, but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares for a per share pro rata portion of the Trust Account, including interest, but less taxes payable (less up to $100,000 of such net interest to pay dissolution expenses) and (iii) as promptly as possible following such redemption, dissolve and liquidate the balance of the Company’s net assets to its creditors and remaining shareholders, as part of its plan of dissolution and liquidation. The initial shareholders will each enter into agreements with us, pursuant to which they will agree: (1) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, private placement shares, private placement warrants and shares underlying any private placement warrants held by them in connection with the consummation of our initial Business Combination or a tender offer conducted prior to a Business Combination or in connection with it; and (2) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares and private placement shares if we fail to complete our initial Business Combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, 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.
In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the residual assets remaining available for distribution (including Trust Account assets) will be less than the initial public offering price per unit in the Proposed Offering.
Going Concern Consideration
As of May 31, 2024, the Company had $100,000 in cash and a working capital of $82,348. Further, the Company expects to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of its financing and acquisition plans. These
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conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The Company plans to address this uncertainty through a Proposed Offering as discussed in Note 3 and the sale of private placement warrants as discussed in Note 4. There is no assurance that the Company’s plans to raise capital or to consummate a Business Combination will be successful or successful within the target business acquisition period. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Presentation
The financial statements of the Company have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Emerging Growth Company
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 an accounting 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 accounting standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard.
Net Loss Per Ordinary Share
Net loss per ordinary share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted-average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period (after deducting 2,500,000 ordinary shares subject to forfeiture in connection with the Proposed Offering), plus to the extent dilutive the incremental number of ordinary shares to settle warrants, as calculated using the treasury stock method. As of May 31, 2024, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into ordinary shares and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted net loss per ordinary share is the same as basic net loss per ordinary share for the period presented.
Concentration of Credit Risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution, which at times, may exceed federally insured limits. The Company has not experienced losses on these accounts and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such accounts.
Financial Instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities approximates the carrying amounts represented in the balance sheet.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the
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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 revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Deferred Offering Costs Associated with the Proposed Offering
Deferred offering costs consist of legal, accounting, underwriting fees and other costs incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the Proposed Offering and that will be charged to shareholder’s equity upon the completion of the Proposed Offering. Should the Proposed Offering prove to be unsuccessful, these deferred costs, as well as additional expenses to be incurred, will be charged to operations.
Income Taxes
The Company follows the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes under Accounting Standards Codification 740, “Income Taxes” (“ASC 740”). Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statements carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that included the enactment date. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.
ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. There were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties as of May 31, 2024. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position.
The Company is considered to be an exempted Cayman Islands company with no connection to any other taxable jurisdiction and is presently not subject to income taxes or income tax filing requirements in the Cayman Islands, and the Company believes it is presently not subject to income taxes or income tax filing requirements in the United States. As such, the Company’s tax provision was zero for the period presented.
Warrant Liability
The Company accounts for warrants for ordinary shares of the Company that are not indexed to its own shares as liabilities at fair value on the balance sheet. The warrants are subject to remeasurement at each balance sheet date and any change in fair value is recognized as a component of other income (expense), net on the statement of operations and comprehensive loss. The Company will continue to adjust the liability for changes in fair value until the earlier of the exercise or expiration of the warrants. At that time, the portion of the warrant liability related to the warrants for ordinary shares will be reclassified to additional paid-in capital.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
The Company does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting pronouncements, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.
3. PROPOSED OFFERING
Pursuant to the Proposed Offering, the Company offers for sale up to 25,000,000 units at a price of $10.00 per unit (the “Units”). Each Unit consists of one share of the Company’s Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par
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value and three quarters of one redeemable warrant to purchase one Class A ordinary share (the “Warrants”). The Warrants will only be exercisable for whole shares at $11.50 per share. Under the terms of the proposed Warrant agreement, the Company has agreed to use its best efforts to file a new registration statement under the Securities Act, following the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination.
No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the Warrants. If, upon exercise of the Warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, the Company will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the Warrant holder. Each Warrant will become exercisable on the later of the consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination or 12 months after the registration statement is declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and will expire five years after the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. However, if the Company does not complete its initial Business Combination on or prior to the 24-month period, the Warrants will expire at the end of such period. If the Company is unable to deliver registered ordinary shares to the holder upon exercise of the Warrants during the exercise period, there will be no net cash settlement of these Warrants and the Warrants will expire worthless, unless they may be exercised on a cashless basis in the circumstances described in the Warrant agreement. 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, only in the event that the last sale price of the Company’s ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share for any 20 trading days within the 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day before the Company sends the notice of redemption to the Warrant holders.
The Company expects to grant the Underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to 3,750,000 additional Units to cover any over-allotments, at the initial public offering price less the underwriting discounts.
The Company expects to pay an underwriting discount of $0.024 per Unit (or $0.0209 per Unit if the Underwriter’s option to purchase additional Units is exercised in full) offering price to the Underwriter at the closing of the Proposed Offering. The underwriting discount is payable in cash.
Certain non-managing investors have committed, pursuant to written agreements, to purchase an aggregate of 2,166,670 Class B ordinary shares, or “private placement shares,” from the Company in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the Proposed Offering at the price $1.50 per share. The private placement shares along with the founder shares will collectively represent 40% of the outstanding ordinary shares upon completion of the Proposed Offering (excluding any shares underlying the private placement warrants further described in Note 4). The private placement, proceeds will be used to pay for business, legal and accounting due diligence expenses on acquisition targets and continuing general and administration expenses.
4. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Founder Shares
During the period from May 8, 2024 (date of inception) to May 31, 2024, the Founder purchased 17,000,000 Class B ordinary shares (the “Founder Shares”) for an aggregate purchase price of $100,000, or $0.00588235 per share. Following the May 31, 2024 purchase, the Sponsor surrendered 300,000 Class B ordinary shares for no consideration. The Founder Shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the Units being sold in the Proposed Offering except that the Founder Shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below. The Founder originally agreed to forfeit up to 2,500,000 Founder Shares to the extent that the over-allotment option is not exercised in full by the Underwriter. The forfeiture will be adjusted to the extent that the over-allotment option is not exercised in full by the Underwriter so that the Founder, the advisor and non-managing investors will own 40% of the Company’s issued and outstanding Class A and Class B ordinary shares after the Proposed Offering. On May 31, 2024, the Sponsor surrendered 300,000 Class B ordinary shares for no consideration.
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Private Placement Warrant
The Founder has agreed to purchase from the Company warrants to purchase an aggregate of 3,719,000 Class A ordinary shares at a price of $0.01561 per warrant in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the completion of the Proposed Offering (the “Private Placement Warrant”). The Private Placement Warrants will only be exercisable for whole Class A ordinary shares at $11.50 per share. Under the terms of a proposed Private Placement Warrant agreement, the Company has agreed to use its best efforts to file a new registration statement under the Securities Act, following the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination. No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants. If, upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, the Company will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of shares to be issued to the Private Placement Warrant holder. Each Private Placement Warrant will become exercisable on the later of the consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination or 12 months after the registration statement is declared effective by the SEC and will expire five years after the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. However, if the Company does not complete its initial Business Combination on or prior to the 24-month period allotted to complete the initial Business Combination, the Private Placement Warrants will expire at the end of such period. If the Company is unable to deliver registered ordinary shares to the holder upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants during the exercise period, there will be no net cash settlement of these Private Placement Warrants and the Private Placement Warrants will expire worthless, unless they may be exercised on a cashless basis in the circumstances described in the Private Placement Warrant agreement. Once the Private Placement Warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the outstanding Private Placement Warrants in whole and not in part at a price of $0.01 per Private Placement Warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, only in the event that the last sale price of the Company’s ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share for any 20 trading days within the 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day before the Company sends the notice of redemption to the Private Placement Warrant holders.
The Company’s Founder has agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their respective Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants, ordinary shares or other securities underlying such Private Placement Warrants that they may hold until the date that is (i) in the case of the Founder Shares, the earlier of (A) 6 months after the date of the consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination or (B) subsequent to the Company’s initial Business Combination, (x) the date on which the last sale price of the Company’s Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $11.50 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 90 days after the Company’s initial Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the Company consummates a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction after the Company’s initial Business Combination which results in all of the Company’s shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property, and (ii) in the case of the Private Placement Warrants and ordinary shares or other securities underlying such Private Placement Warrants, until 30 days after the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination.
If the Company does not complete a Business Combination, then a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants will be part of the liquidating distribution to the public shareholders.
Registration Rights
The Company’s initial shareholders and their permitted transferees are entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement signed on the date of the prospectus for the Proposed Offering. These holders will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration demands, that the Company register such securities for sale under the Securities Act. In addition, these holders will have “piggy-back” registration rights to include their securities in other registration statements filed by the Company. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements. There will be no penalties associated with delays in registering the securities under the proposed registration rights agreement.
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5. SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Preferred Shares
The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 shares of preferred shares with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Board of Directors. As of May 31, 2024, there were no preferred shares issued and outstanding.
Class A Ordinary Shares
The Company is authorized to issue 200,000,000 Class A ordinary shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. As of May 31, 2024, there were no Class A ordinary shares issued or outstanding.
Class B Ordinary Shares
The Company is authorized to issue 20,000,000 Class B ordinary shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. At formation on May 8, 2024, the Sponsor acquired one Class B ordinary share for a purchase price of $0.0001. Subsequently on May 31, 2024, the Sponsor purchased 16,999,999 Class B ordinary shares for an aggregate purchase price of $100,000, or $0.00588235 per share, of which up to 2,500,000 Class B ordinary shares are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the Underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised during the Proposed Offering as described in Note 3. On May 31, 2024, the Sponsor surrendered 300,000 Class B ordinary shares for no consideration. As of May 31, 2024, there were 16,700,000 Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding.
6. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
The Company evaluated subsequent events that occurred after the balance sheet date through July 9, 2024, the date that these financial statements were available to be issued. Based upon this review, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment to or disclosure in the financial statements, except as disclosed below.
On June 6, 2024, 300,000 Class B ordinary shares were issued to an advisor for consulting services in connection with the Proposed Offering for a purchase price of $0.01 per share, or an aggregate purchase price of $3,000.
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25,000,000 Units
GigCapital7 Corp.
Preliminary Prospectus
, 2024
EF Hutton LLC
Until , 2024 (25 days after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade our Class A ordinary shares, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers’ obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriter and with respect to its unsold allotments or subscriptions.
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PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 13. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.
The estimated expenses payable by us in connection with the offering described in this registration statement (other than the underwriting discount) will be as follows:
| SEC Registration Fees |
$ | 42,435 | ||
| FINRA Filing Fees |
$ | 43,625 | ||
| Accounting fees and expenses |
$ | 80,000 | ||
| Nasdaq listing fees |
$ | 95,000 | ||
| Legal fees and expenses |
$ | 350,000 | ||
| Advisory fees |
$ | 300,000 | ||
| Reimbursement to underwriter for expenses |
$ | 50,000 | ||
| Miscellaneous(1) |
$ | 100,000 | ||
|
|
|
|||
| Total |
$ | 1,061,060 | ||
|
|
|
| (1) | This amount represents additional expenses that may be incurred by the Company in connection with the offering over and above those specifically listed above, including transfer agent and trustee fees. |
Item 14. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against willful default, civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide for indemnification of our officers and directors to the maximum extent permitted by law, including for any liability incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own actual fraud or willful default. We may purchase a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors.
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.
Pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this Registration Statement, we have agreed to indemnify the underwriter, and the underwriter has 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.
At our formation on May 8, 2024, our Sponsor acquired one Class B ordinary share, or “founder share,” for a purchase price of $0.0001. Subsequently on May 31, 2024, our Sponsor purchased 16,999,999 Class B ordinary shares from us for an aggregate purchase price of $100,000, or $0.00588235 per share, of which up to 2,500,000 founder shares remain subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised during this offering. Following the May 31, 2024 purchase, our Sponsor surrendered 300,000 Class B ordinary shares to us for no consideration, resulting in our Sponsor holding 16,700,000 Class B ordinary shares. On June 6, 2024, we issued 300,000 Class B ordinary shares to an advisor for its consulting services in
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this offering for a purchase price of $0.01 per share, or an aggregate purchase price of $3,000. The function of the terms of forfeiture shall be to ensure that the founder shares and private placement shares will collectively represent 40% of the outstanding ordinary shares upon completion of this offering (excluding any shares underlying the private placement warrants). Such securities were issued pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.
In addition, the Sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 3,719,000 private placement warrants at $0.01561 per warrant in a private placement that will close simultaneously with this offering. This issuance will be made pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.
The non-managing investors have committed to purchase 2,166,167 private placement shares at $1.50 per share in a private placement that will close simultaneously with this offering. This issuance will be made pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.
Our Sponsor and non-managing investors are accredited investors for purposes of Rule 501 of Regulation D. No underwriting discounts or commissions were paid with respect to such sales.
Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.
| (a) | Exhibits. The list of exhibits following the signature page of this registration statement is incorporated herein by reference. |
| (b) | Financial Statements. See page F-1 for an index to the financial statements and schedules included in the registration statement. |
Item 17. Undertakings.
| (a) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes 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 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. |
| (c) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that: |
| (1) | For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective. |
| (2) | For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
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| (3) | For the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser, if the registrant is subject to Rule 430C, each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use. |
| (4) | For the purpose of determining liability of a registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of an undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser: |
| (i) | Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424; |
| (ii) | Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by an undersigned registrant; |
| (iii) | The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and |
| (iv) | Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser. |
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EXHIBIT INDEX
| Exhibit No. | Description | |
| 1.1* | Form of Underwriting Agreement | |
| 3.1** | Memorandum and Articles of Association | |
| 3.2 | Form of Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association | |
| 4.1* | Specimen Unit Certificate | |
| 4.2* | Specimen Class A Ordinary Shares Certificate | |
| 4.3* | Specimen Warrant Certificate | |
| 4.4* | Form of Warrant Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Company | |
| 5.1* | Opinion of DLA Piper LLP (US) | |
| 5.2* | Opinion of Harney Westwood & Riegels LP | |
| 10.1* | Form of Insider Letter Agreement among the Company, the Sponsor and its executive officers and directors | |
| 10.2** | Founder Shares Subscription Agreement, dated May 31, 2024, between the Company and Sponsor | |
| 10.3** | Form of Subscription Agreement between the Company and non-managing investors | |
| 10.4* | Form of Warrant Purchase Agreement between the Company and Sponsor | |
| 10.5* | Form of Registration Rights Agreement by and among the Company, the Sponsor, advisor and non-managing investors | |
| 10.6* | Form of Indemnification Agreement | |
| 10.7* | Form of Administrative Services Agreement | |
| 10.8 | Form of Investment Management Trust Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Company | |
| 10.9* | Form of Consulting Services Agreement between the Company and the advisor | |
| 14* | Code of Business Conduct | |
| 23.1 | Consent of BPM LLP | |
| 23.2* | Consent of DLA Piper LLP (US) (included in Exhibit 5.1) | |
| 23.3* | Consent of Harney Westwood & Riegels LP (included in Exhibit 5.2) | |
| 24** | Power of Attorney (included on signature page to initial filing of this Registration Statement) | |
| 99.1 | Audit Committee Charter | |
| 99.2 | Compensation Committee Charter | |
| 99.3 | Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Charter | |
| 99.4 | Consent of Karen Rogge | |
| 99.5 | Consent of Raanan I. Horowitz | |
| 99.6 | Consent of Ambassador Adrian Zuckerman | |
| 99.7 | Consent of Professor Darius Moshfeghi | |
| 107** | Filing Fee Table | |
| * | To be filed by amendment |
| ** | Previously filed. |
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Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Palo Alto, State of California, on the 9th of July, 2024.
| GIGCAPITAL7 CORP. | ||
| By: | /s/ Avi S Katz | |
| Name: | Dr. Avi S. Katz | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer and Chairman | |
POWER OF ATTORNEY
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| Name |
Position |
Date | ||
| /s/ Avi S. Katz Dr. Avi S. Katz |
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman (Principal executive officer) |
July 9, 2024 | ||
| * Christine M. Marshall |
Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
July 9, 2024 | ||
| * Dr. Raluca Dinu |
Director | July 9, 2024 | ||
| * By: | /s/ Dr. Avi S. Katz | |
| Dr. Avi S. Katz | ||
| Attorney-in-fact |
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AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE REGISTRANT
Pursuant to the requirement of the Securities Act of 1933, the undersigned has signed this registration statement, solely in his capacity as the duly authorized representative of GigCapital7 Corp. in the City of New York, New York, on July 9, 2024.
| By: | /s/ Avi S. Katz | |
| Name: | Avi S Katz | |
| Title: | Authorized Representative |
II-6
Exhibit 3.2
The Companies Act (Revised)
of the Cayman Islands
GIGCAPITAL7 CORP.
an Exempted Company Limited by Shares
FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED
MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION
(Adopted by special resolution on [ ] 2024)
The Companies Act (Revised)
of the Cayman Islands
Amended and Restated
Memorandum of Association
of
GigCapital7 Corp.
An Exempted Company Limited by Shares
(Adopted by special resolution on [ ] 2024)
| 1. | NAME |
The name of the Company is GigCapital7 Corp.
| 2. | STATUS |
The Company is an exempted company limited by shares.
| 3. | REGISTERED OFFICE |
The registered office of the Company is at Harneys Fiduciary (Cayman) Limited, 4th Floor, Harbour Place, 103 South Church Street, P.O. Box 10240, Grand Cayman KY1-1002, Cayman Islands or at such other place as the Directors may from time to time decide.
| 4. | OBJECTS AND CAPACITY |
Subject to paragraph 9 of this Memorandum, the objects for which the Company is established are unrestricted and the Company shall have full power and authority to carry out any object not prohibited by the Companies Act or any other law of the Cayman Islands. The Company has unrestricted corporate capacity. The Company is a body corporate capable of exercising all the functions of a natural person of full capacity, irrespective of any question of corporate benefit.
| 5. | SHARE CAPITAL |
The share capital of the Company is USD 22,100 divided into 200,000,000 Class A Ordinary shares of par value USD 0.0001 each, 20,000,000 Class B Ordinary shares of par value USD 0.0001 each and 1,000,000 Preference shares of par value USD 0.0001 each. There is no limit on the number of shares of any class which the Company is authorised to issue.
i
However, subject to the Companies Act (Revised) and the Company’s articles of association, the Company has power to do any one or more of the following:
| (a) | redeem or repurchase any of its shares; |
| (b) | increase or reduce its capital; |
| (c) | issue any part of its capital (whether original, redeemed, increased or reduced): |
| (i) | with or without any preferential, deferred, qualified or special rights, privileges or conditions; or |
| (ii) | subject to any limitations or restrictions, and unless the condition of issue expressly declares otherwise, every issue of shares (whether declared to be ordinary, preference or otherwise) is subject to this power; and |
| (d) | alter any of those rights, privileges, conditions, limitations or restrictions. |
| 6. | LIABILITY OF MEMBERS |
The liability of each Member is limited to the amount from time to time unpaid on such Member’s Shares.
| 7. | CONTINUATION |
The Company may exercise the powers contained in the Companies Act to transfer and be registered by way of continuation as a body corporate limited by shares under the laws of any jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands and to be de-registered in the Cayman Islands.
| 8. | DEFINITIONS |
Capitalised terms used and not defined in this Memorandum of Association shall bear the same meaning as those given in the Articles of Association of the Company.
| 9. | EXEMPTED COMPANY |
The Company will not trade in the Cayman Islands with any person, firm or corporation except in furtherance of the business of the Company carried on outside the Cayman Islands; provided that nothing in this section shall be construed as to prevent the Company effecting and concluding contracts in the Cayman Islands, and exercising in the Cayman Islands all of its powers necessary for the carrying on of its business outside the Cayman Islands.
| 10. | FINANCIAL YEAR |
The financial year end of the Company is 31 December or such other date as the Directors may from time to time decide and annex to this Memorandum.
ii
The Companies Act (Revised)
of the Cayman Islands
GIGCAPITAL7 CORP.
FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED
ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
(Adopted by special resolution on [ ] 2024)
The Companies Act (Revised)
of the Cayman Islands
Amended & Restated Articles of Association
of
GigCapital7 Corp.
An Exempted Company Limited by Shares
(Adopted by special resolution on [ ] 2024)
| 1. | DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATION |
| 1.1 | The Regulations contained in Table A in the First Schedule to the Companies Act do not apply to the Company. In these Articles of Association, if not inconsistent with the context, the following words and expressions shall have the following meanings: |
advisor means that Member of the Company which acquires Class B Shares prior to the consummation of the IPO other than the Sponsor;
Affiliate, in respect of a person, means any other person that, directly or indirectly, through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, such person, and (a) in the case of a natural person, shall include, without limitation, such person’s spouse, parents, children, siblings, mother-in-law and father-in-law and brothers and sisters-in-law, whether by blood, marriage or adoption or anyone residing in such person’s home, a trust for the benefit of any of the foregoing, a company, partnership or any natural person or entity wholly or jointly owned by any of the foregoing and (b) in the case of an entity, shall include a partnership, a corporation or any natural person or entity which directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, such entity;
Applicable Law means, with respect to any person, all provisions of laws, statutes, ordinances, rules, regulations, permits, certificates, judgments, decisions, decrees or orders of any governmental authority applicable to such person;
Articles means, as appropriate:
| (a) | these Amended and Restated Articles of Association as amended, restated, supplemented and/or otherwise modified from time to time; or |
| (b) | two or more particular Articles of these Articles; |
and Article refers to a particular Article of these Articles;
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Audit Committee means the audit committee of the Company formed pursuant to Article 40.5 hereof, or any successor audit committee;
Auditor means the person for the time being performing the duties of auditor of the Company;
Business Combination means a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganisation or similar business combination involving the Company, with one or more businesses or entities (each a target business), which Business Combination: (a) must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (excluding the deferred underwriting discounts held in trust and taxes payable on the interest earned on the Trust Account) at the time of signing the agreement to enter into the Business Combination; and (b) must not be effectuated solely with another blank cheque company or a similar company with nominal operations;
business day means a day other than a day on which banking institutions or trust companies are authorised or obligated by law to close in New York City, the Islands, a Saturday or a Sunday;
Class A Share means a Class A ordinary share of a par value of US$0.0001 in the share capital of the Company;
Class B Share means a Class B ordinary share of a par value of US$0.0001 in the share capital of the Company;
Clearing House means a clearing house recognised by the laws of the jurisdiction in which the Shares (or depositary receipts therefor) are listed or quoted on a stock exchange or interdealer quotation system in such jurisdiction;
Companies Act means the Companies Act (Revised), as amended or re-enacted from time to time;
Company means the above named company;
Compensation Committee means the compensation committee of the board of Directors of the Company established pursuant to the Articles, or any successor committee.
Designated Stock Exchange means any national securities exchange, including the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC, the NYSE American LLC or The New York Stock Exchange LLC or any over the counter (OTC) market on which the Shares are listed for trading;
Director means a director of the Company appointed in accordance with these Articles;
Distribution means a distribution, dividend (including an interim dividend) or other payment or transfer of property of the Company on or in respect of a Share (save in respect of its redemption or repurchase);
2
Electronic has the meaning given to that term in the Electronic Transactions Act (Revised);
Electronic Record has the meaning given to that term in the Electronic Transactions Act (Revised);
Electronic Transactions Act (Revised) means the Electronic Transactions Act (Revised) of the Cayman Islands;
Equity-linked Securities means any debt or equity securities that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for Class A Shares issued in a financing transaction in connection with a Business Combination, including, but not limited to, a private placement of equity or debt;
Exchange Act means the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended;
Fully Paid and Paid Up:
| (a) | in relation to a Share with par value, means that the par value for that Share and any premium payable in respect of the issue of that Share, has been fully paid or credited as paid in money or money’s worth; and |
| (b) | in relation to a Share without par value, means that the agreed issue price for that Share has been fully paid or credited as paid in money or money’s worth; |
Independent Director means a director who is an independent director as defined in the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange as determined by the directors;
Investor Group means the Sponsor and its respective Affiliates, successors and assigns;
IPO means the Company’s initial public offering of securities;
IPO Redemption has the meaning given to it in Article 48.6;
Islands means the British Overseas Territory of the Cayman Islands;
Member has the same meaning as in the Companies Act;
Memorandum means the Amended and Restated Memorandum of Association of the Company as amended, restated, supplemented and/or otherwise modified from time to time;
Minimum Member means a Member meeting the minimum requirements set forth for eligible members to submit proposals under Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act or any applicable rules thereunder as may be amended or promulgated thereunder from time to time.
Nominating Committee means the nominating committee of the board of Directors of the Company established pursuant to the Articles, or any successor committee.
3
non-managing investors means Members of the Company which acquire Class B Shares concurrently with the IPO.
Officer means a person then appointed to hold an office in the Company; and the expression includes a director, alternate director or liquidator, but does not include the Secretary;
Ordinary Resolution means a resolution:
| (a) | passed by a majority of such Members as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or by proxy at a general meeting of the Company; or |
| (b) | approved in writing by all of the Members entitled to vote at a general meeting of the Company in one or more instruments each signed by one or more of the Members; |
Over-Allotment Option means the option of the Underwriters to purchase up to an additional 15% of the Class A Shares sold in the IPO at a price equal to US$10.00 per share, less underwriting discount and commissions;
Preference Share means a preference share of a par value of US$0.0001 in the share capital of the Company;
Private Placement Shares means (i) the Class B Shares issued to non-managing investors in the Company in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, or (ii) Class A Shares issued to the Sponsor, any officer or director of the Company or any of their Affiliates upon conversion of working capital loans (if any);
Public Share means a Class A Share issued in the IPO;
Redemption Price has the meaning given to it in Article 48.6;
Register of Directors and Officers means the register of Directors and Officers maintained by the Company in accordance with these Articles;
Register of Members means the register of Members referred to in these Articles;
Registrar means the Registrar of Companies and includes the Deputy Registrar of Companies;
Registered Office means the registered office for the time being of the Company;
Seal means any seal which has been duly adopted as the common seal of the Company and includes every duplicate seal;
SEC means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission;
Secretary means the person appointed to perform any or all of the duties of secretary of the Company, including any assistant secretary;
4
Share means a share in the capital of the Company, including a fraction of a share issued or authorised to be issued by the Company;
Special Resolution means a special resolution passed in accordance with Section 60 of the Companies Act, being a resolution:
| (a) | passed by a majority of not less than two-thirds of such Members as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or by proxy at a general meeting of the Company of which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a Special Resolution has been duly given; or |
| (b) | approved in writing by all of the Members entitled to vote at a general meeting of the Company in one or more instruments each signed by one or more of the Members; |
Sponsor means GigAcquisitions5 Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company;
Subscriber means the subscriber to the Memorandum;
Tax Filing Authorised Person means such person as any director shall designate from time to time, acting severally;
Treasury Share means a Share that has been repurchased, redeemed, surrendered to or otherwise acquired by the Company and not cancelled;
Trust Account means the trust account established by the Company upon the consummation of its IPO and into which a certain amount of the net proceeds of the IPO, together with certain of the proceeds of the sale of the Private Placement Shares, will be deposited;
Written includes information generated, sent, received or stored by Electronic, electrical, digital, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, biometric or photonic means, including electronic data interchange and electronic mail in accordance with the Electronic Transactions Act (Revised) and in writing shall be construed accordingly; and
Underwriter means an underwriter of the IPO from time to time, and any successor underwriter.
| 1.2 | In the Memorandum and these Articles, unless the context otherwise requires a reference to: |
| (a) | words importing the masculine gender include the feminine gender; |
| (b) | any Cayman Islands law or regulation, is a reference to such law or regulation as amended or re-enacted from time to time; |
| (c) | the singular includes the plural and vice versa; |
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| (d) | a person includes all legal persons and natural persons; and |
| (e) | legal persons include all forms of corporate entity and any other person having capacity to act in its own name created by or in accordance with the laws or regulations of any jurisdiction. |
| 1.3 | Headings are for ease of reference only and shall be disregarded in interpreting the Memorandum and the Articles. |
| 2. | COMMENCEMENT OF BUSINESS |
| 2.1 | Commencement. The business of the Company may be commenced at such time as determined by the Directors. |
| 2.2 | Commencement Costs and Expenses. The Directors may pay, out of capital or other money of the Company, all costs and expenses incurred in the establishment and registration of the Company. |
| 3. | REGISTERED SHARES |
| 3.1 | Registered Shares. The Company shall issue registered Shares only. |
| 3.2 | No Bearer Shares. The Company is not authorised to issue bearer Shares, convert registered Shares to bearer Shares or exchange registered Shares for bearer Shares. |
| 4. | SHARE CERTIFICATES |
| 4.1 | Share Certificates. Unless and until the Directors resolve to issue share certificates, no share certificate shall be issued, and the records of the shareholdings of each Member shall be in uncertified book entry form. If the Directors do resolve to issue share certificates in respect of any one or more classes of Shares, then every Member holding such Shares shall be entitled, upon written request only, to a certificate signed by a Director or Secretary, or any other person authorised by a resolution of the Directors, or under the Seal specifying the number of Shares held by him and the signature of the Director, Secretary or authorised person and the Seal may be facsimiles or affixed by Electronic means pursuant to the Electronic Transactions Act (Revised). |
| 4.2 | Indemnity and Replacement. Any Member receiving a certificate shall indemnify and hold the Company and its Directors and Officers harmless from any loss or liability which it or they may incur by reason of any wrongful or fraudulent use or representation made by any person by virtue of the possession thereof. If a certificate for Shares is worn out or lost it may be renewed or, in connection with any proposed share transfer, a new certificate may be issued, on production of the worn out certificate or on satisfactory proof of its loss together with such indemnity as may be required by the Directors. |
| 4.3 | Joint Holders. If several Members are registered as joint holders of any Shares, any one of such Members may give an effectual receipt for any share certificate. |
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| 5. | ISSUE OF SHARES |
| 5.1 | Issue. Subject to the provisions of the Companies Act and these Articles and, where applicable, the rules of the Designated Stock Exchange and/or any competent regulatory authority, and without prejudice to any rights attached to any existing Shares, the Directors have general and unconditional authority to allot (with or without confirming rights of renunciation), issue, grant options over or otherwise deal with any unissued Shares of the Company to such persons, at such times and on such terms and conditions as they may decide, save that the directors may not allot, issue, grant options over or otherwise deal with any unissued Shares to the extent that it may affect the ability of the Company to carry out a Class B Share Conversion described at Article 15. No Share may be issued at a discount except in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act. |
| 5.2 | Subscriber Share. Notwithstanding the preceding Article, the Subscriber shall have the power to: |
| (a) | issue one Share to itself; |
| (b) | transfer that Share by an instrument of transfer to any person; and |
| (c) | update the Register of Members in respect of the issue and transfer of that Share. |
| 5.3 | Unissued Shares. Without limitation to the preceding Article, the directors may so deal with the unissued Shares of the Company: |
| (a) | either at a premium or at par; and |
| (b) | with or without preferred, deferred or other special rights or restrictions whether in regard to dividend, voting, return of capital or otherwise. |
| 5.4 | Preference Shares. Shares and other securities of the Company may be issued by the Directors with such preferred, deferred or other special rights, restrictions or privileges whether in regard to voting, Distributions, a return of capital, or otherwise and in such classes and series, if any, as the Directors may determine. |
| 5.5 | Ordinary Shares. Where the Directors issue a Share having no preferred, deferred, redemption or other special rights, it shall be issued as an ordinary Share and entitle the holder, subject to any other Share having any preferred, deferred, redemption or other special rights, to: |
| (a) | receive notice of, attend and vote at any general meeting of the Company and on any Ordinary Resolution or Special Resolution; |
| (b) | an equal share in any dividend or other Distribution paid by the Company; and |
| (c) | an equal share in the distribution of the surplus assets of the Company. |
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| 5.6 | Consideration for Share Issue. A Share may be issued for consideration in any form, including money, a promissory note or other written obligation to contribute money or property, real property, personal property (including goodwill and know-how), services rendered or a contract for future services. |
| 5.7 | Other Securities. |
| (a) | The Company may issue rights, options, warrants or convertible securities or securities of similar nature conferring the right upon the holders thereof to subscribe for, purchase or receive any class of Shares or other securities in the Company at such times and on such terms and conditions as the directors may decide. |
| (b) | The Company may issue units of securities in the Company, which may be comprised of Shares, rights, options, warrants or convertible securities or securities of similar nature conferring the right upon the holders thereof to subscribe for, purchase or receive any class of Shares or other securities in the Company, on such terms and conditions as the directors may decide. |
| 5.8 | Additional Issuances. Prior to the consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination, the Company shall not issue any additional shares of capital stock of the Company that would entitle the holders thereof to receive funds from the Trust Account or vote on any initial Business Combination, on any pre-Business Combination activity or any amendment to Article 48. |
| 5.9 | Power to issue fractions of a Share. Subject to the Companies Act, the Company may issue fractions of a Share of any class. A fraction of a Share shall be subject to and carry the corresponding fraction of liabilities (whether with respect to calls or otherwise), limitations, preferences, privileges, qualifications, restrictions, rights and other attributes of a Share of that class of Shares. |
| 5.10 | Register of Members. The Register of Members kept by the Company shall contain: |
| (a) | the names and addresses of each Member; |
| (b) | a statement of the Shares held by each Member; |
| (c) | the distinguishing numbers of the Shares of each Member (if any); |
| (d) | the amount paid, or agreed to be considered as paid, on the Shares of each Member; |
| (e) | the date on which the name of each person was entered on the register as a Member; and |
| (f) | the date on which any person ceased to be a Member. |
| 5.11 | Commission. The Company is authorised to pay a commission to any person in consideration of his subscribing or agreeing to subscribe (whether absolutely or conditionally) for any Shares or procuring or agreeing to procure subscriptions (whether absolute or conditional) for any Shares. The Company may employ a broker in the issue of its capital and pay him any proper commission or brokerage. |
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| 5.12 | Trusts not recognised. Except as required by Applicable Law: |
| (a) | the Company shall not be bound by or compelled to recognise in any way (even when notified) any equitable, contingent, future or partial interest in any Share, or (except only as is otherwise provided by the Articles or the Company Law) any other rights in respect of any Share other than an absolute right to the entirety thereof in the holder; and |
| (b) | no person other than the Member shall be recognised by the Company as having any right in a Share. |
| 5.13 | Capital contributions without issue of further Shares. With the consent of a Member, the directors may accept a voluntary contribution to the capital of the Company from that Member without issuing Shares in consideration for that contribution. In that event, the contribution shall be dealt with in the following manner: |
| (a) | it shall be treated as if it were a share premium. |
| (b) | unless the Member agrees otherwise: |
| (i) | if the Member holds Shares in a single class of Shares—it shall be credited to the share premium account for that class of Shares; and |
| (ii) | if the Member holds Shares of more than one class—it shall be credited ratably to the share premium accounts for those classes of Shares (in the proportion that the sum of the issue prices for each class of Shares that the Member holds bears to the total issue prices for all classes of Shares that the Member holds). |
| (c) | It shall be subject to the provisions of the Companies Act and these Articles applicable to share premiums. |
| 6. | VARIATION OF RIGHTS |
| 6.1 | Class Variation. If, at any time, the share capital of the Company is divided into different classes of Shares, the rights attached to any class (unless otherwise provided by the terms of issue of the Shares of that class) may be varied with the consent in writing of the holders of two-thirds of the issued Shares of that class or with the sanction of a Special Resolution passed at a separate general meeting of the holders of the Shares of the class. To every such separate general meeting the provisions of these Articles relating to general meetings shall, mutatis mutandis, apply, but so that the necessary quorum shall be one or more persons holding or representing by proxy one-third of the issued Shares of the class and that any holder of Shares of the class present in person or by proxy may demand a poll. |
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| 6.2 | No Variation on Further Issue. The rights conferred upon the holders of the Shares of any class shall not, unless otherwise expressly provided by the terms of issue of the Shares of that class, be deemed to be varied by the creation or issue of further Shares ranking pari passu therewith. |
| 7. | REDEMPTION, PURCHASE AND SURRENDER OF SHARES AND TREASURY SHARES |
| 7.1 | Redemption, Purchase and Surrender. Subject to the provisions of the Companies Act, the rules of the Designated Stock Exchange and/or any competent regulatory authority, and to the rights attaching to any class of Share, the Company may by its Directors: |
| (a) | issue Shares on terms that they are to be redeemed or are liable to be redeemed at the option of the Company or the Member on such terms and in such manner as the Directors may, before the issue of such Shares, determine; |
| (b) | purchase its own Shares (including any redeemable Shares) on such terms and in such manner as the Directors determine; |
| (c) | make a payment in respect of the redemption or purchase of its own Shares in any manner permitted by the Companies Act including out of capital; and |
| (d) | permit the surrender of fully paid Shares for no consideration. |
The Company may make a payment in respect of the redemption or purchase of its own Shares in any manner authorised by the Companies Act, including out of any combination of the following: capital, its profits and the proceeds of a fresh issue of Shares.
| 7.2 | Effect of Redemption, Purchase and Surrender. Shares that the Company redeems, purchases, accepts by way of surrender or otherwise acquires pursuant to Article 7.1 may: |
| (a) | be cancelled; or |
| (b) | be held as Treasury Shares on such terms and in such manner as the Directors determine prior to such acquisition. |
| 7.3 | Effects of Redemptions. With respect to redeeming or repurchasing the Shares: |
| (a) | Members who hold Public Shares are entitled to request the redemption of such Shares, or for such Public Shares to otherwise be redeemed, in the circumstances described in Article 48.6; |
| (b) | Class B Shares held by the Sponsor shall be surrendered by the Sponsor on a pro rata basis for no consideration to the extent that the Over-Allotment Option is not exercised in full so that the Class B Shares held by the Sponsor, advisor and non-managing investors will represent 40% of the Company’s issued Shares after the IPO; and |
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| (c) | Public Shares shall be repurchased by way of tender offer in the circumstances set out in Article 48.6. |
| 7.4 | Power to pay for redemption or purchase in cash or in specie. When making a payment in respect of the redemption or purchase of Shares, the directors may make the payment in cash or in specie (or partly in one and partly in the other) if so authorised by the terms of the allotment of those Shares, or by the terms applying to those Shares in accordance with Article 7.1, or otherwise by agreement with the Member holding those Shares. |
| 7.5 | Effect of redemption or purchase of a Share. Upon the date of redemption or purchase of a Share: |
| (a) | the Member holding that Share shall cease to be entitled to any rights in respect of the Share other than the right to receive: |
| (i) | the price for the Share; and |
| (ii) | any dividend declared in respect of the Share prior to the date of redemption or purchase |
| (b) | the Member’s name shall be removed from the Register of Members with respect to the Share; and |
| (c) | the Share shall be cancelled or held as a Treasury Shares, as the directors may determine. |
For the purpose of this Article, the date of redemption or purchase is the date when the redemption or purchase falls due.
| 7.6 | Treasury Shares. All rights and obligations attaching to a Treasury Share are suspended and shall not be exercised by the Company while it holds the Share as a Treasury Share, other than as set out in this Article. The Company may: |
| (a) | cancel the Treasury Shares on such terms and in such a manner as the Directors may determine; and |
| (b) | transfer the Treasury Shares in accordance with Article 12. |
| 7.7 | Rights attaching to Treasury Shares and related matters. |
| (a) | No dividend may be declared or paid, and no other distribution (whether in cash or otherwise) of the Company’s assets (including any distribution of assets to members on a winding up) may be made to the Company in respect of a Treasury Share. |
| (b) | The Company shall be entered in the Register of Members as the holder of the Treasury Shares. However: |
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| (i) | the Company shall not be treated as a member for any purpose and shall not exercise any right in respect of the Treasury Shares, and any purported exercise of such a right shall be void; |
| (ii) | a Treasury Share shall not be voted, directly or indirectly, at any meeting of the Company and shall not be counted in determining the total number of issued shares at any given time, whether for the purposes of these Articles or the Companies Act. |
| (c) | Nothing in the preceding sub-Article prevents an allotment of Shares as fully paid bonus shares in respect of a Treasury Share and Shares allotted as fully paid bonus shares in respect of a Treasury Share shall be treated as Treasury Shares. |
| (d) | Treasury Shares may be disposed of by the Company in accordance with the Companies Act and otherwise on such terms and conditions as the directors determine. |
| 7.8 | No Participation. Any Share in respect of which notice of redemption has been given shall not be entitled to participate in the profits of the Company in respect of the period after the date specified as the date of redemption in the notice of redemption. |
| 7.9 | No other Redemption. The redemption, purchase or surrender of any Share shall not be deemed to give rise to the redemption, purchase or surrender of any other Share. |
| 7.10 | Redemption in Kind. The Directors may, when making payments in respect of redemption or purchase of Shares, if authorised by the terms of issue of the Shares being redeemed or purchased or with the agreement of the holder of such Shares, make such payments either in cash or in kind. |
| 8. | LIEN |
| 8.1 | All Monies Payable. The Company shall have a first and paramount lien on every Share, whether or not it is a fully paid Share, for all moneys, whether presently payable or not, called or payable at a fixed time in respect of that Share and for all debts, liabilities or other obligations owed, whether presently or not, by the Member or by one or more joint Members or by any of their estates to the Company (together, the Lien Amounts) but the Directors may, at any time, declare any Share to be wholly or in part exempt from this Article. The Company’s lien, if any, on a Share shall extend to all Distributions payable thereon. Any registration of the transfer of a Share shall operate to extinguish the Company’s lien on that Share. |
| 8.2 | Sale. The Company may sell, in such manner as the Directors think fit, any Shares in which the Company has a lien, but no sale shall be made unless some amount in respect of which the lien exists is presently payable and the period of fourteen (14) days has elapsed after the Company has given a notice in writing, stating and demanding payment of such part of the presently payable amount, to the relevant Member. |
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| 8.3 | Registration of Purchase. The Directors may authorise any person to transfer the Shares sold in accordance with this Article to the purchaser of such Shares. The purchaser shall be registered as the holder of the Shares so transferred and he shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money, nor shall his title to the Shares be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the sale of the Shares in accordance with this Article. |
| 8.4 | Application of Proceeds. The proceeds of the sale, net of any costs incurred by the Company in relation to the sale, shall be applied by the Company in payment of such part of the amount in respect of which the lien exists as is presently payable. The Company shall retain and have a lien over such part of the remainder of the proceeds as is equal to the Lien Amounts which exist but are not presently payable by the Member and may apply such proceeds against the Lien Amounts as and when they become payable and the residue shall be paid to the person entitled to the Shares at the date of the sale. |
| 9. | CALLS ON SHARES |
| 9.1 | Calls. The Directors may, from time to time, make calls upon the Members in respect of some or all of any moneys unpaid on their Shares, whether in respect of their par value or the premium payable on those Shares; each Member shall (subject to receiving at least 14 days’ notice specifying the time or times of payment) pay to the Company at the time or times so specified the amount called on his Shares. A call may be required to be paid in instalments. The Directors may revoke or postpone a call at any time. |
| 9.2 | Joint Holders. The joint holders of a Share shall be jointly and severally liable to pay calls in respect thereof and the holder or joint holders of a Share at the time of a call shall remain liable to pay the call on that Share, notwithstanding any subsequent transfer of the Share being registered by the Company. |
| 9.3 | Interest on Calls. If a sum called in respect of a Share is not paid before or on the day appointed for payment of that call, the Member from whom such amount is due shall pay interest upon the sum at such rate as the Directors may determine from the day appointed for payment of the call to the time of the actual payment. The Directors shall have the discretion to waive payment of any such interest in full or in part. |
| 9.4 | Fixed Payment Dates. The provisions contained in these Articles in respect of calls shall apply to payments, whether on account of the amount of the Share, or by way of premium, to be made on the allotment of a Share or any date fixed on the issue of the Share as if the same had become payable by virtue of a call duly made and notified. |
| 10. | FORFEITURE |
| 10.1 | Failure to pay Call. If a Member fails to pay any call or instalment of a call in respect of Shares on the day appointed for payment, the Directors may serve a notice on such Member naming a further date not earlier than the expiration of 14 days from the date of service on or before which the payment required by the notice is to be made and containing a statement that in the event of non-payment the Shares, or any of them, will be liable to be forfeited. |
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| 10.2 | Forfeiture. If the requirements of the notice referenced in this Article are not complied with the Company may forfeit the Shares together with any Distributions declared payable in respect of the forfeited Shares and not paid at any time before tender of payment. |
| 10.3 | No Refund. The Company is under no obligation to refund any moneys to the Member whose Shares have been forfeited. |
| 10.4 | Sale of Forfeited Share. A forfeited Share may be sold or otherwise disposed of on such terms and in such manner as the Directors think fit, and at any time before a sale or disposition the forfeiture may be cancelled on such terms as the Directors think fit. The proceeds of any sale or disposition of the forfeited Share may be received and used by the Company as the Directors determine. |
| 10.5 | Outstanding Liability. A person whose Shares have been forfeited shall cease to be a Member in respect of the forfeited Shares, but shall, notwithstanding, remain liable to pay to the Company all moneys which at the date of forfeiture were payable by him to the Company in respect of the Shares together with interest. |
| 10.6 | Certificate of Forfeiture. A certificate in writing under the hand of a Director or Officer stating that a Share has been duly forfeited on the date stated in the certificate shall be conclusive evidence of the facts stated in the certificate as against all persons claiming to be entitled to the Share. The Directors may authorize any person to transfer the Shares sold in accordance with this Article to the purchaser of such Shares. The purchaser shall be registered as the holder of the Shares so transferred and he shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money, nor shall his title to the Shares be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the sale of the Shares in accordance with this Article. |
| 10.7 | Fixed Payment Dates. The provisions of this Article applying to forfeiture for failure to pay any call or instalment of a call shall apply to the failure to make payments, whether on account of the amount of the Share, or by way of premium, to be made on the allotment of a Share or any date fixed on the issue of the Share as if the same had become payable by virtue of a call duly made and notified. |
| 11. | TRANSMISSION OF SHARES |
| 11.1 | Legal Personal Representative. The legal personal representative of a deceased sole holder of a Share shall be the only person recognised by the Company as having any title to the Share. In the case of a Share registered in the names of two or more holders, the survivors, survivor or the legal personal representatives of the deceased survivor, shall be the only person(s) recognised by the Company as having any title to the Share. |
| 11.2 | Transmission. Any person becoming entitled to a Share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of or any analogous event affecting a Member (each such event a Transmission Event and each such person a Representative) shall, upon such evidence being produced as may from time to time be required by the Directors, have the right either to be registered as a Member in respect of the Share or, instead of being registered himself, to make such transfer of the Share as the Member could have made; but the Directors shall, in either case, have the same right to decline or suspend registration as they would have had in the case of a transfer of the Share by such Member before the occurrence of a Transmission Event. |
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| 11.3 | Pre-Registration Status. Representatives shall be entitled to the same notices, dividends and other advantages to which he would be entitled if he were the registered holder of the Share, except that he shall not, before being registered as a Member in respect of the Share, be entitled in respect of it to exercise any right conferred by membership in relation to meetings of the Company. |
| 11.4 | Requirement for Registration. The Directors may at any time give notice requiring a Representative to elect either to be registered himself or to have some person nominated by him become the holder of the Share (but the Directors shall, in either case, have the same right to decline or suspend registration as they would have had in the case of a transfer of the Share by the relevant Member before the Transmission Event). If the notice is not complied with within ninety days the Directors may thereafter withhold payment of all Dividends, bonuses or other monies payable in respect of the Share until the requirements of the notice have been complied with. |
| 12. | TRANSFER OF SHARES |
| 12.1 | Directors’ Consent. Shares and Treasury Shares are transferable, subject to the consent of the Directors who may, in their absolute discretion, refuse to consent to any transfer and decline to register the transfer without giving any reason. |
| 12.2 | Instrument of Transfer. The instrument of transfer shall be in writing in such form as may be acceptable to the Directors and shall be executed by or on behalf of the transferor and, if required by the Directors, signed by the transferee. |
| 12.3 | Certificates. Subject to Article 4.2, where the Company has issued a certificate in respect of a Share proposed to be transferred, the transferor shall lodge, with the instrument of transfer, the original certificate relating to the Share being transferred. |
| 12.4 | Effective Date. The transfer of a Share is effective when the name of the transferee is entered on the Register of Members. Until such time, the transferor shall be deemed to remain a Member. |
| 12.5 | Lost Certificate. If the Directors are satisfied that an instrument of transfer relating to Shares has been signed but that the instrument has been lost or destroyed, they may, on receipt of such indemnities as they may require: |
| (a) | accept such evidence of the transfer of Shares as they consider appropriate; and |
| (b) | proceed to register the transferee’s name in the Register of Members. |
| 12.6 | Notification of Refusal. Where the Directors refuse to register a transfer of a Share, they shall, within two months after the date on which the transfer was lodged with the Company, notify the transferee of the refusal. |
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| 12.7 | Transfer of Treasury Shares. The transfer of Treasury Shares may be for valuable consideration or otherwise, and at a discount to the par value of the Shares. |
| 13. | REGISTERED HOLDER DEEMED ABSOLUTE OWNER |
| 13.1 | The registered holder of a Share shall be treated as the absolute owner of such Share. No person shall be recognised by the Company as holding any Share upon trust and the Company shall not register nor be bound by or required to recognise any equitable or other interest of whatever nature in a Share other than an absolute right to the Share, irrespective of whether the Company has notice of such interest. |
| 14. | ALTERATION OF SHARE CAPITAL |
| 14.1 | Increase or Amendment. The Company may by Ordinary Resolution: |
| (a) | increase the share capital by such sum, to be divided into Shares of such amount, and with such rights, privileges, priorities and restrictions attached to them as the resolution shall prescribe; |
| (b) | consolidate and divide all or any of its share capital into Shares of larger amount than its existing Shares; |
| (c) | subject to Section 13 of the Companies Act, sub-divide its existing Shares, or any of them, into Shares of smaller amounts than is fixed by the Memorandum; and |
| (d) | cancel any Shares which, at the date of the passing of the resolution, have not been taken or agreed to be taken by any person. |
| 14.2 | Reduction. Subject to the provisions of the Companies Act and these Articles, the Company may, by Special Resolution, reduce its share capital and any capital redemption reserve in any manner. |
| 15. | CLASS B SHARE CONVERSION |
| 15.1 | Conversion Rights. Save and except for the conversion rights referred to in this Article 15 and as otherwise set out in these Articles and subject to Articles 6.1, 20.2 and 44.2, the rights attaching to all Shares shall rank pari passu in all respects, and the Class A Shares and Class B Shares shall vote together as a single class on all matters with the exception that the holder of a Class B Share shall have the conversion rights referred to in this Article. |
| 15.2 | Conversion Ratio. Class B Shares may be converted into Class A Shares on a one-for-one basis prior to the consummation of a Business Combination at the option of the holder, subject to such holder waiving any right to receive funds from the Trust Account with respect to any such Class A Shares issued upon conversion of Class B Shares. |
| 15.3 | Automatic Conversion. Any Class B Shares not converted into Class A Shares pursuant to Article 15.2 above shall automatically convert into Class A Shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of a Business Combination at a ratio such that |
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| the number of Class A Shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B Shares (including, for the avoidance of doubt for purposes of the calculation described hereafter, the Class A Shares that may have been issued upon conversion of Class B Shares at the option of the holder thereof prior to the consummation of the Business Combination pursuant to Article 15.2) will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, forty per cent (40%) of the sum of: |
| (a) | the total number of Class A Shares and Class B Shares issued and outstanding (including any Class A Shares issued pursuant to the Over-Allotment Option and including any Class A Shares that may have been issued one-for-one basis upon conversion of Class B Shares at the option of the holder thereof prior to the consummation of the Business Combination pursuant to Article 15.2) upon consummation of the IPO; plus |
| (b) | the sum of the total number of Class A Shares issued or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any Equity-linked Securities or rights issued or deemed issued by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of a Business Combination, excluding any Class A Shares or Equity-linked Securities exercisable for or convertible into Class A Shares issued, deemed issued or to be issued, to any seller in the Business Combination and any private placement-equivalent shares issued to the Sponsor, any officer or Director of the Company or any of their Affiliates upon the conversion of working capital loans made to the Company. |
| 15.4 | Share Adjustments. The foregoing conversion ratios shall be adjusted to account for any subdivision (by share split, subdivision, exchange, capitalisation, rights issue, reclassification, recapitalisation or otherwise) or combination (by reverse share split, share consolidation, exchange, reclassification, recapitalisation or otherwise) or similar reclassification or recapitalisation of the Class A Shares in issue into a greater or lesser number of Shares occurring after the original filing of the Articles without a proportionate and corresponding subdivision, combination or similar reclassification or recapitalisation of the Class B Shares in issue. |
| 15.5 | Definitions. References in this Article to “converted”, “conversion” or “exchange” shall mean the compulsory redemption without notice of Class B Shares of any Member and, on behalf of such Members, automatic application of such redemption proceeds in paying for such new Class A Shares into which the Class B Shares have been converted or exchanged at a price per Class B Share necessary to give effect to a conversion or exchange calculated on the basis that the Class A Shares to be issued as part of the conversion or exchange will be issued at par. The Class A Shares to be issued on an exchange or conversion shall be registered in the name of such Member or in such name as the Member may direct. |
| 15.6 | Pro Rata Calculation. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Article 15, in no event shall any Class B Share convert into Class A Shares at a ratio that is less than one-for-one. Each Class B Share shall convert into its pro-rata number of Class A Shares as set forth in this Article 12. The pro-rata share for each holder of Class B Shares will be determined as follows: each Class B Share shall convert into such number of Class A |
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| Shares as is equal to the product of one (1) multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the total number of Class A Shares into which all of the issued Class B Shares shall be converted pursuant to this Article and the denominator of which shall be the total number of issued Class B Shares at the time of conversion. |
| 16. | MEETINGS AND CONSENTS OF MEMBERS |
| 16.1 | Meetings. All meetings of Members shall be referred to as extraordinary general meetings unless the general meeting is an annual general meeting. To the extent required by the Designated Stock Exchange, an annual general meeting of the Company shall be held no later than one year after the first full financial year end occurring after the IPO, and shall be held in each year thereafter at such time as determined by the directors and the Company may, but shall not (unless required by the Companies Act or the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange) be obliged to, in each year hold any other general meeting. |
| 16.2 | Agenda. The agenda of the annual general meeting shall be set by the Directors and shall include the presentation of the Company’s annual accounts and the report of the Directors (if any). |
| 16.3 | Directors Convene and Cancel. The Directors may convene a general meeting at such time and in such manner and place within or outside the Cayman Islands as the Directors consider necessary or desirable and the Directors may cancel a general meeting with such notice, in such manner and for such reason as the Directors consider necessary. For the avoidance of doubt, except as expressly provided in Article 16.5 below, Members shall not have the ability to call general meetings. |
| 16.4 | Meeting for Appointing Additional Directors. If there are insufficient Directors to constitute a quorum and the remaining Directors are unable to agree on the appointment of additional Directors, the Directors must call a general meeting for the purpose of appointing additional Directors. |
| 16.5 | Members Convene. Without limitation to the foregoing, if there are insufficient Directors to constitute a quorum and the remaining Directors are unable to agree on the appointment of additional Directors, any one or more Members may call a general meeting for the purpose of considering the business specified in the notice of meeting which shall include as an item of business the appointment of additional Directors. |
| 16.6 | Failure to Convene. If the Directors do not proceed to convene a meeting of Members within 21 days of the written request to requisition a meeting being lodged the requisitionists, or any of them together holding at least half of the voting rights of all of them, may convene the meeting of Members in the same manner as nearly as possible as that in which a meeting of Members may be convened by a Director. Where the requisitionists fail to convene the meeting of Members within three months of their right to convene the meeting arising, the right to convene the meeting of Members shall lapse. |
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| 16.7 | Notice of Meeting. The Director convening a meeting shall give not less than seven days’ notice of a meeting of Members to: |
| (a) | those Members whose names on the date the notice is given appear as Members in the Register of Members and are entitled to vote at the meeting; and |
| (b) | each of the Directors. |
Every notice shall specify (i) the place, the day and the hour of the meeting; (ii) if the meeting is to be held in two or more places, the technology that will be used to facilitate the meeting; (iii) subject to clause (iv), the general nature of the business to be conducted at the general meeting; and (iv) if a resolution is proposed as a Special Resolution, the text of that resolution.
| 16.8 | Publication of a Notice on a Website. Subject to the Companies Act or the rules of the Designated Stock Exchange, a notice of a general meeting may be published on a website providing the recipient is given separate notice of: |
| (a) | the publication of the notice on the website; |
| (b) | the place on the website where the notice may be accessed; |
| (c) | how it may be accessed; and |
| (d) | the place, date and time of the general meeting. |
| 16.9 | Inability to Access Website. If a Member notifies the Company that he is unable for any reason to access the website, the Company must as soon as practicable give notice of the meeting to that Member by any other means permitted by these Articles. This will not affect when that Member is deemed to have received notice of the meeting. |
| 16.10 | Time a Website Notice is Deemed to be Given. A website notice is deemed to be given when the Member is given notice of its publication. |
| 16.11 | Required Duration of Publication on a Website. Where the notice of meeting is published on a website, it shall continue to be published in the same place on that website from the date of the notification until at least the conclusion of the meeting to which the notice relates. |
| 16.12 | Failure to Give General Notice. A meeting of Members held in contravention of the requirement to give notice is valid if Members holding at least 90% of the total voting rights on all the matters to be considered at the meeting have waived notice of the meeting and, for this purpose, the presence of a Member at the meeting shall constitute waiver in relation to all the Shares which that Member holds. |
| 16.13 | Failure to Give Individual Notice. The inadvertent failure of a Director who convenes a meeting to give notice of a meeting to a Member or another Director, or the fact that a Member or another Director has not received notice, does not invalidate the meeting. |
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| 16.14 | Voting. No person shall be entitled to vote at any meeting of Members unless he is registered as a Member on the record date for such meeting and all calls or other moneys payable by him in respect of Shares have been paid at or before the record date. Subject to the rights and restrictions attached to any Shares and the provisions of this Article, each Member who is present in person, by its duly authorised representative or by proxy, shall have one vote and on a poll each Member shall have one vote for every Share of which he is the holder. |
| 17. | ADVANCE NOTICE FOR BUSINESS |
| 17.1 | At each annual general meeting, the Members shall appoint the Directors then subject to appointment in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Articles and subject to the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange, the SEC and/or any other competent regulatory authority or otherwise under Applicable Law. At any such annual general meeting any other business properly brought before the annual general meeting may be transacted. |
| 17.2 | To be properly brought before an annual general meeting, business (other than nominations of Directors, which must be made in compliance with, and shall be exclusively governed by, Article 20) must be: |
| (a) | specified in the notice of the annual general meeting (or any supplement thereto) given to Members by or at the direction of the Directors in accordance with the Articles; |
| (b) | otherwise properly brought before the annual general meeting by or at the direction of the Directors; or |
| (c) | otherwise properly brought before the annual general meeting by a Member who: |
| (i) | is a Minimum Member at the time of giving of the notice provided for in this Article and at the time of the annual general meeting; |
| (ii) | is entitled to vote at such annual general meeting; and |
| (iii) | complies with the notice procedures set forth in this Article. |
| 17.3 | For any such business to be properly brought before any annual general meeting pursuant to Article 17.2(c), the Member must have given timely notice thereof in writing, either by personal delivery or express or registered mail (postage prepaid), to the Company not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day and not later than the close of business on the 90th day prior to the one-year anniversary of the date of the annual general meeting for the immediately preceding year. However, in the event that the date of the annual general meeting is more than 30 days before or after such anniversary date, in order to be timely, a Member’s notice must be received by the Company not later than the later of: (x) the close of business 90 days prior to the date of such annual general meeting; and (y) if the first public announcement of the date of such advanced or delayed annual general meeting is less than 100 days prior to such date, 10 days following the date of the first |
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| public announcement of the annual general meeting date. In no event shall the public announcement of an adjournment or postponement of an annual general meeting, or such adjournment or postponement, commence a new time period or otherwise extend any time period for the giving of a Member’s notice as described herein. |
| 17.4 | Any such notice of other business shall set forth as to each matter the Member proposes to bring before the annual general meeting: |
| (a) | a brief description of the business desired to be brought before the annual general meeting, the reasons for conducting such business at the annual general meeting and the text of any proposal regarding such business (including the text of any resolutions proposed for consideration and, if such business includes a proposal to amend the Articles, the text of the proposed amendment), which shall not exceed 1,000 words; |
| (b) | as to the Member giving notice and any beneficial owner on whose behalf the proposal is made: |
| (i) | the name and address of such Member (as it appears in the Register of Members) and such beneficial owner on whose behalf the proposal is made; |
| (ii) | the class and number of Shares which are, directly or indirectly, owned beneficially or of record by any such Member and by such beneficial owner, respectively, or their respective Affiliates (naming such Affiliates), as at the date of such notice; |
| (iii) | a description of any agreement, arrangement or understanding (including, without limitation, any swap or other derivative or short positions, profit interests, options, hedging transactions, and securities lending or borrowing arrangement) to which such Member or any such beneficial owner or their respective Affiliates is, directly or indirectly, a party as at the date of such notice: (x) with respect to any Shares; or (y) the effect or intent of which is to mitigate loss to, manage the potential risk or benefit of share price changes (increases or decreases) for, or increase or decrease the voting power of such Member or beneficial owner or any of their Affiliates with respect to Shares or which may have payments based in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, on the value (or change in value) of any Shares (any agreement, arrangement or understanding of a type described in this Article 17.4(b)(iii), a “Covered Arrangement”; |
| (iv) | the names and addresses of other Members (including beneficial and record owners) known by such Member to support the proposal, and to the extent known, the class and number of all shares of the Company’s capital stock owned beneficially or of record by such other members; and |
| (v) | a representation that the Member is a holder of record of Shares entitled to vote at such annual general meeting and intends to appear in person or by proxy at the annual general meeting to propose such business; |
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| (c) | a description of any direct or indirect material interest by security holdings or otherwise of the Member and of any beneficial owner on whose behalf the proposal is made, or their respective Affiliates, in such business (whether by holdings of securities, or by virtue of being a creditor or contractual counterparty of the Company or of a third party, or otherwise) and all agreements, arrangements and understandings between such Member or any such beneficial owner or their respective Affiliates and any other person or persons (naming such person or persons) in connection with the proposal of such business by such Member; |
| (d) | a representation whether the Member or the beneficial owner intends or is part of a Group which intends: |
| (i) | to deliver a proxy statement and/or form of proxy to holders of at least the percentage of the Ordinary Shares (or other Shares) required to approve or adopt the proposal; and/or |
| (ii) | otherwise to solicit proxies from Members in support of such proposal; |
| (e) | an undertaking by the Member and any beneficial owner on whose behalf the proposal is made to: |
| (i) | notify the Company in writing of the information set forth in Articles 17.4(b)(ii), (b)(iii) and (c) above as at the record date for the annual general meeting promptly (and, in any event, within five business days) following the later of the record date or the date notice of the record date is first disclosed by public announcement; and |
| (ii) | update such information thereafter within two business days of any change in such information and, in any event, as at close of business on the day preceding the meeting date; and |
| (f) | any other information relating to such Member, any such beneficial owner and their respective Affiliates that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filings required to be made in connection with solicitations of proxies for, as applicable, such proposal pursuant to Section 14 of the Exchange Act, to the same extent as if the Shares were registered under the Exchange Act. |
| 17.5 | Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, the notice requirements set forth herein with respect to the proposal of any business pursuant to this Article, other than nominations for Directors which must be made in compliance with, and shall be exclusively governed by Article 20, shall be deemed satisfied by a Member if such Member has submitted a proposal to the Company in compliance with Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act and such Member’s proposal has been included in a proxy statement that has been prepared by the Company to solicit proxies for the annual general meeting; provided, that such Member shall have provided the information required by Article 17.4; provided, further, that the information required by Article 17.4(b) may be satisfied by providing the information to the Company required pursuant to Rule 14a-8(b) of the Exchange Act. |
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| 17.6 | Notwithstanding anything in the Articles to the contrary: |
| (a) | no other business brought by a Member (other than the nominations of Directors, which must be made in compliance with, and shall be exclusively governed by Article 20) shall be conducted at any annual general meeting except in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Article; and |
| (b) | unless otherwise required by Applicable Law and the rules of any applicable stock exchange or quotation system on which Shares may be then listed or quoted, if a Member intending to bring business before an annual general meeting in accordance with this Article does not: (x) timely provide the notifications contemplated by Article 17.4(e) above; or (y) timely appear in person or by proxy at the annual general meeting to present the proposed business, such business shall not be transacted, notwithstanding that proxies in respect of such business may have been received by the Company or any other person or entity. |
| 17.7 | Except as otherwise provided by Applicable Law or the Articles, the chairman or co-chairman of any annual general meeting shall have the power and duty to determine whether any business proposed to be brought before an annual general meeting was proposed in accordance with the foregoing procedures (including whether the Member solicited or did not so solicit, as the case may be, proxies in support of such Member’s proposal in compliance with such Member’s representation as required by Article 17.4(d)) and if any business is not proposed in compliance with this Article, to declare that such defective proposal shall be disregarded. The requirements of this Article shall apply to any business to be brought before an annual general meeting by a Member other than nominations of Directors (which must be made in compliance with, and shall be exclusively governed by Article 20) and other than matters properly brought under Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act. For purposes of the Articles, “public announcement” shall mean: |
| (a) | prior to the IPO, notice of the annual general meeting given to Members by or at the direction of the Directors in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Articles; and |
| (b) | on and after the IPO, disclosure in a press release of the Company reported by the Dow Jones News Service, Associated Press or comparable news service or in a document publicly filed or furnished by the Company with or to the SEC pursuant to Section 13, 14 or 15(b) of the Exchange Act. |
| 17.8 | In addition to the provisions of this Article, a Member shall also comply with all applicable requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder with respect to the matters set forth herein. Nothing in this Article shall be deemed to affect any rights of: |
| (a) | Members to request inclusion of proposals in the Company’s proxy statement pursuant to applicable rules and regulations under the Exchange Act; or |
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| (b) | the holders of any class of Preference Shares, or any other class of Shares authorised to be issued by the Company, to make proposals pursuant to any applicable provisions thereof. |
| 17.9 | Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Article, a Member shall also comply with all applicable requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder with respect to the matters set forth in this Article, if applicable. |
| 18. | PROXIES |
| 18.1 | Proxies. A Member may be represented at a meeting of Members by a proxy who may speak and vote on behalf of the Member. |
| 18.2 | Production of Proxies. The instrument appointing a proxy shall be produced at the place designated for the meeting before the time for holding the meeting at which the person named in such instrument proposes to vote. The notice of the meeting may specify an alternative or additional place or time at which the proxy shall be presented. |
| 18.3 | Form of Proxy. An instrument appointing a proxy may be in any usual or common form (or such other form as the Directors may approve) and may be expressed to be for a particular meeting or any adjournment thereof or may appoint a standing proxy until notice of revocation is received at the Registered Office or at such place or places as the Directors may otherwise specify for the purpose. |
| 18.4 | Joint Ownership and Proxies. Where Shares are jointly owned: |
| (a) | if two or more persons hold Shares jointly, each of them may be present in person or by proxy at a meeting of Members and may speak as a Member; |
| (b) | if only one of the joint owners is present in person or by proxy he may vote on behalf of all joint owners; and |
| (c) | if two or more of the joint owners are present in person or by proxy they must vote as one. |
| 19. | PROCEEDINGS OF SHAREHOLDER MEETINGS |
| 19.1 | Chairman of Member Meeting. At every meeting of Members, the chairman of the board of Directors shall preside as chairman of the meeting. If there is no chairman of the board of Directors or if he is not present at the meeting within fifteen minutes of the time appointed after the meeting or if he is unwilling to act the Directors present shall elect the chairman of the meeting. |
| 19.2 | Adjournment. The chairman may, with the consent of the meeting, adjourn any meeting from time to time, and from place to place, but no business shall be transacted at any adjourned meeting other than the business left unfinished at the meeting from which the adjournment took place. |
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| 19.3 | Conference Call. A Member, or his duly authorised representative or proxy, shall be deemed to be present at a meeting of Members if he participates by telephone or other Electronic means by means of which all the persons participating in the meeting are able to hear each other. |
| 19.4 | Objections. No objection shall be raised to the qualification of any voter except at the meeting of members or adjourned meeting of Members at which the vote objected to is given or tendered and every vote not disallowed at the meeting shall be valid. Any objection made in due time shall be referred to the chairman whose decision shall be final and binding on all parties. |
| 19.5 | Casting of Votes. A Member holding more than one Share need not cast the votes in respect of the Shares held by him in the same way on any resolution for which a poll is taken. A person appointed as the authorised representative or proxy of a Member may cast the votes in respect of the Shares for which he is appointed in a like manner. |
| 19.6 | Quorum. A meeting of Members is duly constituted if, at the commencement of the meeting, there are present in person, through their authorised representative or by proxy two or more Members entitled to vote on resolutions of Members to be considered at the meeting except where there is only one Member entitled to vote on resolutions of Members to be considered at the meeting in which case the quorum shall be one Member. Where a quorum comprises a single Member or proxy, such person may pass a resolution of Members and a certificate signed by such person accompanied where such person be a proxy by a copy of the proxy instrument shall constitute a valid resolution of Members. |
| 19.7 | No Quorum. If within two hours from the time appointed for the meeting a quorum is not present, the meeting, if convened upon the requisition of Members, shall be dissolved; in any other case it shall stand adjourned to the next business day in the jurisdiction in which the meeting was to have been held at the same time and place or to such other time and place as the Directors may determine, and if at the adjourned meeting a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting the Members present shall be a quorum. |
| 19.8 | Polls. At any meeting of the Members the chairman is responsible for deciding in such manner as he considers appropriate whether any resolution proposed has been carried or not and the result of his decision shall be announced to the meeting and recorded in the minutes of the meeting. If the chairman has any doubt as to the outcome of the vote on a proposed resolution, he shall cause a poll to be taken of all votes cast upon such resolution. If the chairman fails to take a poll then any Member present in person or by proxy who disputes the announcement by the chairman of the result of any vote may immediately following such announcement demand that a poll be taken and the chairman shall cause a poll to be taken. If a poll is taken at any meeting, the result shall be announced to the meeting and recorded in the minutes of the meeting. The minutes of the meeting shall be conclusive evidence of the fact that a resolution was carried or not without proof of the number or proportion of the votes recorded in favour of or against such resolution. |
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| 19.9 | Director Participation. Directors may attend and speak at any meeting of Members and at any separate meeting of the holders of any class or series of Shares. |
| 19.10 | Unanimous Written Resolutions. Any Ordinary or Special Resolution of Members and any other action that may be taken by the Members at a meeting may also be taken by a resolution consented to in writing, without the need for any notice, by all Members who would have been entitled to attend and vote at a meeting called for the purpose of passing such a resolution or taking any other action. The consent may be in the form of counterparts, each counterpart being signed by one or more Members. If the consent is in one or more counterparts, and the counterparts bear different dates, then the resolution shall take effect on the latest date borne by the counterparts. |
| 20. | NOMINATION OF DIRECTORS |
| 20.1 | Subject to Article 21.2, nominations of persons for appointment as Directors may be made at an annual general meeting only by: |
| (a) | the Directors; or |
| (b) | by any Member who: |
| (i) | is a Minimum Member at the time of giving of the notice provided for in this Article and at the time of the annual general meeting; |
| (ii) | is entitled to vote for the appointments at such annual general meeting; and |
| (iii) | complies with the notice procedures set forth in this Article (notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in the Articles, this Article 20.1(b) shall be the exclusive means for a Member to make nominations of persons for appointment of Directors at an annual general meeting). |
| 20.2 | Any Member entitled to vote for the elections may nominate a person or persons for appointment as Directors only if written notice of such Member’s intent to make such nomination is given in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Article, either by personal delivery or express or registered mail (postage prepaid), to the Company not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day and not later than the close of business on the 90th day prior to the one-year anniversary of the date of the annual general meeting for the immediately preceding year. However, in the event that the date of the annual general meeting is more than 30 days before or after such anniversary date, in order to be timely, a Member’s notice must be received by the Company not later than the later of: (x) the close of business 90 days prior to the date of such annual general meeting; and (y) if the first public announcement of the date of such advanced or delayed annual general meeting is less than 100 days prior to such date, 10 days following the date of the first public announcement of the annual general meeting date. In no event shall the public announcement of an adjournment or postponement of an annual general meeting, or such adjournment or postponement, commence a new time period or otherwise extend any time period for the giving of a Member’s notice as described herein. Members may nominate a |
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| person or persons (as the case may be) for appointment as Directors only as provided in this Article and only for such class(es) as are specified in the notice of annual general meeting as being up for appointment at such annual general meeting. |
| 20.3 | Each such notice of a Member’s intent to make a nomination of a Director shall set forth: |
| (a) | as to the Member giving notice and any beneficial owner on whose behalf the nomination is made: |
| (i) | the name and address of such Member (as it appears in the Register of Members) and any such beneficial owner on whose behalf the nomination is made; |
| (ii) | the class and number of Shares which are, directly or indirectly, owned beneficially and of record by such Member and any such beneficial owner, respectively, or their respective Affiliates (naming such Affiliates), as at the date of such notice; |
| (iii) | a description of any Covered Arrangement to which such Member or beneficial owner, or their respective Affiliates, directly or indirectly, is a party as at the date of such notice; |
| (iv) | any other information relating to such Member and any such beneficial owner that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement in connection with a solicitation of proxies for the appointment of Directors in a contested election pursuant to Section 14 of the Exchange Act; and |
| (v) | a representation that the Member is a holder of record of Shares entitled to vote at such annual general meeting and intends to appear in person or by proxy at the meeting to nominate the person or persons specified in such Member’s notice; |
| (b) | a description of all arrangements or understandings between the Member or any beneficial owner, or their respective Affiliates, and each nominee or any other person or persons (naming such person or persons) pursuant to which the nomination or nominations are to be made by the Member; |
| (c) | a representation whether the Member or the beneficial owner is or intends to be part of a Group which intends: |
| (i) | to deliver a proxy statement and/or form of proxy to holders of at least the percentage of the Ordinary Shares (or other Shares) required to appoint the Director or Directors nominated; and/or |
| (ii) | otherwise to solicit proxies from Members in support of such nomination or nominations; |
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| (d) | as to each person whom the Member proposes to nominate for appointment or re-appointment as a Director: |
| (i) | all information relating to such person as would have been required to be included in a proxy statement filed in connection with a solicitation of proxies for the appointment of Directors in a contested election pursuant to Section 14 of the Exchange Act; |
| (ii) | a description of any Covered Arrangement to which such nominee or any of his Affiliates is a party as at the date of such notice |
| (iii) | the written consent of each nominee to being named in the proxy statement as a nominee and to serving as a Director if so appointed; and |
| (iv) | whether, if appointed, the nominee intends to tender any advance resignation notice(s) requested by the Directors in connection with subsequent elections, such advance resignation to be contingent upon the nominee’s failure to receive a majority vote and acceptance of such resignation by the Directors; and |
| (e) | an undertaking by the Member of record and each beneficial owner, if any, to (i) notify the Company in writing of the information set forth in Articles 20.3(a)(ii), (a)(iii), (b) and (d) above as at the record date for the annual general meeting promptly (and, in any event, within five business days) following the later of the record date or the date notice of the record date is first disclosed by public announcement and (ii) update such information thereafter within two business days of any change in such information and, in any event, as at close of business on the day preceding the meeting date. |
| 20.4 | No person shall be eligible for appointment as a Director unless nominated in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Articles. Except as otherwise provided by Applicable Law or the Articles, the chairman or co-chairman of any annual general meeting to appointment Directors or the Directors may, if the facts warrant, determine that a nomination was not made in compliance with the foregoing procedure or if the Member solicits proxies in support of such Member’s nominee(s) without such Member having made the representation required by Article 20.3(c); and if the chairman, co-chairman or the Directors should so determine, it shall be so declared to the annual general meeting, and the defective nomination shall be disregarded. Notwithstanding anything in the Articles to the contrary, unless otherwise required by the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange, the SEC and/or any other competent regulatory authority or otherwise under Applicable Law, if a Member intending to make a nomination at an annual general meeting in accordance with this Article does not: |
| (a) | timely provide the notifications contemplated by of Article 20.3(e); or |
| (b) | timely appear in person or by proxy at the annual general meeting to present the nomination, such nomination shall be disregarded, notwithstanding that proxies in respect of such nomination may have been received by the Company or any other person or entity. |
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| 20.5 | Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Article, any Member intending to make a nomination at an annual general meeting in accordance with this Article, and each related beneficial owner, if any, shall also comply with all requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder applicable to the same extent as if the Shares were registered under the Exchange Act with respect to the matters set forth in the Articles; provided, however, that any references in the Articles to the Exchange Act are not intended to and shall not limit the requirements applicable to nominations made or intended to be made in accordance with Article 20.1(b). |
| 20.6 | Nothing in this Article shall be deemed to affect any rights of the holders of any class of Preference Shares, or any other class of Shares authorised to be issued by the Company, to appoint Directors pursuant to the terms thereof. |
| 20.7 | To be eligible to be a nominee for appointment or re-appointment as a Director pursuant to Article 20.1(b), a person must deliver (not later than the deadline prescribed for delivery of notice) to the Company a written questionnaire prepared by the Company with respect to the background and qualification of such person and the background of any other person or entity on whose behalf the nomination is being made (which questionnaire shall be provided by the Company upon written request) and a written representation and agreement (in the form provided by the Company upon written request) that such person: |
| (a) | is not and will not become a party to: |
| (i) | any agreement, arrangement or understanding with, and has not given any commitment or assurance to, any person or entity as to how such person, if appointed as a Director, will act or vote on any issue or question (a “Voting Commitment”) that has not been disclosed to the Company; or |
| (ii) | any Voting Commitment that could limit or interfere with such person’s ability to comply, if appointed as a Director, with such person’s duties under Applicable Law; |
| (b) | is not and will not become a party to any agreement, arrangement or understanding with any person or entity other than the Company with respect to any direct or indirect compensation, reimbursement or indemnification in connection with service or action as a Director that has not been disclosed therein; |
| (c) | in such person’s individual capacity and on behalf of any person or entity on whose behalf the nomination is being made, would be in compliance, if appointed as a Director, and will comply with, Applicable Law and corporate governance, conflict of interest, confidentiality and share ownership and trading policies and guidelines of the Company that are applicable to Directors generally; and |
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| (d) | if appointed as a Director, will act in the best interests of the Company and not in the interest of any individual constituency. The Nominating Committee shall review all such information submitted by the Member with respect to the proposed nominee and determine whether such nominee is eligible to act as a Director. The Company and the Nominating Committee may require any proposed nominee to furnish such other information as may reasonably be required by the Company to determine the eligibility of such proposed nominee to serve as an independent Director or that could be material to a reasonable Member’s understanding of the independence, or lack thereof, of such nominee. |
| 20.8 | At the request of the Directors, any person nominated for appointment as a Director shall furnish to the Company the information that is required to be set forth in a Members’ notice of nomination pursuant to this Article. |
| 20.9 | Any Member proposing to nominate a person or persons for appointment as Director shall be responsible for, and bear the costs associated with, soliciting votes from any other voting Member and distributing materials to such Members prior to the annual general meeting in accordance with the Articles and applicable rules of the SEC. A Member shall include any person or persons such Member intends to nominate for appointment as Director in its own proxy statement and proxy card. |
| 21. | APPOINTMENT AND REMOVAL OF DIRECTORS |
| 21.1 | Number of Directors. The Company shall have a board of Directors consisting of not less than one Director. The Company may by Ordinary Resolution impose a maximum or minimum number of Directors required to hold office at any time and vary such limits from time to time. |
| 21.2 | Appointment and Removal of Directors. The first Directors shall be appointed by the Subscribers to the Memorandum by a written instrument signed by all the Subscribers or by an Ordinary Resolution passed by the Subscribers. Thereafter, subject to the limitations set out in the preceding Article, prior to the closing of a Business Combination: |
| (a) | the Company may by Ordinary Resolution of the holders of the Class B Shares appoint any person to be a Director; and |
| (b) | the Company may by Ordinary Resolution of the holders of the Class A Shares and the Class B Shares remove any Director. |
For the avoidance of doubt, prior to the closing of a Business Combination holders of Class A Shares shall have no right to vote on the appointment of any Director. After the closing of a Business Combination, the Company may by Ordinary Resolution appoint any person to be a Director or may by Ordinary Resolution remove any Director. This Article 21.2 may only be amended by a Special Resolution passed by holders representing at least two-thirds of the outstanding Class B Shares.
| 21.3 | Term. Each Director holds office for the term, if any, fixed by the terms of his appointment or until his earlier death, bankruptcy, insanity, resignation or removal. If no term is fixed on the appointment of a Director, the Director serves indefinitely until his earlier death, bankruptcy, insanity, resignation or removal. |
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| 21.4 | Vacation. The office of a Director shall be vacated if: |
| (a) | he gives notice in writing to the Company that he resigns the office of Director; or |
| (b) | he absents himself (without being represented by an alternate Director appointed by him) from three consecutive meetings of the board of Directors without special leave of absence from the Directors, and they pass a resolution that he has by reason of such absence vacated office; or |
| (c) | he dies, becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors generally; or |
| (d) | he is found to be or becomes of unsound mind; or |
| (e) | all the other Directors (being not less than two in number) resolve that he should be removed as a Director. |
| 21.5 | Appointment by the Directors. Without prejudice to the Company’s power to appoint a person to be a Director pursuant to these Articles, the Directors shall have power at any time to appoint any person who is willing to act as a Director, either to fill a vacancy or as an additional Director. A Director elected to fill a vacancy resulting from the death, resignation or removal of a Director shall serve for the remainder of the full term of the director whose death, resignation or removal shall have created such vacancy and until his successor shall have been elected and qualified. |
| 21.6 | Resignation of Directors. A Director may at any time resign office by giving to the Company notice in writing or, if permitted pursuant to the notice provisions, in an Electronic Record delivered in either case in accordance with those provisions. Unless the notice specifies a different date, the Director shall be deemed to have resigned on the date that the notice is delivered to the Company. |
| 22. | REGISTER OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS |
| 22.1 | Details. The Register of Directors and Officers shall contain: |
| (a) | the names and addresses of the persons who are Directors and Officers; |
| (b) | the date on which each person whose name is entered in the register was appointed as a Director or Officer; and |
| (c) | the date on which each person named as a Director or Officer ceased to be a Director or Officer. |
| 23. | POWERS OF DIRECTORS |
| 23.1 | Management by Directors. Subject to the provisions of the Companies Act, the Memorandum, these Articles and any directions given by Ordinary Resolution, the business and affairs of the Company shall be managed by, or under the direction or |
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| supervision of, the Directors. The Directors shall have all the powers necessary for managing, and for directing and supervising, the business and affairs of the Company as are not by the Companies Act, the Memorandum, these Articles or the terms of any Special Resolution required to be exercised by the Members. No alteration of the Memorandum or these Articles or any direction given by Ordinary or Special Resolution shall invalidate any prior act of the Directors that was valid at the time undertaken. A duly convened meeting of Directors at which a quorum is present may exercise all powers exercisable by the Directors. |
| 23.2 | Good Faith. Each Director shall exercise his powers for a proper purpose. Each Director, in exercising his powers or performing his duties, shall act honestly and in good faith in what the Director believes to be the best interests of the Company. |
| 23.3 | Acting in Vacancy. The continuing Directors may act notwithstanding any vacancy in their body, but if and for so long as their number is below any minimum number of Directors fixed by or pursuant to these Articles, the continuing Directors may act for the purpose of passing a resolution to appoint further Directors to the board of Directors and of convening a meeting of Members to appoint further Directors but for no other purpose. |
| 23.4 | Indebtedness and Security. The Directors may exercise all the powers of the Company to incur indebtedness, liabilities or obligations and to issue debentures, debenture stock, mortgages, bonds and other such securities and to secure indebtedness, liabilities or obligations whether of the Company or of any third party. |
| 24. | PROCEEDINGS OF DIRECTORS |
| 24.1 | Quorum. The quorum for the transaction of the business of the Directors may be fixed by the Directors, and unless so fixed shall be two if there are two or more Directors, and shall be one if there is only one Director. A person who holds office as an alternate Director shall be counted in the quorum. A Director who also acts as an alternate Director shall count twice towards the quorum. |
| 24.2 | Voting. Subject to the provisions of these Articles, the Directors may regulate their proceedings as they think fit. Questions arising at any meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes. In the case of an equality of votes, the chairman shall not have a second or casting vote. A Director who is also an alternate Director shall be entitled to a separate vote on behalf of his appointor in addition to his own vote. |
| 24.3 | Conference Call. A person may participate and vote in a meeting of the Directors or committee of Directors by telephone or other Electronic means by means of which all the persons participating in the meeting are able to hear each other. Unless otherwise determined by the Directors the meeting shall be deemed to be held at the place where the chairman is at the start of the meeting. |
| 24.4 | Unanimous Written Resolution. A resolution in writing (in one or more counterparts) signed by all the Directors or all the members of a committee of Directors (an alternate Director being entitled to sign any such resolution on behalf of his appointor) shall be as valid and effectual as if it had been passed at a meeting of the Directors, or committee of Directors as the case may be, duly convened and held. |
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| 24.5 | Notice of Meetings. A Director may, or other Officer on the requisition of a Director shall, call a meeting of the Directors by at least two days’ notice in writing to every Director which notice shall set forth the general nature of the business to be considered unless notice is waived by all the Directors either at, before or after the meeting is held. |
| 24.6 | Chairman of the Board. The Directors may elect a chairman of their board and determine the period for which he is to hold office; but if no such chairman is elected, or if at any meeting the chairman is not present within five minutes after the time appointed for holding the same, the Directors present may choose one of their number to be chairman of the meeting. |
| 24.7 | Defects. Absent fraud, all acts done by any meeting of the Directors or a committee of Directors shall, notwithstanding that it be afterwards discovered that there was some defect in the appointment of any Director or alternate Director, or that they or any of them were disqualified, be as valid as if every such person had been duly appointed and qualified to be a Director or alternate Director as the case may be. |
| 25. | PRESUMPTION OF ASSENT |
| 25.1 | A Director who is present at a meeting of the board of Directors at which action on any Company matter is taken shall be presumed to have assented to the action taken unless his dissent shall be entered in the minutes of the meeting or unless he shall file his written dissent from such action with the person acting as the chairman or secretary of the meeting before the adjournment thereof. Such right to dissent shall not apply to a Director who voted in favour of such action. |
| 26. | DIRECTORS’ INTERESTS |
| 26.1 | Other Office. A Director may hold any other office or place of profit under the Company (other than the office of Auditor) in conjunction with his office of Director for such period and on such terms as to remuneration and otherwise as the Directors may determine. A Director may act by himself or his firm in a professional capacity for the Company and he or his firm shall be entitled to remuneration for professional services as if he were not a Director or alternate Director. |
| 26.2 | No Exclusivity. A Director or alternate Director may be or become a director or other officer of or otherwise interested in any company promoted by the Company or in which the Company may be interested as shareholder or otherwise, and no such Director or alternate Director shall be accountable to the Company for any remuneration or other benefits received by him as a director or officer of, or from his interest in, such other company. |
| 26.3 | Disclosure of Interests. No person shall be disqualified from the office of Director or alternate Director or prevented by such office from contracting with the Company, either as vendor, purchaser or otherwise, nor shall any such contract or any other contract or |
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| transaction entered into by or on behalf of the Company in which any Director or alternate Director shall be in any way interested be or be liable to be avoided, nor shall any Director or alternate Director so contracting or being so interested be liable to account to the Company for any profit realised by any such contract or transaction by reason of such Director holding office or of the fiduciary relation thereby established. A Director (or his alternate Director in his absence) shall be at liberty to vote in respect of any contract or transaction in which he is interested provided that the nature of the interest of any Director or alternate Director in any such contract or transaction shall be disclosed by him at or prior to its consideration and any vote thereon. |
| 26.4 | General Notice of Interests. A general notice that a Director or alternate Director is a shareholder, director, officer or employee of any specified firm or company and is to be regarded as interested in any transaction with such firm or company shall be sufficient disclosure for the purposes of voting on a resolution in respect of a contract or transaction in which he has an interest, and after such general notice it shall not be necessary to give special notice relating to any particular transaction. |
| 27. | MINUTES |
| 27.1 | The Directors shall cause minutes to be made in books kept for the purpose of all appointments of officers made by the Directors, all proceedings at meetings of the Company or the holders of any class of Shares and of the Directors, and of committees of Directors including the names of the Directors or alternate Directors present at each meeting. |
| 28. | DELEGATION OF DIRECTORS’ POWERS |
| 28.1 | Delegation. The Directors may delegate any of their powers to any committee consisting of one or more Directors (including, without limitation, the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Nominating Committee). They may also delegate to any managing director or any Director holding any other executive office such of their powers as they consider desirable to be exercised by him provided that an alternate Director may not act as managing director and the appointment of a managing director shall automatically terminate if he ceases to be a Director. Any such delegation may be made subject to any conditions the Directors may impose and may be revoked or altered. Subject to any such conditions, the proceedings of a committee of Directors shall be governed by the Articles regulating the proceedings of Directors, so far as they are capable of applying. |
| 28.2 | Committees. The Directors may establish any committees, local boards or agencies or appoint any person to be a manager or agent for managing the affairs of the Company and may appoint any person to be a member of such committees or local boards. Any such appointment may be made subject to any conditions the Directors may impose, and may be revoked or altered. Subject to any such conditions, the proceedings of any such committee, local board or agency shall be governed by the Articles regulating the proceedings of Directors, so far as they are capable of applying. |
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| 28.3 | Committee Charters. The Directors may adopt formal written charters for committees. Each of these committees shall be empowered to do all things necessary to exercise the rights of such committee set forth in the Articles and shall have such powers as the Directors may delegate pursuant to the Articles and as required by the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange, the SEC and/or any other competent regulatory authority or otherwise under Applicable Law. Each of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Nominating Committee, if established, shall consist of such number of Directors as the Directors shall from time to time determine (or such minimum number as may be required from time to time by the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange, the SEC and/or any other competent regulatory authority or otherwise under Applicable Law). |
| 28.4 | Third Party Delegation. The Directors may by power of attorney or otherwise appoint any company, firm, person or body of persons, whether nominated directly or indirectly by the Directors, to be the attorney or authorised signatory of the Company for such purpose and with such powers, authorities and discretions (not exceeding those vested in or exercisable by the Directors under these Articles) and for such period and subject to such conditions as they may think fit, and any such powers of attorney or other appointment may contain such provisions for the protection and convenience of persons dealing with any such attorneys or authorised signatories as the Directors may think fit and may also authorise any such attorney or authorised signatory to delegate all or any of the powers, authorities and discretions vested in him. |
| 28.5 | Officers. The Directors may appoint such Officers as they consider necessary on such terms, at such remuneration and to perform such duties, and subject to such provisions as to disqualification and removal as the Directors may think fit. Unless otherwise specified in the terms of his appointment an officer may be removed by the Directors. |
| 29. | ALTERNATE DIRECTORS |
| 29.1 | Alternate Appointment. Any Director (other than an alternate Director) may by writing in notice to the Company appoint any other Director, or any other person willing to act, to be an alternate Director. |
| 29.2 | Conduct of Alternates. An alternate Director shall be entitled to receive notice of all meetings of Directors and of all meetings of committees of Directors of which his appointor is a member, to attend and vote at every such meeting at which the Director appointing him is not personally present, and, save as expressly provided herein, to perform all the functions and exercise all of the powers of his appointor as a Director in his absence. |
| 29.3 | Automatic termination. An alternate Director shall cease to be an alternate Director if his appointor ceases to be a Director. |
| 29.4 | No Agency. An alternate Director shall be deemed for all purposes to be a Director and shall alone be responsible for his own acts and defaults and shall not be deemed to be the agent of the Director appointing him. |
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| 30. | NO MINIMUM SHAREHOLDING |
| 30.1 | The Company in general meeting may fix a minimum shareholding required to be held by a Director, but unless and until such a shareholding qualification is fixed a Director is not required to hold Shares. |
| 31. | REMUNERATION OF DIRECTORS |
| 31.1 | Office Remuneration. The remuneration to be paid to the Directors, if any, shall be such remuneration as the Directors shall determine. The Directors shall also be entitled to be paid all travelling, hotel and other expenses properly incurred by them in connection with their attendance at meetings of Directors or committees of Directors, or general meetings of the Company, or separate meetings of the holders of any class of Shares or debentures of the Company, or otherwise in connection with the business of the Company, or to receive a fixed allowance in respect thereof as may be determined by the Directors, or a combination of such methods. |
| 31.2 | Additional Remuneration. The Directors may by resolution approve additional remuneration to any Director for any services other than his ordinary routine work as a Director. Any fees paid to a Director who is also counsel or solicitor to the Company, or otherwise serves it in a professional capacity shall be in addition to his remuneration as a Director. |
| 31.3 | Pensions. The Directors, on behalf of the Company, may pay a gratuity or pension or allowance on retirement to any Director who has held any other salaried office or place of profit with the Company or to his widow or dependants and may make contributions to any fund and pay premiums for the purchase or provision of any such gratuity, pension or allowance. |
| 32. | INDEMNIFICATION |
| 32.1 | Indemnity and Exclusion of Liability. Every Director, alternate Director or Officer shall be indemnified out of the assets of the Company against any liability incurred by him as a result of any act or failure to act in carrying out his functions other than such liability (if any) that he may incur by his own actual fraud or wilful default. No such Director, alternate Director or Officer shall be liable to the Company for any loss or damage in carrying out his functions unless that liability arises through the actual fraud or wilful default of such Director or officer. References in this Article to actual fraud or wilful default mean a finding to such effect by a competent court in relation to the conduct of the relevant party. |
| 32.2 | Advancement of Expenses. Expenses, including legal fees, incurred by a Director, alternate Director or Officer, or former Director, alternate Director or Officer in defending any legal, administrative or investigative proceedings may be paid by the Company in advance of the final disposition of such proceedings upon receipt of an undertaking by such party to repay the amount if it shall ultimately be determined that such Director, alternate Director or Officer is not entitled to be indemnified by the Company and upon such terms and conditions, if any, as the Company deems appropriate. |
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| 32.3 | Insurance. The Company may purchase and maintain insurance in relation to any person who is or was a Director, alternate Director, Officer or liquidator of the Company, or who at the request of the Company is or was serving as a Director, alternate director, Officer or liquidator of, or in any other capacity is or was acting for, another body corporate or a partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against any liability asserted against the person and incurred by the person in that capacity. |
| 33. | RECORDS |
| 33.1 | Registered Office Records. The Company shall keep the following documents at the Registered Office: |
| (a) | the Certificate of Incorporation and any Certificate on Change of Name; |
| (b) | a copy of the Memorandum and Articles; |
| (c) | the Register of Directors and Officers; and |
| (d) | to the extent the Company has created a security interest over any of its assets the Register of Mortgages and Charges required to be maintained by the Company under Section 54 of the Companies Act. |
| 33.2 | Other Corporate Records. The Company shall keep the following records at the Registered Office or at such other place or places, within or outside the Cayman Islands, as the Directors may determine: |
| (a) | minutes of meetings, Ordinary Resolutions and Special Resolutions of Members and classes of Members; |
| (b) | the Register of Members; and |
| (c) | minutes of meetings and Resolutions of Directors and committees of Directors. |
| 33.3 | Electronic Form. All of the registers and records kept by the Company under these Articles shall be in written form or either wholly or partly as Electronic Records complying with the requirements of the Electronic Transactions Act (Revised). |
| 34. | SEAL |
| 34.1 | Use of Seal. The Company may, if the Directors so determine, have a Seal. The Seal shall only be used by the authority of the Directors or of a committee of the Directors authorised by the Directors. Every instrument to which the Seal has been affixed shall be signed by at least one person who shall be either a Director or an Officer or other person appointed by the Directors for the purpose. |
| 34.2 | Duplicate Seal. The Company may have for use in any place or places outside the Cayman Islands a duplicate Seal or Seals each of which shall be a facsimile of the common Seal of the Company and, if the Directors so determine, with the addition on its face of the name of every place where it is to be used. |
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| 34.3 | Authentication and Filing. A Director or Officer, representative or attorney of the Company may without further authority of the Directors affix the Seal over his signature alone to any document required to be authenticated by him under seal or to be filed with the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere wheresoever. |
| 35. | DISTRIBUTIONS |
| 35.1 | Payment of Distributions. Subject to the Companies Act and this Article, the Directors may declare and pay out of the funds of the Company lawfully available for such purpose a Distribution at a time and of an amount they think fit. No Distribution shall be paid except out of the realised and unrealised profits of the Company, and/or out of the share premium account and/ or as otherwise permitted by the Companies Act. |
| 35.2 | Ranking. Except as otherwise provided by the rights attached to Shares, all Distributions shall be declared and paid according to the par value of the Shares that a Member holds. The Company may pay Distributions in proportion to the amount paid upon each Share where a larger amount is paid up on some Shares than on others. If any Share is issued on terms providing that it shall rank for Distributions as from a particular date, that Share shall rank for Distributions accordingly. |
| 35.3 | Deductions. The Directors may deduct from any Distribution payable to any Member all sums of money, if any, then payable by him to the Company on account of calls or otherwise. |
| 35.4 | Distribution in Kind. The Directors may declare that any Distribution be paid wholly or partly by the distribution of specific assets and in particular of shares, debentures, or securities of any other company or in any one or more of such ways and the Directors may settle the same as they think expedient and in particular may issue fractional Shares and fix the value for distribution of such specific assets or any part thereof and may determine that cash payments shall be made to any Members upon the basis of the value so fixed in order to adjust the rights of all Members and may vest any such specific assets in trustees as may seem expedient to the Directors. |
| 35.5 | Payment. Any Distribution payable in cash in respect of Shares may be paid by electronic funds transfer to the holder or by cheque or warrant sent through the post directed to the registered address of the holder or, in the case of joint holders, to the registered address of the holder who is first named on the Register of Members or to such person and to such address as such holder or joint holders may in writing direct. Every such cheque or warrant shall be made payable to the order of the person to whom it is sent. Any one of two or more joint holders may give effectual receipts for any Distributions payable in respect of the Shares held by them as joint holders. |
| 35.6 | No Interest. No Distribution shall bear interest as against the Company and no distribution shall be paid on Treasury Shares. |
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| 35.7 | Unclaimed Payments. Any Distribution which cannot be paid to a Member and/or which remains unclaimed after six months from the date of declaration of such Distribution may, in the discretion of the Directors, be paid into a separate account in the Company’s name, provided that the Company shall not be constituted as a trustee in respect of that account and the Distribution shall remain as a debt due to the Member. Any Distribution which remains unclaimed after a period of six years from the date of declaration of such Distribution shall be forfeited and shall revert to the Company. |
| 36. | CAPITALISATIONS |
| 36.1 | Capitalisations. The Directors may capitalise any sum standing to the credit of any of the Company’s reserve accounts (including share premium account and capital redemption reserve) or to the credit of profit and loss account or otherwise available for distribution and appropriate such sum to Members in the proportions in which such sum would have been divisible amongst them had the same been a Distribution of profits by way of dividend and apply such sum on their behalf in paying up in full unissued Shares for issue, allotment and distribution credited as fully paid-up to and amongst them in the proportions aforesaid. In such event the Directors may make such provisions as they think fit in the case of Shares becoming distributable in fractions. |
| 37. | RECORD DATE |
| 37.1 | Record Date Determination. For the purpose of determining Members entitled to attend meetings, receive payment of any Distribution or capitalisation or for any other purpose, the Directors may provide that the Register of Members shall be closed for transfers for a stated period which shall not in any case exceed forty days. In lieu of, or apart from, closing the Register of Members, the Directors may fix in advance or arrears a date as the record date for any such determination of Members provided that the record date for a meeting may not be earlier than the date of notice of such meeting. |
| 37.2 | No Record Date Chosen. If the Register of Members is not so closed and no record date is fixed for the determination of Members entitled to attend meetings, receive payment of a Distribution or capitalisation, the date on which the notice of the meeting is given or resolution of the Directors declaring such Distribution or capitalisation is adopted, as the case may be, shall be the record date for such determination of Members. |
| 38. | REPRESENTATION |
| 38.1 | Representation of Legal Persons. The right of any individual to speak for or represent a Member or a Director being a legal person shall be determined by the law of the jurisdiction where, and by the documents by which, such legal person is constituted or derives its existence but save where an objection has been raised by a Member or a Director, the Directors shall not be obliged to verify the rights of individuals purporting to speak for or represent legal persons. In case of doubt, the Directors may in good faith seek legal advice from any qualified person and unless and until a court of competent jurisdiction shall otherwise rule, the Directors may rely and act upon such advice without incurring any liability to any Member or the Company. |
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| 39. | ACCOUNTS |
| 39.1 | Accounts. The Company shall keep proper books of account with respect to (a) all sums of money received and expended by the Company and the matters in respect of which the receipt and expenditure takes place; (b) all sales and purchases of goods by the Company; and (c) the assets and liabilities of the Company, that in each case, are sufficient to give a true and fair view of the Company’s affairs and to explain its transactions. |
| 39.2 | Inspection. The Directors shall from time to time determine whether and to what extent and at what times and places and under what conditions or regulations the accounts and books of the Company or any of them shall be open to the inspection of Members not being Directors and no Member (not being a Director) shall have any right of inspecting any account or book or document of the Company except as conferred by the Companies Act or authorised by the Directors or by the Company in general meeting. |
| 39.3 | Financial Information. The Directors may from time to time cause to be prepared and to be laid before the Company in general meeting profit and loss accounts, balance sheets, group accounts (if any) and such other reports and accounts as may be required by law. |
| 40. | AUDIT |
| 40.1 | Auditor. The Directors may appoint an Auditor of the Company who shall hold office until removed from office by resolution of the Directors, and may fix his or their remuneration. |
| 40.2 | Access Right. Every Auditor of the Company shall have a right of access at all times to the books and accounts and vouchers of the Company and shall be entitled to require from the Directors and Officers such information and explanation as may be necessary for any audit. |
| 40.3 | Auditor Reports. Auditors shall, if so required by the Directors, make a report on the accounts of the Company during their tenure of office at such times as shall be required by the Directors or any meeting of the Members. |
| 40.4 | Auditor Remuneration. The remuneration of the Auditor shall be fixed by the Audit Committee (if one exists). |
| 40.5 | Audit Committee. Without prejudice to the freedom of the Directors to establish any other committee, if the Shares (or depositary receipts therefor) are listed or quoted on the Designated Stock Exchange, and if required by the Designated Stock Exchange, the Directors shall establish and maintain an Audit Committee as a committee of the Directors and shall adopt a formal written Audit Committee charter and review and assess the adequacy of the formal written charter on an annual basis. The composition and responsibilities of the Audit Committee shall comply with the rules and regulations of the SEC and the Designated Stock Exchange. The Audit Committee shall meet at least once every financial quarter, or more frequently as circumstances dictate. |
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| 41. | NOTICES |
| 41.1 | Calculation of Elapsed Time. Subject to the laws of the Cayman Islands, where any period of time is expressed as required for the giving of any notice or in any other case where some other action is required to be undertaken within or omitted from being taken during a specified period of time, the calculation of the requisite period of time will not include the day on which the notice is given (or deemed to be given) or the day on which the event giving rise to the need to take or omit action occurred, but shall include the day on which the period of time expires. |
| 41.2 | Delivery of Notices. Notices shall be in writing and may be given by the Company to any Member either personally or by sending it by courier, post, fax or e-mail to him or to his address as shown in the Register of Members (or where the notice is given by e-mail by sending it to the e-mail address provided by such Member). Any notice, if posted from one country to another, is to be sent airmail. E-mail notices may be sent by e-mail text and/or by way of a document attached to an email in portable document format (PDF) or in Microsoft Word format and/or by any other method separately agreed between the Company and its Members. |
| 41.3 | Deemed Receipt. Where a notice is sent by courier, service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected by delivery of the notice to a courier company, and shall be deemed to have been received on the third day (not including Saturdays or Sundays or public holidays) following the day on which the notice was delivered to the courier. Where a notice is sent by post, service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected by properly addressing, pre-paying and posting a letter containing a notice, and shall be deemed to have been received on the fifth day (not including Saturdays or Sundays or public holidays) following the day on which the notice was posted. Where a notice is sent by fax, service of the notice shall be deemed to have been received on the same day that it was transmitted. Where a notice is given by e-mail service it shall be deemed to be effected by transmitting the e-mail to the e-mail address provided by the intended recipient and shall be deemed to have been received on the same day that it was sent, and it shall not be necessary for the receipt of the e-mail to be acknowledged by the recipient. |
| 41.4 | Notices of General Meeting. Notice of every general meeting shall be given in any manner hereinbefore authorized to every person shown as a Member in the Register of Members on the record date for such meeting except that in the case of joint holders the notice shall be sufficient if given to the joint holder first named in the Register of Members. |
| 42. | VOLUNTARY LIQUIDATION |
| 42.1 | Subject to the Companies Act, the Company may by Special Resolution be wound up voluntarily. |
| 43. | WINDING UP |
| 43.1 | Distribution of Assets. If the Company shall be wound up, and the assets available for distribution amongst the Members shall be insufficient to repay the whole of the share capital, such assets shall be distributed so that, as nearly as may be, the losses shall be |
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| borne by the Members in proportion to the par value of the Shares held by them. If in a winding up the assets available for distribution amongst the Members shall be more than sufficient to repay the whole of the share capital at the commencement of the winding up, the surplus shall be distributed amongst the Members in proportion to the par value of the Shares held by them at the commencement of the winding up subject to a deduction from those Shares in respect of which there are monies due, of all monies payable to the Company for unpaid calls or otherwise. This Article is without prejudice to the rights of the holders of Shares issued upon special terms and conditions. |
| 43.2 | Valuation of Assets. If the Company shall be wound up the liquidator may, with the sanction of a Special Resolution and any other sanction required by the Companies Act, divide amongst the Members in kind the whole or any part of the assets of the Company (whether they shall consist of property of the same kind or not) and may for that purpose value any assets and determine how the division shall be carried out as between the Members or different classes of Members. The liquidator may, with the like sanction, vest the whole or any part of such assets in trustees upon such trusts for the benefit of the Members as the liquidator, with the like sanction, shall think fit, but so that no Member shall be compelled to accept any asset upon which there is a liability. |
| 44. | CONTINUATION |
| 44.1 | The Company may, subject to the provisions of the Companies Act and with the approval of a Special Resolution, transfer and be registered by way of continuation as a body corporate limited by shares under the laws of any jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands and be de-registered in the Cayman Islands. |
| 44.2 | Prior to the closing of a Business Combination, only the Class B Shares shall carry the right to vote on any resolution of the shareholders to approve any transfer by way of continuation pursuant to this Article (including any Special Resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the Company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the Company, in each case, as a result of the Company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). |
| 45. | AMENDMENT OF THE MEMORANDUM AND ARTICLES |
| 45.1 | Subject to the Companies Act and the rights attaching to any class or series of Shares, the Company may by Special Resolution change its name or alter or amend these Articles and/ or the Memorandum in whole or in part. |
| 46. | MERGERS AND CONSOLIDATIONS |
| 46.1 | The Company shall have the power to merge or consolidate with one or more constituent companies (as defined in the Companies Act) upon such terms as the directors may determine and (to the extent required by the Companies Act) with the approval of a Special Resolution. |
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| 47. | CERTAIN TAX FILINGS |
| 47.1 | Each Tax Filing Authorised Person and any such other person, acting alone, as any Director shall designate from time to time, are authorised to file IRS forms SS-4, W-8 BEN, W-8 IMY, W-9, 8832 and 2553 and such other similar tax forms as are customary to file with any US state or federal governmental authorities or foreign governmental authorities in connection with the formation, activities and/or elections of the Company and such other tax forms as may be approved from time to time by any Director or Officer. The Company further ratifies and approves any such filing made by any Tax Filing Authorised Person or such other person prior to the date of the Articles. |
| 48. | BUSINESS COMBINATION |
| 48.1 | Notwithstanding any other provision of the Articles, this Article 48 shall apply during the period commencing upon the adoption of the Articles and terminating upon the first to occur of the consummation of any Business Combination and the distribution of the Trust Account pursuant to Article 48.10. In the event of a conflict between this Article 48 and any other Articles, the provisions of this Article 48 shall prevail and this Article may not be amended prior to the consummation of a Business Combination without a Special Resolution. |
| 48.2 | Prior to the consummation of any Business Combination, the Company shall either: |
| (a) | submit such Business Combination to its Members for approval; or |
| (b) | provide Members with the opportunity to have their Shares repurchased by means of a tender offer (a Tender Offer) for a per-Share repurchase 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 such Business Combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account (net of tax amounts paid by the Company) (such withdrawals, the Permitted Withdrawals), divided by the number of then-outstanding Public Shares in issue. |
| 48.3 | If the Company initiates any Tender Offer in accordance with Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act in connection with a Business Combination, it shall file Tender Offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about such Business Combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act. |
| 48.4 | If, alternatively, the Company holds a Member vote to approve a proposed Business Combination, the Company will conduct any compulsory redemption in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act and not pursuant to the tender offer rules and file proxy materials with the SEC. |
| 48.5 | At a general meeting called for the purposes of approving a Business Combination pursuant to this Article, in the event that such Business Combination is approved by Ordinary Resolution, the Company shall be authorised to consummate such Business Combination. |
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| 48.6 | Any Member holding Public Shares who is not the Sponsor, officer or Director may, contemporaneously with any vote on a Business Combination, elect to have their Public Shares redeemed for cash (the IPO Redemption), provided that no such Member together with any Affiliate of such Member or any other person with whom such Member is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act) may exercise this redemption right with respect to more than 15% of the Public Shares sold in the IPO without the Company’s prior consent, and provided further that any holder that holds Public Shares beneficially through a nominee must identify itself to the Company in connection with any redemption election in order to validly redeem such Public Shares. In connection with any vote held to approve a proposed Business Combination, holders of Public Shares seeking to exercise their redemption rights will be required to either tender their certificates (if any) to the Company’s transfer agent or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, in each case up to two business days prior to the initially scheduled vote on the proposal to approve a Business Combination. If so demanded, the Company shall pay any such redeeming Member, regardless of whether he is voting for or against such proposed Business Combination or abstains from voting, a per-Share redemption price payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of a Business Combination, including interest earned on the Trust Account not previously released to the Company for Permitted Withdrawals, divided by the number of then-outstanding Public Shares in issue (such redemption price being referred to herein as the Redemption Price). |
| 48.7 | The Redemption Price shall be paid promptly following the consummation of the relevant Business Combination. If the proposed Business Combination is not approved or completed for any reason then such redemptions shall be cancelled and share certificates (if any) returned to the relevant Members as appropriate. |
| 48.8 | In the event that the Company does not consummate a Business Combination by twenty-four months after the closing of the IPO, such earlier time as the directors may approve or such later time as the Members of the Company may approve in accordance with the Articles, the Company shall: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-Share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company for Permitted Withdrawals (less up to US$100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of the then-outstanding Public Shares in issue, which redemption will completely extinguish public Members’ rights as Members (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining Members and the directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in the case of sub-articles (ii) and (iii), to its obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and in all cases subject to the other requirements of Applicable Law. If the Company shall wind up for any other reason prior to the consummation of a Business Combination, the Company shall, as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, follow the foregoing procedures set out in this Article 48.8 with respect to the liquidation of the Trust Account, subject to its obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and subject to the other requirements of Applicable Law. |
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| 48.9 | In the event that any amendment is made to these Articles: |
| (a) | that would modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to provide holders of Public Shares the right to: |
| (i) | have their shares redeemed or repurchased in connection with a Business Combination pursuant to Articles 48.2(b) or 48.6; or |
| (ii) | redeem 100% of the Public Shares if the Company has not consummated an initial Business Combination within twenty-four months after the date of the closing of the IPO pursuant to Article 48.8; or |
| (b) | with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of Public Shares, each holder of Public Shares who is not the Sponsor, officer or Director shall be provided with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares following the approval, and upon the implementation by the directors, of any such amendment (an Amendment Redemption) at a per-Share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account (less Permitted Withdrawals), divided by the number of then-outstanding Public Shares in issue. |
| 48.10 | Except for Permitted Withdrawals, none of the funds held in the Trust Account shall be released from the Trust Account: |
| (a) | to the Company, until completion of any Business Combination; or |
| (b) | to the Members holding Public Shares, until the earliest of: |
| (i) | repurchase of Shares by means of a Tender Offer pursuant to Article 48.2(b); |
| (ii) | an IPO Redemption pursuant to Article 48.6; |
| (iii) | a distribution of the Trust Account pursuant to Article 48.8; or |
| (iv) | an Amendment Redemption pursuant to Article 48.9. |
In no other circumstance shall a holder of Public Shares have any right or interest of any kind in the Trust Account. The Company shall have no obligation to deposit any funds held outside of the Trust Account into the Trust Account for the benefit of holders of Public Shares following the deposit in connection with the IPO of the net proceeds of the IPO and certain of the proceeds of the sale of the Private Placement Shares into the Trust Account. Holders of Public Shares shall have no rights to any funds held by the Company outside of the Trust Account upon or following their redemption pursuant to Article 48.2(b), 48.6, 48.8 or 48.9.
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| 48.11 | After the issue of Public Shares (including pursuant to the Over-allotment Option), and prior to the consummation of a Business Combination, the directors shall not, except in connection with the conversion of Class B Shares into Class A Shares pursuant to Article 15.2 and where the holders of such Shares have waived any rights to receive funds from the Trust Account, issue additional Shares or any other securities that would entitle the holders thereof to: |
| (a) | receive funds from the Trust Account; or |
| (b) | vote as a class with the Public Shares: |
| (i) | on a Business Combination or on any other proposal presented to Members prior to or in connection with the completion of a Business Combination; or |
| (ii) | to approve an amendment to these Articles to: (A) extend the time the Company has to consummate a Business Combination beyond twenty-four (24) months from the closing of IPO; or (B) amend the foregoing provisions of these Articles. |
| 48.12 | The Company must complete one or more Business Combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts held in the Trust Account and taxes payable on the interest earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the Company signing the agreement to enter into a Business Combination. An initial Business Combination must not be effectuated solely with another blank cheque company or a similar company with nominal operations. |
| 48.13 | The uninterested Independent Directors shall approve any transaction or transactions between the Company and any of the following parties: |
| (a) | any Member owning an interest in the voting power of the Company that gives such Member a significant influence over the Company; and |
| (b) | any Director or officer of the Company and any Affiliate or relative of such director or officer. |
| 48.14 | Any payment made to members of the Audit Committee (if one exists) shall require the review and approval of the Directors, with any Director interested in such payment abstaining from such review and approval. |
| 48.15 | A Director may vote in respect of any Business Combination in which such Director has a conflict of interest with respect to the evaluation of such Business Combination. Such Director must disclose such interest or conflict to the other Directors. |
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| 48.16 | The Audit Committee shall monitor compliance with the terms of the IPO and, if any non-compliance is identified, the Audit Committee shall be charged with the responsibility to take all action necessary to rectify such non-compliance or otherwise cause compliance with the terms of the IPO. |
| 48.17 | The Company may enter into a Business Combination with a target business that is Affiliated with a member of the Investor Group, the Directors or officers of the Company. In the event the Company seeks to complete the Business Combination with a target business that is Affiliated with the Sponsor, officers or Directors, the Company, or a committee of Independent Directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent valuation or accounting firm that such a Business Combination or transaction is fair to the Company from a financial point of view. |
| 48.18 | Any Business Combination must be approved by a majority of the Independent Directors. |
| 48.19 | Transactions with Affiliates. In the event the Company enters into an initial Business Combination with a target business that is affiliated with the Sponsor, any Director or officer of the Company or any of their respective affiliates, the Company, or a committee of the independent directors of the Company, shall obtain an opinion from an independent accounting firm or an independent investment banking firm that is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority that such Business Combination is fair to the Company from a financial point of view. |
| 48.20 | No Transactions with Other Blank Check Companies. The Company shall not enter into an initial Business Combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations. |
| 49. | BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY |
| 49.1 | To the fullest extent permitted by Applicable Law, no individual serving as a Director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as the Company. To the fullest extent permitted by Applicable Law, the Company renounces any interest or expectancy of the Company in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for a Director or officer, on the one hand, and the Company, on the other. Except to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to the fullest extent permitted by Applicable Law, a Director or officer shall have no duty to communicate or offer any such corporate opportunity to the Company and shall not be liable to the Company or its Members for breach of any fiduciary duty as a Member, Director and/or officer solely by reason of the fact that such party pursues or acquires such corporate opportunity for itself, himself or herself, directs such corporate opportunity to another person, or does not communicate information regarding such corporate opportunity to the Company. |
| 49.2 | Except as provided elsewhere in this Article, the Company hereby renounces any interest or expectancy of the Company in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for both the Company and a Director or officer, about which a Director and/or officer acquires knowledge. |
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| 49.3 | To the extent a court might hold that the conduct of any activity related to a corporate opportunity that is renounced in this Article to be a breach of duty to the Company or its Members, the Company hereby waives, to the fullest extent permitted by Applicable Law, any and all claims and causes of action that the Company may have for such activities. To the fullest extent permitted by Applicable Law, the provisions of this Article apply equally to activities conducted in the future and that have been conducted in the past. |
| 50. | EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTIONS AND FORUM |
| 50.1 | Unless the Company consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the courts of the Cayman Islands shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any claim or dispute arising out of or in connection with the Memorandum, the Articles or otherwise related in any way to each Member’s shareholding in the Company, including but not limited to: |
| (a) | any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company; |
| (b) | any action asserting a claim of breach of any fiduciary or other duty owed by any current or former Director, officer or other employee of the Company to the Company or the Members; |
| (c) | any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Companies Act, the Memorandum or the Articles; or |
| (d) | any action asserting a claim against the Company governed by the “Internal Affairs Doctrine” (as such concept is recognised under the laws of the United States of America). |
| 50.2 | Each Member irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Cayman Islands over all such claims or disputes. |
| 50.3 | Without prejudice to any other rights or remedies that the Company may have, each Member acknowledges that damages alone would not be an adequate remedy for any breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum and that accordingly the Company shall be entitled, without proof of special damages, to the remedies of injunction, specific performance or other equitable relief for any threatened or actual breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum. |
| 50.4 | This Article 50 shall not apply to any action or suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Exchange Act, or any claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are, as a matter of the laws of the United States of America, the sole and exclusive forum for determination of such a claim. |
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Exhibit 10.8
FORM OF INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT TRUST AGREEMENT
This Investment Management Trust Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made effective as of ____, 2024 by and between GigCapital7 Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York limited purposes trust company (the “Trustee”).
WHEREAS, the Company’s registration statement on Form S-1, File No. 333-280015 (the “Registration Statement”) and related prospectus (the “Prospectus”) for the initial public offering (the “Offering”) of the Company’s units (the “Units”), each of which consists of (i) one Class A Ordinary Share of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Ordinary Shares”); and (ii) three quarters of one redeemable warrant, each warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one Ordinary Share, has been declared effective as of the date hereof by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission;
WHEREAS, the Company has entered into an Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) with EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investments, LLC (the “Representative”) as representative of the several underwriters named therein (the “Underwriters”);
WHEREAS, if a Business Combination (as defined herein) is not consummated within time period set forth in the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (the “Articles”) following the closing of the Offering, upon the request of the Company’s sponsor, GigAquisitions7 Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Sponsor”); and
WHEREAS, as described in the Registration Statement, $250,000,000 of the gross proceeds of the Offering and sale of the Units (or $237,500,000 if the Underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) and the proceeds from any loans in connection with an Extension will be delivered to the Trustee to be deposited and held in a segregated trust account located at all times in the United States (the “Trust Account”) for the benefit of the Company and the holders of the Company’s Ordinary Shares included in the Units issued in the Offering as hereinafter provided (the amount to be delivered to the Trustee (and any interest subsequently earned thereon) is referred to herein as the “Property,” the shareholders for whose benefit the Trustee shall hold the Property are referred herein to as the “Public Shareholders,” and the Public Shareholders and the Company together are referred to herein as the “Beneficiaries”);and
WHEREAS, the Company and the Trustee desire to enter into this Agreement to set forth the terms and conditions pursuant to which the Trustee shall hold the Property.
NOW THEREFORE, IT IS AGREED:
1. Agreements and Covenants of Trustee. The Trustee hereby agrees and covenants to:
(a) Hold the Property in trust for the Beneficiaries in accordance with the terms of this Agreement in the Trust Account established by the Trustee at [___________] (or at another U.S. chartered commercial bank with consolidated assets of $100 billion or more) in the United States, maintained by the Trustee and at a brokerage institution selected by the Trustee that is reasonably satisfactory to the Company;
(b) Manage, supervise and administer the Trust Account subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein;
(c) In a timely manner, upon the written instruction of the Company, invest and reinvest the Property in United States government securities within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, having a maturity of 185 days or less, or in money market funds meeting the conditions of paragraphs (d)(1), (d)(2), (d)(3) and (d)(4) of Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (or any successor rule), which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations, as determined by the Company; it being understood that the Trust Account will earn no interest while account funds are uninvested awaiting the Company’s instructions hereunder and the Trustee may earn bank credits or other consideration;
(d) Collect and receive, when due, all principal and interest income arising from the Property, all of which income shall become part of the Property and which interest income can then be released to the Company to the extent required to pay taxes when requested by the Company as provided for in Section 1(l) below;
(e) Promptly notify the Company and the Representative of all communications received by the Trustee with respect to any Property requiring action by the Company;
(f) Supply any necessary information or documents as may be requested by the Company (or its authorized agents) in connection with the Company’s preparation of the tax returns relating to assets held in the Trust Account;
(g) Participate in any plan or proceeding for protecting or enforcing any right or interest arising from the Property if, as and when instructed by the Company in writing to do so;
(h) Render to the Company, and to such other person as the Company may instruct, monthly written statements of the activities of and amounts in the Trust Account reflecting all receipts and disbursements of the Trust Account;
(i) Commence liquidation of the Trust Account only after and promptly after (x) receipt of, and only in accordance with, the terms of a letter from the Company (“Termination Letter”) in a form substantially similar to that attached hereto as either Exhibit A or Exhibit B, as applicable, signed on behalf of the Company by its Chief Executive Officer, President, Chief Financial Officer or Chairman of the board of directors (the “Board”) or other authorized officer of the Company (and in the case of Exhibit A, jointly acknowledged and agreed to by the Representative), and complete the liquidation of the Trust Account and distribute the Property in the Trust Account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the Trust Account, less interest previously released to, or reserved for use by, the Company in an amount up to $100,000 to pay dissolution expenses (as applicable) and less any other interest released to, or reserved for use by, the Company to pay taxes as provided in this Agreement only as directed in the Termination Letter and the other documents referred to therein, or (y) upon the date which is the later of (1) twenty-four months after the closing of the Offering and (2) such later date as may be approved by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with the Company’s Articles, if a Termination Letter has not been received by the Trustee prior to such date, in which case the Trust Account shall be liquidated in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Termination Letter attached as Exhibit B and the Property in the Trust Account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the Trust Account, less interest previously released to, or reserved for use by, the Company in an amount up to $100,000 to pay dissolution expenses (as applicable) and less any other interest released to, or reserved for use by, the Company to pay taxes, shall be distributed to the Public Shareholders of record as of such date. The Trustee agrees to serve as the paying agent of record (“Paying Agent”) with respect to any distribution of Property that is to be made to the Public Shareholders and, in its separate capacity as Paying Agent, agrees to distribute such Property directly to the Company’s Public Shareholders in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and the Company’s Articles in effect at the time of such distribution;
(j) Upon written request from the Company, which may be given from time to time in a form substantially similar to that attached hereto as Exhibit C (a “Withdrawal Request”), withdraw from the Trust Account and distribute to the Company interest in an amount up to $100,000 to pay dissolution expenses and any interest to cover any tax obligation owed by the Company as a result of assets of the Company or any taxes of the Company which amount shall be delivered directly to the Company by electronic funds transfer or other method of prompt payment, and the Company shall forward such payment to the relevant taxing authority. To the extent there is not sufficient cash in the Trust Account to fulfill a Withdrawal Request, the Trustee shall liquidate such assets held in the Trust Account as shall be designated by the Company in writing to make such distribution, so long as there is no reduction in the principal amount per share initially deposited in the Trust Account. The Trustee acknowledges and agrees that no amount in excess of interest income earned on the Property shall be payable from the Trust Account to the Company pursuant to this Section 1(j). A Withdrawal Request shall constitute presumptive evidence that the Company is entitled to said funds, and the Trustee shall have no responsibility to look beyond said request;
(k) Upon written request from the Company, which may be given from time to time in a form substantially similar to that attached hereto as Exhibit D, the Trustee shall distribute on behalf of the Company the amount requested by the Company to be used to redeem Ordinary Shares from Public Shareholders properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to the Company’s Articles (i) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to provide Public Shareholders the right to have their Ordinary Shares redeemed in connection with an initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the Ordinary Shares included in the Units sold in the Offering if the Company has not consummated an initial Business Combination within such time as is described in Section 1(i) of this Agreement or (ii) with respect to the other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-Business Combination activity. The written request of the Company referenced above shall constitute presumptive evidence that the Company is entitled to distribute said funds, and the Trustee shall have no responsibility to look beyond said request; and
(l) Not make any withdrawals or distributions from the Trust Account other than pursuant to Sections 1(i) through 1(k) above.
2. Agreements and Covenants of the Company. The Company hereby agrees and covenants to:
(a) Give all instructions to the Trustee hereunder in writing, signed by the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, President, Chief Financial Officer, Chairman of the Board or another authorized officer. In addition, except with respect to its duties under Sections 1(i), 1(j) and 1(k) hereof, the Trustee shall be entitled to rely on, and shall be protected in relying on, any verbal or telephonic advice or instruction which it, in good faith and with reasonable care, believes to be given by any one of the persons authorized above to give written instructions, provided that the Company shall promptly confirm such instructions in writing;
(b) Subject to Section 4 hereof, hold the Trustee harmless and indemnify the Trustee from and against any and all expenses, including reasonable counsel fees and disbursements, or losses suffered by the Trustee in connection with any action taken by it hereunder and in connection with any action, suit or other proceeding brought against the Trustee involving any claim, or in connection with any claim or demand, which in any way arises out of or relates to this Agreement, the services of the Trustee hereunder, or the Property or any interest earned on the Property, except for expenses and losses resulting from the Trustee’s gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct. Promptly after the receipt by the Trustee of notice of demand or claim or the commencement of any action, suit or proceeding, pursuant to which the Trustee intends to seek indemnification under this Section 2(b), the Trustee shall notify the Company in writing of such claim (hereinafter referred to as the “Indemnified Claim”). The Trustee shall have the right to conduct and manage the defense against such Indemnified Claim; provided that the Trustee shall obtain the consent of the Company with respect to the selection of counsel, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. The Trustee shall not agree to settle any Indemnified Claim without the prior written consent of the Company, which such consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. The Company may participate in such action with its own counsel;
(c) Pay the Trustee the fees set forth on Schedule A hereto, including an initial acceptance fee, annual administration fee and transaction processing fee, which fees shall be subject to modification by the parties from time to time. It is expressly understood that the Property shall not be used to pay such fees unless and until the Business Combination is consummated. The Company shall pay the Trustee the initial acceptance fee and the first annual administration fee at the consummation of the Offering. The Trustee shall refund to the Company the annual administration fee (on a pro rata basis) with respect to any period after the liquidation of the Trust Account. The Company shall not be responsible for any other fees or charges of the Trustee except as set forth in this Section 2(c), Schedule A and as may be provided in Section 2(b) hereof;
(d) In connection with any vote of the Company’s shareholders regarding a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination involving the Company and one or more businesses (a “Business Combination”), provide to the Trustee an affidavit or certificate of the inspector of elections for the general meeting verifying the vote of such shareholders regarding such Business Combination;
(e) Provide the Representative with a copy of any Termination Letter(s) and/or any other correspondence that is sent to the Trustee with respect to any proposed withdrawal from the Trust Account promptly after it issues the same; and
(f) Instruct the Trustee to make only those distributions that are permitted under this Agreement, and refrain from instructing the Trustee to make any distributions that are not permitted under this Agreement.
3. Limitations of Liability. The Trustee shall have no responsibility or liability to:
(a) Imply obligations, perform duties, inquire or otherwise be subject to the provisions of any agreement or document other than this Agreement and that which is expressly set forth herein;
(b) Take any action with respect to the Property, other than as directed in Section 1 hereof, and the Trustee shall have no liability to any third party except for liability arising out of the Trustee’s gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct;
(c) Institute any proceeding for the collection of any principal and income arising from, or institute, appear in or defend any proceeding of any kind with respect to, any of the Property unless and until it shall have received instructions from the Company given as provided herein to do so and the Company shall have advanced or guaranteed to it funds sufficient to pay any expenses incident thereto;
(d) Refund any depreciation in principal of any Property;
(e) Assume that the authority of any person designated by the Company to give instructions hereunder shall not be continuing unless provided otherwise in such designation, or unless the Company shall have delivered a written revocation of such authority to the Trustee;
(f) The other parties hereto or to anyone else for any action taken or omitted by it, or any action suffered by it to be taken or omitted, in good faith and in the Trustee’s best judgment, except for the Trustee’s gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct. The Trustee may rely conclusively and shall be protected in acting upon any order, notice, demand, certificate, opinion or advice of counsel (including counsel chosen by the Trustee, which counsel may be the Company’s counsel), statement, instrument, report or other paper or document (not only as to its due execution and the validity and effectiveness of its provisions, but also as to the truth and acceptability of any information therein contained) which the Trustee believes, in good faith and with reasonable care, to be genuine and to be signed or presented by the proper person or persons. The Trustee shall not be bound by any notice or demand, or any waiver, modification, termination or rescission of this Agreement or any of the terms hereof, unless evidenced by a written instrument delivered to the Trustee, signed by the proper party or parties and, if the duties or rights of the Trustee are affected, unless it shall give its prior written consent thereto;
(g) Verify the accuracy of the information contained in the Registration Statement;
(h) Provide any assurance that any Business Combination entered into by the Company or any other action taken by the Company is as contemplated by the Registration Statement;
(i) File information returns with respect to the Trust Account with any local, state or federal taxing authority or provide periodic written statements to the Company documenting the taxes payable by the Company, if any, relating to any interest income earned on the Property;
(j) Prepare, execute and file tax reports, income or other tax returns and pay any taxes with respect to any income generated by, and activities relating to, the Trust Account, regardless of whether such tax is payable by the Trust Account or the Company, including, but not limited to, tax obligations, except pursuant to Section 1(j) hereof; or
(k) Verify calculations, qualify or otherwise approve the Company’s written requests for distributions pursuant to Sections 1(i), 1(j) or 1(k) hereof.
4. Trust Account Waiver. The Trustee has no right of set-off or any right, title, interest or claim of any kind (“Claim”) to, or to any monies in, the Trust Account, and hereby irrevocably waives any Claim to, or to any monies in, the Trust Account that it may have now or in the future. In the event the Trustee has any Claim against the Company under this Agreement, including, without limitation, under Section 2(b) or Section 2(c) hereof, the Trustee shall pursue such Claim solely against the Company and its assets outside the Trust Account and not against the Property or any monies in the Trust Account.
5. Termination. This Agreement shall terminate as follows:
(a) If the Trustee gives written notice to the Company that it desires to resign under this Agreement, the Company shall use its reasonable efforts to locate a successor trustee, pending which the Trustee shall continue to act in accordance with this Agreement. At such time that the Company notifies the Trustee that a successor trustee has been appointed and has agreed to become subject to the terms of this Agreement, the Trustee shall transfer the management of the Trust Account to the successor trustee, including but not limited to the transfer of copies of the reports and statements relating to the Trust Account, whereupon this Agreement shall terminate; provided, however, that in the event that the Company does not locate a successor trustee within ninety (90) days after receipt of the resignation notice from the Trustee, the Trustee may submit an application to have the Property deposited with any court in the State of New York or with the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and upon such deposit, the Trustee shall be immune from any liability whatsoever; or
(b) At such time that the Trustee has completed the liquidation of the Trust Account and its obligations in accordance with the provisions of Section 1(i) (which section may not be amended except as described in Section 6(c)) and distributed the Property in accordance with the provisions of the Termination Letter, this Agreement shall terminate except as set forth in Section 2(b).
6. Miscellaneous.
(a) The Company and the Trustee each acknowledge that the Trustee will follow the security procedures set forth below with respect to funds transferred from the Trust Account. The Company and the Trustee will each restrict access to confidential information relating to such security procedures to authorized persons. Each party must notify the other party immediately if it has reason to believe unauthorized persons may have obtained access to such confidential information, or of any change in its authorized personnel. In executing funds transfers, the Trustee shall rely upon all information supplied to it by the Company, including account names, account numbers, and all other identifying information relating to a Beneficiary, Beneficiary’s bank or intermediary bank. Except for any liability arising out of the Trustee’s gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct, the Trustee shall not be liable for any loss, liability or expense resulting from any error in the information or transmission of the funds.
(b) This Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction. This Agreement may be executed in several original or facsimile counterparts, each one of which shall constitute an original, and together shall constitute but one instrument.
(c) This Agreement contains the entire agreement and understanding of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof. Except for Section 1(i), 1(j) and 1(k) hereof (which may not be changed, modified, amended or deleted without the affirmative vote of a majority of all issued and outstanding ordinary shares of the Company having voted in favor of such change, modification, amendment or deletion; provided that no such amendment will affect any Public Shareholder who has elected to redeem his, her or its Ordinary Shares in connection with a shareholder vote sought to amend this Agreement), this Agreement or any provision hereof may only be changed, amended, modified or deleted (other than to correct a typographical error) by a writing signed by each of the parties hereto.
(d) The parties hereto consent to the jurisdiction and venue of any state or federal court located in the City of New York, State of New York, for purposes of resolving any disputes hereunder. AS TO ANY CLAIM, CROSS-CLAIM OR COUNTERCLAIM IN ANY WAY RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT, EACH PARTY WAIVES THE RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY.
(e) Any notice, consent or request to be given in connection with any of the terms or provisions of this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be sent by express mail or similar private courier service, by certified mail (return receipt requested), by hand delivery or by facsimile transmission or by electronic mail:
if to the Trustee, to:
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
1 State Street, 30th Floor
New York, New York 10004
Attn: Francis Wolf and Daniel Egan
Email: fwolf@continentalstock.com
Email: degan@continentalstock.com
if to the Company, to:
GigCapital7 Corp.
1731 Embarcadero Rd., Suite 200
Palo Alto, CA 94303
Attn: Avi S. Katz
Email: avi@gigcap
in each case, with copies to:
DLA Piper LLP (US)
555 Mission Street, Suite 2400
San Francisco, CA 94105
Attn: Jeffrey Selman
Fax: (415) 659-7465
and
EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investments, LLC
[___________________]
[___________________]
Attn: [___________________]
Email: [___________________]
and
[___________________]
[___________________]
[___________________]
Attn: [___________________]
Email: [___________________]
(f) Each of the Company and the Trustee hereby represents that it has the full right and power and has been duly authorized to enter into this Agreement and to perform its respective obligations as contemplated hereunder. The Trustee acknowledges and agrees that it shall not make any claims or proceed against the Trust Account, including by way of set-off, and shall not be entitled to any funds in the Trust Account under any circumstance.
(g) This Agreement is the joint product of the Trustee and the Company and each provision hereof has been subject to the mutual consultation, negotiation and agreement of such parties and shall not be construed for or against any party hereto.
(h) This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument. Delivery of a signed counterpart of this Agreement by facsimile or electronic transmission shall constitute valid and sufficient delivery thereof.
(i) Except as specified herein, no party to this Agreement may assign its rights or delegate its obligations hereunder to any other person or entity, without the written consent of the other party.
(j) Each of the Company and the Trustee hereby acknowledges and agrees that the Representatives, on behalf of the Underwriters, are third party beneficiaries of this Agreement.
(k) The Trustee hereby consents to the inclusion of Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company in the Registration Statement and other materials relating to the IPO.
[Signature Page Follows]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have duly executed this Investment Management Trust Agreement as of the date first written above.
| Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as Trustee | ||
| By: |
| |
| Name: | Fran Wolf | |
| Title: | Vice President | |
| GigCapital7 Corp. | ||
| By: |
| |
| Name: | Avi S. Katz | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Office | |
[Signature Page to the Investment Management Trust Agreement]
SCHEDULE A
| Fee Item |
Time and method of payment |
Amount | ||||
| Initial acceptance fee |
Initial closing of IPO by wire transfer | $ | ||||
| Annual fee |
First year, initial closing of IPO by wire transfer; thereafter on the anniversary of the effective date of the IPO by wire transfer or check | $ | ||||
| Transaction processing fee for disbursements to Company under Section 1 |
Billed to Company following disbursement made to Company under Section 1 | $ | ||||
| Paying Agent services as required pursuant to Section 1 |
Billed to Company upon delivery of service pursuant to Section 1 | Prevailing rates | ||||
EXHIBIT A
[Letterhead of Company]
[Insert date]
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
One State Street, 30th Floor
New York, New York 10004
Attn: Francis Wolf and Daniel Egan
| Re: | Trust Account - Termination Letter |
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Pursuant to Section 1(i) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement between GigCapital7 Corp. (the “Company”) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (the “Trustee”), dated as of , 2024 (the “Trust Agreement”), this is to advise you that the Company has entered into an agreement with [insert business] (the “Target Business”) to consummate a business combination with Target Business (the “Business Combination”) on or about [insert date]. The Company shall notify you at least seventy-two (72) hours in advance of the actual date (or such shorter period as you may agree) of the consummation of the Business Combination (the “Consummation Date”). Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust Agreement.
In accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, we hereby authorize you to commence to liquidate all of the assets of the Trust Account and to transfer the proceeds into a segregated account at [________] held by you on behalf of the Beneficiaries so that, on the Consummation Date, all of funds held in the Trust Account will be immediately available for transfer to the account or accounts that the Company shall direct on the Consummation Date . It is acknowledged and agreed that while the funds are on deposit in the segregated account at [________] awaiting distribution, the Company will not earn any interest or dividends.
On the Consummation Date, (i) counsel for the Company shall deliver to you written notification that the Business Combination has been consummated, or will be consummated concurrently with your transfer of funds to the accounts as directed by the Company (the “Notification”), and (ii) the Company shall deliver to you (a) a certificate by the Chief Executive Officer, President, Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President, Vice President, Secretary or Chairman, which verifies that the Business Combination has been approved by a vote of the Company’s shareholders, if a vote is held, and (b) a written instruction signed by the Company with respect to the transfer of the funds held in the Trust Account (the “Instruction Letter”). You are hereby directed and authorized to transfer the funds held in the Trust Account immediately upon your receipt of the Notification and the Instruction Letter, in accordance with the terms of the Instruction Letter. In the event that certain deposits held in the Trust Account may not be liquidated by the Consummation Date without penalty, you will notify the Company in writing of the same and the Company shall direct you as to whether such funds should remain in the Trust Account and be distributed after the Consummation Date to the Company. Upon the distribution of all the funds from the Trust Account, your obligations under the Trust Agreement shall be terminated.
In the event that the Business Combination is not consummated on the Consummation Date described in the notice thereof and we have not notified you on or before the original Consummation Date of a new Consummation Date, then upon receipt by the Trustee of written instructions from the Company, the funds held in the Trust Account shall be reinvested as provided in Section 1(c) of the Trust Agreement on the business day immediately following the Consummation Date as set forth in such notice as soon thereafter as possible.
| Very truly yours, |
| GigCapital7 Corp. |
| By: |
| |
| Name: | ||
| Title: |
| cc: | EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investments, LLC |
EXHIBIT B
[Letterhead of Company]
[Insert date]
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
One State Street, 30th Floor
New York, New York 10004
Attn: Francis Wolf and Daniel Egan
| Re: | Trust Account - Termination Letter |
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Pursuant to Section 1(i) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement between GigCapital7 Corp. (the “Company”) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (the “Trustee”), dated as of _________, 2024 (the “Trust Agreement”), this is to advise you that the Company has been unable to effect a Business Combination with a target business within the time frame specified in Section 1(i) of the Trust Agreement. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust Agreement.
In accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, we hereby authorize you to liquidate all of the assets in the Trust Account and to transfer the total proceeds into the segregated account at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. held by you on behalf of the Beneficiaries to await distribution to the Public Shareholders. The Company has selected [___], 202_, as the effective date for the purpose of determining when the Public Shareholders will be entitled to receive their share of the liquidation proceeds. You agree to be the Paying Agent of record and, in your separate capacity as Paying Agent, we hereby direct you to distribute said funds directly to the Company’s Public Shareholders in accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement and the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association of the Company as in effect at the time of such distribution. Upon the distribution of all funds in the Trust Account, your obligations under the Trust Agreement shall be terminated, except to the extent otherwise provided in Section 1(j) of the Trust Agreement.
| Very truly yours, | ||
| GigCapital7 Corp. | ||
| By: |
| |
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
| cc: | EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investments, LLC |
EXHIBIT C
[Letterhead of Company]
[Insert date]
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
One State Street, 30th Floor
New York, New York 10004
Attn: Francis Wolf and Daniel Egan
| Re: | Trust Account - Withdrawal Instruction |
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Pursuant to Section 1(j) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement GigCapital7 Corp. (the “Company”) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (the “Trustee”), dated as of _________, 2024 (the “Trust Agreement”), the Company hereby requests that you deliver to the Company $____ of the interest income earned on the Property as of the date hereof. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust Agreement.
The Company needs such funds [to pay for the tax obligations as set forth on the attached tax return or tax statement] [in connection with its dissolution [upon the expiration of the 24 month period following completion of the Offering (or upon such later date as may be extended in accordance with the terms described in the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association)]. In accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, you are hereby directed and authorized to transfer (via wire transfer) such funds promptly upon your receipt of this letter to the Company’s operating account at:
[WIRE INSTRUCTION INFORMATION]
| Very truly yours, | ||
| GigCapital7 Corp. | ||
| By: |
| |
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
| cc: | EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investments, LLC |
EXHIBIT D
[Letterhead of Company]
[Insert date]
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
One State Street, 30th Floor
New York, New York 10004
Attn: Francis Wolf & Daniel Egan
| Re: | Trust Account Shareholder Redemption Withdrawal Instruction |
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Pursuant to Section 1(j) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement between GigCapital7 Corp. (the “Company”) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (the “Trustee”), dated as of _______, 2024 (the “Trust Agreement”), the Company hereby requests that you liquidate sufficient amounts from the trust account and deliver to the redeeming Public Shareholders of the Company $____ of the principal and interest income earned on the Property as of the date hereof to a segregated account held by you on behalf of the Beneficiaries. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust Agreement.
The Company needs such funds to pay its Public Shareholders who have properly elected to have their Ordinary Shares redeemed by the Company in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of its public Ordinary Shares if the Company has not consummated an initial Business Combination within such time as is described in Section 1(i) of the Trust Agreement or (ii) with respect to the other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity. As such, you are hereby directed and authorized to transfer (via wire transfer) such funds promptly upon your receipt of this letter to a segregated account held by you on behalf of the Beneficiaries.
| Very truly yours, | ||
| GigCapital7 Corp. | ||
| By: |
| |
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
| cc: | EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investments, LLC |
Exhibit 23.1
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We hereby consent to the use in this Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 of our report (which contains an explanatory paragraph relating to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern as described in Note 1 to the financial statements) dated July 9, 2024, relating to the financial statements of GigCapital7 Corp., which appears in such Registration Statement. We also consent to the reference to us under the heading “Experts” in such Registration Statement.
| /s/ BPM LLP |
| San Jose, California |
| July 9, 2024 |
Exhibit 99.1
GIGCAPITAL7 CORP.
AUDIT COMMITTEE CHARTER
| I. | Purpose |
The Audit Committee (the “Committee”) of the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of GigCapital7 Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), shall provide assistance to the Board in fulfilling its legal and fiduciary obligations to oversee:
(a) the integrity of the financial statements and other financial information provided by the Company to its shareholders, the public, any stock exchange and others;
(b) the Company’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements;
(c) the qualifications and independence of the Company’s independent auditor;
(d) the performance of the Company’s internal audit function and its system of internal controls and independent auditor;
(e) 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; and
(f) such other matters as are assigned to the Committee by the Board pursuant to this Charter or as mandated under applicable laws, rules and regulations (including the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) as well as listing standards of the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (together, the “Applicable Requirements”).
Although the Committee has the powers and responsibilities set forth in this Charter, the role of the Committee is oversight. The members of the Committee are not full-time employees of the Company and may or may not be accountants or auditors by profession or experts in the fields of accounting or auditing and, in any event, do not serve in such capacity. Consequently, it is not the duty of the Committee to conduct audits or to determine that the Company’s financial statements and disclosures are complete and accurate and are in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) and other Applicable Requirements. These are the responsibilities of management and the Company’s independent auditor.
| II. | Organization |
The Committee shall consist of three or more directors, each of whom shall satisfy the independence, financial literacy, and other qualifications required by the Company’s corporate governance guidelines, Section 10A-3 of the Exchange Act and any other Applicable Requirements, subject to any phase-in periods or cure periods permitted by Rule 10A-3(b)(1)(iv)(A) under the Exchange Act and other Applicable Requirements. At least one member of the Committee shall be an “audit committee financial expert” (as defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”)). Determinations of independence, financial literacy, experience and expertise shall be made by the Board as the Board interprets such qualifications in its business judgment.
No Committee member shall simultaneously serve on the audit committees of more than two other public companies unless the Board determines that such simultaneous service does not impair the ability of such member to effectively serve on the Committee and such determination is disclosed in accordance with the Applicable Requirements.
Members of the Committee shall be appointed by the independent directors. Members of the Committee may be removed at any time by action of the Board; provided, however, that if removing a member or members of the Committee would cause the Committee to have fewer than three members, then the Board must at the same time
appoint enough additional members to the Committee so that the Committee will have at least three qualified members. The Committee’s chairperson shall be designated by the Board or, if not so designated, the members of the Committee shall elect a chairperson by a vote of the majority of the full Committee.
The Committee may form and delegate authority to subcommittees from time to time as it sees fit, provided that the subcommittees are composed entirely of directors who satisfy the applicable independence requirements of the Applicable Requirements and the Company’s corporate governance guidelines, if any.
| III. | Meetings |
The Committee shall meet at least four times per year on a quarterly basis, or more frequently as required. Meetings shall be called by the chairperson of the Committee or, if there is no chairperson, by a majority of the members of the Committee. Meetings may be held telephonically or by other electronic means to the extent permitted by the Company’s organizational documents and applicable law. Committee actions may be taken by unanimous written consent.
The Committee shall also meet periodically with management, the chief internal auditor and the Company’s independent auditor in separate executive sessions to discuss any matters that the Committee or each of these groups believe should be discussed privately.
The Committee shall maintain minutes of its meetings and records relating to those meetings.
| IV. | Authority and Responsibilities |
In fulfilling its duties and responsibilities hereunder, the Committee will be entitled to rely reasonably on (a) the integrity of those persons within the Company and the professionals and experts (such as the Company’s independent auditor) from whom it receives information, (b) the accuracy of the financial and other information provided to the Committee by such persons and (c) representations made by the Company’s independent auditor as to any services provided by such firm to the Company.
To fulfill its responsibilities, the Committee shall:
With respect to the engagement of the Company’s independent and other auditors:
| 1. | Be directly responsible for (a) the appointment, compensation, retention, (including termination), scope and oversight of the work of any independent registered public accounting firm engaged by the Company (including for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit report or performing other audit, review or attestation services or other work for the Company), and (b) the resolution of any disagreements between management and any such firm regarding financial reporting. |
| 2. | Have the sole authority to review in advance, and pre-approve (which may be pursuant to pre-approval policies and procedures) all audit or non-audit services to be provided by the Company’s independent or other auditors as permitted by Section 10A of the Exchange Act and to approve all related fees and other terms of engagement. The Committee shall also review and approve disclosures required to be included by the Company in periodic reports filed with the SEC under Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act with respect to audit and non-audit services. |
| 3. | At least annually, obtain and review a formal written report from the Company’s independent auditor (a) describing such firm’s internal quality control procedures, (b) describing any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality control review, peer review or Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) review or inspection of such 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 such firm, and any steps taken to deal with any such issues, and (c) assessing such firm’s independence, including delineating all relationships and engagements that may reasonably be thought to bear on the independence of the auditor, including those between the auditor and the Company. The Committee shall discuss this report with the Company’s independent auditor and shall take appropriate action to ensure the independence of the independent auditor and to address any other matters based on such report. |
| 4. | Confirm that the “lead partner,” the “concurring partner” and the other “audit partner” rotation requirements under the Applicable Requirements, including Regulation S-X have been complied with and set clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. |
| 5. | Review all reports and communications required to be submitted by the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm to the Committee under Section 10A of the Securities Exchange Act and other Applicable Requirements. Such reports should describe (i) the independent registered public accounting firm’s internal quality-control procedures, (ii) any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review, or peer review, of the audit firm, or by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities within the preceding five years respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the firm and any steps taken to deal with such issues and (iii) all relationships between the independent registered public accounting firm and the Company to assess the independent registered public accounting firm’s independence. |
| 6. | At least annually, evaluate the performance of the Company’s independent auditor, including the lead audit partner. In making its evaluation, the Committee should take into account the opinions of management and the internal audit group. |
| 7. | Review and discuss with the Company’s independent auditor all relationships the auditor has with the Company and evaluate the auditor’s continued independence. |
| 8. | Determine the Company’s hiring policies regarding partners, employees and former partners and employees of the Company’s independent auditor. |
With respect to the Company’s financial statements and other financial reporting:
| 9. | Review and discuss the Company’s annual audited and quarterly unaudited financial statements with management (including the Company’s internal audit group) and the Company’s independent auditor, including disclosures made in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” to be included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K or quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. |
| 10. | Recommend to the Board whether the Company’s annual audited financial statements should be included in the Company’s annual report for filing with the SEC and timely prepare the report required by the SEC to be included in the Company’s annual proxy statement, if applicable, and any other reports of the Committee required by any Applicable Requirement. |
| 11. | Review and discuss with management and the Company’s independent auditor (a) major issues regarding, or significant changes in, the Company’s accounting principles and financial statement presentations, (b) analyses prepared by management or the Company’s independent auditor concerning significant financial reporting issues and judgments made in connection with the preparation of the financial statements, (c) the effect of regulatory and accounting initiatives, as well as off-balance sheet structures, on the financial statements of the Company, and (d) the type and presentation of information to be included in earnings press releases and any financial information and earnings guidance provided to analysts and rating agencies. |
| 12. | Prior to the filing of any audited financial statements with the SEC, review with management and the Company’s independent auditor (a) all critical accounting policies and practices used by the Company, (b) all alternative accounting treatments of financial information reported in GAAP related to material items that have been discussed with management, including the ramifications of the use of such alternative treatments and disclosures and the treatment preferred by the Company’s independent auditor, (c) any reports or communications (and management’s responses thereto) submitted to the Committee by the Company’s independent auditor in accordance with PCAOB Auditing Standard No. 16, Communications with Audit Committees, as amended or supplemented, and (d) any other material written communications between the Company’s independent auditor and management. |
| 13. | Periodically review separately with each of management, the Company’s independent auditor and the internal audit group (a) any significant disagreement between management and the Company’s independent auditor or the internal audit group in connection with the preparation of the financial statements, (b) any audit problems or difficulties encountered during the course of the audit, including any restrictions on the scope of work or access to required information, and (c) management’s response to each. The Committee shall discuss with the independent auditor material issues on which the national office of the independent auditor was consulted by the Company’s audit team. |
| 14. | Periodically discuss with the Company’s independent auditor, without management being present, (a) their judgment about the quality, integrity and appropriateness of the Company’s accounting principles and financial disclosure practices as applied in its financial reporting and (b) the completeness and accuracy of the Company’s financial statements. |
| 15. | Review and discuss with management the Company’s earnings press releases, including the use of non-GAAP financial measures and other “pro forma” or “adjusted” presentations, as well as financial information and earnings guidance provided to analysts and rating agencies. Such discussions may be general (consisting of discussing the types of information to be disclosed and the types of presentations to be made), and each earnings release or each instance in which the Company provides earnings guidance need not be discussed in advance. |
| 16. | Review and discuss with management all material off-balance sheet transactions, arrangements, obligations (including contingent obligations) and other relationships of the Company with unconsolidated entities or other persons. |
| 17. | Review and approve the Company’s decision to enter into swaps and other derivatives transactions that are exempt from exchange-execution and clearing under “end-user exception” regulations established by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission; and review and approve the Company’s policies governing the Company’s use of swaps and other derivatives transactions subject to the end- user exception. |
| 18. | Review and discuss with management and the internal audit group the Company’s major financial risk exposures and management’s risk assessment and risk management policies. |
With respect to the internal audit function and internal controls:
| 19. | Review, based on the recommendation of the Company’s independent auditor and the person responsible for the Company’s internal audit group, the scope and plan of the work to be done by the internal audit group and the responsibilities, budget, audit plan, activities, organizational structure and staffing of the internal audit group as needed. |
| 20. | Receive reports from the internal audit group on the status of significant findings and recommendations, and management’s responses. |
| 21. | Review on an annual basis the performance of the internal audit group. |
| 22. | In consultation with the Company’s management, independent auditor and the internal audit group, review the adequacy of the Company’s internal controls, disclosure processes and its procedures designed to ensure compliance with laws and regulations, and any special audit steps adopted in light of material control deficiencies. |
| 23. | Review (a) the internal control report prepared by management, including management’s assessment of the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting and (b) the Company’s independent auditor’s attestation, and report, on the assessment made by management, in each case, as and when required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Discuss with management, the internal audit group and the independent auditor any changes in internal control over financial reporting disclosed or considered for disclosure in the Company’s periodic filings with the SEC. |
| 24. | Review with management and the Company’s independent auditor any reports or disclosure submitted by management to the Committee as contemplated by the certifications required under Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
| 25. | Review with management any management letters and the steps management intends to take to address the issues raised by those letters. |
With respect to the Company’s compliance programs:
| 26. | Monitor compliance with the Company’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, and oversee, review and discuss with management, at least annually, the implementation and effectiveness of the Company’s compliance and ethics programs. Review and take appropriate action with respect to any reports to the Committee from legal counsel for the Company concerning any material violation of securities law or breach of fiduciary duty or similar violation by the Company, its subsidiaries or any person acting on their behalf. As appropriate, the Committee shall report and make recommendations to the Board with respect to these matters. |
| 27. | Establish procedures for (a) the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by the Company regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters and (b) the confidential, anonymous submission by employees of the Company or any subsidiary or affiliate of the Company whose financial information is included in the Company’s financial statements of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters. |
| 28. | Review and approve (a) any amendment to or waiver from the Company’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics for the chief executive officer and senior financial officers and (b) any public disclosure made regarding such change or waiver and advise the Board with respect to the Company’s policies and procedures regarding compliance with the Company’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. |
| 29. | Develop and recommend to the Board for approval policies and procedures for the review, approval or ratification of related person transactions required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K, as may be amended from time to time, and any other applicable requirements (the “Related Person Transactions Policy”). Review the Related Person Transactions Policy at least annually and recommend to the Board for approval any changes to the Policy. Oversee the implementation of and compliance with the Related Person Transactions Policy, including reviewing, approving or ratifying related person transactions, as appropriate pursuant to the Related Person Transaction Policy. |
| 30. | Review with management, the independent registered public accounting firm, 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. |
| 31. | To the extent that the Company’s securities continue to be listed on an exchange and subject to Rule 10D-1 (the “Rule”) under the Exchange Act, the Committee shall, with the assistance of management, advise the Board and any other Board committees if the clawback provisions of the Rule are triggered based upon a financial statement restatement or other financial statement change. |
| 32. | Implement and oversee the Company’s cybersecurity and information security policies, and periodically review the policies and managing potential cybersecurity incidents. |
With respect to the Committee’s other authorities and responsibilities:
| 33. | Review and assess annually its own performance and the adequacy of this Charter and recommend to the Board any changes to this Charter deemed appropriate by the Committee. |
| 34. | Report regularly to the Board. |
| 35. | Perform any other activities consistent with this Charter, the Company’s organizational documents, as required under the Applicable Requirements or as the Committee or the Board otherwise deems necessary or appropriate. |
| V. | Resources |
The Committee shall have the authority to retain or terminate, at its sole discretion, independent legal, accounting and other advisors, consultants or professionals (collectively, “Advisors”) to assist the Committee in its responsibilities and shall be directly responsible for overseeing the work of such Advisors. The chairperson of the Committee, at the request of any member of the Committee, may request any officer, employee or advisor of the Company or the Company’s independent auditor to attend a meeting of the Committee or otherwise respond to Committee requests.
The Committee shall have the sole authority to determine the terms of engagement and the extent of funding necessary (and to be provided by the Company) for payment of (a) compensation to the Company’s independent auditor engaged for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit report or performing other audit, review or attest services for the Company, (b) any compensation to any Advisors retained to advise the Committee and (c) ordinary administrative expenses of the Committee that are necessary or appropriate in carrying out its duties.
Exhibit 99.2
GIGCAPITAL7 CORP.
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE CHARTER
| I. | Purpose |
The Compensation Committee (the “Committee”) of the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of GigCapital7 Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), shall have responsibility for the compensation of the Company’s executive officers, including the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (the “CEO”), and for incentive compensation, equity-based and pension plans as further provided in this Charter.
| II. | Organization |
The Committee shall consist of two or more directors, each of whom shall satisfy the applicable independence and other compensation committee membership requirements of the Company’s corporate governance guidelines, the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) and any other applicable regulatory requirements, subject to any exceptions or cure periods that are applicable pursuant to the foregoing requirements and the phase-in periods permitted under the rules of Nasdaq under which the Committee is required to have only one independent member at the time of listing, a majority of independent members within 90 days of listing and all independent members within one year of listing.
At least one member of the Committee shall have experience in matters relating to executive compensation either as a professional or as a business executive. At least two members shall qualify as (a) “outside directors” within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, including Treasury Regulations Section 1.162-27 (“Outside Directors”), and (b) “non-employee directors” within the meaning of Section 16 of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (“Non-Employee Directors”).
Members of the Committee shall be appointed by the independent directors and may be removed by the Board at any time; provided, however, that if removing a member or members of the Committee would cause the Committee to have fewer than three members, then the Board must, based upon the recommendation of the Board, at the same time appoint enough additional members to the Committee so that the Committee will have at least two members who qualify as (a) Outside Directors and (b) Non-Employee Directors. The Committee’s chairperson shall be designated by the Board or, if not so designated, the members of the Committee shall elect a chairperson by a vote of the majority of the full Committee.
The Committee may form and delegate authority to subcommittees from time to time as it sees fit, provided that the subcommittees are composed entirely of directors who satisfy the applicable independence requirements of the Nasdaq and the Company’s corporate governance guidelines, if any.
| III. | Meetings |
The Committee shall meet as often as necessary to carry out its responsibilities. Meetings shall be called by the chairperson of the Committee or, if there is no chairperson, by a majority of the members of the Committee. Meetings may be held telephonically or by other electronic means to the extent permitted by the Company’s organizational documents and applicable law. Committee actions may be taken by unanimous written consent.
| IV. | Authority and Responsibilities |
To fulfil its responsibilities, the Committee shall:
| 1. | Review and make recommendations to the Board with respect to the Company’s compensation strategy to ensure it is appropriate to attract, retain and motivate senior management and other key employees. |
| 2. | Review and make recommendations to the Board with respect to the executive compensation philosophy, policies and programs that in the Committee’s judgment support the Company’s overall business strategy and review and discuss, at least annually, the material risks associated with executive compensation structure, policies and programs to determine whether such structure, policies and programs encourage excessive risk-taking and to evaluate compensation policies and practices that could mitigate any such risk. |
| 3. | On an annual basis, review and approve corporate goals and objectives relevant to the compensation of the Company’s CEO, evaluate the CEO’s performance in light of those goals and objectives and determine and approve CEO compensation based on this evaluation. In evaluating, determining and approving the long-term incentive component of CEO compensation, the Committee may consider, among such other factors as it may deem relevant, the Company’s performance, shareholder returns, the value of similar incentive awards to executive officers at comparable companies, the value of similar awards given to other executive officers of the Company, the results of the most recent shareholder advisory vote on executive compensation required by Section 14A of the Exchange Act (the “Say-on-Pay Vote”) and the awards given to the executive officer in past years. The CEO shall not be present during voting or deliberations relating to his or her compensation. |
| 4. | On an annual basis, review and approve the compensation of the Company’s other executive officers, evaluate the executive officers’ performance in light of those goals and objectives and determine and make recommendations to the Board with respect to executive officer compensation based on this evaluation. In evaluating and making recommendations with respect to the long-term incentive component of executive officer compensation, the Committee may consider, among such other factors as it may deem relevant, the Company’s performance, shareholder returns, the value of similar incentive awards to executive officers at comparable companies, the value of similar awards given to other executive officers of the Company, the results of the most recent Say-on-Pay Vote and the awards given to the executive officer in past years. No executive officer may be present during voting or deliberations relating to his or her compensation. |
| 5. | Review and make recommendations to the Board with respect to the Company’s incentive compensation, equity-based and pension plans, if any. With respect to each such plan, the Committee shall have responsibility for: |
| (a) | implementing and administering the plan; |
| (b) | setting performance targets under all annual bonus and long-term incentive compensation plans as appropriate and committing to writing any and all performance targets for executive officers who may be “covered employees” under applicable laws and regulations; |
| (c) | if called for by the plan, certifying that any and all performance targets used for any performance-based equity compensation plans have been met before payment of any executive bonus or compensation or exercise of any executive award granted under any such plans; |
| (d) | approving all amendments to, and terminations of, all compensation plans and any awards under such plans; |
| (e) | granting any awards under any performance-based annual bonus, long- term incentive compensation and equity compensation plans to executive officers or current employees with the potential to become a CEO or an executive officer, including share options and other equity rights (e.g., restricted shares and share purchase rights); |
| (f) | approving which executive officers are entitled to awards under the Company’s share option plans; and |
| (g) | approving repurchases of securities from terminated employees. |
In reviewing the Company’s incentive compensation, equity-based and pension plans, the Committee may consider the plan’s administrative costs, current plan features relative to any proposed new features, the results of the most recent Say-on-Pay Vote and the performance of the plan’s internal and external administrators if any duties have been delegated.
| 6. | Review and recommend to the Board for approval any employment agreement or compensatory transaction with an executive officer of the Company involving compensation in excess of $120,000 per year. |
| 7. | Establish and periodically review policies concerning perquisite benefits and approve all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefits arrangements for officers and employees of the Company. |
| 8. | Determine and recommend to the Board for approval the Company’s policy with respect to change-of-control or “parachute” payments. In reviewing the Company’s policy with respect to change of control or “parachute” payments, the Committee may consider, among such other factors as it may deem relevant, the results of the most recent Say-on-Pay Vote on “parachute” payments, if any. |
| 9. | Review and make recommendations to the Board with respect to executive officer and director indemnification and insurance matters. |
| 10. | Review and recommend to the Board for approval the compensation of directors for their service to the Board. Review, evaluate and recommend changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration of directors. |
| 11. | Approve compensation awards, including individual awards, as may be required to comply with applicable tax and state corporate laws. |
| 12. | Review the Company’s compensation disclosures in its annual proxy statement and its Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC and assist management in complying with proxy statement and annual report requirements. Review and discuss the Company’s Compensation Discussion and Analysis (“CD&A”) with management and based on such review and discussion, determine whether to recommend to the Board that such compensation disclosures and CD&A be disclosed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K or annual proxy statement filed with the SEC, as applicable. |
| 13. | Review and recommend to the Board for approval the frequency with which the Company will conduct Say-on-Pay Votes, taking into account the results of the most recent shareholder advisory vote on frequency of Say-on-Pay Votes required by Section 14A of the Exchange Act, and review and recommend to the Board for approval the proposals regarding the Say-on-Pay Vote and the frequency of the Say-on-Pay Vote to be included in the Company’s proxy statement filed with the SEC. |
| 14. | Prepare any report required by applicable rules and regulations or listing standards, including the report required by the SEC to be included in the Company’s annual proxy statement, or, if the Company does not file a proxy statement, in the Company’s Annual Report filed on Form 10-K with the SEC. |
| 15. | To the extent that the Company’s securities continue to be listed on an exchange and subject to Rule 10D-1 (the “Rule”) under the Exchange Act, the Committee shall, with the assistance of management, advise the Board and any other Board committee if the clawback provisions of the Rule are triggered based upon a financial statement restatement or other financial statement change. |
| 16. | Review and assess the adequacy of this Charter annually and recommend to the Board any changes deemed appropriate by the Committee. |
| 17. | Review its own performance annually. |
| 18. | Report regularly to the Board. |
| 19. | Perform any other activities consistent with this Charter, the Company’s by-laws and governing law, as the Committee or the Board deems necessary or appropriate. |
| V. | Resources |
The Committee shall have the authority to retain or terminate, at its sole discretion, compensation consultants, independent legal counsel or other advisors (collectively, “Advisors”) to assist the Committee in its responsibilities and shall be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of such Advisors. Before retaining an Advisor (other than in-house legal counsel and any Advisor whose role is limited to consulting on broad-based, non-discriminatory plans or providing information that is not customized in particular for the Company (as described in Item 407(e)(3)(iii) of Regulation S-K)), the Committee shall consider the independence of such Advisor, including any independence factors that it is required to consider by law or Nasdaq rules.
The chairperson of the Committee, at the request of any member of the Committee, may request that any officer, employee or advisor of the Company attend a meeting of the Committee or otherwise respond to Committee requests.
The Committee shall have the sole authority to determine the terms of engagement and the extent of funding necessary (and to be provided by the Company) for payment of compensation to any Advisors or other professionals retained to advise the Committee and ordinary administrative expenses of the Committee that are necessary or appropriate in carrying out its duties.
| VI. | Amendments |
Any amendment or other modification of this Charter shall be made and approved by the full Board.
Exhibit 99.3
GIGCAPITAL7 CORP.
CHARTER OF
THE NOMINATING AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE
OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
As adopted on [X], 2024
| I. | PURPOSE |
The purpose of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (the “Committee”) of the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of GigCapital7 Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), is to carry out the responsibilities delegated by the Board relating to the Company’s director nominations process and procedures, developing and maintaining the Company’s corporate governance policies and any related matters required by federal securities laws.
The primary responsibilities of the Committee are to (i) identify individuals qualified to become Board members; (ii) select, or recommend to the Board, director nominees for each election of directors; (iii) develop and recommend to the Board criteria for selecting qualified director candidates; (iv) consider committee member qualifications, appointment and removal; (v) recommend corporate governance guidelines and a code of conduct applicable to the Company; (vi) develop and maintain the Company’s corporate governance policies; (vii) recommend to the Board the responsibilities of each Board committee, the composition and operation of each Board committee, and the director nominees for assignment to each Board committee; and (viii) provide oversight in the evaluation of the Board and each committee thereof.
| II. | ORGANIZATION AND MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS |
The Committee shall be appointed by the Board and shall be comprised of two or more directors, each of whom shall satisfy the applicable independence requirements of the Company’s corporate governance guidelines, the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) and any other applicable regulatory requirements, subject to any exceptions or cure periods that are applicable pursuant to the foregoing requirements and the phase-in periods permitted under the rules of Nasdaq under which the Committee is required to have only one independent member at the time of listing, a majority of independent members within 90 days of listing and all independent members within one year of listing.
Each member of the Committee shall serve until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified or until such member’s earlier resignation, removal or death. Any member of the Committee may be removed or replaced by the Board at any time with or without cause. Unless a chair (the “Chair”) of the Committee is elected by the full Board, the members of the Committee may designate the Chair by majority vote of the full Committee membership. The Chair shall preside at all regular meetings of the Committee and set the agenda for each Committee meeting.
| III. | MEETINGS |
The Committee shall meet as often as it deems necessary or appropriate to fulfill its responsibilities hereunder and, at least once during each fiscal year. The Committee may meet with management or individual directors at such time as it deems appropriate to discuss any matters before the Committee. The Committee may request that any employee of the Company attend any of its meetings or meet with any Committee member or consultant thereof. The Committee shall meet periodically in executive session without the presence of management. Meetings shall be called by the Chair or, if there is no Chair, by a majority of the members of the Committee.
A majority of the members shall represent a quorum of the Committee and, if a quorum is present, any action approved by at least a majority of the members present (in person, telephonically, by video conference or through similar means of remote communication) shall represent the valid action of the Committee. The Committee may also take action by unanimous written consent without a meeting. Any actions taken by the Committee during any period in which one or more of the members fail for any reason to meet the membership requirements set forth above shall still constitute duly authorized actions of the Committee for all corporate purposes.
The Committee shall report regularly to the Board regarding its actions and make recommendations to the Board as appropriate. The Committee shall maintain written minutes of its meetings, which minutes will be filed with the minutes of the meetings of the Board.
| IV. | RESOURCES AND AUTHORITY OF THE COMMITTEE |
The Committee shall have the authority, in its sole discretion, to select, retain and obtain the advice of a director search firm as necessary to assist with the execution of its duties and responsibilities as set forth in this Charter. The Committee shall set the compensation and oversee the work of the director search firm. The Committee shall have the authority, in its sole discretion, to retain and obtain the advice and assistance of outside counsel, an executive search firm and such other advisors as it deems necessary to fulfill its duties and responsibilities under this Charter. The Committee shall set the compensation and oversee the work of its outside counsel, the executive search firm and any other advisors.
The Committee shall receive appropriate funding from the Company, as determined by the Committee in its capacity as a committee of the Board, for the payment of compensation to its search consultants, outside counsel and any other advisors. The fees and costs of any consultant or advisor engaged by the Committee to assist the Committee in performing its duties hereunder shall be borne by the Company.
In fulfilling its responsibilities, the Committee shall, to the extent permitted by law, be entitled to delegate duties or responsibilities to one or more subcommittees of the Committee comprised of one or more members of the Committee.
| V. | COMMITTEE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES |
To fulfill its responsibilities and duties hereunder, the Committee shall:
| A. | Nominating Functions |
| 1. | Determine the qualifications, qualities, skills, and other expertise required to be a director and to develop, and recommend to the Board for its approval, criteria to be considered in selecting nominees for director (the “Director Criteria”). |
| 2. | Identify and select, or recommend to the Board, nominees for each election of directors consistent with the Director Criteria, except that if the Company is at any time legally required by contract or otherwise to provide any third party with the ability to nominate a director, the Committee need not evaluate or propose such nomination, unless required by contract or requested by the Board. |
| 3. | Consider any nominations of director candidates validly made by the Company’s shareholders. |
| 4. | Review and make recommendations to the Board concerning qualifications, appointment and removal of committee members. |
| 5. | Identify and make recommendations to the Board regarding the selection and approval of candidates to fill any vacancies on the Board and/or any Board committee either by election by shareholders or appointment by the Board. |
2
| B. | Corporate Governance Functions |
| 1. | Develop, recommend for Board approval, and review on an ongoing basis the adequacy of, the Corporate Governance Guidelines applicable to the Company. |
| 2. | Develop and recommend to the Board for approval a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (the “Code”) applicable to all employees and directors, which meets the requirements of Item 406 of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Regulation S-K and the rules of Nasdaq and provide for and review prompt disclosure to the public of any change in, or waiver of, the Code. Review the Code periodically and recommend such changes to the Code as the Committee shall deem appropriate, and adopt procedures for monitoring and enforcing compliance with the Code. |
| 3. | Oversee the Company’s corporate governance practices and procedures, including identifying best practices and reviewing, at least annually, the Company’s compliance with Nasdaq corporate governance listing requirements, and report to the Board regarding the same. |
| 4. | Review and recommend to the Board, in furtherance of the above, changes to the documents, policies and procedures in the Company’s corporate governance framework, including the Company’s certificate of incorporation and/or bylaws as needed. |
| 5. | Develop and recommend to the Board for approval standards for determining whether a director has a relationship with the Company that would impair its independence. |
| 6. | Assist the Board in developing criteria for the evaluation of Board and committee performance. |
| 7. | Oversee the evaluation of the performance of the Board, each committee of the Board and Company management. |
| 8. | Review the Board’s committee structure and composition and make recommendations to the Board regarding the appointment of directors to serve as members of each committee and committee chairs annually. |
| 9. | Develop and oversee a Company orientation program for new directors and a continuing education program for current directors, periodically review these programs and update them as necessary. |
| 10. | Review any director resignation letter tendered in accordance with the Company’s director resignation policy set out in the Company’s corporate governance guidelines and evaluate and recommend to the Board whether such resignation should be accepted. |
| 11. | Develop and recommend to the Board for approval an executive officer succession plan (the “Succession Plan”), to review the Succession Plan periodically with the executive officers, develop and evaluate potential candidates for each executive officer position and recommend to the Board any changes to and any candidates for succession under the Succession Plan. |
| 12. | Review and discuss with management disclosure of the Company’s corporate governance practices, including information regarding the operations of the Committee and other Board committees, director independence and the director nominations process, and to recommend that this disclosure be included in the Company’s proxy statement or annual report on Form 10-K, as applicable. |
| 13. | Make reports to the Board regarding any of the foregoing as appropriate. |
| 14. | Perform any other activities consistent with this Charter, the Company’s certificate of incorporation the Company’s bylaws and applicable governing law, as the Committee or the Board deems necessary or appropriate. |
3
Exhibit 99.4
Consent of Director Nominee
GigCapital7 Corp.
Pursuant to Rule 438 of Regulation C promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), in connection with the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (the “Registration Statement”) of GigCapital7 Corp., the undersigned hereby consents to being named and described as a director nominee in the Registration Statement and any amendment or supplement to any prospectus included in such Registration Statement, any amendment to such Registration Statement or any subsequent Registration Statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act and to the filing or attachment of this consent with such Registration Statement and any amendment or supplement thereto. The undersigned also consents to the filing of this consent as an exhibit to such Registration Statement and any amendments and supplements thereto.
Dated: July 9, 2024
| /s/ Karen Rogge |
| Karen Rogge |
Exhibit 99.5
Consent of Director Nominee
GigCapital7 Corp.
Pursuant to Rule 438 of Regulation C promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), in connection with the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (the “Registration Statement”) of GigCapital7 Corp., the undersigned hereby consents to being named and described as a director nominee in the Registration Statement and any amendment or supplement to any prospectus included in such Registration Statement, any amendment to such Registration Statement or any subsequent Registration Statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act and to the filing or attachment of this consent with such Registration Statement and any amendment or supplement thereto. The undersigned also consents to the filing of this consent as an exhibit to such Registration Statement and any amendments and supplements thereto.
| Dated: July , 2024 |
| /s/ Raanan I. Horowitz |
| Raanan I. Horowitz |
Exhibit 99.6
Consent of Director Nominee
GigCapital7 Corp.
Pursuant to Rule 438 of Regulation C promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), in connection with the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (the “Registration Statement”) of GigCapital7 Corp., the undersigned hereby consents to being named and described as a director nominee in the Registration Statement and any amendment or supplement to any prospectus included in such Registration Statement, any amendment to such Registration Statement or any subsequent Registration Statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act and to the filing or attachment of this consent with such Registration Statement and any amendment or supplement thereto. The undersigned also consents to the filing of this consent as an exhibit to such Registration Statement and any amendments and supplements thereto.
Dated: July 9, 2024
| /s/ Adrian Zuckerman |
| Adrian Zuckerman |
Exhibit 99.7
Consent of Director Nominee
GigCapital7 Corp.
Pursuant to Rule 438 of Regulation C promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), in connection with the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (the “Registration Statement”) of GigCapital7 Corp., the undersigned hereby consents to being named and described as a director nominee in the Registration Statement and any amendment or supplement to any prospectus included in such Registration Statement, any amendment to such Registration Statement or any subsequent Registration Statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act and to the filing or attachment of this consent with such Registration Statement and any amendment or supplement thereto. The undersigned also consents to the filing of this consent as an exhibit to such Registration Statement and any amendments and supplements thereto.
Dated: July 9, 2024
| /s/ Darius Moshfeghi |
| Darius Moshfeghi |