Jet.AI Inc 10-K, filed Mar 30, 2022
Jet.AI Inc. (JTAI)
About this 10-K
Jet.AI Inc filed this 10-K on March 30, 2022, covering the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
(Mark One)
For
the fiscal year ended
OR
For the transition period from to
Commission
File Number
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its Charter)
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
(Address of principal executive offices and zip code)
Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code:
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name
of each exchange on which registered | ||
| The Capital Market | ||||
| The Capital Market | ||||
| The Capital Market |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None
Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. YES ☐ ☒
Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. YES ☐ ☒
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. ☒ NO ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to submit such files). ☒ NO ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definition of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ |
| ☒ | Small reporting company | ||
| Emerging growth company |
If
an emerging growth company, indicate by the check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying
with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness
of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered
public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.
Indicate
by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
As of June 30, 2021 (the
last business day of the Registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter), the Registrant’s securities were not
publicly traded. The Registrant’s Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, began trading on The Nasdaq Stock Market
separately from its Units (as defined below) on October 1, 2021. The aggregate market value of the Registrant’s Class A ordinary
shares outstanding, other than shares held by persons who may be deemed affiliates of the Registrant, at December 31, 2021, was approximately
$
As of March 30, 2022, there were shares of Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, and shares of Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, issued and outstanding.
Documents
Incorporated by Reference:
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This annual report includes, and oral statements made from time to time by representatives of Oxbridge Acquisition Corp. This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains statements that are forward-looking and as such are not historical facts. This includes, without limitation, statements under “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” regarding our financial position, business strategy and the plans and objectives of management for future operations. These statements constitute projections, forecasts and forward-looking statements, and are not guarantees of performance. Such statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. When used in this Annual Report, words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “strive,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking.
The forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following risks, uncertainties and other factors:
| ● | our being a company with no operating history and no operating revenues; |
| ● | our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses; |
| ● | our expectations around the performance of a prospective target business or businesses; |
| ● | our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination; |
| ● | our directors and officers allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination; |
| ● | the ability of our directors and officers to generate a number of potential business combination opportunities; |
| ● | our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination; |
| ● | our pool of prospective target businesses; |
| ● | our ability to consummate an initial business combination due to the uncertainty resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases); |
| ● | the ability of our directors and officers to generate potential business combination opportunities; |
| ● | our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading; |
| ● | the lack of a market for our securities; |
| ● | the use of proceeds not held in the trust account (as defined below and described herein) or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance; |
| ● | the trust account not being subject to claims of third parties; |
| ● | our financial performance; and |
| ● | the other risk and uncertainties discussed in “Item 1A. Risk Factors,” elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including in our Form S-1 that we filed with the SEC relating to our initial public offering. |
Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws
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PART I
References in this annual report to “we,” “us,” “company,” “OXAC,” or “our company” are to Oxbridge Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company. References to “management” or our “management team” are to our officers and directors. References to our “sponsor” are to OAC Sponsor Ltd., a Cayman Islands exempted company. References to our “initial shareholder” are to our sponsor, the holder of our Class B ordinary shares prior to our initial public offering.
Item 1. Business.
Introduction
We are a blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any operating revenue to date. Based on our business activities, the Company is a “shell company” as defined under the Exchange Act because we have no operations and nominal assets consisting almost entirely of cash.
Our executive offices are located at Suite 201, 42 Edward Street, George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands and our telephone number is +1 (345) 749-7570. Our corporate website address is www.oxbridgeaq.com. Our website and the information contained on, or that can be accessed through, the website is not deemed to be incorporated by reference in, and is not considered part of, this annual report. You should not rely on any such information in making your decision whether to invest in our securities.
Company History
On April 12, 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 2,875,000 Class B ordinary shares (our “founder shares”) for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.009 per share. Our Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares, on a one-for-one basis, upon the completion of a business combination. The number of founder shares issued was based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding Class A ordinary shares and our Class B ordinary shares (collectively, our “ordinary shares”) upon completion of our initial public offering (the “IPO”).
On August 16, 2021, we consummated our IPO of 10,000,000 Units at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $100,000,000 and incurring offering costs of approximately $6,624,000, inclusive of approximately $3,500,000 in deferred underwriting commissions. The underwriter was granted a 45-day option from the date of the final prospectus relating to the initial public offering to purchase up to 1,500,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, if any, at $10.00 per Unit. On August 16, 2021, the underwriters exercised the over-allotment option in full and, purchased an additional 1,500,000 Over-Allotment Units, generating additional gross proceeds of $15,000,000, and incurring additional offering costs of $825,000, inclusive of approximately $525,000 of deferred underwriting commissions. Each warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A ordinary shares at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to certain adjustments.
Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, we consummated the sale of 5,760,000 warrants to the sponsor and Maxim Group LLC (“Maxim”), the underwriter in our initial public offering (the “private placement warrants”), at a price of $1.00 per private placement warrant, generating gross proceeds of $5,760,000. An aggregate of $116,725,000 from the proceeds of the IPO and the private placement warrants was placed in a trust account (the “trust account”) such that the trust account held $116,725,000 at the time of closing of the IPO. Each private placement warrant is exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, subject to certain adjustments.
On September 30, 2021, we announced that, commencing October 1, 2021, holders of the 11,500,000 units sold in the IPO may elect to separately trade the shares of Class A ordinary shares and the warrants included in the units. Those units not separated continued to trade on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) under the symbol “OXACU” and the Class A ordinary shares and warrants that were separated trade under the symbols “OXAC” and “OXACW,” respectively.
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Our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants are registered under the Exchange Act and we have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. The SEC’s website (http://www.sec.gov) contains such reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual reports contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accounting firm.
Effecting a Business Combination
Our Business Strategy
We believe that the blockchain technology, artificial intelligence and insurtech sectors are highly fragmented and evolving quickly. Our business strategy is to identify and consummate an initial business combination with a disruptive and differentiated technology company that focuses on blockchain technology, artificial intelligence or insurtech technologies. We will seek to acquire established businesses that we believe are fundamentally sound but potentially in need of financial, operational, strategic or managerial redirection to maximize value. We may also look at earlier stage companies that exhibit the potential to change the industries in which they participate and which will offer the potential of sustained high levels of revenue growth and path to profitability.
We intend to employ a thematic acquisition strategy, and are focused on long-term shareholder value growth and building a leading franchise. Our strategy is to:
● target a company with disruptive and differentiated technology;
● fully leverage the industry experience and broad network of our executive officers, board members and advisors to identify potential investment opportunities and successfully execute acquisition transactions;
● deliver creative approaches to transaction sourcing, while exercising pricing discipline; and
● utilize an understanding of global financial markets and events, financing, restructuring and overall corporate strategy options.
Our business combination strategy will leverage the following attributes of our management team:
● Broad network, proprietary contacts, corporate relationships including financing providers and investment market participants, private equity groups, investment banks, accounting firms, target management teams and companies or individuals that represent sellers);
● Industry experience developed through operating, managing, marketing and growing businesses in the insurance industry;
● Investing and building companies in the insurance and InsurTech sector with unique market insights;
● Substantial experience in navigating the challenges of operating public companies; and
● Engaging with public market analysts and investors to help companies better communicate their business model, opportunity and strategy to maximize value for their shareholders.
In addition to assisting in the sourcing of a potential transaction, members of our management team may join the acquired company as a board member or in a senior executive capacity or assist in the operation of the acquired company in order to enhance shareholder value by improving the operational performance of the combined company and undertaking broader strategic initiatives.
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Business Combination Criteria
Our intent is to seek potential target businesses globally. The maturity and judgment of our team will guide our acquisition process. When potential targets are being evaluated, we expect to use the following, non-exclusive criteria listed below for determining opportunities. We will use these criteria when evaluating business combination opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet all or some of these criteria:
| ● | Is Established and of Sufficient Scale. We will seek to acquire an established business with an enterprise value suitable for the size of our company, and without excessive leverage. | |
| ● | Has a Defensible Market Position. We will seek to acquire a business that has a defensible position within a target market as a result of a differentiated technology, distribution capabilities, customer service or other competitive advantages. | |
| ● | Generates Stable Free Cash-Flow. We will seek to acquire a business that has historically generated, or has the near-term potential to generate, strong and sustainable free cash flow. | |
| ● | Is Sourced Through our Proprietary Channels. We expect to acquire a business that we source by leveraging the extensive network of our management team and do not expect to participate in broadly marketed processes. | |
| ● | Can Benefit from our Capabilities. We will seek to acquire a business whose performance and operations can benefit from the collective capabilities of our sponsor, founders and management team and their expertise to tangibly improve the operations and market position of the target, including improving operations with enhanced managing capabilities and growing InsurTech and disruptive blockchain companies. | |
| ● | Has a Committed and Capable Management Team. We will seek to acquire a business with a professional management team whose interests are aligned with those of our shareholders and complement the expertise of our management team. Where necessary, we may also look to complement and enhance the capabilities of the target business’s management team by recruiting additional talent through our network of contacts. | |
| ● | Has the Potential to Grow Through Further Acquisition Opportunities. We will seek to acquire a business that has the potential to grow through additional acquisitions. | |
| ● | Has publicly traded peers. We will seek to acquire a business that has publicly traded comparable companies that operate in a similar industry sector or which have similar operating metrics which may help establish that the valuation of our initial business combination is attractive relative to such public peers; |
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 may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our stockholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, would be in the form of proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents that we would file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC.
Additional Disclosures
Our Acquisition Process
Each of our directors and officers presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. Accordingly, if any of our directors or officers becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may need to honor these fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our directors or officers will materially affect our ability to identify and pursue business combination opportunities or complete our initial business combination.
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Initial Business Combination
Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. We refer to this as the 80% of net assets test. If our Board of Directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire or an independent accounting firm. We do not intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination. Additionally, pursuant to Nasdaq rules, any initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will also provide that any initial business combination must be approved by at least 75% of our Board of Directors.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the issued and outstanding equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the issued and outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the 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 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 issued and outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity securities of a target business or issue a substantial number of new shares to third-parties in connection with financing our initial business combination. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our issued and outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% fair market value test. If our initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% fair market value test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses.
Extension of Time to Complete Business Combination
We will have until November 16, 2022 to consummate an initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination by November 16, 2022, we will, by resolution of our Board of Directors if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by an additional three months up to twice (for a total of 21 months through May 16, 2023 to complete a business combination), (each an “Extension Period”), subject to the sponsor depositing additional funds into the trust account as set out below. In connection with any such extension, public shareholders will not be offered the opportunity to vote on or redeem their shares. Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company on the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination for an additional three months, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees must deposit into the trust account $ $1,150,000 on or prior to the date of the deadline. We will only be able to extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by an additional three months twice (for a total of six months). We will issue a press release announcing each extension, at least three days prior to the deadline. In addition, we will issue a press release the day after the deadline, announcing whether the funds have been timely deposited. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are obligated to fund the trust account in order to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination, but our sponsor will not be obligated to extend such time.
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Facilities
We maintains our principal executive offices at Suite 201, 42 Edward Street, George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. We pays our sponsor $10,000 per month for office space, administrative and support services pursuant to the terms of an administrative services agreement between us and our sponsor. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees. We considers our current office space adequate for our current operations.
Employees
We currently have two executive officers. These individuals are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters, but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we has completed our initial business combination. The amount of time that any such person will devote in any time period to our company will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the current stage of the business combination process. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the consummation of an initial business combination.
Competition
We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. Additionally, the number of blank check companies looking for business combination targets has increased compared to recent years and many of these blank check companies are sponsored by entities or persons that have significant experience with completing business combinations. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds from our initial public offering and private placement warrants, if we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.15 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
Emerging Growth Company
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”), and may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable.
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We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of: (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of our initial public offering, or December 31, 2026, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our ordinary shares that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of the prior fiscal year’s second fiscal quarter; and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.00 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this Annual Report, including our financial statements and related notes, and the prospectus relating to our IPO, before making a decision to invest in our securities. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties that we are unaware of, or that we currently believe are not material, may also become important factors that adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.
Summary of Risk Factors
Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties. These risks include, but are not limited to, risks associated with:
| ● | being a newly incorporated exempted company without an operating history; | |
| ● | our ability to continue as a “going concern;” | |
| ● | delay in receiving distributions from the trust account; | |
| ● | lack of opportunity to vote on our proposed business combination; | |
| ● | lack of protections afforded to investors of blank check companies; | |
| ● | issuance of equity and/or debt securities to complete a business combination; | |
| ● | lack of working capital; | |
| ● | third-party claims reducing the per-share redemption price; | |
| ● | negative interest rate for securities in which we may invest the funds held in the trust account; | |
| ● | our shareholders being held liable for claims by third parties against us; | |
| ● | failure to enforce our sponsor’s indemnification obligations; | |
| ● | warrant holders limited to exercising warrants only on a “cashless basis;” | |
| ● | the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company; | |
| ● | dependence on key personnel; | |
| ● | conflicts of interest of our sponsor, officers and directors; | |
| ● | the delisting of our securities by Nasdaq; | |
| ● | dependence on a single target business with a limited number of products or services; | |
| ● | our shareholders’ inability to vote or redeem their shares in connection with our extensions; | |
| ● | shares being redeemed and warrants becoming worthless; | |
| ● | our competitors with advantages over us in seeking business combinations; | |
| ● | ability to obtain additional financing; | |
| ● | our initial shareholders controlling a substantial interest in us; | |
| ● | warrants adverse effect on the market price of our ordinary shares; | |
| ● | disadvantageous timing for redeeming warrants; | |
| ● | registration rights’ adverse effect on the market price of our ordinary shares; | |
| ● | impact of COVID-19 and related risks; | |
| ● | business combination with a company located in a foreign jurisdiction; | |
| ● | changes in laws or regulations; | |
| ● | tax consequences to business combinations; and | |
| ● | exclusive forum provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. |
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RISKS RELATING TO OUR SEARCH FOR, CONSUMMATION OF, OR INABILITY TO CONSUMMATE, A BUSINESS COMBINATION AND POST-BUSINESS COMBINATION RISKS
Our public shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public shareholders do not support such a combination.
We may not hold a shareholder vote to approve our initial business combination unless the business combination would require shareholder approval under applicable Cayman Islands law or the rules of Nasdaq or if we decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons. Examples of transactions that would not ordinarily require shareholder approval under Cayman Islands law or the rules of Nasdaq include asset acquisitions and capital stock or share purchases, while transactions such as direct mergers with our company or transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares would require shareholder approval. For instance, Nasdaq rules currently allow us to engage in a tender offer in lieu of a general meeting but would still require us to obtain shareholder approval if we were seeking to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares to a target business as consideration in any business combination. Therefore, if we were structuring a business combination that required us to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares, we would seek shareholder approval of such business combination. Except as required by applicable law or Nasdaq 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.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if shareholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law, 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 receive only approximately $10.15 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination will be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash, unless we seek shareholder approval of the business combination.
At the time of your investment in us, you will not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of one or more target businesses. Since our Board of Directors may complete a business combination without seeking shareholder approval, public shareholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the business combination, unless we seek such shareholder approval. Accordingly, if we do not seek shareholder approval, your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to exercising your redemption rights within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our public shareholders in which we describe our initial business combination.
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Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.15 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on our redemption, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, if we are obligated to pay cash for the Class A ordinary shares redeemed and, in the event we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, we make purchases of our Class A ordinary shares, the resources available to us for our initial business combination may be reduced. Any of these obligations may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.15 per share (or less in certain circumstances) on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.15 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.15 per share” and other risk factors herein.
In recent years, the number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially. Many potential targets for special purpose acquisition companies have already entered into an initial business combination, and there are still many special purpose acquisition companies seeking targets for their initial business combination, as well as many such companies currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available, and it may require more time, more effort and more resources to identify a suitable target and to consummate an initial business combination.
In addition, because there are more special purpose acquisition companies seeking to enter into an initial business combination with available targets, the competition for available targets with attractive fundamentals or business models may increase, which could cause 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.
The ability of our public shareholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.
We may seek to enter into a business combination transaction agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public shareholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the business combination. Furthermore, we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 or such greater amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition, each as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with us.
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The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
At the time we enter into an agreement for our initial business combination, we will not know how many shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, and therefore we will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted for redemption. If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, we will need to reserve a portion of the cash in the trust account to meet such requirements, or arrange for third party financing. In addition, if a larger number of shares are submitted for redemption than we initially expected, we may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater portion of the cash in the trust account or arrange for third party financing. Raising additional third-party financing may involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. Furthermore, this dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the Class B ordinary shares result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B shares at the time of the 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 ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your shares.
If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful is increased. If our initial business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the trust account until we liquidate the trust account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your shares in the open market; however, at such time our shares may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in the trust account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with our redemption until we liquidate or you are able to sell your shares in the open market.
The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may decrease our ability to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our shareholders.
Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business combination by November 16, 2022 or any Extension Period. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete our initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the timeframe described above. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.
We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public shareholders may only receive approximately $10.15 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our initial shareholder, officers and directors have agreed that we must complete by November 16, 2022 or during any Extension Period. We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within such time period. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable, and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public 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, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such case, our public shareholders may only receive approximately $10.15 per share, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.15 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.15 per share” and other risk factors herein.
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Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus was reported to have surfaced in Wuhan, China, which has and is continuing to spread throughout China and other parts of the world, including the United States. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.” On January 31, 2020, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II declared a public health emergency for the United States to aid the U.S. healthcare community in responding to COVID-19, and on March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization characterized the outbreak as a “pandemic”. A significant outbreak of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases has resulted in a widespread health crisis, which has adversely affected the economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a business combination could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if continued concerns relating to COVID-19 restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target company’s personnel, vendors or service providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial shareholder, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares from public shareholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our ordinary shares.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our initial shareholder, directors, officers, advisors or their respective affiliates, may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such shareholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our initial shareholders, directors, officers, or their respective affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. The price per share paid in any such transaction 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. The purpose of such purchases could be to vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of the business combination or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. This may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our ordinary shares and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, possibly making it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
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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. In the event that a shareholder fails to comply with these procedures, its shares may not be redeemed.
You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. To liquidate your investment, therefore, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Our public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earlier to occur of: (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) 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 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 do not complete our initial business combination by November 16, 2022 or during any Extension Period, or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination by November 16, 2022 or during any Extension Period, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In no other circumstances will a public shareholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Holders of warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
You are not entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
Because we had net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the successful completion of our initial public offering and the private placement and filed a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet of the company demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors are not afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means we will have a longer period of time to complete our initial business combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, if our initial public offering was subject to Rule 419, that rule would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us unless and until the funds in the trust account were released to us in connection with our completion of an initial business combination.
If the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of private placement warrants that not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least through to November 16, 2022 (or through a 3 or 6-month extension period), we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.
The funds available to us outside of the trust account may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least through November 16, 2022 (or 3 or 6 months thereafter), assuming that our initial business combination is not completed during that time. We expect to incur significant costs in pursuit of our acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through our initial public offering and potential loans from certain of our affiliates. However, our affiliates are not obligated to make loans to us in the future, and we may not be able to raise additional financing from unaffiliated parties necessary to fund our expenses. Any such event in the future may negatively impact the analysis regarding our ability to continue as a going concern at such time.
We believe that the funds available to us outside of the trust account will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at through to November 16, 2022; however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. Of the funds available to us, we could use a portion of the funds available to us to pay fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. We could also use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision in letters of intent designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into a letter of intent where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.15 per share (or less in certain circumstances) on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.15 per share on the redemption of their shares.
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If the net proceeds of the initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination and we will depend on loans from our initial shareholders or management team to fund our search and to complete our initial business combination.
If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our initial shareholders, management team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate. Neither our initial shareholders, members of our management team nor any of their affiliates is under any obligation to advance funds to us in such circumstances. Any such advances would be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. Consequently, our public shareholders may only receive approximately $10.15 per share (or less in certain circumstances) on our redemption of our public shares, and our warrants will expire worthless. In such case, our public shareholders may only receive $10.15 per share, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Subsequent to the completion of our initial business combination, we may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and our share price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will surface all material issues that may be present inside a particular target business, that it would be possible to uncover all material issues through a customary amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. As a result of these factors, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining post-combination debt financing. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.15 per share.
Our placing of funds in the trust account may not protect those funds from third-party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered accounting firm), prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public shareholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third-party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative.
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Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third-party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we 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 $10.15 per share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors.
Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a vendor (other than our independent registered accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (i) $10.15 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of our initial public offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, 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 and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Our sponsor may not have sufficient funds available to satisfy those obligations. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such obligations, and therefore, no funds are currently set aside to cover any such obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.15 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
Our directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.15 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors, who are also members of our sponsor, would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so in any particular instance. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders may be reduced below $10.15 per share.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy or insolvency 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 or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy or insolvency laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy or insolvency court could seek to recover 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.
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If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over the claims of our shareholders and the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law, and may be included in our bankruptcy or insolvency estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy or insolvency claims deplete the trust account, the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
Our shareholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.
If we are forced to enter into an insolvent liquidation, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed as an unlawful payment if it was proved that immediately following the date on which the distribution was made, we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. As a result, a liquidator could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to us or our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and 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 up to $18,292 and to imprisonment for five years in the Cayman Islands.
We may not hold an annual general meeting until after the consummation of our initial business combination. Our public shareholders will not have the right to appoint directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination.
In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general meeting until no later than one full year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. There is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual or extraordinary general meetings in order to appoint directors. Until we hold an annual general meeting, public shareholders may not be afforded the opportunity to discuss company affairs with management. In addition, prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of our directors. Our initial shareholders have agreed that, subject to applicable law, neither of our initial shareholders will vote their founder shares to change the size of our board of directors or, without the others’ consent, with respect to appointment of directors. As holders of our Class A ordinary shares, our public shareholders will not have the right to vote on the appointment of directors prior to consummation of our initial business combination.
Because we are not limited to a particular industry 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’s operations.
We may pursue acquisition opportunities in any one of numerous industries, except that we will not, under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, be permitted to effectuate our business combination with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations. Because we have not yet identified or approached any specific target business with respect to a business combination, there is no basis to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any particular target business’ operations, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity, financial condition or prospects. To the extent we complete our 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 an early stage entity. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors or that we will have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a business combination target. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. 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 tender offer materials or proxy statement relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
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We may seek acquisition opportunities in industries or sectors that may be outside of our management’s areas of expertise.
We will consider a business combination outside of our management’s areas of expertise if a business combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive acquisition opportunity for our company. 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 Annual Report on Form 10-K regarding the areas of our management’s expertise would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire. As a result, our management may not be able to adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
We may seek acquisition opportunities with 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 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 volatile revenues or earnings and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all 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.
We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking or from an independent registered public accounting firm, and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Unless we complete our business combination with an affiliated entity, or our Board of Directors cannot independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire or from an independent accounting firm that the price we are paying for a target is fair to our company from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our shareholders will be relying on the judgment of our Board of Directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination. However, if our Board of Directors is unable to determine the fair value of an entity with which we seek to complete an initial business combination based on such standards, we will be required to obtain an opinion as described above.
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Because we must furnish our shareholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective target businesses.
The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on a business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or U.S. GAAP, or international financing reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.
Compliance obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may make it more difficult for us to effectuate our initial business combination, require substantial financial and management resources, and increase the time and costs of completing an acquisition.
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2021. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer 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 initial business combination may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.
We do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete a business combination with which a substantial majority of our shareholders do not agree.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold, except that we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (such that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. As a result, we may be able to complete our initial business combination even 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 initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our initial shareholders, directors, officers or advisors, or their respective affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, all ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.
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In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments. We cannot assure you that we will not 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 past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds and extended the period of time in which it had to consummate a business combination. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or governing instruments or extend the time in which we have to consummate a business combination through 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.
The provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that relate to our pre-initial business combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account), including an amendment to permit us to withdraw funds from the trust account such that the per share amount investors will receive upon any redemption or liquidation is substantially reduced or eliminated, may be amended with the approval of holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote in a general meeting, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other blank check companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our shareholders may not support.
Some other blank check companies have a provision in their charter which prohibits the amendment of certain of its provisions, including those which relate to a company’s pre-initial business combination activity, without approval by a certain percentage of the company’s shareholders. In those companies, amendment of these provisions requires approval by between 90% and 100% of the company’s public shareholders. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that any of its provisions, including those related to pre-initial business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of our initial public offering and the private placement of warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public shareholders as described herein and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or an amendment to permit us to withdraw funds from the trust account such that the per share amount investors will receive upon any redemption or liquidation is substantially reduced or eliminated), but excluding the provision of the articles relating to the appointment of directors, may be amended if approved by holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote in a general meeting, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our ordinary shares. Should our initial shareholders vote all their shares in favor of any such amendment at a meeting at which only the minimum quorum is present (and if the representative shares are voted in favor of the amendment), we would require approximately 1,600,001, or 16%, of the public shares issued in our initial public offering to be voted in favor of any such amendment for its approval (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ overallotment option and no purchase by our initial shareholders or their affiliates of public shares in the initial public offering or thereafter). We may not issue additional securities that can vote on amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Our initial shareholders, which collectively beneficially own 20% of our ordinary shares, will 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 it chooses. 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-initial 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.
We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination.
Although we believe that the net proceeds of the initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will be sufficient to allow us to complete our initial business combination, because we have not yet identified any prospective target business we cannot ascertain the capital requirements for any particular transaction. If the net proceeds of the initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants prove to be insufficient, either because of the size of our initial business combination, the obligation to redeem for cash a significant number of shares from shareholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial business combination, we may be required to seek additional financing or to abandon the proposed business combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or shareholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive approximately $10.15 per share on the liquidation of our trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.15 per share on the redemption of their shares.
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Resources could be wasted in researching acquisitions that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.15 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.15 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our initial business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular business combination is the most advantageous.
Our key personnel may be able to remain with the company after the completion of our initial business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to us after the completion of the business combination. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. However, we believe the ability of such individuals to remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination. There is no certainty, however, that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with us. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with us will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may affect our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company.
When evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’ management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
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The officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an acquisition candidates’ key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place.
If we effect our initial business combination with a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
If we effect our initial business combination with a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international setting, including any of the following:
| ● | costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations; | |
| ● | rules and regulations regarding currency redemption; | |
| ● | complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals; | |
| ● | laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected; | |
| ● | tariffs and trade barriers; | |
| ● | regulations related to customs and import/export matters; | |
| ● | longer payment cycles; | |
| ● | tax issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States; | |
| ● | currency fluctuations and exchange controls; | |
| ● | rates of inflation; | |
| ● | challenges in collecting accounts receivable; | |
| ● | cultural and language differences; | |
| ● | employment regulations; | |
| ● | crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks and wars; and | |
| ● | deterioration of political relations with the United States. |
We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, our operations might suffer, which may adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.
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We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete a business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our shareholders’ investment in us.
Although we have no commitments as of the date of this Annual Report on Form10-K to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt following our initial public offering, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our initial business combination. We have agreed that we will not incur any indebtedness unless we have obtained from the lender a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to the monies held in the trust account. As such, no issuance of debt will affect the per-share amount available for redemption from the trust account. Nevertheless, the incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:
| ● | default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations; |
| ● | acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant; |
| ● | our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand; |
| ● | our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding; |
| ● | our inability to pay dividends on our 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. |
We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operations and profitability.
Of the net proceeds from our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, $116,725,000 is available to complete our business combination and pay related fees and expenses (which includes up to $4,025,000 for the payment of deferred underwriting commissions).
We may effectuate our initial business combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously or within a short period of time. However, we may not be able to effectuate our initial business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:
| ● | solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset; or |
| ● | dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services. |
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This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our initial business combination.
We may attempt to simultaneously complete business combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to complete our initial business combination and give rise to increased costs and risks that could negatively impact our operations and profitability.
If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses that are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete our initial business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.
We may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In pursuing our acquisition strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. Very little public information generally exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
As the number of special purpose acquisition companies evaluating targets increases, attractive targets may become scarcer and there may be more competition for attractive targets. This could increase the cost of our initial business combination and could even result in our inability to find a target or to consummate an initial business combination.
In recent years, the number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially. Many potential targets for special purpose acquisition companies have already entered into an initial business combination, and there are still many special purpose acquisition companies seeking targets for their initial business combination, as well as many such companies currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available, and it may require more time, more effort and more resources to identify a suitable target and to consummate an initial business combination.
In addition, because there are more special purpose acquisition companies seeking to enter into an initial business combination with available targets, the competition for available targets with attractive fundamentals or business models may increase, which could cause 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.
We face risks related to insurance sector companies.
Business combinations with companies in the insurance sector entail special considerations and risks. If we are successful in completing a business combination with such a target business, we will be subject to, and possibly adversely affected by, the following risks:
| ● | Compliance with governmental regulations and changes in laws and regulations and risks from investigations and legal proceedings could be costly and could adversely affect operating results; |
| ● | We may not be able to obtain regulatory approvals in connection with a business combination in a timely manner, or at all, and this delay or failure may result in additional expenditures of money and resources, jeopardize our efforts to consummate a business combination within required time periods and force us to liquidate; |
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| ● | Each of our target businesses in the insurance sector will be subject to extensive regulation, which may adversely affect our ability to achieve our business objectives; in addition, if a target business fails to comply with these regulations, it may be subject to penalties, including fines and suspensions, which could reduce our earnings significantly; |
| ● | If we fail to properly evaluate the financial position and reserves of a target business with which we enter into a business combination, our losses and benefits from the operation of that business may exceed our loss and benefit reserves, which could have a significantly adverse effect on our results of operations; |
| ● | A downgrade in the claims paying and financial strength ratings of a target business may cause significant declines in its revenues and earnings; |
| ● | Changes in market interest rates or in the equity security markets may impair the performance of a target business’ investments, the sales of its investment products and issuers of securities held in the portfolio of the target business; |
| ● | The exclusions and limitations in policies written by a target business may not be enforceable; |
| ● | Cyclical changes in the property/casualty insurance industry may negatively impact a target business’ results of operations; |
| ● | Catastrophic losses are unpredictable and may adversely affect the results of operations, liquidity and financial condition of a target business; |
| ● | A target business may be subject to assessments and other surcharges from state guaranty funds, mandatory reinsurance arrangements and state insurance facilities, which may reduce or otherwise impair profitability; |
| ● | Reliance by a target business on information technology and telecommunications systems and the failure or disruption of these systems could disrupt its operations and adversely affect its results of operations; |
| ● | If our target business’ established reserves for insurance claims are insufficient, its earnings may be reduced or it could suffer losses; and |
| ● | If a target business is engaged in insurance brokerage, a reduction in insurance premium rates and commission rates may have an adverse effect on its operations and profits. |
Any of the foregoing could have a negative adverse impact on our operations following a business combination. However, our efforts in identifying prospective target businesses will not be limited to the insurance sector. Accordingly, if we acquire a target business in another industry, these risks will likely not affect us and we will be subject to other risks attendant with the specific industry in which we operate or target business which we acquire, none of which can be presently ascertained.
We may face risks related to businesses in the InsurTech sector.
Business combinations with businesses in the InsurTech sector may involve special considerations and risks. If we complete our initial business combination with a business in the financial services industry or a business providing technology services to the financial industry, we will be subject to the following risks, any of which could be detrimental to us and the business we acquire:
| ● | If we are unable to keep pace with evolving technology and changes in the InsurTech sector, our revenues and future prospects may decline; | |
| ● | Our ability to provide InsurTech products and services to customers may be reduced or eliminated by regulatory changes; |
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| ● | Any business or company we acquire could be vulnerable to cyberattack or theft of individual identities or personal data; | |
| ● | Difficulties with any products or services we provide could damage our reputation and business; | |
| ● | A failure to comply with privacy regulations could adversely affect relations with customers and have a negative impact on business; and | |
| ● | We may not be able to protect our intellectual property and we may be subject to infringement claims. |
Any of the foregoing could have an adverse impact on our operations following a business combination. However, our efforts in identifying prospective target businesses will not be limited to businesses in the InsurTech sector. Accordingly, if we acquire a target business in another industry, these risks will likely not affect us and we will be subject to other risks attendant with the specific industry in which the target business which we acquire operates, none of which can be presently ascertained.
RISKS RELATING TO OUR SPONSOR AND MANAGEMENT TEAM
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be totally dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. The role of our key personnel in the target business, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel may remain with the target business in senior management or advisory positions following our initial business combination, it is likely that some or all of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements.
We are dependent upon our officers and directors and their departure could adversely affect our ability to operate.
Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and, in particular, Mr. Madhu, our Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Timothy, our Chief Financial Officer, and our directors. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our officers and directors, at least until we have completed our initial business combination. In addition, our 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 officers. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or officers could have a detrimental effect on us.
Since our initial shareholders, executive officers and directors will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
On April 12, 2021, our sponsor purchased 2,875,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.009 per share. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by our sponsor, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible. Our initial shareholders own approximately 20% of our issued and outstanding shares. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination.
In addition, our sponsor and Maxim, the representative to the underwriters in our initial public offering, have purchased 5,760,000 private placement warrants, each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, at a price of $1.00 per warrant, Our sponsor and Maxim have purchased purchase 4,897,500 and 862,500 warrants, respectively, but such warrants will be worthless if we do not complete our initial business combination. Each of our officers (and directors) has made an investment in our sponsor and is a member of our sponsor. The personal and financial interests of our executive officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination. This risk may become more acute as the 15-month anniversary of the closing of our initial public offering nears, which is the deadline for our completion of an initial business combination.
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The founder shares are identical to the ordinary shares included in the units being sold in our initial public offering except that (i) holders of the founder shares have the right to vote on the appointment of our directors prior to our initial business combination, (ii) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, (iii) our initial shareholders, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed (A) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and (B) 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 by November 16, 2022 or during any Extension Period (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame) and (iv) the founder 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 herein and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
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 for which he or she may be entitled to substantial compensation and our officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. Our independent directors also serve as officers and 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.
Certain of our officers and directors are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Our initial shareholders and officers and directors are, or may in the future become, affiliated with entities (such as operating companies or investment vehicles) that are engaged in making and managing investments in a similar business, although they may not participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other special purpose acquisition companies with a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act until we have entered into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination or we have failed to complete our initial business combination by November 16, 2022 or during any Extension Period.
Our officers and directors also may become aware of business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us and the other entities to which they owe certain fiduciary or contractual duties. As a result, they will have a duty to offer acquisition opportunities to certain clients or other entities. Accordingly, our officers and directors 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 other entities prior to its presentation to us, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law.
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Our officers, directors, security holders and their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests.
We have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, officers, security holders or affiliates from having a direct or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. In fact, we may enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our initial shareholders, our directors or officers. Nor do we have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.
We may engage in a business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our initial shareholders, officers, directors or existing holders which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In light of the involvement of our initial shareholders, officers and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our initial shareholders, officers and directors. Our officers and directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under “Conflicts of Interest.” Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. Our initial shareholders, officers and directors are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to complete our initial business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, and there have been no preliminary discussions concerning a business combination with any such entity or entities. Although we will not be specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria for a business combination and such transaction was approved by a majority of our independent directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire or an independent accounting firm, regarding the fairness to our company from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our 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.
Since our sponsor, officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, will be reimbursed for any bona-fide, documented out-of-pocket expenses if our initial business combination is not completed, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
At the closing of our initial business combination, our sponsor, officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, will be reimbursed for any bona-fide, documented 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. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf. These financial interests of our sponsor, officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination and completing an initial business combination.
Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination. We cannot provide assurance that, upon loss of control of a target business, new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.
We may structure a business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for us not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. We will not consider any transaction that does not meet such criteria. Even if the post-transaction company owns 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new ordinary shares in exchange for all of the issued and outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity interests of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new ordinary shares, our shareholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority shareholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger portion of the company’s shares than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that our management will not be able to maintain our control of the target business.
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Our initial shareholders will control the appointment of our Board of Directors until consummation of our initial business combination and will hold a substantial interest in us. As a result, they will appoint all of our directors and may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Our initial shareholders owns approximately 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares. In addition, the founder shares, all of which are held by our initial shareholders, will entitle the initial shareholders to appoint all of our directors prior to our initial business combination. Holders of our public shares will have no right to vote on the appointment of directors during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution passed by at least 90% of our ordinary shares voting in a general meeting. As a result, you will not have any influence over the appointment of directors prior to our initial business combination.
Neither our initial shareholders nor, to our knowledge, any of our officers or directors, have any current intention to purchase additional securities. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, as a result of its substantial ownership in our company, our initial shareholders may exert a substantial influence on other actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approval of major corporate transactions. If our initial shareholders purchase any additional ordinary shares in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase its influence over these actions. Accordingly, our initial shareholders will exert significant influence over actions requiring a shareholder vote at least until the completion of our initial business combination.
RISKS RELATING TO OUR SECURITIES
The securities in which we may 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 $10.15 per share.
The proceeds held in the trust account can 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 $10.15 per share.
Nasdaq may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
We cannot assure you that our securities will continue to be listed on Nasdaq 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, we must maintain a minimum amount in shareholders’ equity (generally $2,500,000) and a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 300 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, our share price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share, our shareholders’ equity would generally be required to be at least $5.0 million and we would be required to have a minimum of 300 round lot holders (with at least 50% of such round lot holders holding securities with a market value of at least $2,500) of our securities. We cannot assure you that we will 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 are a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A ordinary shares to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities; | |
| ● | a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and | |
| ● | a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future. |
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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 warrants will be listed on Nasdaq, our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants 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.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of shareholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and 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 seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in our initial public offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” 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. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. As a result, you would continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
We may issue additional Class A ordinary or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon the conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our shareholders and likely present other risks.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will authorize the issuance of up to 400,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, 40,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share and 4,000,000 undesignated preference shares, par value $0.0001 per share. There will be 371,125,000 and 37,125,000 authorized but unissued Class A and Class B ordinary shares available, respectively, for issuance, which amount takes into account shares issuable to the underwriter and shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants but not upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares. Class B ordinary shares are convertible into Class A ordinary shares, initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Immediately after our initial public offering, there will be no preference shares issued and outstanding.
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We may issue a substantial number of additional ordinary shares, and may issue preference shares, in order to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue 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 contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. However, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide, among other things, that prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional ordinary shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination. The issuance of additional ordinary shares or preference shares:
| ● | may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in our initial public offering; | |
| ● | may subordinate the rights of holders of ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights 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; and | |
| ● | may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, ordinary shares and/or warrants. |
We are not registering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time, and such registration may not be in place when an investor desires to exercise warrants, thus precluding such investor from being able to exercise its warrants except on a cashless basis and potentially causing such warrants to expire worthless.
We have not registered the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time. However, under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our best efforts to file, and within 60 business days following our initial business combination to have declared effective, a registration statement covering such shares and maintain a current prospectus relating to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current or correct or the SEC issues a stop order. If the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. However, no warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption is available. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective within a specified period following the consummation 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, exercise warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to the exemption provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act, provided that such exemption is available. If that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. We will use our best efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities laws and no exemption is available. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant shall not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the Class A ordinary shares included in the units. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of shares upon exercise of the warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws or we are unable to effect such registration or qualification. We will use our best efforts to register or qualify such shares under the blue sky laws of the state of residence in those states in which the warrants were offered by us in our initial public offering.
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The grant of registration rights to our initial shareholder and holders of our private placement warrants may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exercise of such rights may adversely affect the market price of our Class A ordinary shares.
Pursuant to an agreement to be entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in our initial public offering, our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register their founder shares, after those shares convert to our Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination. In addition, holders of our private placement warrants and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the private placement warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants, and holders of warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans, may demand that we register such warrants or the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of such warrants. We will bear the cost of registering these securities. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the shareholders of the target business may increase the equity stake they seek in the combined entity or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares that is expected when the ordinary shares owned by our initial shareholders, holders of our private placement warrants or holders of our working capital loans or their respective permitted transferees are registered.
Provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our Class A ordinary shares and could entrench management.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that shareholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include two-year director terms and the ability of the Board of Directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preference shares, which may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public shareholders vote.
Unlike other blank check companies in which the initial shareholders agree to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by the public shareholders in connection with an initial business combination, our initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree), pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, to vote any founder shares held by them, as well as any public shares purchased after our initial public offering, in favor of our initial business combination. We expect that our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees will own at least 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares at the time of any such shareholder vote. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares, we would need only 4,312,501, or 37.5%, of the 11,500,000 public shares to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised). Accordingly, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, it is more likely that the necessary shareholder approval will be received than would be the case if such persons agreed to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by our public shareholders.
The exercise price for the public warrants is higher than in many similar blank check company offerings in the past, and, accordingly, the warrants are more likely to expire worthless.
The exercise price of the public warrants is higher than is typical in many similar blank check companies in the past. Historically, the exercise price of a warrant was generally a fraction of the purchase price of the units in the initial public offering. The exercise price for our public warrants is $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. As a result, the warrants are less likely to ever be in the money and more likely to expire worthless.
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A provision of our warrant agreement may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
Unlike some other blank check companies, if
| (i) | 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 a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per share; | |
| (ii) | the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and | |
| (iii) | 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 Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.
Our warrant agreement designates the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our warrant agreement provides that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreement 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 the warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”) in the name of any holder of our warrants, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.
This choice-of-forum provision may limit a warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our warrant agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management team.
We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by the holders of at least 65% 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 provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least 65% 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 ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.
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A provision of our warrant agreement may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
If (i) we issue additional ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per Class A ordinary share, (ii) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (iii) the Market Value of our Class A ordinary shares is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.15 per share redemption trigger price will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.
Our warrants are accounted for as a warrant liability and are recorded at fair value upon issuance with changes in fair value each period reported in earnings, which may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares or may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
We have issued an aggregate of 17,260,000 warrants in connection with our initial public offering (comprised of the 11,500,000 warrants included in the units in our initial public offering and the 5,760,000 private placement warrants). We have accounted for these as a warrant liability and have recorded at fair value upon issuance with any changes in fair value period reported in earnings. The impact of changes in fair value on earnings may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary 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.
We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their expiration at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.
We have the ability to redeem outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the last reported sales price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, rights issuances, subdivisions, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of shares upon exercise of the warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws or we are unable to effect such registration or qualification. We will use our best efforts to register or qualify such shares under the blue sky laws of the state of residence in those states in which the warrants were offered by us in our initial public offering. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force you (i) to exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) to sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your warrants. None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our initial shareholders or their permitted transferees.
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 have been satisfied, our management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise his or her warrant (including any warrants held by our initial shareholders, officers or directors, other purchasers of our founders’ private placement warrants, or 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 Class A ordinary shares received by a holder upon exercise will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised his or her warrant for cash. This will have the effect of reducing the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company.
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Our warrants and founder shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.
We have issued warrants to purchase 17,260,000 of our Class A ordinary shares at a price of $11.50 per share (subject to adjustment). Our initial shareholders own an aggregate of 2,875,000 founder shares. The founder shares are convertible into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as set forth herein and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. In addition, if our initial shareholders make any working capital loans, up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be converted into warrants, at the price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. To the extent we issue Class A 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 or conversion rights could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Any such issuance will increase the number of issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares and reduce the value of the Class A ordinary shares issued to complete the business transaction. Therefore, our warrants and founder shares may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
The private placement warrants are identical to the warrants sold as part of the units in our initial public offering except that, so long as they are held by our initial shareholders or their permitted transferees, (i) they will not be redeemable by us, (ii) they (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of these warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the sponsor until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, (iii) they may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis and (iv) the holders thereof (including with respect to ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of such warrants) are entitled to registration rights.
If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination by November 16, 2022, our public shareholders may be forced to wait beyond November 16, 2022 before redemption from our trust account.
If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination by November 16, 2022 or during any Extension Period, we will distribute the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (less up to $100,000 of any net interest earned thereon to pay dissolution expenses), pro rata to our public shareholders by way of redemption and cease all operations except for the purposes of winding up of our affairs, as further described herein. Any redemption of public shareholders from the trust account shall be effected automatically by function of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association prior to any voluntary winding up. If we are required to wind up, liquidate the trust account and distribute such amount therein, pro rata, to our public shareholders, as part of any liquidation process, such winding up, liquidation and distribution must comply with the applicable provisions of the Companies Act. In that case, investors may be forced to wait beyond November 16, 2022 before the redemption proceeds of our trust account become available to them and they receive the return of their pro rata portion of the proceeds from our trust account. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to the date of our redemption or liquidation unless we consummate our initial business combination prior thereto and only then in cases where investors have sought to redeem their ordinary shares. Only upon our redemption or any liquidation will public shareholders be entitled to distributions if we are unable to complete our initial business combination.
GENERAL RISK FACTORS
We are a newly incorporated company with limited operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
We are a newly incorporated exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands with limited operating results. Because we lack a substantial 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. If we fail to complete our initial business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.
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Past performance by our management team and their respective affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us.
Information regarding performance by, or businesses associated with, our management team and their affiliates is presented for informational purposes only. Past performance by our management team, including their affiliates’ past performance, is not a guarantee either (i) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate or (ii) that we will be able to locate a suitable candidate for our initial business combination. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team and their affiliates as indicative of our future performance and you may lose all or part of your invested capital. Additionally, in the course of their respective careers, members of our management team have been involved in businesses and deals that were unsuccessful. Our officers and directors have not had management experience with blank check companies or special purpose acquisition corporations in the past.
Cyber incidents or attacks directed at us could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.
We depend on digital technologies, including information systems, infrastructure and cloud applications and services, including those of third parties with which we may deal. Sophisticated and deliberate attacks on, or security breaches in, our systems or infrastructure, or the systems or infrastructure of third parties or the cloud, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of our assets, proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data. As an early stage company without significant investments in data security protection, we may not be sufficiently protected against such occurrences. We may not have sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to, cyber incidents. It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have adverse consequences on our business and lead to financial loss
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 and subject to requisite shareholder approval under the Companies Act, reincorporate in the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located. 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.
Certain agreements related to our initial public offering may be amended without shareholder approval.
Certain agreements, including the underwriting agreement relating to our initial public offering, the investment management trust agreement between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, the letter agreement among us and our initial shareholders, officers, directors and director nominees, the registration rights agreement among us and our initial shareholders and the administrative services agreement between us and our sponsor, may be amended without shareholder approval. These agreements contain various provisions that our public shareholders might deem to be material. For example, the underwriting agreement related to our initial public offering contains a covenant that the target company that we acquire must have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the trust account at the time of signing the definitive agreement for the transaction with such target business (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on any income earned on the trust account) so long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on Nasdaq. While we do not expect our board to approve any amendment to any of these agreements 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 any such agreement in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Any such amendment may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities.
We may be a passive foreign investment company, or “PFIC,” which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors.
If we are a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. Holder of our ordinary shares or warrants, the U.S. Holder may be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences and may be subject to additional reporting requirements. Our PFIC status for our current and subsequent taxable years may depend on whether we qualify for the PFIC start-up exception. Depending on the particular circumstances the application of the start-up exception may be subject to uncertainty, and there cannot be any assurance that we will qualify for the start-up exception. Accordingly, there can be no assurances with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year. Our actual PFIC status for any taxable year, however, will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year. Moreover, if we determine we are a PFIC for any taxable year, we will endeavor to provide to a U.S. Holder such information as the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) may require, including a PFIC annual information statement, in order to enable the U.S. Holder to make and maintain a “qualified electing fund” election, but there can be no assurance that we will timely provide such required information, and such election would be unavailable with respect to our warrants in all cases. We urge U.S. Holders to consult their own tax advisors regarding the possible application of the PFIC rules to holders of our ordinary shares and warrants.
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An investment in our securities may result in uncertain or adverse United States federal income tax consequences.
An investment in our securities may result in uncertain United States federal income consequences. There are no authorities that directly address instruments similar to the units we have issued in our initial public offering and therefore, the allocation an investor makes with respect to the purchase price of a unit between the ordinary share and the warrant included in each unit could be challenged by the IRS or the courts. If such a challenge were to be successful, an investor could be subjected to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences that would be different than those described herein. Furthermore, it is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to the ordinary shares suspend the running of the holding period for a U.S. Holder for purposes of determining whether any gain or loss realized by such holder upon a disposition of the ordinary shares is long-term capital gain or loss and determining whether any dividend we pay would be considered “qualified dividend income” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, each prospective investor is urged to consult a tax advisor with respect to the specific tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our ordinary shares and warrants, including the applicability and effect of state, local or non-U.S. tax laws, as well as U.S. federal tax laws.
We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our shareholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates 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 December 31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accountant standards used.
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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. |
We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. The proceeds held in the trust account may be invested by the trustee only in United States government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in United States Treasuries and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. Because the investment of the proceeds will be restricted to these instruments, we believe we will meet the requirements for the exemption provided in Rule 3a-1 promulgated under the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.15 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
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 officers, or enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against our directors or officers.
Our corporate affairs are 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. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are different from what they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and certain states, such as Delaware, may have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholders derivative action in a Federal court of the United States.
We have been advised by Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the 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.
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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.
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 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.
We may seek acquisition opportunities in foreign countries that are subject to political, economic, and other uncertainties.
We may seek acquisitions opportunities that have operations outside the United States. As a result, we could face political and economic risks and other uncertainties with respect these potential international operations. These risks may include the following, among other things:
| ● | loss of revenue, property, and equipment or delays in operations as a result of hazards such as expropriation, war, piracy, acts of terrorism, insurrection, civil unrest, and other political risks, including tension and confrontations among political parties; | |
| ● | transparency issues in general and, more specifically, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Bribery Act, and other anti-corruption compliance laws and issues; | |
| ● | increases in taxes and governmental royalties; | |
| ● | unilateral renegotiation of contracts by governmental entities; | |
| ● | redefinition of international boundaries or boundary disputes; | |
| ● | difficulties enforcing our rights against a governmental agency because of the doctrine of sovereign immunity and foreign sovereignty over international operations; | |
| ● | difficulties enforcing our rights against a governmental agency in the absence of an appropriate and adequate dispute resolution mechanism to address contractual disputes, such as international arbitration; | |
| ● | changes in laws and policies governing operations of foreign-based companies; | |
| ● | foreign-exchange restrictions; and | |
| ● | international monetary fluctuations and changes in the relative value of the U.S. dollar as compared to the currencies of other countries in which we conduct business. |
Outbreaks of civil and political unrest and acts of terrorism have occurred in countries in Europe, Africa, South America, and the Middle East, including countries close to or where we may seek an acquisition. Continued or escalated civil and political unrest and acts of terrorism in the countries in which we may operate could result in our curtailing operations or delays in project completions. In the event that countries in which we may operate experience civil or political unrest or acts of terrorism, especially in events where such unrest leads to an unseating of the established government, our operations could be materially impaired. Our potential international operations may also be adversely affected, directly or indirectly, by laws, policies, and regulations of the United States affecting foreign trade and taxation, including U.S. trade sanctions. Realization of any of the factors listed above could materially and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.
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If our management following our initial business combination is unfamiliar with United States securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws, which could lead to various regulatory issues.
Following our initial business combination, any or all of our management could resign from their positions as officers of the company, and the management of the target business at the time of the business combination will remain in place. Management of the target business may not be familiar with United States securities laws. If new management is unfamiliar with United States securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.
After our initial business combination, substantially all of our assets may be located in a foreign country and substantially all of our revenue will be derived from our 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.
Exchange rate fluctuations and currency policies may cause a target business’ ability to succeed in the international markets to be diminished.
In the event we acquire a non-U.S. target, all revenues and income would likely be received in a foreign currency, and the dollar equivalent of our net assets and distributions, if any, could be adversely affected by reductions in the value of the local currency. The value of the currencies in our target regions fluctuate and are affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic conditions. Any change in the relative value of such currency against our reporting currency may affect the attractiveness of any target business or, following consummation of our initial business combination, our financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, if a currency appreciates in value against the dollar prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, the cost of a target business as measured in dollars will increase, which may make it less likely that we are able to consummate such transaction.
Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, investments and results of operations.
We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we will be required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
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Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.
None.
Item 2. Properties.
We maintain our principal executive offices at Suite 201, 42 Edward Street, George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. We pay the Sponsor $10,000 per month for office space, administrative and support services pursuant to the terms of an administrative services agreement between us and our Sponsor.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings.
None.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
None.
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PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
Market Information.
Our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants are traded on Nasdaq under the symbols “OXACU,” “OXAC” and “OXACW,” respectively.
Holders
Although there are a larger number of beneficial owners, at March 15, 2022, there was one holder of record of our units, two holders of record of our Class A ordinary shares, one holder of record of our Class B ordinary shares and three holders of record of our warrants.
Dividends
We have not paid any cash dividends on shares of 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 the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of any dividends subsequent to the completion of our initial 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. Further, if we incur any indebtedness, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
None.
Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities
There were no sales of unregistered securities during the year ended December 31, 2021.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
None.
Item 6. [Reserved]
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
References to the “Company,” “our,” “us” or “we” refer to Oxbridge Acquisition Corp. The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our audited financial statements and the notes related thereto which are included in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Certain information contained in the discussion and analysis set forth below includes forward-looking statements. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those set forth under “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Forward Looking Statements
All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this Form 10-K including, without limitation, statements under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” regarding our financial position, business strategy and the plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. When used in this Form 10-K, words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend” and similar expressions, as they relate to us or our management, identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of management, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, our management. Actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors detailed in our filings with the SEC.
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and the notes thereto contained elsewhere in this Form 10-K. Certain information contained in the discussion and analysis set forth below includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties.
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Overview
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company incorporated on April 12, 2021, for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more target businesses (the “Business Combination”).
Our sponsor is OAC Sponsor Ltd., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Sponsor”). The registration statement for our initial public offering (“IPO”) was declared effective on August 11, 2021. On August 16, 2021, we consummated our IPO of 10,000,000 units (each, a “Unit” and collectively, the “Units” and, with respect to the Class A ordinary shares included in the Units, the “Public Shares”), at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $100,000,000 and incurring offering costs of approximately $6,624,000, inclusive of $3,500,000 in deferred underwriting commissions. The underwriters exercised the over-allotment option in full and on August 16, 2021, purchased an additional 1,500,000 units (the “Over-Allotment Units”), generating additional gross proceeds of $15,000,000 (the “Over-Allotment”), and incurring additional offering costs of $825,000, inclusive of $525,000 of deferred underwriting commissions.
Substantially concurrently with the closing of our IPO, we completed the private sale (the “private placement”) of 5,760,000 warrants to the Sponsor and Maxim Group LLC (“Maxim”), the underwriter in our IPO, at a price of $1.00 per private placement warrant, generating gross proceeds of $5,760,000.
Upon the closing of our IPO and the private placement, $116,725,000 (approximately $10.15 per Unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the IPO, including a portion of the proceeds from the private placement, was deposited in a trust account, located in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, which may only be invested in permitted 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 certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act that invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations.
Our management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the IPO and the sale of the private placement warrants, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination.
We will have 15 months through to November 16, 2022 (or up to 21 months through to May 16, 2023 if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of time), to complete the initial Business Combination (the “Combination Period”). However, if we are unable to complete the initial Business Combination within the Combination Period, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay the our taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2021 we had cash of approximately $614,000 and a working capital of approximately $596,000 to satisfy our liquidity needs. Prior to the completion of our IPO, our liquidity needs had been satisfied through a capital contribution from the Sponsor of $25,000 for the founder shares, the loan under an unsecured promissory note from the Sponsor of up to $300,000, of which approximately $195,000 was drawn upon and subsequently repaid after the IPO.
In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such working capital loans may be convertible into private placement-equivalent warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant (which, for example, would result in the holders being issued 1,500,000 warrants if $1,500,000 of notes were so converted), at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period. The terms of such working capital loans by our sponsor or its affiliates, or our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account. As of December 31, 2021, there were no amounts outstanding under any working capital loans.
Based on the foregoing, management believes that we may have sufficient working capital and borrowing capacity to meet its needs through the earlier of the consummation of a Business Combination or one year from this filing. Over this time period, we will be using these funds to pay existing accounts payable, identifying and evaluating prospective initial Business Combination candidates, performing due diligence on prospective target businesses, paying for travel expenditures, selecting the target business to merge with or acquire, and structuring, negotiating and consummating the Business Combination.
Risks and Uncertainties
Management continues to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on our financial position, results of its operations, and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of these audited financial statements. The audited financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Results of Operations
As of December 31, 2021, we had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from April 12, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 relates to our formation and the IPO. We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. We will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of our initial Business Combination, at the earliest. We may generate non-operating income in the form of interest income and unrealized gains from the proceeds derived from the IPO. 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.
For the period from April 12, 2021 (inception) through to December 31, 2021, we had a net loss of approximately $3.54 million, which consisted of an approximately $85,000 in general and administrative expenses and approximately $3.46 million loss on warrant liability revaluation.
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Contractual Obligations
Other than the below, we do not have any long-term debt obligations, capital lease obligations, operating lease obligations, purchase obligations or long-term liabilities.
Administrative Services Agreement
Commencing on the date that our securities are first listed, we agreed to pay the Sponsor $10,000 per month for office space, secretarial and administrative services provided to members of our founding team. Upon completion of the initial Business Combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying such monthly fees. As of December 31, 2021, we have recognized and paid $50,000 under the Administrative Services Agreement, which is included within Formation and Administrative Expenses on the Statement of Operations.
Registration Rights
The holders of the founder shares, private placement warrants, Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans (and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the private placement warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration and shareholder rights agreement. The holders of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that we register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our completion of the initial Business Combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Underwriting Agreement
On August 16, 2021, we paid an underwriting discount of 2% of the per Unit offering price, or approximately $2,300,000 million in the aggregate at the closing of the IPO, and the underwriters are entitled to a deferred underwriting discount of 3.5% of the gross proceeds of the IPO, or $4,025,000 in the aggregate. The deferred fee will be payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the trust account solely in the event that we complete an initial Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.
Critical Accounting Policies
Derivative financial instruments
We do not use derivative instruments to hedge exposures to cash flow, market, or foreign currency risks. We evaluate all of our financial instruments, including issued stock purchase warrants, to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives, pursuant to ASC 480 and ASC 815, “Derivatives and Hedging” (“ASC 815”). The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as liabilities or as equity, will be re-assessed at the end of each reporting period. Derivative warrant liabilities will be classified as non-current liabilities as their liquidation is not reasonably expected to require the use of current assets or require the creation of current liabilities.
The 17,260,000 warrants issued on August 16, 2021 in connection with the IPO and the private placement (including the 11,500,000 warrants included in the Units and the 5,760,000 private placement warrants) are recognized as derivative liabilities in accordance with ASC 815. The liabilities are subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date until exercised, and any change in fair value is recognized in our statement of operations. The fair value of the Public Warrants issued in connection with the Public Offering were initially measured at fair value using a Black-Scholes option pricing model simulation model and subsequently, the fair value of Public Warrants issued in connection with the IPO have been measured based on the listed market price of such warrants as of December 31, 2021. The fair value of the Private Warrants has been estimated initially and subsequently, as of December 31, 2021, using a modified version of the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The determination of the fair value of the warrant liabilities may be subject to change as more current information becomes available and accordingly the actual results could differ significantly. Derivative warrant liabilities are classified as non-current liabilities as their liquidation is not reasonably expected to require the use of current assets or require the creation of current liabilities.
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Class A Ordinary Shares Subject to Possible Redemption
As of December 31, 2021, there were 11,615,000 Class A ordinary shares issued or outstanding. We accounts for our Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Ordinary shares subject to mandatory redemption are classified as a liability instrument and is measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable ordinary shares (including ordinary shares that features redemption rights that is either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within our control) are classified as temporary equity. At all other times, ordinary shares are classified as shareholders’ equity. Our ordinary shares features certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of our control and be subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, at December 31, 2021, 9,973,121 Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption are presented at redemption value as temporary equity, outside of the shareholders’ equity section of our condensed balance sheets.
Loss Per Ordinary Share
Loss per share is computed by dividing earnings by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period. At December 31, 2021, we did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into ordinary shares and then share in our earnings. As a result, diluted loss per share is the same as basic loss per share for the period presented.
Balance Sheet Arrangements
As of December 31, 2021, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K.
Inflation
We do not believe that inflation had a material impact on our business, revenues or operating results during the period presented.
Emerging Growth Company Status
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart our Business Startups Act of 2012, (the “JOBS Act”), and may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
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Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and are not required to provide the information otherwise required under this item.
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
This information appears following Item 15 of this Form 10-K and is included herein by reference.
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
None.
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Under the supervision and with the participation of our principal executive officer and our principal financial officer, we have evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act) as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K (December 31, 2021). Our disclosure controls and procedures are intended to ensure that the information we are required to disclose in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is (i) recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms and (ii) accumulated and communicated to our management, including the principal executive officer and principal financial officer to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures.
Based on that evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded that, as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective.
It should be noted that any system of controls, however well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, and not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the system will be met. In addition, the design of any control system is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events.
Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over our financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act). Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of our assets, (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and directors, and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Our management, with the participation of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”). Based on this evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded that, as of December 31, 2021, our internal control over financial reporting was effective.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
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This Annual Report does not include an attestation report of our independent registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Management’s report was not subject to attestation by our independent registered public accounting firm pursuant to scaled disclosure requirements applicable to non-accelerated filers that permit us to provide only management’s report in this Annual Report.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the period from April 12, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Item 9B. Other Information.
None.
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections
Not Applicable.
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PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.
Our current directors and executive officers are as follows:
| Name | Age | Title | ||
| Jay Madhu | 54 | Chief Executive Officer, President, and Chairman of the Board of Directors | ||
| Wrendon Timothy | 41 | Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, Secretary and Director | ||
| Jason Butcher | 47 | Director | ||
| Allan Martin | 56 | Director | ||
| William L. Yankus | 62 | Director |
Jay Madhu has been our Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President since April 2021. Mr. Madhu is a founder of Oxbridge Re Holdings Limited (NASDAQ: OXBR), a Cayman Islands based NASDAQ-listed reinsurance holding company. He has served as the President, Chief Executive Officer and director since its inception in April 2013 and serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors since March 2018. Mr. Madhu also serves as a director of Oxbridge Reinsurance Limited and Oxbridge Re NS, the wholly owned licensed reinsurance subsidiaries of Oxbridge Re. Mr. Madhu also serves as a director of our company’s sponsor, OAC Sponsor Ltd. Mr. Madhu is a founder and director of HCI Group, Inc. (NYSE: HCI), an NYSE-listed publicly traded company (“HCI”) since May 2007. Mr. Madhu serves on the board of HCI, which oversaw and monitored the formation and growth of TypTap Insurance Company (“TypTap”) and its holding company, TypTap Insurance Group, Inc. TypTap is HCI’s rapidly growing InsurTech homeowners and flood insurance subsidiary formed in January 2016, now with over a $100 million in annualized revenue. Mr. Madhu also served on the board of Exzeo Software Private Limited (“Exzeo”), an Indian software development company and subsidiary of HCI from August 2012 to December 2018. TypTap’s operations are powered substantially by technologies developed by Exzeo. Mr. Madhu also serves as a director on a number of other HCI’s subsidiaries, and also served as President of Green Leaf Capital, HCI’s real estate division from June 2011 to June 2013. Mr. Madhu also served as HCI Vice President of Investor Relations and President of Marketing during the years 2008 through 2013. Mr. Madhu has also served as a director on the board of directors of First Home Bancorp, Inc. (OTCQX: FHBI), an OTC-listed publicly held bank holding company in Seminole, Florida from August 2013 to April 2014. Mr. Madhu also served as a director on the board of directors of Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust, Inc. (NASDAQ: WHLR), a NASDAQ listed publicly held real estate investment trust from November 2012 to June 2014.
Mr. Madhu is an approved director with Cayman Islands Monetary Authority, Bermuda Monetary Authority, Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, Arkansas Insurance Department, California Department of Insurance, Maryland Insurance Administration, New Jersey Department of Banking and Finance, North Carolina Department of Insurance, Ohio Department of Insurance, Pennsylvania Insurance Department and South Carolina Department of Insurance. Mr. Madhu attended Northwest Missouri State University where he studied marketing and management. Mr. Madhu brings considerable business and capital markets experience to our Board of Directors.
Wrendon Timothy has been our Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, Secretary and director since April 2021. He has served as a director, chief financial officer and corporate secretary of Oxbridge Re Holdings Limited (NASDAQ: OXBR), a Cayman Islands based NASDAQ-listed reinsurance holding company. He has served in the positions of chief financial officer and corporate secretary since August 2013 and as an executive director since November 2021. In his role, he has provided financial and accounting consulting services with a focus on technical and SEC reporting, compliance, internal auditing, corporate governance, mergers & acquisitions analysis, risk management, and CFO and controller services. Mr. Timothy also serves as an executive and director of Oxbridge Reinsurance Limited and Oxbridge Re NS, the wholly-owned licensed reinsurance subsidiaries of Oxbridge Re. Mr. Timothy also serves as a director of our company’s sponsor, OAC Sponsor Ltd.
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Mr. Timothy started his financial career at PricewaterhouseCoopers (Trinidad) in 2004 as an Associate in their assurance division, performing external and internal audit work, and tax-related services. Throughout his career progression and transitions through KPMG Trinidad and PricewaterhouseCoopers (Cayman Islands), Mr. Timothy has successfully delivered services across both the public and private sectors, spanning insurance and reinsurance, banking, hedge funds, trusts, investment management, manufacturing, beverage, construction, glass, healthcare, retail, construction, marketing, restaurant, software, sports, and tourism industries. Mr. Timothy management roles allowed him to be heavily involved in the planning, budgeting, and leadership of engagement teams, serving as a liaison for senior client management, and advising on technical accounting matters. Mr. Timothy is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), a Chartered Corporate Secretary and also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration, with Distinction (with a Specialism in Finance (with Distinction)), from Heriot Watt University in Edinburg, Scotland. Mr. Timothy holds directorship and leadership roles with a number of privately-held companies, and also serves on various not-for-profit organizations, including his governance role as Chairman of Audit & Risk Committee of The Utility Regulation & Competition Office of the Cayman Islands. Mr. Timothy is an active Fellow Member of the ACCA, an active member of the Cayman Islands Institute of Professional Accountants (CIIPA), and an active Associate Member of the Chartered Governance Institute (formerly the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators).
Mr. Timothy brings to our board capital markets experience and significant expertise across a wide array of corporate matters, including the ability to conduct pre-acquisition due diligence, balance sheet analyses, audit support, monthly financial reporting and forecasting, technical accounting research, corporate governance & risk management, internal audit walkthroughs and testing, and Sarbanes-Oxley implementation.
Jason Butcher has been one of our independent directors since August 2021. Mr. Butcher is an entrepreneur with nearly 3 decades of experience building global businesses across diverse industries and ever-changing financial markets. His daily role involves being an active player in a number of global Fintech, payment processing, crowdfunding and blockchain technology projects.
Mr. Butcher has served as the Chief Executive Officer and a director of CoinPayments Inc. from November 2019 to March 2022. He previously served as Coinpayment’s Chief Operating Officer from May 2016 through November 2019. Coinpayments was founded in 2013 and is the first crypto payment processor that utilized blockchain technology, and it accepts more than 2,175 cryptocurrencies and serves over 70,000 business merchants and 1,000,000 personal wallet users globally. Coinpayments has seen over $10 billion in cryptocurrency payments since its inception in 2013. Mr. Butcher is also the founder of Parallel Payments in April 2011 and has served as the Chief Executive Officer and a director of Parallel Payments since 2021. Parallel Payments is a U.S.-based licensed money service broker that offers a digital infrastructure for online payments and money services to institutions, consumers, and businesses. In 2018, Mr. Butcher also founded HODLtech OU, an Estonian-based virtual asset service provider that provides digital wallet custodial and compliance services to customers globally. Mr. Butcher is a founder of Digisure Ltd., a Cayman Islands-based technology company that is a leader in consumer and business credit and debit card programs, including mobile wallets, which help members access their payments conveniently and get rewarded for simply using their cards.
Mr. Butcher is also the founder of Gateway Technologies, Infinity Developments, Revolutionary Technologies, Broadbase Consulting and Orbit Capital, which are all Cayman Islands-based companies in the field of technology development, property development, technology consulting and investment holdings, respectively. He also serves (or has served) as a director on the boards of these companies. Mr. Butcher serves as board member and advisor for a number of payments, fintech businesses and associations including the Emerging Payments Association, a UK commercial membership association of payment industry influencers whose members collectively transact more than six trillion British pounds (£6,000,000,000,000) annually and employing over 300,000 staff.
Mr. Butcher brings significant leadership, advisory, investment, blockchain and technology development experience to our Board.
Allan S. Martin has been one of our independent directors since August 2021. Mr. Martin is the co-founder of Lumina Analytics, an artificial intelligence technology and big data analytics technology company founded in 2015. Lumina’s proprietary deep web listening algorithms uncover risk, provide timely, actionable information and help prevent catastrophic loss. Mr. Martin currently serves as Chairman and previously has served as Lumina’s Chief Executive Officer from its inception in 2015 to December 2020. Mr. Martin served as a director & Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee Chair of Oxbridge Re Holdings Limited (NASDAQ: OXBR) from April 2013 through to May 2017. From October 2009 to present, Mr. Martin has been CEO of Atlantic Merchant Capital Investors, a private equity firm based in Tampa, Florida that focuses on the origination of proprietary private equity transactions in financial services and data analytics. Prior to that, from June 2005 to September 2009, Mr. Martin was CEO of Mortgage Contracting Services (MCS) of Tampa, Florida and led a successful leveraged buy-out of the firm in 2005. MCS is a national mortgage field services company. He was a founder and advisory board member of USAmeribank from 2006 to 2010. From January 2010 to December 2017, Mr. Martin was a director of Florida Capital Group and its subsidiary, Florida Capital Bank. During that time, he also served as the bank’s audit chair. Mr. Martin has been a director of Moffitt Medical Group since March 2013 and was Chairman until January 2021. He also serves as an officer and director of several additional portfolio companies of Atlantic Merchant Capital Partners. Mr. Martin is a past trustee of Jesuit High School of Tampa, and currently managing partner of Fleur De Lis Partners, a private investment group, and chairman of the Martin Family Foundation. Mr. Martin obtained his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a Major in Accounting from the University of Southern Maine in May 1987. He began his career with Touche Ross & Co (today Deloitte) before beginning his entrepreneurial career.
Mr. Martin brings substantial leadership, operations, investment, artificial intelligence technology development and corporate governance experience to our Board of Directors.
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William L. Yankus has been one of our independent directors since August 2021. Mr. Yankus is an experienced investment banking specialist with a demonstrated history of working in the insurance industry. Since July 2015, Mr. Yankus has served as Founder and Principal of Pheasant Hill Advisors, LLC, a New York based advisor firm that provides various research, advisory, private equity capital raising and M&A services primarily to the insurance industry and insurance industry investors. Since March 2016, Mr. Yankus has served on the board of directors of Kingstone Companies, Inc. (NASDAQ: KINS), a New York based NASDAQ-listed property and casualty insurance company. He has also served as the Chairman of Kingstone’s Compensation Committee since April 2017, and as the Chairman of Kingstone’s Investment Committee since February 2020. In a consulting capacity, Mr. Yankus also serves as the Managing Director of Parker Benjamin’s Investment Banking Practice, which primarily provides valuations services and advice to businesses. Mr. Yankus is also a Senior Advisor at Independent Insurance Analysts LLC, which provides investment analysis, credit research and investment banking services related to the life insurance industry.
From September 2011 to June 2015, Mr. Yankus served as Managing Director for Sterne Agee, one of the oldest privately owned financial services firm in the USA. Sterne Agee offers wealth management and investment services to a diverse client base and custodies nearly $26 billion in client assets. Prior to Sterne Agee, Mr. Yankus also held executive and leadership roles with other reputable financial services and investment banking firms, including serving as Head of Insurance Research at Macquarie Group from December 2009 to November 2010, Managing Director-Insurance Research for Fox-Pitt, Kelton from May 1993 to November 2009, and Vice President, Insurance Research at Conning & Company from June 1985 to Apr 1993. He completed the CFA program in 1989 and passed the CT uniform CPA exam in 1984. He received his B.A. degree in Economics and Accounting from The College of the Holy Cross.
Mr. Yankus brings significant leadership, insurance, public company, mergers & acquisitions, corporate governance and investment banking experience to our Board of Directors.
Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors
Our board of directors consists of five members. Holders of our founder shares will have the right to appoint all of our directors prior to consummation of our initial business combination and holders of our public shares will not have the right to vote on the appointment of directors during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution passed by at least 90% of our ordinary shares voting in a general meeting. Each of our directors will hold office for a two-year term. Subject to any other special rights applicable to the shareholders, any vacancies on our Board of Directors may be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors present and voting at the meeting of our board or by a majority of the holders of our founder shares.
Our officers are appointed by the Board of Directors and serve at the discretion of the Board of Directors, rather than for specific terms of office. Our Board of Directors is authorized to appoint persons to the offices set forth in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association as it deems appropriate. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides that our officers may consist of a Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, President, Chief Financial Officer, Vice Presidents, Secretary, Assistant Secretaries, Treasurer and such other offices as may be determined by the Board of Directors.
Collectively, through their positions described above, our officers and directors have extensive experience in public companies and in the insurance industry. These individuals will play a key role in identifying and evaluating prospective acquisition candidates, selecting the target businesses, and structuring, negotiating and consummating the acquisition.
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Executive Officer and Director Compensation
None of our officers or directors have received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Commencing on the date that our securities are first listed on the NASDAQ through the earlier of consummation of our initial business combination and our liquidation, we will pay our sponsor or an affiliate thereof up to $10,000 per month for office space, utilities, secretarial and administrative support services provided to members of our management team. In addition, 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 audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates. Any such payments prior to an initial business combination will be made from funds held outside the trust account. Other than quarterly audit committee review of such reimbursements, we do not expect to have any additional controls in place governing our reimbursement payments to our directors and officers for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with our activities on our behalf in connection with identifying and consummating an initial business combination. Other than these payments and reimbursements, no compensation of any kind, including finder’s and consulting fees, will be paid by us to our sponsor, officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, prior to completion of our initial business combination.
After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting or management fees from the combined company. All of these fees will be fully disclosed to shareholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our shareholders in connection with a proposed initial business combination. We have not established any limit on the amount of such fees that may be paid by the combined company to our directors or members of management. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of the proposed initial business combination, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers will be determined, or recommended to the board of directors for determination, either by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors or by a majority of the independent directors on our board of directors.
We 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 our initial business combination. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements to retain their positions with us may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business but we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the 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.
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Committees of the Board of Directors
Our board of directors has three standing committees: an audit committee, a compensation committee and a nominating and corporate governance committee. Both our audit committee and our compensation committee are composed solely of independent directors. Subject to phase-in rules, the rules of Nasdaq and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors, and the rules of Nasdaq require that the compensation committee and the nominating and corporate governance committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors. Each committee operates under a charter that was approved by our board and has the composition and responsibilities described below. The charter of each committee is available on our website.
Audit Committee
The members of our audit committee are: Jason Butcher, William Yankus and Allan Martin, and Mr. Martin serves as chair of the audit committee. Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our board of directors has determined that each of Messrs. Martin and Yankus qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules and has accounting or related financial management expertise. We have adopted an audit committee charter, which details the purpose and principal functions of the audit committee, including:
| ● | the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us; | |
| ● | pre-approving all audit and permitted non-audit services to be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures; | |
| ● | setting clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent registered public accounting firm, including but not limited to, as required by applicable laws and regulations; | |
| ● | setting clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations; | |
| ● | obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the independent registered public accounting firm describing: (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 us to assess the independent registered public accounting firm’s independence; | |
| ● | reviewing and approving any related party transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC prior to us entering into such transaction; and | |
| ● | reviewing with management, the independent 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. |
Compensation Committee
The members of our Compensation Committee are Messrs. Martin, Butcher and Yankus, and Mr. Yankus serves as chair of the compensation committee.
We have adopted a compensation committee charter, which details the purpose and responsibility of the compensation committee, including:
●reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, if any is paid by us, evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our Chief Executive Officer based on such evaluation;
● reviewing and approving on an annual basis the compensation, if any is paid by us, of all of our other officers;
● reviewing on an annual basis our executive compensation policies and plans;
● implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans;
● assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements;
● approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our officers and employees;
● if required, producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and
● reviewing, evaluating, and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors.
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Notwithstanding the foregoing, as indicated above, no compensation of any kind, including finders, consulting, or other similar fees, will be paid to any of our existing shareholders, officers, directors, or any of their respective affiliates, prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate the consummation of an initial business combination.
Accordingly, it is likely that prior to the consummation of an initial business combination, the compensation committee will only be responsible for the review and recommendation of any compensation arrangements to be entered into in connection with such initial business combination.
The charter also provides that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser and will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by Nasdaq and the SEC.
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
The members of our nominating and corporate governance committee are Messrs. Butcher, Yankus and Martin, and Mr. Martin serves as chair of the nominating and corporate governance committee.
We adopted a nominating and corporate governance committee charter, which details the purpose and responsibilities of the nominating and corporate governance committee, including:
| ● | identifying, screening and reviewing individuals qualified to serve as directors, consistent with criteria approved by the board, and recommending to the board of directors candidates for nomination for election at the annual meeting of stockholders or to fill vacancies on the board of directors; |
| ● | developing and recommending to the board of directors and overseeing implementation of our corporate governance guidelines; |
| ● | coordinating and overseeing the annual self-evaluation of the board of directors, its committees, individual directors and management in the governance of the company; and |
| ● | reviewing on a regular basis our overall corporate governance and recommending improvements as and when necessary. |
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Director nominations
Our nominating and corporate governance committee will recommend to the board of directors candidates for nomination for appointment at the annual general meeting. The board of directors will also consider director candidates recommended for appointment by our shareholders during such times as they are seeking proposed nominees to stand for appointment at the next annual general meeting (or, if applicable, an extraordinary general meeting). Our shareholders that wish to nominate a director for appointment to our board of directors should follow the procedures set forth in our memorandum and articles of association and the charter of the nominating and corporate governance committee.
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 Class A Ordinary shares will not have the right to recommend director candidates for nomination to our board of directors.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
None of our officers currently serves, and in the past year has not served, as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee of any entity that has one or more officers serving on our board of directors.
Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports
Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, requires our officers, directors and persons who beneficially own more than ten percent of our ordinary shares to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership with the SEC. These reporting persons are also required to furnish us with copies of all Section 16(a) forms they file. Based solely upon a review of such forms, we are aware of no late Section 16(a) filings.
Code of Conduct and Ethics
We have adopted a Code of Conduct and Ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees.
You will be able to review these documents by accessing our website at www.oxbridgeaq.com. In addition, a copy of the Code of Conduct and Ethics will be provided without charge upon request from us. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Conduct and Ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K.
Conflicts of Interest
Under Cayman Islands law, directors and officers owe the following fiduciary duties:
| ● | duty to act in good faith in what the director or officer believes to be in the best interests of the company as a whole; | |
| ● | duty to exercise powers for the purposes for which those powers were conferred and not for a collateral purpose; | |
| ● | directors should not improperly fetter the exercise of future discretion; | |
| ● | duty not to put themselves in a position in which there is a conflict between their duty to the company and their personal interests; and | |
| ● | duty to exercise independent judgment. |
In addition to the above, directors also owe a duty of care which is not fiduciary in nature. This duty has been defined as a requirement to act as a reasonably diligent person having both the general knowledge, skill and experience that may reasonably be expected of a person carrying out the same functions as are carried out by that director in relation to the company and the general knowledge skill and experience which that director has.
As set out above, directors have a duty not to put themselves in a position of conflict and this includes a duty not to engage in self-dealing, or to otherwise benefit as a result of their position. However, in some instances what would otherwise be a breach of this duty can be forgiven and/or authorized in advance by the shareholders provided that there is full disclosure by the directors. This can be done by way of permission granted in the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or alternatively by shareholder approval at general meetings.
Each of our directors and officers presently has, and in the future any of our directors and our officers may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present acquisition opportunities to such entity. Accordingly, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of an acquisition opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will need to honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such acquisition opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, no director or officer shall be disqualified or prevented from contracting with the company nor shall any contract or transaction entered into by or on behalf of the company in which any director shall have an interest be liable to be avoided provided that the director provides full and frank disclosure of the nature of the interest prior to its approval. A director shall be at liberty to vote in respect of any contract or transaction in which he or she is interested provided that the nature of such interest shall be disclosed at or prior to its consideration or any vote thereon by the board of directors. We do not believe, however, that any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our directors or officers would materially undermine our ability to complete our business combination.
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Potential investors should also be aware of the following other potential conflicts of interest:
| ● | None of our officers or directors is required to commit his or her full time to our affairs and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating his or her time among various business activities. | |
| ● | In the course of their other business activities, our officers and directors may become aware of investment and business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us as well as the other entities with which they are affiliated. Our management may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. | |
| ● | Our initial shareholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Additionally, our initial shareholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to consummate our initial business combination by November 16, 2022 or during any Extension Period. If we do not complete our initial business combination within such applicable time period, the proceeds of the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, and the private placement warrants (and the underlying securities) will expire worthless. Our initial shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earlier to occur of: (i) one year after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination; or (ii) the date on which we consummate a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, or other similar transaction that results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities, or other property (except as described under the section entitled “Principal Shareholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and private placement warrants” in our IPO prospectus filed with the SEC). Any permitted transferees will be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial shareholders with respect to any founder shares. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations, and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing 150 days after our initial business combination, the founder shares will no longer be subject to such transfer restrictions. With certain limited exceptions, the private placement warrants and the Class A ordinary shares underlying such warrants, will not be transferable, assignable or saleable by our sponsor or its permitted transferees until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. Since our sponsor and officers and directors may directly or indirectly own ordinary shares and warrants, our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. |
| ● | Our 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, officers or directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a business combination and financing arrangements as we may obtain loans from our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or any of our officers or directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such working capital loans may be convertible into private placement-equivalent warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant (which, for example, would result in the holders being issued 1,500,000 warrants if $1,500,000 of notes were so converted), at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period. |
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The conflicts described above may not be resolved in our favor.
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. Below is a table summarizing the entities to which our officers and directors currently have fiduciary duties or contractual obligations:
| Individual(1)(2) | Entity | Entity’s Business | Affiliation | |||
| Jay Madhu | Oxbridge Re Holdings Limited | P&C Reinsurance Holding Company | Chairman, CEO & President | |||
| Oxbridge Reinsurance Ltd. | P&C Reinsurance | CEO, President & Director | ||||
| Oxbridge Re NS | Reinsurance Side-car | Director | ||||
| HCI Group, Inc | InsurTech, Software, P&C Insurance, Real Estate, Reinsurance | Director | ||||
| Homeowners’ Choice Property and Casualty Insurance Inc. | P&C Insurance | Director | ||||
| Homeowners Choice Managers | Insurance Managing General Agent (“MGA”) | Director | ||||
| Claddaugh Casualty Insurance Company Ltd. | Reinsurance | Director | ||||
| Southern Administration, Inc | Policy Administration & Software Licensing | Director | ||||
| Wrendon Timothy | Oxbridge Re Holdings Limited | P&C Reinsurance Holding Company | Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and Director | |||
| Oxbridge Reinsurance Ltd. | P&C Reinsurance | Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and Director | ||||
| Oxbridge Re NS | Reinsurance Side-car | Director | ||||
SYF Trade & Consulting Services Ltd. |
Financial Consulting Ad & Advisory
|
President & Director | ||||
Wireless Power Link Technologies Ltd. |
Clean energy technology | Founder, Investor & Director | ||||
SYF Algorithmic Trading Technologies Ltd. |
Artificial intelligence financial technology | Founder, Investor & Director | ||||
| Utility Regulation & Competition Office Cayman Islands | Regulator | Chairman, Audit & Risk Committee |
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| Jason Butcher | Parallel Payments | Fintech/Licensed Money Service Broker | Founder, CEO & Director | |||
| Emerging Payments Association | Fintech membership association | Advisor | ||||
| HODLtech OÜ | Digital Wallet Technology
|
Founder | ||||
| Digisure Ltd. | Secure Debit & Credit Card Programs | Founder | ||||
| Gateway Technologies | Technology Development | Founder | ||||
| Revolutionary Technologies | Technology | Founder & Director | ||||
| Broadbase Consultants | Technology & Business Consulting | Founder | ||||
| Infinity Developments | Real Estate Development | Founder | ||||
| Orbit Capital Inc. | Investment Holding | Founder & Director | ||||
| National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association of Canada | Fintech Crowdfunding | Ambassador | ||||
| Elemental | Fintech & Credit Lending | Advisor | ||||
| PiP iT Global | Fintech Digital Wallets | Advisor | ||||
| Allan Martin | Atlantic Merchant Capital Investors | Private Equity
|
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer | |||
| Lumina Analytics | Artificial Intelligence & Big Data Technology | Co-Founder & Chairman | ||||
| Martin Family Foundation | Not For Profit | Chairman | ||||
| William L. Yankus | Pheasant Hill Advisors LLC | Investment Banking | Principal | |||
| Kingstone Companies, Inc. | Insurance | Director, Chairman of Investment & Compensation Committee |
| (1) | Each of the entities listed in this table has priority and preference relative to our company with respect to the performance by each individual listed in this table of his obligations and the presentation by each such individual of business opportunities. |
| (2) | Each individual listed has a fiduciary duty with respect to each of the listed entities opposite from his name. |
Accordingly, if any of the above officers or directors become aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for any of the above entities to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. We do not believe, however, that any of the foregoing fiduciary duties or contractual obligations will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination, because, although many of the foregoing entities are involved in the insurance industry broadly defined, the specific industry focuses of a majority of these entities differ from our focus on financial technology businesses and the type or size of the transaction that such companies would most likely consider are of a size and nature substantially different than what we are targeting.
We have not selected any potential business combination target and have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any potential business combination target. Potential target companies with whom we may engage in discussions after the closing of the offering may have had prior discussions with other blank check companies, bankers in the industry and/or other professional advisors. Subsequent to the closing of our IPO, we may pursue transactions with such potential targets (i) if such other blank check companies are no longer pursuing transactions with such potential targets, (ii) if we become aware that such potential targets are interested in a potential initial business combination with us and (iii) if we believe such transactions would be attractive to our shareholders.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, OAC Sponsor Ltd. or with any of our officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, OAC Sponsor Ltd., or any of our officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
If we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed pursuant to the letter agreement to vote any founder shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after our IPO (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination.
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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 provide for indemnification of our officers and directors to the maximum extent permitted by applicable 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.
Item 11. Executive Compensation.
None of our executive officers or directors have received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. We pay monthly recurring expenses of $10,000 to our sponsor for office space, administrative and support services. Upon completion of the initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees. Accordingly, in the event the consummation of the initial business combination takes the maximum 21 months, the Sponsor will be paid a total of $210,000 ($10,000 per month) for office space, administrative and support services and will be entitled to be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses.
Our sponsor, directors and officers or any of their respective affiliates will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, directors, officers or our or any of their respective affiliates.
After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the post-combination business. All of these fees will be fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders in connection with a proposed business combination.
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.
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Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.
We have no compensation plans under which equity securities are authorized for issuance.
The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares as of the date of this annual report, by:
| ● | each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding shares of ordinary shares; |
| ● | each of our executive officers, directors and director nominees; and |
| ● | all our executive officers, directors and director nominees as a group. |
Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of ordinary shares beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect record or beneficial ownership of the private placement warrants as these warrants are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this annual report.
| Class A Ordinary shares | Class B Ordinary shares | |||||||||||||||
| Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1) | Number of Shares Beneficially Owned | Percentage of Outstanding Class A Common Stock | Number of Shares Beneficially Owned | Percentage of Outstanding Class B Common Stock | ||||||||||||
| OAC Sponsor Ltd. (2) | — | — | 2,875,000 | (3) | 100 | % | ||||||||||
| Jay Madhu | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Wrendon Timothy | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Jason Butcher | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Allan Martin | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| William Yankus | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Periscope Capital Inc. and affiliates (4) | 599,800 | 5.16 | % | — | — | |||||||||||
| Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. and affiliates (5) | 800,000 | 6.89 | % | — | — | |||||||||||
| MMCAP International Inc. SPC and affiliates(6) | 990,000 | 8.52 | % | — | — | |||||||||||
| Hudson Bay Capital Management LP and affiliates (7) | 990,000 | 8.52 | % | — | — | |||||||||||
| Weiss Asset Management LP. and affiliates(8) | 658,973 | 5.67 | % | — | — | |||||||||||
| All officers and directors as a group (5 individuals) | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| (1) | Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following entities or individuals is c/o Oxbridge Acquisition Corp. Suite 201, 42 Edward Street, George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands |
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| (2) | OAC Sponsor Ltd. is the record holder of the shares reported herein. Each of our directors and officers have direct or indirect membership interests in OAC Sponsor Ltd. OAC Sponsor Ltd. is governed and controlled by a board of directors of 2 members, Jay Madhu and Wrendon Timothy. Each director has one vote, and the approval of a majority is required to approve an action. Under the so-called “rule of three,” if voting and dispositive decisions regarding an entity’s securities are made by two or more individuals, and a voting and dispositive decision requires the approval of a majority of those individuals, none of the individuals is deemed a beneficial owner of the entity’s securities. This is the situation with regard to OAC Sponsor Ltd. Based on the foregoing, no director exercises voting or dispositive control over any of the securities held by OAC Sponsor Ltd. Accordingly, none of them will be deemed to have or share beneficial ownership of such shares and, for the avoidance of doubt, each expressly disclaims any such beneficial interest to the extent of any pecuniary interest he may have therein, directly or indirectly. Each of our officers, directors and advisors is or will be, directly or indirectly, a member of our sponsor. |
| (3) | Represents Class B ordinary shares held by our sponsor. |
| (4) | Based solely upon information contained in the Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 14, 2022 by Periscope Capital Inc. The address of the business office of the foregoing reporting person is 333 Bay Street, Suite 1240, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5H 2R2. |
| (5) | Based solely upon information contained in the Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 10, 2022 by Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. The address of the business office of each of the foregoing reporting persons is 16 York Street, Suite 2900, Toronto, ON, Canada M5J 0E6.
|
| (6) | Based solely upon information contained in the Schedule 13G jointly filed with the SEC on February 7, 2022 by MMCAP International Inc. SPC and MM Asset Management Inc. The address of the business office of MMCAP International Inc. SPC is c/o Mourant Governance Services (Cayman), 94 Solaris Avenue, Camana Bay, P.O. Box 1348, Grand Cayman, KY1-1108, Cayman Islands. The address of the business of MM Asset Management Inc. is 161 Bay Street, TD Canada Trust Tower Ste 2240, Toronto, ON M5J 2S1 Canada. |
| (7) | Based solely upon information contained in the Schedule 13G jointly filed with the SEC on February 3, 2022 by Hudson Bay Capital Management LP and Sander Gerber. The address of the business office of each of the foregoing reporting persons is 28 Havemeyer Place, 2nd Floor, Greenwich, Connecticut 06830. |
| (8) | Based solely upon information contained in the Schedule 13G jointly filed with the SEC on January 28, 2022 by Weiss Asset Management LP., BIP GP LLC, WAM GP LLC and Andrew M. Weiss. The address of the business office of each of the foregoing reporting persons is 222 Berkeley Street, 16th Floor, Boston Massachusetts, 02116. |
Our sponsor beneficially owns 20.0% of the issued and outstanding shares of our ordinary shares. Our sponsor will have the right to elect all of our directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination as a result of holding all of the founder shares. In addition, because of this ownership block, our sponsor may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and approval of significant corporate transactions.
In April 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 2,875,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.009 per share. Our Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into shares of Class A ordinary shares, on a one-for-one basis, upon the completion of a business combination. The number of founder shares issued was based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares of our ordinary shares upon completion of the IPO.
Concurrently with the completion of the IPO, our sponsor and Maxim purchased an aggregate of 5,760,000 private placement warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant, or approximately $5,760,000 in the aggregate. An aggregate of $116,725,000 from the proceeds of the IPO and the sale of private placement warrants was placed in a trust account such that the trust account held $116,725,000 at the time of closing of the IPO. Each whole private placement warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A ordinary shares at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to certain adjustments.
Our sponsor and our executive officers and directors are deemed to be our “promoters” as such term is defined under the federal securities laws. See “Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence” below for additional information regarding our relationships with our promoters.
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Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants
The founder shares, private placement warrants, and any Class A ordinary shares issued upon conversion or exercise thereof are each subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to lock-up provisions in a letter agreement with us to be entered into by our sponsor, officers and directors. Our initial shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earlier to occur of: (i) one year after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination; or (ii) the date on which we consummate a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, or other similar transaction that results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities, or other property (except as described herein under the section of our IPO prospectus filed with the SEC entitled “Principal Shareholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”). Any permitted transferees will be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial shareholders with respect to any founder shares. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing 150 days after our initial business combination, the founder shares will no longer be subject to such transfer restrictions. In addition, the lock-up provisions of the insider letter provide that the founder shares and the private placement warrants, and any Class A ordinary shares issued upon conversion or exercise thereof are not transferable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. However, any such securities may be transferred or sold: (a) to our officers or directors, any affiliates or family members of any of our officers or directors, any members of our sponsor, or any affiliates of our sponsor; (b) in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of the individual’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of one 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 an initial business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the securities were originally purchased; (f) in the event of our liquidation prior to the completion of our initial business combination; (g) by virtue of the laws of Florida or our sponsor’s limited liability company agreement upon dissolution of our sponsor; or (h) in the event of our liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their shares of 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 (e) or (g) these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions and the other restrictions contained in the letter agreements, and by the same agreements entered into by our sponsor with respect to such securities (including provisions relating to voting, the trust account, and liquidation distributions described in the prospectus for our IPO filed with the SEC).
Registration Rights
The holders of the (i) founder shares, which were issued in a private placement prior to the closing of our initial public offering, (ii) private placement warrants, which was issued in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of our initial public offering and the Class A ordinary shares underlying such private placement warrants and (iii) private placement warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans will have registration rights to require us to register a sale of any of our securities held by them pursuant to a registration rights agreement signed in connection with our IPO. Pursuant to the registration rights agreement and assuming $1,500,000 of working capital loans are converted into private placement warrants, we will be obligated to register up to 10,135,000 Class A ordinary shares and 7,260,000 warrants. The number of Class A ordinary shares includes (i) 2,875,000 Class A ordinary shares to be issued upon conversion of the founder shares, (ii) 4,897,500 Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants, (iii) 862,500 Class A ordinary shares underlying the representative warrants and (iv) 1,500,000 Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans. The holders of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that we register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements
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Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.
On April 12, 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 2,875,000 founders shares for a total purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.009 per share. The number of founders shares outstanding was determined based on the expectation that the total size of our initial public offering would be a maximum of 11,500,000 shares of Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option were exercised in full, and therefore that such founders shares would represent 20% of the issued and outstanding shares of our ordinary shares (excluding shares issuable upon exercise of private placement warrants) after such offering.
On April 19, 2021, the Sponsor agreed to loan us an aggregate of up to $300,000 to cover for expenses related to the IPO pursuant to a promissory note (the “Note”). This loan was non-interest bearing and was payable upon the earlier of December 31, 2021 or the completion of the IPO. The loan amounted to $195,175 and was repaid upon the closing of the IPO out of offering proceeds not held in the trust account.
Our sponsor and Maxim purchased an aggregate of 5,760,000 private placement warrants at a price of $1.00 per private placement warrants, or approximately $5,760,000 in the aggregate, in a private placement that closed simultaneously with our IPO. The private placement warrants may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination.
Following the closing of our IPO, we pay our sponsor $10,000 per month for office space, administrative and support services pursuant to the terms of an administrative services agreement between us and an affiliate of the our sponsor. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
No finder’s fees, reimbursement, consulting fee, monies in respect of any payment of a loan or other compensation paid by us to our sponsor, directors or officers or our or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, these individuals will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or their affiliates.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor, founders, directors and officers or any of their respective affiliates may, but none of them are obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete an initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post business combination entity (the “Working Capital Warrants”) at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The Working Capital Warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants issued to our sponsor. Except as set forth above, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor, founders, directors and officers or any of their respective affiliates as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account. As of December 31, 2021, we did not have any outstanding borrowings under the Working Capital Loans. Any of the foregoing payments to our sponsor, repayments of loans from our sponsor or repayments of working capital loans prior to our initial business combination will be made using funds held outside the trust account.
After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the post-combination business. The directors of the post-combination business will determine executive and director compensation.
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Director Independence
The rules of Nasdaq require that a majority of our board of directors be independent within one year of our initial public offering. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person that, in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, has no material relationship with the listed company (either directly or as a partner, shareholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with the company). We have “independent directors” as defined in the Nasdaq rules and applicable SEC rules. Our board has determined that each of Jason Butcher, Allan Martin and William Yankus is an independent director under applicable SEC and Nasdaq rules.
Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services.
The following is a summary of fees paid or to be paid to Hacker Johnson and Smith PA (“HJ&S”), for services rendered.
Audit Fees. Audit fees consist of fees billed for professional services rendered for the audit of our year-end financial statements and services that are normally provided by HJ&S in connection with regulatory filings. The aggregate fees billed by HJ&S for professional services rendered for the audit of our annual financial statements, review of the financial information included in our Forms 10-Q for the respective periods and other required filings with the SEC for the period from April 12, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 totaled $81,000. The above amounts include interim procedures and audit fees, as well as attendance at audit committee meetings.
Audit-Related Fees. Audit-related services consist of fees billed for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to performance of the audit or review of our financial statements and are not reported under “Audit Fees.” These services include attest services that are not required by statute or regulation and consultations concerning financial accounting and reporting standards. We did not pay HJ&S for consultations concerning financial accounting and reporting standards for the period from April 12, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021.
Tax Fees. We did not pay HJ&S for tax planning and tax advice standards for the period from April 12, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021.
All Other Fees. We did not pay HJ&S for other services standards for the period from April 12, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021.
Pre-Approval Policy
Our audit committee was formed upon the consummation of our initial public offering. As a result, the audit committee did not pre-approve all of the foregoing services, although any services rendered prior to the formation of our audit committee were approved by our board of directors. Since the formation of our audit committee, and on a going-forward basis, the audit committee has and will pre-approve all auditing services and permitted non-audit services to be performed for us by our auditors, including the fees and terms thereof (subject to the de minimis exceptions for non-audit services described in the Exchange Act which are approved by the audit committee prior to the completion of the audit).
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PART IV
Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules.
| (a) | The following documents are filed as part of this annual report on Form 10-K: |
| (b) | Financial Statement Schedules. All schedules are omitted for the reason that the information is included in the financial statements or the notes thereto or that they are not required or are not applicable. |
| (c) | Exhibits: The exhibits listed in the accompanying index to exhibits on pages are filed or incorporated by reference as part of this annual report on Form 10-K. |
| ITEM 16 | FORM 10-K SUMMARY |
None.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this annual report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, on the 30th day of March, 2022.
| Oxbridge Acquisition Corp. | ||
| By: | /s/ Jay Madhu | |
| Name: | Jay Madhu | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, this annual report has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Name |
Position |
Date | ||
| /s/ Jay Madhu | Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President | March 30, 2022 | ||
| Jay Madhu | (Principal Executive Officer) | |||
| /s/ Wrendon Timothy | Chief Financial Officer, Director, Secretary and Treasurer | March 30, 2022 | ||
| Wrendon Timothy | (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) | |||
| /s/ Jason Butcher | Director | March 30, 2022 | ||
| Jason Butcher | ||||
| /s/ Allan Martin | Director | March 30, 2022 | ||
| Allan Martin | ||||
| /s/ William Yankus | Director | March 30, 2022 | ||
| William Yankus |
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OXBRIDGE ACQUISITION CORP.
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Shareholders and Board of Directors of
Oxbridge Acquisition Corp.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Oxbridge Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2021, the related statements of operations, changes in shareholders’ equity and cash flows for the period from April 12, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash for the period from April 12, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matters
Critical audit matters are matters arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. We determined that there are no critical audit matters.
/s/ HACKER JOHNSON & SMITH PA
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021.
March 30, 2022
PCAOB ID #
| F-1 |
OXBRIDGE ACQUISITION CORP.
Balance Sheet
(expressed in thousands of U.S. Dollars, except per share and share amounts)
| At December 31, 2021 | ||||
| Assets | ||||
| Current assets | ||||
| Cash | $ | |||
| Accrued income | ||||
| Total current assets | ||||
| Cash held in Trust Account | ||||
| Total Assets | $ | |||
| Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity | ||||
| Current liabilities | ||||
| Accrued expenses | ||||
| Total current liabilities | ||||
| Deferred underwriting commissions | ||||
| Derivative warrant liabilities | ||||
| Total liabilities | ||||
| Commitments and Contingencies | ||||
| Class A ordinary shares; shares subject to possible redemption at $per share | ||||
| Shareholders’ Equity: | ||||
| Preference shares, $ par value; shares authorized; issued and outstanding | - | |||
| Class A ordinary shares, $par value; shares authorized; issued and outstanding (excluding shares subject to possible redemption) | ||||
| Class B ordinary shares, $ par value; shares authorized; shares issued and outstanding | ||||
| Additional paid-in capital, net of offering costs | ||||
| Retained Earnings | ( | ) | ||
| Total shareholders’ equity | ||||
| Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity | $ | |||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of financial statements.
| F-2 |
OXBRIDGE ACQUISITION CORP.
Statement of Operations
| For the period from | ||||
| April 12, 2021 | ||||
| (inception) through | ||||
| December 31, 2021 | ||||
| Expenses | ||||
| Formation and administrative expenses | $ | ( | ) | |
| Loss from operations | ( | ) | ||
| Change in fair value of warrant liabilities | ( | ) | ||
| Other income | ||||
| Interest earned | ||||
| Net loss | $ | ( | ) | |
| Loss per share: | ||||
| Basic weighted average shares outstanding | ||||
| Diluted weighted average shares outstanding | ||||
| Basic and diluted net loss per ordinary share | $ | ( | ) | |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of financial statements.
| F-3 |
OXBRIDGE ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
FOR THE PERIOD FROM APRIL 12, 2021 (INCEPTION) THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2021
| Ordinary Shares | Additional | Total | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Class A | Class B | Paid-in | Accumulated | Shareholders’ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount | Capital | Deficit | Equity | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance – April 12, 2021 (inception) | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of Class B ordinary shares to Sponsor | - | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of Class A ordinary shares (net of offering costs) | - | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of private placement warrants | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Class A Ordinary shares subject to possible redemption | ( | ) | ( | ) | - | - | ( | ) | - | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||
| Net loss | - | - | - | - | - | ( | ) | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Balance - December 31, 2021 | $ | $ | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of financial statements.
| F-4 |
OXBRIDGE ACQUISITION CORP.
Statements of Cash Flows (unaudited)
(expressed in thousands of U.S. Dollars)
| For the period from | ||||
| April 12, 2021 | ||||
| (inception) through | ||||
| December 31, 2021 | ||||
| Cash flows from Operating Activities: | ||||
| Net loss | $ | ( | ) | |
| Adjustments to reconcile net loss to cash used in operating activities | ||||
| Change in fair value of warrant liabilities | ||||
| Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | ||||
| Accrued income | ( | ) | ||
| Accounts payable | ||||
| Accrued expenses | ||||
| Net cash used in operating activities | $ | ( | ) | |
| Cash flows from Investing Activities: | ||||
| Investment in Trust Account | ( | ) | ||
| Net cash used in investing activities | $ | ( | ) | |
| Cash flows from Financing Activities: | ||||
| Proceeds from issuance of Class B ordinary shares | ||||
| Proceeds from issuance of private placement warrants | ||||
| Proceeds from issuance of units (net of offering costs) | ||||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | $ | |||
| Net Change in Cash | ||||
| Cash – Beginning of period | - | |||
| Cash – Ending of period | $ | |||
| Supplemental disclosure of non-cashflow information | ||||
| Deferred underwriting commissions in connection with the initial public offering | ||||
| F-5 |
OXBRIDGE ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 1—Description of Organization and Business Operations
Oxbridge Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) was incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company on April 12, 2021. The Company was incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock or share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”). The Company is an emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with emerging growth companies.
As of December 31, 2021, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from April 12, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 relates to the Company’s formation and the initial public offering (the “Initial Public Offering” or “IPO”)) described below. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of its initial Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company may generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents from the proceeds derived from the IPO. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.
The
Company’s sponsor is OAC Sponsor Ltd., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Sponsor”). The registration statement
for the Company’s IPO was declared effective on August 11, 2021. On August 16, 2021, the Company consummated its IPO of
units (each, a “Unit” and collectively,
the “Units” and, with respect to the Class A ordinary shares included in the Units, the “Public Shares”), at
$per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $
Simultaneously
with the closing of the IPO, the Company consummated the sale of warrants to the Sponsor and Maxim Group LLC (“Maxim”),
the underwriter in our IPO (the “Private Placement Warrants”), at a price of $per Private Placement Warrant, generating gross
proceeds of $
Upon
the closing of the IPO, the Over-Allotment and the Private Placement, $
The
Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the IPO and the
sale of Private Placement Warrants, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating
a Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully.
| F-6 |
OXBRIDGE ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2021
Note 1—Description of Organization and Business Operations (continued)
The
Company will provide the holders (the “Public Shareholders”) of its Public Shares, with the opportunity to redeem all or
a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a shareholder meeting called
to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek shareholder
approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion. The Public Shareholders
will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (initially anticipated
to be $ per
Public Share). The per-share amount to be distributed to Public Shareholders who redeem their Public Shares will not be reduced by the
deferred underwriting commissions the Company will pay to the underwriters. These Public Shares have been classified as temporary equity
upon the completion of the IPO in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting
Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” In such case, the Company
will proceed with a Business Combination if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association provides that a Public Shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% or more of the Class A ordinary shares sold in the IPO, without the prior consent of the Company.
The Company’s Sponsor (the “Initial Shareholder”) officers and directors have agreed not to propose an amendment to Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of its Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination by November 16, 2022 (or up to May 16, 2023 if the Company extends the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in the prospectus for the IPO) (the “Combination Period”) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity, unless the Company provides the Public Shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares in conjunction with any such amendment.
| F-7 |
OXBRIDGE ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2021
Note 1—Description of Organization and Business Operations (continued)
If
the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except
for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public
Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest
(which interest shall be net of taxes payable and up to $
The Initial Shareholder, officers and directors have agreed to waive their liquidation rights with respect to the Founder Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if the Initial Shareholder or members of the Company’s management team acquire Public Shares in or after the IPO, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to such Public Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to its deferred underwriting commission held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within in the Combination Period and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the other funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the Public Shares. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the residual assets remaining available for distribution (including Trust Account assets) will be only $per share initially held in the Trust Account. In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a vendor (other than the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account or to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, the Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims. The Company will seek to reduce the possibility that the Sponsor will have to indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (except for the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses or other entities with which the Company does business, execute agreements with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
As
of December 31, 2021 the Company had cash of approximately $
| F-8 |
OXBRIDGE ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2021
Note 1—Description of Organization and Business Operations (continued)
Based on the foregoing, management believes that the Company will have sufficient working capital and borrowing capacity to meet its needs through the earlier of the consummation of a Business Combination or one year from this filing. Over this time period, the Company will be using these funds for paying existing accrued offering costs and expenses, identifying and evaluating prospective initial Business Combination candidates, performing due diligence on prospective target businesses, paying for travel expenditures, selecting the target business to merge with or acquire, and structuring, negotiating and consummating the Business Combination.
Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for financial information and in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-K and Article 8 of Regulation S-X of the SEC.
Emerging Growth Company
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”) exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards.
The JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard.
This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statement with another public company that is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company that has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
| F-9 |
OXBRIDGE ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2021
Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)
Use of Estimates
The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statement and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgement. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statements, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.
Cash and cash equivalents
The
Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents.
As of December 31, 2021, the Company had approximately $
Concentration of Credit Risk
Financial
instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of cash accounts in a financial institution,
which, at times, may exceed the Federal Depository Insurance Company coverage of $
Financial Instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under the FASB ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the balance sheet due to their short-term nature.
Fair value measurements
Fair value is defined as the price that would be received for sale of an asset or paid for transfer of a liability, in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. GAAP establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). These tiers include:
| ● | Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical instruments in active markets; | |
| ● | Level 2, defined as inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable such as quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets or quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and | |
| ● | Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions, such as valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable |
| F-10 |
OXBRIDGE ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2021
Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)
In some circumstances, the inputs used to measure fair value might be categorized within different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In those instances, the fair value measurement is categorized in its entirety in the fair value hierarchy based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement.
Derivative financial instruments
The Company does not use derivative instruments to hedge exposures to cash flow, market, or foreign currency risks. The Company evaluates all of its financial instruments, including issued stock purchase warrants, to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives, pursuant to ASC 480 and ASC 815, “Derivatives and Hedging” (“ASC 815”). The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as liabilities or as equity, will be re-assessed at the end of each reporting period. Derivative warrant liabilities will be classified as non-current liabilities as their liquidation is not reasonably expected to require the use of current assets or require the creation of current liabilities.
The
Class A Ordinary Shares Subject to Possible Redemption
As of December 31, 2021, there were Class A ordinary shares issued or outstanding. The Company accounts for its Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Ordinary shares subject to mandatory redemption are classified as a liability instrument and is measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable ordinary shares (including ordinary shares that features redemption rights that is either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) are classified as temporary equity. At all other times, ordinary shares are classified as shareholders’ equity. The Company’s ordinary shares features certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and be subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, at December 31, 2021, Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption are presented at redemption value as temporary equity, outside of the shareholders’ equity section of the Company’s condensed balance sheets.
Loss per share is computed by dividing loss by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period. At December 31, 2021, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into ordinary shares and then share in the loss of the Company. As a result, diluted loss per share is the same as basic loss per share for the periods presented.
| F-11 |
OXBRIDGE ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2021
Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)
Income Taxes
The Company follows the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes under FASB ASC 740, “Income Taxes.” Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statements carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that included the enactment date. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.
ASC Topic 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. The Company’s management determined that the Cayman Islands is the Company’s major tax jurisdiction. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. As of December 31, 2021, there were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties. 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’s management does not expect that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits will materially change over the next twelve months.
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 or the United States. As such, the Company’s tax provision was zero for the period presented.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In August 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2020-06, Debt — Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging — Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40) (“ASU 2020-06”) to simplify accounting for certain financial instruments. ASU 2020-06 eliminates the current models that require separation of beneficial conversion and cash conversion features from convertible instruments and simplifies the derivative scope exception guidance pertaining to equity classification of contracts in an entity’s own equity. The new standard also introduces additional disclosures for convertible debt and freestanding instruments that are indexed to and settled in an entity’s own equity. ASU 2020-06 amends the diluted earnings per share guidance, including the requirement to use the if-converted method for all convertible instruments. ASU 2020-06 is effective January 1, 2022 and should be applied on a full or modified retrospective basis. The Company is currently assessing the impact, if any, that ASU 2020-06 would have on its financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.
| F-12 |
OXBRIDGE ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2021
Note 3—Initial Public Offering
On
August 16, 2021, the Company consummated its IPO of Units at $per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $
Each Unit consists of one Class A ordinary share, and one redeemable warrant (each, a “Public Warrant”). Each Public Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $ per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 6).
Note 4—Related Party Transactions
Founder Shares
On April 12, 2021, the Sponsor paid $, or approximately $ per share, to cover certain expenses on behalf of the Company in exchange for issuance of Class B ordinary shares, par value $ (the “Founder Shares”). The Founder Shares will automatically convert into shares of Class A ordinary shares at the time of the Company’s initial Business Combination and are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in Note 6.
The
Initial Shareholder have agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of their Founder Shares until the
earlier to occur of: (i)
Private Placement Warrants
Simultaneously
with the closing of the IPO, the Company consummated the Private Placement of an
Certain proceeds from the Private Placement Warrants were added to the proceeds from the IPO to be held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Private Placement Warrants will expire worthless. The Private Placement Warrants will be non-redeemable and exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by the Sponsor or its permitted transferees.
| F-13 |
OXBRIDGE ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2021
Note 4—Related Party Transactions (continued)
Related Party Loans
On
April 19, 2021, the Sponsor agreed to loan the Company an aggregate of up to $
Working Capital Loans
In
addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor,
other Initial Shareholder, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds
as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company would repay the
Working Capital Loans. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside
the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital
Loans. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such Working Capital Loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements
exist with respect to such loans. The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination, without
interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $
Administrative Services Agreement
Commencing
on the effective date of the Company’s IPO, the Company agreed to pay its Sponsor a total of up to $
Note 5—Commitments and Contingencies
Registration Rights
The holders of Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants, and securities that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans, if any, are entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration and shareholder rights agreement. The holders of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that the Company registers such securities. In addition, these holders will have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the completion of the initial Business Combination. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
| F-14 |
OXBRIDGE ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2021
Note 5—Commitments and Contingencies (continued)
Underwriting Agreement
The Company granted the underwriters a 45-day option from the final prospectus relating to the IPO to purchase up to additional Units to cover over-allotments, if any, at the IPO price less the underwriting discounts and commissions. On August 16, 2021, the underwriters fully exercised their over-allotment option.
The
underwriters were entitled to an underwriting discount of $
Risks and Uncertainties
Management continues to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations, and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of these financial statement. The financial statement does not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Note 6 – Derivative Warrant Liabilities
As
of December 31, 2021, the Company had
The Company will not be obligated to deliver any Class A ordinary shares pursuant to the exercise of a Public Warrant and will have no obligation to settle such Public Warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to the Company satisfying its obligations with respect to registration. No Public Warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and the Company will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their Public Warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration is available.
The Company has agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days, after the closing of a Business Combination, it will use its best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement registering the issuance, under the Securities Act, of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants. The Company will use its best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement covering the shares of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, to cause such registration statement to become effective and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A ordinary shares until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement. If a registration statement covering the shares of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of a Business Combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption
| F-15 |
OXBRIDGE ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2021
Note 6 – Derivative Warrant Liabilities (continued)
Redemption of Warrants for Cash When the Price per Class A Ordinary Share Equals or Exceeds $
Once the Public Warrants become exercisable, the Company may call the Public Warrants for redemption
| ● | in whole and not in part; | |
| ● | at a price of $ per Public Warrant; | |
| ● | upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder and | |
| ● | if, and only if, the reported last sale price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $ per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending three business days before the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrant holders (the “Reference Value”). |
If and when the Public Warrants become redeemable by the Company, the Company may not exercise its redemption right if the issuance of shares of ordinary shares upon exercise of the warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws or the Company is unable to effect such registration or qualification.
The exercise price and number of shares of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a share dividend, or recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. Additionally, in no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the Public Warrants. If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and the Company liquidates the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of warrants will not receive any of such funds with respect to their warrants, nor will they receive any distribution from the Company’s assets held outside of the Trust Account with the respect to such warrants. Accordingly, the warrants may expire worthless.
If the Company calls the Public Warrants for redemption, management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise the Public Warrants to do so on a “cashless basis,” as described in the warrant agreement. The exercise price and number of common shares issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a share dividend, extraordinary dividend or recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation.
In
addition, if (x)
| F-16 |
OXBRIDGE ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2021
Note 6 – Derivative Warrant Liabilities (continued)
The
Company has accounted for the
The warrant agreement contains an Alternative Issuance provision that if less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of the Class A common stock in the Business Combination is payable in the form of common equity in the successor entity, and if the holders of the warrants properly exercise the warrants within thirty days following the public disclosure of the consummation of Business Combination by the Company, the warrant price shall be reduced by an amount equal to the difference (but in no event less than zero) of (i) the warrant price in effect prior to such reduction minus (ii) (A) the Per Share Consideration (as defined below) minus (B) the Black-Scholes Warrant Value (as defined below). The “Black-Scholes Warrant Value” means the value of a Warrant immediately prior to the consummation of the Business Combination based on the Black-Scholes Warrant Model for a Capped American Call on Bloomberg Financial Markets. “Per Share Consideration” means (i) if the consideration paid to holders of the common stock consists exclusively of cash, the amount of such cash per common stock, and (ii) in all other cases, the volume weighted average price of the common stock as reported during the ten-trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the effective date of the Business Combination.
The Company believes that the adjustments to the exercise price of the warrants is based on a variable that is not an input to the fair value of a “fixed-for-fixed” option as defined under FASB ASC Topic No. 815 – 40, and thus the warrants are not eligible for an exception from derivative accounting. The accounting treatment of derivative financial instruments requires that the Company record a derivative liability upon the closing of the IPO. Accordingly, the Company classifies each warrant as a liability at its fair value and the warrants will be allocated a portion of the proceeds from the issuance of the Units equal to its fair value determined using Black-Scholes option pricing model. This liability is subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date. With each such re-measurement, the warrant liability will be adjusted to fair value, with the change in fair value recognized in the Company’s statement of operations. The Company will reassess the classification at each balance sheet date. If the classification changes as a result of events during the period, the warrants will be reclassified as of the date of the event that causes the reclassification.
| F-17 |
OXBRIDGE ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2021
Note 7 - Fair Value Measurements
The following table presents information about the Company’s financial liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of the initial issuance date, December 31, 2021, by level within the fair value hierarchy:
Schedule of Fair Value Liabilities measured on Recurring Basis
| Fair Value Measurements Using | ||||||||||||||||
| (Level 1) | (Level 2) | (Level 3) | Total | |||||||||||||
| Description | ||||||||||||||||
| Liabilities: | ||||||||||||||||
| Warrant liabilities - public warrants | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||
| Warrant liabilities – private placement warrants | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||
| Total | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
The Public Warrants issued in connection with the Public Offering and the Private Placement Warrants were initially measured at fair value using a Black-Scholes option pricing model. The subsequent measurement of the Public Warrants as of December 31, 2021, is classified as Level 1 due to the use of an observable market quote in an active market.
The Company utilizes a Modified Black-Scholes model to value the Private Placement Warrants at each reporting period, with changes in fair value recognized in the statement of operations. The estimated fair value of the Private Placement Warrant liability is determined using Level 3 inputs. Inherent in a Black-Scholes option pricing model are assumptions related to expected stock-price volatility, expected life, risk-free interest rate and dividend yield. At December 31, 2021, the Company estimates the volatility of its warrants based in part on historical volatility of select peer company’s ordinary shares that matches the target industries. The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury zero-coupon yield curve on the grant date for a maturity similar to the expected remaining life of the warrants. The expected life of the warrants is assumed to be equivalent to the remaining term until initial business combination. The dividend rate is based on the historical rate, which the Company anticipates remaining at zero.
There were no transfers between Levels 1, 2 or 3 during the period from April 12, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, other than the transfer of public warrants liabilities from Level 3 to Level 1.
The following table provides quantitative information regarding Level 3 fair value measurements inputs for private placement warrants at their measurement dates:
Schedule of Fair Value Measurements
| At August 16, 2021 (Initial Measurement) | At December 31, 2021 | |||||||
| Share price | $ | $ | ||||||
| Exercise price | $ | $ | ||||||
| Expected dividend yield | % | % | ||||||
| Expected volatility | % | % | ||||||
| Risk-free interest rate | % | % | ||||||
| Expected life (in years) | ||||||||
| F-18 |
OXBRIDGE ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2021
Note 7 - Fair Value Measurements (continued)
The following table provides a reconciliation of changes in fair value of the beginning and ending balances for the liabilities classified as Level 3:
Schedule of Fair Value Warrant Liabilities
| Private | ||||||||||||
| Placement | Public | Warrant | ||||||||||
| Warrants | Warrants | Liabilities | ||||||||||
| Fair value of Level 3 warrants at April 12, 2021 (inception) | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||
| Initial fair value as of August 16, 2021 | ||||||||||||
| Change in valuation inputs or other assumptions | ||||||||||||
| Transfer to Level 1 | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||
| Fair value of Level 3 warrants at December 31, 2021 | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||
The following table presents the changes in the fair value of warrant liabilities:
Schedule of Fair Value Warrant Liabilities
| Private | Total | |||||||||||
| Placement | Public | Warrant | ||||||||||
| Warrants | Warrants | Liabilities | ||||||||||
| Fair value as of April 12, 2021 (inception) | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||
| Initial measurement on August 16, 2021 | ||||||||||||
| Change in valuation inputs or other assumptions | ||||||||||||
| Fair value as of December 31, 2021 | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||
Note 8—Shareholders’ Equity
Preference Shares—The Company is authorized to issue preference shares with a par value of $ per share, with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. As of December 31, 2021, there were preference shares issued or outstanding.
Class A Ordinary Shares—The Company is authorized to issue Class A ordinary shares with a par value of $ per share. Holders of the Company’s Class A ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share. As of December 31, 2021, there were Class A ordinary shares outstanding.
Class B Ordinary Shares—The Company is authorized to issue Class B ordinary shares with a par value of $ per share. Holders are entitled to one vote for each Class B ordinary share. At December 31, 2021, there were Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding. Holders of the Class A ordinary shares and holders of the Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of the Company’s shareholders, except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rule; provided that only holders of the Class B ordinary shares have the right to vote on the appointment of the Company’s directors prior to the initial Business Combination.
| F-19 |
OXBRIDGE ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2021
Note 8—Shareholders’ Equity (continued)
The
Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of the initial Business Combination on a
one-for-one basis (as adjusted). In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities are issued or deemed
issued in connection with the initial Business Combination, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Founder
Shares will equal, in the aggregate,
Note 9—Subsequent Events
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date up to the date that the financial statements were issued. Based upon this review, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.
| F-20 |