CO2 Energy Transition Corp S-1, filed Feb 23, 2023
CO2 Energy Transition Corp. (NOEM)
As filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on February 23, 2023.
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
____________________________
FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
____________________________
CO2 Energy Transition Corp.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
____________________________
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Delaware |
6770 |
87-2950691 |
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(State or other jurisdiction of |
(Primary Standard industrial |
(I.R.S. Employer |
1334 Brittmoore Rd, Suite 190
Houston, Texas 77043
Telephone: (346) 482-6238
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
____________________________
E. Will Gray II
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
CO2 Energy Transition Corp.
1334 Brittmoore Rd, Suite 190
Houston, Texas 77043
Telephone: (346) 482-6238
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
____________________________
Copies to:
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Mitchell S. Nussbaum, Esq. |
Spencer G. Feldman, Esq. |
____________________________
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public:
As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 check the following box: ☐
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
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Large accelerated filer |
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Accelerated filer |
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Non-accelerated filer |
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Emerging growth company |
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If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine
The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state or jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED FEBRUARY 23, 2023
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
$80,000,000
CO2 Energy Transition Corp.
8,000,000 Units
CO2 Energy Transition Corp. is a blank check company, incorporated as a Delaware corporation for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any industry or geographic location (subject to certain limitations described in this prospectus), we intend to focus our search for a target business in the carbon capture, utilization and storage industry.
This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one share of our common stock and one redeemable warrant. Each warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. The warrants will become exercisable on the later of twelve months from the date of this offering or 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, and will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation, as described in this prospectus. We have also granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,200,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of our common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account described below calculated as of two business days prior to the completion of our initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding shares of our common stock that were sold as part of the units in this offering, which we refer to collectively as our public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. If we have not completed our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) to consummate our initial business combination, we will redeem 100% of the public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses and which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC on the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our initial stockholders or their affiliates or designees, upon five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account for each one-month extension, $266,400, or $306,360 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.0333 per share in either case), on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline.
Our sponsor, CO2 Energy Transition, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (which we refer to as our “sponsor” throughout this prospectus) has committed to purchase an aggregate of 440,000 units (or 480,000 private placement units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $10.00 per unit ($4,400,000 in the aggregate or $4,800,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. We refer to these units throughout this prospectus as the private placement units. Each private placement unit consists of one share of our common stock and one warrant with each warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one share of our common stock at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein.
Our sponsor currently holds 3,066,667 shares of our common stock (which we refer to as “founder shares” as further described herein), up to 400,000 of which are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor, depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised.
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our units, shares of our common stock or warrants. We intend to apply to list our units on The Nasdaq Capital Market (“Nasdaq”) under the symbol “__________U” on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq. The shares of our common stock and warrants constituting the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day) unless the representative of the underwriters informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our filing a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) containing an audited balance sheet of the company reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds of this offering and issuing a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the securities constituting the units begin separate trading, we expect that the shares of our common stock and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “__________” and “__________W,” respectively.
We are an “emerging growth company” and a “smaller reporting company” under applicable federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. Investing in our securities involves risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 33. Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings.
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Price to |
Underwriting |
Proceeds, |
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Per Unit |
$ |
10.00 |
$ |
0.40 |
$ |
9.60 |
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Total |
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80,000,000 |
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3,200,000 |
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76,800,000 |
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(1) $0.10 per unit or $800,000 in the aggregate (or $920,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) is payable upon the closing of this offering. The discount includes $2,400,000, or $0.30 per unit, equal to 3.0% of the gross proceeds of this offering (or $2,760,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) payable to the underwriters as deferred underwriting discounts at the closing of our initial business combination from the funds to be placed in the trust account described below. The underwriters will also be entitled to 1.5% of the gross proceeds of this offering as underwriting discounts in the form of our shares at a price of $10.00 per share (the “Representative Shares”), to be issued at closing of this offering. Such funds will be released to the underwriters only upon consummation of an initial business combination, as described in this prospectus. If the business combination is not consummated, such deferred discounts will be forfeited by the underwriters. The underwriters will not be entitled to any interest accrued on the deferred underwriting discounts. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Underwriting” beginning on page 150 for a description of compensation and other items of value payable to the underwriters.
Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement units described in this prospectus, $81,600,000, or $93,840,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.20 per unit), will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account at Bank of America, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our taxes, if any, the funds held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest to occur of: (1) our completion of an initial business combination; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed an initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus), subject to applicable law. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could become subject to the claims of our creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of our public stockholders.
The underwriters are offering the units for sale on a firm commitment basis. Delivery of the units will be made on or about , 2023.
Neither the SEC nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
EF HUTTON
division of Benchmark Investments, LLC
The date of this prospectus is , 2023
We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus. We and the underwriters take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the units offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this prospectus is current only as of its date.
Until , 2023, all dealers that effect transactions in these securities, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers’ obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to unsold allotments or subscriptions.
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F-1 |
i
This summary only highlights the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the information under “Risk Factors” and our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus, before investing.
CO2 Energy Transition Corp. is a blank check company, incorporated as a Delaware corporation for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any industry or geographic location, we intend to focus our search for a target business that capitalizes on our sponsor’s sector expertise, network and experience.
Definitions
Unless otherwise stated in this prospectus or the context otherwise requires, references to:
• “common stock” are to shares of our common stock, par value $0.0001 per share;
• “directors” are to our current directors and our director nominees named in this prospectus;
• “founder shares” are to shares of our common stock initially purchased by our sponsor in a private placement prior to this offering;
• “initial stockholders” are to our sponsor and the other holders of our founder shares prior to this offering;
• “letter agreement” are to the letter agreement, the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part;
• “management” or our “management team” are to our directors and officers;
• “private placement units” are to the units issued to our sponsor in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of this offering;
• “public shares” are to shares of our common stock sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market);
• “public stockholders” are to the holders of our public shares, including our sponsor, directors and officers to the extent our sponsor, directors or officers purchase public shares, provided their status as a “public stockholder” shall only exist with respect to such public shares;
• “amended and restated certificate of incorporation” are to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be in effect upon completion of this offering;
• “sponsor” are to CO2 Energy Transition, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company;
• “warrants” are to our redeemable warrants sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market), the warrants included in out private placement units and any working capital warrants included in working capital units; and
• “we,” “us,” “our” and our “company” are to CO2 Energy Transition Corp., a Delaware corporation.
All references in this prospectus to shares of the company being forfeited shall take effect as surrenders for no consideration of such shares as a matter of Delaware law. Any stock dividends described in this prospectus shall take effect as share capitalizations as a matter of Delaware law. Unless we tell you otherwise, the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option and the forfeiture by our sponsor of 400,000 founder shares.
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Our Company
CO2 Energy Transition Corp., a Delaware corporation, is a blank check company incorporated on September 30, 2021 for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization, or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any specific business combination target, and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any potential business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities and activities related to this offering. We have generated no operating revenues to date and we do not expect that we will generate operating revenues unless and until we consummate our initial business combination. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, debt or a combination of cash, shares of stock and debt.
Although we may pursue a business combination in any industry, our objective is to identify and consummate a business combination with a business in the carbon capture, utilization and storage industry.
We believe that the deal generation, sector expertise, execution and operational capabilities of our management team, which is led by our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, E. Will Gray II and our President and Chief Operating Officer, Brady Rodgers.
Our Management Team, Board of Directors and Director Nominees
Board of Directors of the SPAC & Advisory Council
The initial board of directors of the SPAC will include the following persons, each of whom has indicated his or her intention to serve as a director:
E. Will Gray II
Chairman and CEO
Will Gray serves as our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Gray is currently Chief Executive Officer and a director of New Era Helium Corp. From May 2020 up until its share exchange with New Era Helium, he served as Managing Partner of Solis Partners, LLC. Solis Partners owned over 215,000 acres in both Texas and Southeast New Mexico focusing on conventional natural gas/helium and carbon capture and storage (“CCUS”) and enhanced oil recovery (“EOR”) San Andres production. He is the former CEO and founder of Remnant Oil Company — an upstream energy company that acquired and operated both secondary(water) and tertiary (CO2) floods within the Permian Basin, a company he co-founded in 2016. He served in that capacity until 2020. Operations also included management of an 18.5-mile CO2 pipeline that interconnects with the Kinder Morgan Cortez main trunk line. Remnant Oil Company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July 2019 and such petition was later changed to a Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing. From 2014-1015, he served as Chairman & CEO of Dala Petroleum and from 2012-2013, Mr. Gray was an EVP of Resaca Exploration (a Torch Energy Portfolio Company) He has ESG experience and a track record for protecting fresh water rights within S.E. New Mexico, renewable energy development on owned acreage, and the reduction of carbon footprints for certain Permian Basin oilfield service providers. Mr. Gray is a Trustee of the Texas State Development Foundation and on the investment committee. He is also a former board member of the United Way Fund in Midland. He has a B.S. in Business Management from Texas State University.
Don Kendall, Jr.
Director (Audit)
Don Kendall will serve as a director upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Additionally, he will serve as Chairman of the audit committee for the board. Since 1999, he has served Managing Director & CEO of Kenmont Capital, LP a private equity fund & family office. Since 2021, he has also served as a partner in New Climate Ventures. He has run a $500 million distressed debt hedge fund for energy, power and infrastructure sectors and a private equity Fund of Funds. He is past President, Cogen Technologies
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a domestic and international development acquisitions company with several billion in assets. He is also former Chairman/CEO, Palmetto Partners, Ltd an investment management/ family office for a Forbes 400 family. He has served on multiple public boards including as the Chair for Special Committee of the Solar City board and been a member of audit, compensation ESG and conflict committees in the past. He is a current board member of Talos Energy a NYSE listed company with special emphasis in Carbon Capture Sequestration & Storage assets in the Gulf of Mexico. He also serves on non-profit boards for the Jane Goodall Institute and Earthwatch, Inc. He is a graduate of Hamilton College with an A.B. and an MBA form Amos Tuck School of Business- Dartmouth College.
William H. Flores, CPA
Independent Director (Energy/Government)
William H. “Bill” Flores will serve as a Director upon the effective date of the registration of which this prospectus forms a part. Since November 2021, Bill has served as Vice-Chairman of the Board of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Mr. Flores served as Representative of the 17th District of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives from January 2011 to January 2021. Prior to serving in Congress, Mr. Flores worked in the energy business for approximately 30 years, including 20 years as a C-level officer for oil and gas and energy service companies, culminating with his service as Director, President, CEO, and Co-Founder of Phoenix Exploration Company from 2005 to 2009, following which he retired to run for Congress. During his career, Mr. Flores served on public boards including Marine Drilling Companies Inc. (NYSE / NASDAQ) and Great Western Resources (London Stock Exchange). He is currently active on numerous private entity boards, including higher education and non-profit organizations. Bill is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in Texas and an Executive Member of the Latino Corporate Directors Association (LCDA). He holds a BBA in Accounting from Texas A&M University in College Station and an MBA from Houston Baptist University.
Marcella Burke
Independent Director (Legal and Regulatory)
Marcella Burke will serve as a Director upon the effective date of the registration of which this prospectus forms a part. Marcella Burke will serve as a Director upon the effective date of the registration of which this prospectus forms a part. She is an environmental law partner at Eversheds Sutherland US LLP since July 2022. Prior to that, from September 2019 through July 2022, she was a partner at King & Spalding LLP, where she led the Houston office’s Environmental Health and Safety practice. Before joining private practice, Ms. Burke served as Deputy Solicitor at the US Department of the Interior from July 2018 through September 2019 and as Deputy General Counsel at the Environmental Protection Agency from November 2017 through July 2018. She also served at the Department of Interior as Deputy Solicitor for Energy and Natural Resources, and Senior Counselor to the Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management, where she managed the litigation docket and regulatory portfolio of all energy and natural resource permitting and project development on federal lands, including for the federal carbon capture program. She leads her firm’s Energy Transition initiative and is a board member of the Houston ESG Council. She was named by the Petroleum Economist as a global Top 100 Women of the Energy Transition 2021, received the National Law Journal Energy/Environmental Law Trailblazer Award 2021, named Lawdragon 500 Leading Environmental & Energy Lawyers 2021, and ranked among the Legal 500 United States top environmental practices 2021. She is on the Executive Committee of the Environment & Natural Resources Division of the State Bar of Texas, the Institute for Energy Law Advisory Counsel, and is the Chair of the Environment & Natural Resources Program Committee of the Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law.
Charles E. Fox
Independent Director (Industry)
Charles E. “Chuck” Fox will serve as director upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is part. He is President, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Windy Cove Energy II, an oil and gas producer, a position he has held since 2017. Chuck is also a director of Pure Earth Plasma Holdings Prior to Pure Earth and Windy Cove Energy II, he co-founded and led Windy Cove Energy as its chief executive officer from 2014 – 2016. Previously, he was vice president of operations and engineering for Kinder Morgan CO2 Company (2000 – 2013). Chuck is a co-author of the Society of Professional Engineers (“SPE”) monograph, Practical
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Aspects of CO2 Flooding and was an SPE distinguished lecturer on carbon capture utilization and storage. He has taught numerous classes about CO2 flooding and carbon storage. He holds a M.S. degree in petroleum engineering from Stanford University and a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Rice University. He is a registered professional engineer in Texas and New Mexico.
Fred Zeidman
Advisory Council Member
Fred Zeidman is Chairman of WoodRock & Co., an investment banking service business and served as Chairman and CEO of Good Works Acquisition Corp. until it’s sale to Cipher Mining and Chairman of Good Works Acquisition Corp.II. both publicly held SPACs and Mr. Zeidman served as Chairman of Gordian Group LLC, a U.S. investment bank specializing in board level advice in complex, distressed or “story” financial matters. Mr. Zeidman is Co-Chair and Director of Council for a Secure America (CSA), an organization dedicated to promoting United States energy independence and its impact on United States foreign policy. Mr. Zeidman, Chairman Emeritus of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council was appointed by President George W. Bush in March 2002 and served in that position from 2002-2010. A prominent Houston based business and civic leader; Mr. Zeidman also is Chairman Emeritus of the University of Texas Health Science System Houston. He is formerly National Chairman of the Development Corp of Israel Campaign (Israel Bonds) and served on the Board of the National World War II Museum. Over the course of his distinguished 50-year career, Mr. Zeidman has been involved in numerous high-profile workouts, restructurings and reorganizations. He was the former CEO, President and Chairman of Seitel, Inc., a Houston-based onshore seismic data provider where he was instrumental in the successful turnaround of the Company. He served as lead Director of Straight Path Communications, Inc. until its sale to Verizon in 2018. Director of REMA a division of NRG Corp. and he further serves on the board of Prosperity Bank and was formerly Restructuring Officer of TransMeridian Exploration Inc. and Chief Bankruptcy Trustee of AremisSoft Corp. He held the post of Chairman of the Board and CEO of Unibar Corporation, the largest domestic independent drilling fluids company, until its sale to Anchor Drilling Fluids in 1992. Mr. Zeidman holds a Bachelor’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis and a Master’s in Business Administration from New York University.
Leisha John
Advisory Council Member
Leisha John will serve as an ESG Advisor to the Board. Ms. John is a CPA with 38 years of experience at EY (Ernst & Young LLP). She served as the first Americas Director of Environmental Sustainability from 2008 through her retirement in 2021. In her role, she advised the EY Americas Executive Board on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) matters. Prior to her ESG appointment, Ms. John was the CEO of EY’s Global Delivery Services (shared services) center in Bangalore, India where she led the global operations from 2004 – 2008. Her expertise in operations, workforce development, transformation and multi-stakeholder engagement contributed to billions of dollars of growth at EY. Prior to her CEO role, she served as the Director of Strategy and Innovation for EY’s US Tax practice following many years serving EY’s audit and tax clients in various industries. Currently, she is the Chairman of Earthwatch Institute, a global organization that engages citizens in science to promote conservation. Ms. John is a CPA, a LEED AP, a Competent Board ESG Certificate holder, and serves on the Sustainable Business Advisory Council for the University of Miami.
Steve Melzer
Advisory Council Member
Steve Melzer has over forty plus years as a geotechnical and engineering professional having owned Melzer Consulting and is the Founder of the Annual CO2 Flooding and CCS Conference now in its 27th year of existence supported by leading CO2 companies around the world. He is a former Director of the Center of Energy and Economic Development, University of Texas. He was formerly the department manager and senior technical Engineer for Science Applications International Corporation “SAIC”. Steve has a BS from Texas A & M University in Geological Engineering and a MSE from Purdue University in Civil Engineering and is a registered Professional Engineer in Texas. Melzer has consulted with clients and regulators worldwide on evolving policies on CO2 Capture, EOR, CCUS and CCS.
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SPAC Management
Officers of the SPAC consist of the following:
E. Will Gray II
Chief Executive Officer
(See Bio above)
Brady Rodgers
President & COO
Brady Rogers will serve as our President & Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Rogers is a petroleum engineer andhas served as chief executive officer of Focus Advisors from 2017 to date with his primary focus on strategic, mergers & acquisitions and technical advisory for middle market oil & gas acquisitions. He was a Vice President of GulfSlope Energy from 2013 – 2016 in corporate development & engineering. He was formerly Group Head — Energy Acquisitions & Divestitures for J.P. Morgan from 2010 – 2013. He was with Venoco E & P in Denver in engineering & as an operations manager from 2008 – 2010. His international experience includes a stint with Endeavour International Corporation in London, UK & Houston in development & engineering lead North Sea 2005 – 2008 and Devon Energy Sr. Production & Reservoir Engineer from 2002 – 2005. Mr. Rogers has a Masters in Global Energy Management from university of Colorado and a BS in Petroleum Engineering from University of Kansas. He has served on the Board of Directors, Unconventional Resources Technical Advisory Committee (URTAC, 2009 – 2010 by direct appointment of President Barack Obama. URTAC is a US Department of Energy administered board that makes annual recommendations on federal research of E & P foundational sciences in conjunction with federal, state and environmental, and industry representatives. He has been a former or current member of SPE, IPAA, ADAM, YPE, DAC and Houston Producers Forum. He is a former Board of Trustees of the Houston Hobby Center for the Performing Arts and an active volunteer with Junior achievement, Habit for Humanity and PTSD veteran support group.
Harold R. DeMoss, III, CPA
Chief Financial Officer
Harold R. “Chip” DeMoss, III serves as our CFO. Mr. DeMoss is also currently co-founder and Chief Financial Officer of Tanglewood Energy Partners, LLC, a privately-held energy investment management company, a position he has held since 2019. Since 1993, he has also served as chairman of DeMoss Interests, Ltd, a family office holding group composed of oil and gas, farming, and real estate interests. He was formerly the General Manager of George & Cynthia Mitchell Historic Galveston Properties. He started his career with the audit group of Coopers & Lybrand where he focused on energy and real estate clients in the Houston office. He holds FINRA investment banking and other securities registrations, in addition to Certified Public Accountant registrations in Texas and Florida. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and hold the AICPA’s Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designation. He obtained his BBA degree from Texas A&M University and his MS degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Ken Ziober
VP of Business Development
Ken Ziober currently serves as Vice President of Business Development for New Energy Development Company, a position he has held since July 2021. Mr. Ziober also serves as President of Ameriquest Energy Venture, LLC, a consulting firm he founded in 2016, a partner in Enverde Ventures, LLC and chief operating officer of Phoenix Environmental Services Corp. He provides project development, strategic, commercial and advisory services from over 30 years of diverse project development, commodity supply, marketing, trading, risk management, regulatory, logistics and asset optimization experience. Throughout Mr. Ziober’s career he has held positions in trading, marketing, and optimization, leading teams to profitable growth across multiple commodity platforms, including natural gas and power, spanning the upstream, midstream and downstream energy sectors. Mr. Ziober launched his career beginning in 1988 working as an economic analyst for Panhandle Eastern Pipeline and from 1994 to 2003 Ken traded and marketed natural gas for Duke Energy and predecessors Pan Energy and Panhandle Trading. In late 2003, Ken joined Spark Energy, a gas and electric provider with less than 10 employees.
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In part with Mr. Ziober’s expertise and hard work of the management team, Spark Energy eventually became a public company in 2014. In 2004 Mr. Ziober played an integral role in the startup of a Spark Energy Company, Marlin Midstream, a gas processing business, which ultimately became a public company in 2013. In 2011, with the advent of natural gas shale expansion, he led the creation of a separate wholesale division to focus on the monetization of Spark and Marlin’s gas assets. In 2012, Mr. Ziober led the creation of a crude oil and refined products logistics and marketing business. Subsequent to Spark Energy, Mr. Ziober was President and COO of a crude oil gathering and refined products marketing company. He later consulted commodity supply, marketing and risk management, chemical product development for the energy sector, natural disaster and environmental organic business startups, and M&A representation in the upstream, midstream, and downstream retail gas & power space.
Mark Mathews
General Counsel
Mr. Mathews will serve as the General Counsel upon the closing of this offering. Mr. Mathews has been providing legal services for the energy industry for more than thirty (30) years. He has an extensive oil and gas legal and business management career in the upstream, midstream and energy services industry. During his career, Mr. Mathews has represented both publicly traded and privately held clients and has advised numerous private equity backed and sold companies as well as independent oil and gas firms including equity and debt offerings and merger and acquisition transactions, complex corporate oil and gas litigation in state and federal courts, asset acquisitions, divestitures and reorganizations. Since October 2020, Mark has served as the President for Tanglewood Energy Partners, LLC. Prior to that, from June 2018 to September 2020, he served as General Counsel for Churchill Oil & Gas, LLC and from August 2015 through September 2017, he served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Copestone Energy. He served as Managing Attorney — Oil & Gas for Denbury Resources, Inc. which included CO2 related asset acquisitions, pipeline issues and divestitures. Mr. Mathews has been a Partner/Shareholder in major U.S. law firms, practice specializing in the energy industry. Mr. Mathews holds a BBA in Petroleum Land Management from the University of Oklahoma and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from South Texas College of Law.
Business Strategy
The Market Opportunity
Recent bipartisan support for carbon capture legislation heavily emphasized the government’s willingness to advance and support technologies for carbon capture, utilization, storage and other purposes as efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions continues. The recently introduced CCUS Tax Credit Amendments Act will ensure CCUS 45Q and related tax credits are fully utilized to their full potential to encourage increased commercialization of CCUS, including ancillary industries for support: transportation, distribution, storage, technologies, processes and enhanced low carbon recovery opportunities along with methane emission reduction, reduction of CO2 emission from electrical generation and generation of lower carbon intensive fuels.
Our Business Strategy
Global commitments to reduce carbon emissions and a continued emphasis on environmental, social and governance practices signal increased demand for energy transition technologies and services, electrification and decarbonization. 197 countries have signed the Paris climate accord and McKinsey reports that an additional $3.5 trillion of capital investment per year will be required to achieve net zero greenhouse emissions by 2050. We believe CCUS, methane emissions reduction, the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions through electrical generation, and the production of lower carbon intensive fuels are essential to reaching that milestone. We intend to focus on these high-growth areas to capture the opportunity in the alternative energy space.
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Competitive Advantage & Market Focus
We will focus on target acquisition candidates from four categories in the CO2 energy transition space:
1. Reduction of CO2 emissions by the electrical generation industry
• Generation and/or smart usage of peak power
• Mitigation of the adverse effects of intermittent renewable power
• Small scale hydro
• Efficiency technologies
• Electric Storage
2. Generation of lower carbon intensive fuels
• Biodiesel and renewable diesel
• Recycling of solid and liquid wastes
• Electrofuels
• Hydrogen (Blue/Green)
• Ammonia (Blue/Green)
• Sustainable aviation fuels
3. CO2 energy transition service entities
• Measurement, testing and controls
• Marketing and trading CO2 tax credits
• Project development and operational
• Energy technologies, equipment and manufacturing
4. Carbon capture, sequestration, storage, and utilization
• Transportation including distribution and storage
• Technologies and processes including direct air capture
• Permanent saline storage
Initial Business Combination Criteria
Consistent with our strategy, we have identified the following attributes and guidelines to evaluate potential business combination targets. We may decide, however, to enter into our initial business combination with one or more businesses that do not meet these criteria and guidelines if we believe such business presents a compelling investment opportunity. We intend to pursue an initial business combination with companies that have the following characteristics:
a. Excellent fit in carbon capture/transition strategy;
b. $150-250 million in enterprise value;
c. Sound environmental and regulatory performance criteria;
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d. Significant growth potential; and
e. Strong management team with energy transition experience.
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as on other considerations, factors, and criteria that our management team 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, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents that we would file with the SEC.
Additional Disclosures
Our Acquisition Process
We have not selected any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. Our sponsor is continuously made aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue for our initial business combination, but we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf) contacted, or had any discussions, formal or otherwise, with any prospective target business with respect to a business combination transaction with us.
All of our officers have fiduciary and contractual duties to sponsor and to certain companies in which it has invested or to certain other entities. These entities may compete with us for acquisition opportunities. Subject to their fiduciary duties under applicable law, none of the members of our management team who are also employed by our sponsor or its affiliates have any obligation to present us with any opportunity for a potential business combination of which they become aware. Our sponsor and directors and officers are also not prohibited from sponsoring, investing or otherwise becoming involved with, any other blank check companies, including in connection with their initial business combinations, prior to us completing our initial business combination. Our management team, in their capacities as directors, officers or employees of our sponsor or its affiliates or in their other endeavors, may choose to present potential business combinations to the related entities described above, current or future entities affiliated with or managed by our sponsor, or third parties, before they present such opportunities to us, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under applicable law and any other applicable fiduciary duties. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the company and it is an opportunity that we are able to complete on a reasonable basis. For more information, see the section entitled “Management — Conflicts of Interest.”
Our directors and officers presently have, 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 applicable law. Our directors and officers are also not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs, and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. See “Risk Factors — Certain of our directors and officers 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.”
We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our directors or officers will materially adversely affect our ability to identify and pursue business combination opportunities or complete our initial business combination.
You should not rely on the historical record of our founders’ and management’s performance as indicative of our future performance. See “Risk Factors — Past performance by our management team and their respective affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in the company.”
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Initial Business Combination
Nasdaq rules require that our initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if permitted, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discounts held in trust). We refer to this as the 80% of net assets test. If our board of directors is not able independently to determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we may obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. Although we may purchase multiple businesses in related industries in connection with our initial business combination, we do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination, although there is no assurance that will be the case.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own 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 stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post- transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the 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 of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the issued and outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity securities of a target, 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 stockholders 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% of net assets test. If our initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we are not then listed on Nasdaq for whatever reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% of net assets test.
Prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
Corporate Information
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
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In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year(a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our shares of common stock that is held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.00 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” will have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our shares of common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our shares of common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter.
We are a Delaware corporation incorporated on September 30, 2021. Our executive offices are located at, 1334 Brittmoore Rd, Suite 190, Houston, Texas 77043 and our telephone number is (346) 48C-O2ETC or (346) 482-6238. Upon completion of this offering, our corporate website address will be www.CO2ET.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 prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. You should not rely on any such information in making your decision whether to invest in our securities.
We have not conducted any operations and have generated no revenues. Until we complete our initial business combination, we will have no operations and will generate no operating revenues. In making your decision whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the background of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company. This offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. Accordingly, you will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. For additional information concerning how Rule 419 blank check offerings differ from this offering, please see “Proposed Business — Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.” You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” included elsewhere in this prospectus.
Summary Risk Factors
Our company is subject to numerous risks described in the section entitled “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus. You should carefully consider these risks before making an investment. Some of these risks relating to our business objectives, our organization and structure and this offering include:
• We have no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
• Our independent registered public accounting firm’s report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern.”
• Our public stockholders 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 stockholders do not support such a combination.
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• If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial stockholders, directors and officers have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public stockholders vote.
• Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination will be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash, unless we seek stockholder approval of such business combination.
• The ability of our public stockholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.
• The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may limit the time we have in which to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets, in particular as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our stockholders.
• 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 COVID-19 outbreak and other events and the status of debt and equity markets.
• We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public stockholders may receive only $10.20 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
• Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 may result in the imposition of an excise tax on the Company
• If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may elect to purchase shares or warrants from public stockholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our securities.
• 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 have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on our redemption of their shares, and our warrants will expire worthless.
• We may have 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.
• We may be able to complete only one business combination with the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operations and profitability.
• We are dependent upon our directors and officers and their departure could adversely affect our ability to operate.
• 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 directors and officers 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.
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• Our directors, officers, security holders and their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests.
• The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your shares.
• 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 and/or warrants, potentially at a loss.
• Nasdaq may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
• You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
• If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of stockholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of the shares of our common stock sold in this offering, you will lose your ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of shares of our common stock sold in this offering.
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In making your decision whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the backgrounds of the members of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company and the fact that this offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section below entitled “Risk Factors” of this prospectus.
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Securities offered |
8,000,000 units (or 9,200,000 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of: • one share of our common stock; and • one redeemable warrant |
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Nasdaq symbols |
Units: “__________U” Shares of our common stock: “__________” Warrants: “__________W” |
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Trading commencement and separation of shares of our common stock and warrants |
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Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into shares of our common stock and warrants. |
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Additionally, the units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination. |
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Separate trading of the shares of our common stock and warrants is prohibited until we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K |
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Units: |
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Number issued and outstanding before this offering |
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Number of public units to be sold in this offering |
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Number of private placement units to be sold in a private placement simultaneously with this offering |
440,000 |
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Number issued and outstanding |
8,440,000(1) |
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Shares of common stock: |
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Number issued and outstanding |
3,066,667(2) |
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Number issued and outstanding |
11,226,667(1)(3) |
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Warrants: |
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Number of warrants to be outstanding after this offering and the sale of private placement units |
8,440,000(1) |
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Exercisability |
Each warrant offered in this offering is exercisable to purchase one share of our common stock, subject to adjustment as provided herein. |
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Exercise price |
$11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein. |
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In addition, if (x) we issue additional shares of common stock or equity- linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share of common stock (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to our sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by our sponsor or their respective affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the completion of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume |
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(1) Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the forfeiture by our sponsor of 400,000 founder shares.
(2) Consists solely of founder shares and includes up to 400,000 shares of common stock that are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over- allotment option is exercised.
(3) Includes 8,000,000 public shares, 2,666,667 founder shares, 440,000 shares included within the private placement units and 120,000 representative shares.
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weighted average trading price of shares of our common stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which we consummate our initial business combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, 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 described below under “Redemption of warrants when the price per share of our common stock equals or exceeds $18.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price. |
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Exercise period |
The warrants will become exercisable on the later of twelve months from the date of this offering or 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination provided that we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available and such shares are registered, qualified or exempt from registration under the securities, or blue sky, laws of the state of residence of the holder (or we permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the warrant agreement, including as a result of a notice of redemption described below under “Redemption of warrants when the price per share of our common stock equals or exceeds $18.00”). We are not registering the shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants at this time. We will use our best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement covering the issuance of the shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, and we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of our initial business combination and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating to those shares of our common stock until the warrants expire or are redeemed. No warrants will be exercisable for cash unless we have an effective and current registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to such shares of common stock. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective within the 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. |
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The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. On the exercise of any warrant, the warrant exercise price will be paid directly to us and not placed in the trust account. |
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Redemption of warrants when the price per share of our common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 |
Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants (except as described herein with respect to the private placement units): |
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• in whole and not in part; • at a price of $0.01 per warrant; • upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder; • and if, and only if, there is a current registration statement in effect with respect to the shares of common stock underlying such warrants. and • if, and only if, the last reported sale price of shares of our common stock for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders (the “Reference Value”) equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “Description of Securities — Redeemable Warrants”). |
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If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption, each warrant holder can exercise his, her or its warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of the shares of common stock may fall below the $18.00 trigger price as well as the $11.50 warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued. |
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If we call the warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the average reported last sale price of the shares of common stock for the five trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. |
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No fractional shares of our common stock will be issued upon redemption. If, upon redemption, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will round down to the nearest whole number of the number of shares of our common stock to be issued to the holder. Please see the section entitled “Description of Securities — Redeemable Warrants” for additional information. |
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Founder shares |
On January 13, 2022, our sponsor subscribed for an aggregate of 3,593,750 shares of our common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.01 per share. In connection with a reduction in the planned size of the offering, the sponsor amended and restated the subscription agreement on October 10, 2022 to provide for a subscription of 2,300,000 shares of our common stock. On December 28, 2022, in connection with a change in the terms of the offering, the sponsor further amended and restated the subscription agreement to provide for a subscription of 3,066,667 shares of our common stock. |
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Prior to the initial investment in the Company of $25,000 by our sponsor, the Company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The purchase price of these founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to us by the number of founder shares issued. Our initial stockholders will collectively own approximately 23.8% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a capitalization or share repurchase or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our founder shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at approximately 25% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock upon the consummation of this offering. Up to 400,000 founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. |
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The founder shares are identical to the shares of our common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, except that: |
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• the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below; • our initial stockholders holding founder shares, directors and officers have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive: (1) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them, as applicable, in connection with the completion of our initial business combination; (2) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend |
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the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) from the closing of this offering or during any extended time that we have to consummate a business combination beyond 12 months (or up to 18 months if the period of time in which we have to complete an initial business combination is extended in accordance with the procedures set forth in this prospectus) or as a result of a stockholder vote to amend our certificate of incorporation (an “Extension Period”) (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame) and • the founder shares are entitled to registration rights |
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If we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our initial stockholders, directors and officers have agreed to vote any founder shares, shares within private placement units and public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to the founder shares and shares within the private placement units, we would need 2,386,668 shares, or 29.8% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), or no shares (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), of the 8,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have such initial business combination approved; |
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and |
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• the founder shares are entitled to registration rights once converted; and |
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Transfer restrictions on founder shares |
Our initial stockholders, directors, officers and advisors and have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination; and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination (x) if the last reported sale price of our common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, rights issuances, consolidations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and other similar transactions) for any 20 trading days within any 30 trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their |
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shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property (except with respect to permitted transferees as described herein under “Principal Stockholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Units”). Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial stockholders with respect to any founder shares. We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the lock-up. |
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Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights |
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Private placement units |
Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 440,000 private placement units, (or up to 480,000 private placement units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $10.00 per unit ($4,400,000 in the aggregate or $4,800,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. |
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Each private placement unit includes one share of our common stock and one warrant. Each warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of our common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) or during any Extension Period, the proceeds of the sale of the private placement units held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the private placement units will expire worthless. The warrants included in the private placement units are identical to the public warrants and may be redeemable by us when the price per share of our common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “Description of Securities — Redeemable Warrants”) and if, and only if, there is a current registration statement in effect with respect to the shares of common stock underlying such warrants. Upon issuance of the notice for redemptions, we have the right to require all warrant holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. |
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Transfer restrictions on private placement |
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Proceeds to be held in trust account |
The rules of Nasdaq provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement units be deposited in a trust account. We have agreed to deposit more than that. Of the $84,400,000 in proceeds we will receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement units described in this prospectus, or $96,800,000 if the underwriters’ overallotment option is exercised in full, $81,600,000 ($10.20 per unit), or $93,840,000 ($10.20 per unit) if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full (including $2,400,000 (or $2,760,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting discounts), will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account at Bank of America, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and $2,800,000 will be used to pay expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and for working capital following this offering, or $2,960,000 if the underwriters’ option is exercised. The funds in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. Treasuries. |
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Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our taxes, if any, the funds held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest to occur of: (1) our completion of an initial business combination; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed an initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus), subject to applicable law. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could become subject to the claims of our creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of our public stockholders. |
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Ability to extend time to complete initial business combination |
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into the trust account for each one-month extension, $266,400, or $306,360 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.0333 per share in either case) on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline, up to an aggregate of $1,598,400 (or $1,838,160 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or approximately $0.20 per share. Any such payments would be made in the form of a loan. The terms of the promissory note to be issued in connection with any such loans have not yet been negotiated. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. If we do not complete a business combination, we will not repay such loans. Furthermore, the letter agreement with our initial stockholders contains a provision pursuant to which our sponsors has agreed to waive its right to be repaid for such loans in the event that we do not complete a business combination. Our sponsor and their affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination. |
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Anticipated expenses and funding sources |
Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, no proceeds held in the trust account will be available for our use except that we may (i) withdraw interest to pay our taxes, including franchise taxes, (ii) withdraw funds to pay the directors and officers follow-on premium at dissolution, and other dissolution wind down costs or (iii) withdraw funds to redeem our public shares in connection with an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as described above. Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, we may pay our expenses only from: |
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• the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units not held in the trust account, which will be approximately $1,292,000 in working capital after the payment of approximately $1,508,000 in expenses relating to this offering, or approximately $1,332,000 in working capital after payment of approximately $1,628,000 in expenses related to this offering if the underwriters’ option is exercised in full; and • any loans or additional investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or any of their respective affiliates or other third parties, although they are under no obligation to loan funds to, or otherwise invest in, us; and provided that any such loans will not have any claim on the proceeds held in the trust account unless such proceeds are released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. |
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Conditions to completing our initial business combination |
There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. Nasdaq rules require that an initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if permitted, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discounts held in trust). Although we may purchase multiple businesses in related industries in connection with our initial business combination, we do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination, although there is no assurance that will be the case. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we are not then listed on Nasdaq for any reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% of net assets test. |
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If our board of directors is not able independently to determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we may obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We will complete our initial business combination only if the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders will own or acquire 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 stockholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial business combination transaction. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test; provided that in the event that our initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses. |
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Permitted purchases and other transactions with respect to our securities |
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may purchase public shares or warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. |
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None of the funds held in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or warrants in such transactions. Such persons will be subject to restrictions in making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. See “Proposed Business — Permitted purchases and other transactions with respect to our securities” for a description of how our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or |
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any of their respective affiliates will select which stockholders to enter into private transactions with. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules. Our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates will be restricted from making any purchases if such purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. |
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Redemption rights for public stockholders upon completion of our initial business combination |
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. |
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The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.20 per public share. The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting discounts we will pay to the underwriters. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Our initial stockholders, directors and officers have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. |
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Manner of conducting redemptions |
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (1) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the business combination or (2) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement. Asset acquisitions and stock purchases would not typically require stockholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than approximately 20.0% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock or seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation would typically require stockholder approval. We intend to conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless stockholder approval is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement or we choose to seek stockholder approval for business or other reasons. |
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If a stockholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation: |
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• conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers; and • file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies. |
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Upon the public announcement of our initial business combination, if we elect to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, we and our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase our shares of common stock in the open market, in order to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act. In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public stockholders not tendering more than a specified number of public shares, which number will be based on the requirement that we may not redeem public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 following such redemptions, or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement that may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. If public stockholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete such initial business combination. |
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If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, we will: |
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• conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules; and • file proxy materials with the SEC. |
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We expect that a final proxy statement would be mailed to public stockholders at least 10 days prior to the stockholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such stockholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. Although we are not required to do so, we currently intend to comply with the substantive and procedural requirements of Regulation 14A in connection with any stockholder vote even if we are not able to maintain our Nasdaq listing or Exchange Act registration. |
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If we seek stockholder approval, unless otherwise required by applicable law, regulation or stock exchange rules, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of our initial business combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. Shares held by our initial stockholders, officers and directors will be included in determining the presence of a quorum and have agreed to vote any founder shares, shares included in the private placement units and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. We expect that at the time of any stockholder vote relating to our initial business combination, our initial stockholders, and their respective permitted transferees collectively will own at least 25% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock entitled to vote thereon. As a result, in addition to the founder shares and shares included in the private placement units, we would need 2,386,668, or 29.8% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the option to purchase additional units is not exercised) or 110,001, or 1.38% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), of the 8,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction in order to have such initial business combination approved. These quorums and voting thresholds and agreements may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. |
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Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets, after payment of the deferred underwriting discounts, to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). Redemptions of our public shares may also be subject to a higher net tangible asset test or cash requirement pursuant to an agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed business combination may require: (1) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners; (2) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes; or (3) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, and all shares of common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof. |
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Tendering stock certificates in connection with a tender offer or redemption rights |
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Limitation on redemption rights of stockholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold stockholder vote |
Notwithstanding the foregoing redemption rights, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, without our prior consent. We believe the restriction described above will discourage stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to redeem their shares as a means to force us or our sponsor or its affiliates to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. |
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Absent this provision, a public stockholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights against a business combination if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our sponsor or its affiliates at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our stockholders’ ability to redeem to no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including all shares held by those stockholders that hold more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering) for or against our initial business combination. |
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Redemption rights in connection with proposed amendments to our certificate of incorporation |
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27
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Release of funds in trust account on closing of our initial business combination |
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Redemption of public shares and distribution and liquidation if no initial business combination |
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we will have only 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) to complete our initial business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such 12-month period (or up to 18 month period) or during any Extension Period, we will: |
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(1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up |
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(2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than 10 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 (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses and which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and |
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(3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the 12-month time period (or up to 18 months) or during any Extension Period. |
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Our initial stockholders, directors and officers have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus)or during any Extension Period. However, if our initial stockholders acquire public shares, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted 12-month (or 18-months if extended) time frame. The underwriter has agreed to waive its rights to their deferred underwriting discounts held in the trust account in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the allotted time frame and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the funds held in the trust account that will be available to fund the redemption of our public shares. |
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Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares of common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares. |
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However, we may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 following such redemptions. |
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Limited payments to insiders |
There will be no finder’s fees, reimbursements or cash payments made 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, other than the following payments, none of which will be made from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination: |
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• repayment of an aggregate of up to $450,000 of the promissory note made to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses; |
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• cash compensation, if any, to EF Hutton for acting as our financial advisor in connection with our initial business combination and as placement agent in connection with any private placement financing associated with our initial business combination; |
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• repayment of loans which may be made by our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our directors and officers to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, the terms of which have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. |
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These payments may be funded using the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units not held in the trust account or, upon completion of the initial business combination, from any amounts remaining from the proceeds of the trust account released to us in connection therewith. |
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Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, directors or officers, or our or any of their respective affiliates. |
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Audit committee |
Prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will have established and will maintain an audit committee to, among other things, monitor compliance with the terms described above and the other terms relating to this offering. If any noncompliance is identified, then the audit committee will be charged with the responsibility to promptly take all action necessary to rectify such noncompliance or otherwise to cause compliance with the terms of this offering. For more information, see the section entitled “Management — Committees of the Board of Directors — Audit Committee.” |
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Conflicts of interest |
All of our officers have fiduciary and contractual duties to our sponsor and to certain companies in which it has invested or certain other entities. These entities may compete with us for acquisition opportunities. While the risk is partially mitigated as a result of our sponsor seeking targets of different enterprise sizes than us, if these entities decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing such opportunities. Subject to his or her fiduciary duties under applicable law, none of the members of our management team who are also employed by our sponsor or its affiliates have any obligation to present us with any opportunity for a potential business combination of which they become aware. Our sponsor and directors and officers are also not prohibited from sponsoring, investing or otherwise becoming involved with, any other blank check companies, including in connection with their initial business combinations, prior to us completing our initial business combination. Our management team, in their capacities as directors, officers or employees of our sponsor or its affiliates or in their other endeavors, may choose to present potential business combinations to the related entities described above, current or future entities affiliated with or managed by our sponsor, or third parties, before they present such opportunities to us, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under applicable law and any other applicable fiduciary duties. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the company and it is an opportunity that we are able to complete on a reasonable basis. For more information, see the section entitled “Management Conflicts of Interest.” |
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Our directors and officers presently have, 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 applicable law. See “Risk Factors — Certain of our directors and officers 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.” |
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We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our directors or officers will materially adversely affect our ability to identify and pursue business combination opportunities or complete our initial business combination. |
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Indemnity |
Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent auditors) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (1) $10.20 per public share or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company and, therefore, our sponsor may not be able to satisfy those obligations. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such obligations. |
31
SUMMARY FINANCIAL DATA
The following table summarizes the relevant financial data for our business and should be read with our financial statements, which are included in this prospectus. We have not had any significant operations to date, so only balance sheet data are presented.
|
At |
|||||||
|
Actual |
As Adjusted |
||||||
|
Balance Sheet Data: |
|
|
|
||||
|
Working Capital (Deficit)(1) |
$ |
(345,554 |
) |
$ |
946,446 |
||
|
Total Assets(2) |
$ |
336,653 |
|
$ |
83,228,653 |
||
|
Total Liabilities(3) |
$ |
345,588 |
|
$ |
2,745,588 |
||
|
Value of shares of Common Stock subject to redemption(4) |
$ |
— |
|
$ |
73,798,577 |
||
|
Stockholders’ equity (deficit) |
$ |
(8,935 |
) |
$ |
6,684,488 |
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(1) The “As Adjusted” number reflects the $1,292,000 which will be held outside of the Trust less the working capital deficit of $345,554.
(2) The “As Adjusted” total assets amount includes the $82,892,000 of proceeds after offering expenses plus current assets of $336,653 at December 31, 2022. If our initial business combination is not consummated, the trust account, less amounts we are permitted to withdraw as described in this prospectus, will be distributed solely to our public stockholders (subject to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors). The actual deferred offering costs of $336,619 will be reclassified as a charge to additional paid-in capital from the gross proceeds in connection with the consummation of the offering. Any additional offering costs will also be charged to additional paid-in capital.
(3) The “As Adjusted” total liabilities represents $2,400,000 of deferred underwriting discounts that would be payable upon the consummation of the initial business combination plus the actual liabilities of $345,588 at December 31, 2022 which represents $3,600 in accounts payable, $257,380 of a related party loan from our sponsor, which will be repaid using the proceeds received from the offering on the date the offering is consummated and $84,608 of accrued offering costs and expenses. The $2,400,000 of deferred underwriting discounts is not due until an initial business combination is consummated, for which we have until 12 months from the closing of the initial public offering to consummate (or up to 18 months if our time to complete a business combination is extended as described herein).
The “As Adjusted” information gives effect to the sale of the units we are offering, including the application of the related gross proceeds and the payment of the estimated remaining costs from such sale and the repayment of the accrued and other liabilities required to be repaid.
We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and, solely if we seek stockholder approval, a majority of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock are voted in favor of the business combination.
(4) The “As Adjusted” value of shares of common stock subject to redemption represents total proceeds of $80,000,000 less offering costs of $5,108,000 (comprised of the underwriting fee, deferred underwriting fee, value of the representative shares to be issued, and offering costs as noted on the use of proceeds), allocated at 99% to the Common Stock offered at the Initial Public Offering.
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An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this prospectus, before making a decision to invest in our units. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Relating to Our Business and Strategy
We have no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
We are incorporated under the laws of the Delaware with no operating results, and we will not commence operations until obtaining funding through this offering. Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of completing our initial business combination with one or more target businesses. We have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective target business concerning a business combination and may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we fail to complete our initial business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.
Our independent registered public accounting firm’s report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern.”
We have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of this offering as well as our acquisition plans following this offering. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through this offering are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” Our plans to raise capital and to consummate our initial business combination may not be successful. The report of our independent registered public accountants on our financial statements includes an explanatory paragraph stating that our ability to continue as a going concern is dependent on the consummation of this offering. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from our inability to consummate this offering or our ability to continue as a going concern. Moreover, there is no assurance that we will consummate our initial business combination. These factors raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
Our public stockholders 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 stockholders do not support such a combination.
We may not hold a stockholder vote to approve our initial business combination unless the business combination would require stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange rules or if we decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons. For instance, Nasdaq rules currently allow us to engage in a tender offer in lieu of a stockholder meeting, but would still require us to obtain stockholder approval if we were seeking to issue more than approximately 20.0% of our issued and outstanding shares to a target business as consideration in any business combination. Therefore, if we were structuring a business combination that required us to issue more than approximately 20.0% of our issued and outstanding shares, we would seek stockholder approval of such business combination. However, except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval. Accordingly, we may consummate our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock do not approve of the business combination we consummate. Please see the section entitled “Proposed Business — Effecting Our Initial Business Combination — Stockholders may not have the ability to approve our initial business combination” for additional information.
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If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial stockholders, directors and officers have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public stockholders vote.
Unlike some other blank check companies in which the initial stockholders agree to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by the public stockholders in connection with an initial business combination, our initial stockholders, directors and officers have agreed (and their respective permitted transferees will agree), pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, to vote their founder shares, shares included in the private placement units and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to the founder shares and shares included in the private placement units, we would need 2,386,668 or 29.8% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), or no shares (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), of the 8,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have such initial business combination approved. Our directors and officers have also entered into the letter agreement, imposing similar obligations on them with respect to public shares acquired by them, if any. We expect that our initial stockholders and their respective permitted transferees collectively will own approximately 23.8% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock at the time of any such stockholder vote. Accordingly, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, it is more likely that the necessary stockholder approval will be received than would be the case if such persons agreed to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by our public stockholders.
Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination will be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash, unless we seek stockholder approval of such business combination.
At the time of your investment in us, you will not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of any target businesses. Additionally, since our board of directors may complete a business combination without seeking stockholder approval, public stockholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the business combination, unless we seek such stockholder approval. Accordingly, if we do not seek stockholder approval, your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to exercising your redemption rights within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our public stockholders in which we describe our initial business combination.
The ability of our public stockholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.
We may seek to enter into a business combination transaction agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the business combination. The amount of the deferred underwriting discounts payable to the underwriters will not be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with a business combination and such amount of deferred underwriting discounts is not available for us to use as consideration in an initial business combination. If we are able to consummate an initial business combination, the per-share value of shares held by non-redeeming stockholders will reflect our obligation to pay and the payment of the deferred underwriting discounts. Furthermore, in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 following such redemptions, or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement that may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 or such greater amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with us.
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The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
At the time we enter into an agreement for our initial business combination, we will not know how many stockholders may exercise their redemption rights and, therefore, we will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted for redemption. If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, we will need to reserve a portion of the cash in the trust account to meet such requirements, or arrange for third-party financing. In addition, if a larger number of shares is submitted for redemption than we initially expected, we may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater portion of the cash in the trust account or arrange for third- party financing. Raising additional third-party financing may involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure.
The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may limit the time we have in which to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets, in particular as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our stockholders.
Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus). Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete our initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the end of the 12-month period (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus). 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.
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 COVID-19 outbreak and other events and the status of debt and equity markets.
The COVID-19 outbreak has adversely affected, and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) could adversely affect, economies and financial markets worldwide, business operations and the conduct of commerce generally, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a business combination could be, or may already have been, materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if concerns relating to COVID-19 continue to restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or limit the ability to conduct due diligence, or the target company’s personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected.
In addition, our ability to consummate a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by COVID-19 and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases), including as a result of increased market volatility and decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all.
Finally, COVID-19 may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section, such as those related to the market for our securities and cross- border transactions.
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We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public stockholders may receive only $10.20 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our sponsor, directors and officers have agreed that we must complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus). We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within such time period. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein, including as a result of terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of infectious diseases. For example, COVID-19 could limit our ability to complete our initial business combination, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all. Additionally, COVID-19 and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) may negatively impact businesses we may seek to acquire.
If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period or during any Extension Period, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than 10 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 (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses and which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such case, our public stockholders may receive only $10.20 per share, or less than $10.20 per share, on the redemption of their shares, and our warrants will expire worthless. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.20 per share” and other risk factors herein.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may elect to purchase shares or warrants from public stockholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our securities.
If we seek stockholder approval of our business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the consummation of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. Please see “Proposed Business — Permitted purchases of our securities” for a description of how such persons will determine which stockholders to seek to acquire shares from. Such a purchase would include a contractual acknowledgement that such stockholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares.
The purpose of such purchases would be to (1) increase the likelihood of closing the business combination or (2) satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of the business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. This may result in the consummation of an initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. To the extent that any public shares are purchased such purchases will be in compliance with all of the requirements set forth in Tender Offers and Schedules Compliance and Disclosure Interpretations Question 166.01 promulgated by the SEC, including that such public shares will not be voted. See “Proposed Business — Permitted purchases and other transactions with respect to our securities” for a description of how our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates will select which stockholders to enter into private transactions with.
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In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our securities 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.
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 have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on our redemption of their shares, 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 this offering and the sale of the private placement units, 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, in the event we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we are obligated to pay cash for shares of our common stock, it will potentially reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. Any of these obligations may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating our initial business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.20 per share” and other risk factors herein.
If the funds not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 12 months following the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus), we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.
The funds available to us outside of the trust account may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 12 months following the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus), assuming that our initial business combination is not completed during that time. We expect to incur significant costs in pursuit of our acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through this offering and potential loans from certain of our affiliates are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” However, our affiliates are not obligated to make loans to us in the future, and we may not be able to raise additional financing from unaffiliated parties necessary to fund our expenses. Any such event in the future may negatively impact the analysis regarding our ability to continue as a going concern at such time.
We believe that, upon the closing of this offering, the funds available to us outside of the trust account will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 18 months following the closing of this offering; however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. Of the funds available to us, we could use a portion of the funds available to us to pay fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. We could also use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision in letters of intent designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into 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 have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation
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of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.20 per share” and other risk factors herein.
If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units 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 may depend on loans from our sponsor or management team to fund our search, to pay our taxes and to complete our initial business combination.
Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, only approximately $1,292,000 will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $1,508,000, we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $1,508,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount. If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, management team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate. Neither our sponsor, members of our management team nor any of their respective affiliates is under any obligation to loan funds to, or otherwise invest in, us in such circumstances. Any such loans may be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. In such case, our public stockholders may receive only $10.20 per share, or less in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per- share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.20 per share” and other risk factors herein.
Subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination, we may be required to take write-downs or write- offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and the price of our securities, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will identify all material issues that may be present with a particular target business that it would be possible to uncover all material issues through a customary amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. As a result of these factors, we may be forced to later write down or write off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining post-combination debt financing. Accordingly, any stockholder or warrant holder who chooses to remain a stockholder or warrant holder, respectively, following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders and warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
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.
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In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including:
• registration as an investment company with the SEC;
• adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and
• reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations that we are currently not subject to.
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 U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. Treasuries and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. 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 have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.
We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we will be required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.
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.
Although we expect to focus our search for a target business by concentrating our efforts on the carbon capture, utilization and storage industries, we may seek to complete a business combination with an operating company of any size (subject to our satisfaction of the 80% of net assets test) and in any industry, sector or geographic area. However, we will not, under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations. Because we have not yet selected or approached any specific target business with respect to a business combination, there is no basis to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity, financial condition or prospects. To the extent we complete our initial business combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations with which we combine. For example, if we combine with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable or development stage entity. Although our directors and officers 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 not ultimately prove to be less favorable to our investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a business combination target. Accordingly, any stockholder or warrant holder who chooses to remain a stockholder or warrant holder, respectively, following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders and warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
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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 the company.
Information regarding performance by our management team and their respective affiliates, is presented for informational purposes only. Past performance by our management team and their respective affiliates is not a guarantee either (1) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (2) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team or their affiliates or any related investment’s performance as indicative of our future performance of an investment in the company or the returns the company will, or is likely to, generate going forward.
We may seek acquisition opportunities outside our target industries, which may be outside of our management’s areas of expertise.
Although we intend to target a business combination in the carbon capture, utilization and storage industry, we may consider a business combination outside of our target focus, which may be 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, we may pursue it. In the event we elect to pursue an acquisition outside of the areas of our management’s expertise, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained in this prospectus regarding the areas of our management’s expertise would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire. As a result, our management may not be able to adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors relevant to such acquisition. Accordingly, any stockholder or warrant holder who chooses to remain a stockholder or warrant holder, respectively, following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders and warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these criteria and guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of stockholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain stockholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We may seek acquisition opportunities with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue or earnings.
To the extent we complete our initial business combination with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include investing in a business without a proven business model and with limited historical financial data, volatile revenues or earnings, intense competition and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our directors and officers will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors and we may not have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.
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We are not required to obtain an opinion regarding fairness. Consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Unless we complete our initial business combination with an affiliated entity, we are not required to obtain an opinion that the price we are paying is fair to our company from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our stockholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
Resources could be wasted in researching acquisitions that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 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 have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of our or a target’s 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. Our key personnel may or may not remain with the target. Although some of our key personnel may remain with the target business in senior management, board or advisory positions following our initial business combination, it is likely that some or all of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements.
In addition, the directors and officers of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an acquisition candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
We may have 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’s management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and
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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 stockholder or warrant holder who chooses to remain a stockholder or warrant holder, respectively, following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders and warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
The directors and officers of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an acquisition candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place.
We may be able to complete only one business combination with the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operations and profitability.
The net proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement units will provide us with $84,400,000 (or $96,800,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) that we may use to complete our initial business combination (which includes $2,400,000, or $2,760,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, of deferred underwriting discounts being held in the trust account, and is after estimated offering expenses of $1,508,000 or $1,628,000 if over-allotment option is exercised in full)
We may effectuate our initial business combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously or within a short period of time. However, we may not be able to effectuate our initial business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:
• solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset; or
• dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services.
This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our initial business combination.
We may attempt to simultaneously complete business combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to complete our initial business combination and give rise to increased costs and risks that could negatively impact our operations and profitability.
If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses that are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete our initial business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.
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We may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In pursuing our acquisition strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. Very little public information generally exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
We may not be able to complete a business combination with a U.S. target company if such business combination is subject to U.S. foreign investment regulations and review by a U.S. government entity such as the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), or ultimately prohibited.
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (“CFIUS”) is an interagency committee authorized to review certain transactions involving acquisitions and investments in the U.S. by foreign persons in order to determine the effect of such transactions on the national security of the U.S. CFIUS has jurisdiction to review transactions that could result in control of a U.S. business directly or indirectly by a foreign person, certain non-controlling investments that afford the foreign investor non-passive rights in a “TID U.S. business” (defined as a U.S. business that (1) produces, designs, tests, manufactures, fabricates, or develops one or more critical technologies; (2) owns or operates certain critical infrastructure; or (3) collects or maintains directly or indirectly sensitive personal data of U.S. citizens), and certain acquisitions, leases, and concessions involving real estate even with no underlying U.S. business. Certain categories of acquisitions of and investments in a U.S. business also may be subject to a mandatory notification requirement.
While our Sponsor is not, nor is it controlled by or have substantial ties to a non-U.S. person. Although we intend to enter into a business combination in which our investors, both our Sponsor and its affiliates as well as our public investors, would own a minority of the post-combination company, we cannot guarantee that this will be the case. In addition, we cannot predict whether there will be significant ownership by non-U.S. persons among our stockholders, among other factors that could affect the likelihood of a CFIUS or similar review.
If our business combination with a U.S. business is subject to CFIUS review, we may determine that we are required to make a mandatory filing or that we will submit a voluntary notice to CFIUS, or to proceed with the business combination without notifying CFIUS and risk CFIUS intervention, before or after the closing of our initial business combination. CFIUS may decide to block or delay our business combination, impose conditions to mitigate national security concerns with respect to such business combination or order us to divest all or a portion of a U.S. business of the combined company without first obtaining CFIUS clearance. As a result, we may exclude companies in certain industries from consideration as potential business combination partners, and companies in those industries may not view us as an attractive business combination partner, reducing the pool of potential targets companies, and reducing the likelihood that we complete a business combination. We may be adversely affected in terms of competing with other blank check companies or investment partners that do not have similar foreign ownership issues.
Moreover, the process of government review, whether by the CFIUS or otherwise, could be lengthy, and we have 12 months (or up to 18 months if we extend the time to complete our initial business combination in accordance with the procedures set forth in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. If the review process extends beyond such timeframe or our business combination is ultimately prohibited by CFIUS or another U.S. government entity, we may be required to liquidate our company. In such circumstances, our Warrants will expired worthless.
Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination. We cannot provide assurance that, upon loss of control of a target business, new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.
We may structure our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders will own less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business, but we will complete such business combination only 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 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
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of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares of common stock in exchange for all of the issued and outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity securities of a target, 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% interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares of common stock, our stockholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority stockholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger share of the company’s shares than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that our management will not be able to maintain our control of the target business.
We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination.
Although we believe that the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units will be sufficient to allow us to complete our initial business combination, because we have not yet selected any target business we cannot ascertain the capital requirements for any particular transaction. If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units prove to be insufficient, either because of the size of our initial business combination, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to redeem for cash a significant number of shares from stockholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial business combination, we may be required to seek additional financing or to abandon the proposed business combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. 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 directors, officers or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Because we must furnish our stockholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective target businesses.
The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on a business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or U.S. GAAP, or international financial reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such financial statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.
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Compliance obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may make it more difficult for us to effectuate our initial business combination, require substantial financial and management resources, and increase the time and costs of completing an acquisition.
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2023. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because a target business with which we seek to complete our initial business combination may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal control of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.
If our management team pursues a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we may face additional burdens in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing such combination, and if we effect such initial business combination, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
If our management team pursues a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we would be subject to risks associated with cross-border business combinations, including in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing our initial business combination, conducting due diligence in a foreign market, having such transaction approved by any local governments, regulators or agencies and changes in the purchase price based on fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.
If we effect our initial business combination with such a company, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international setting (including how relevant governments respond to such factors), including any of the following:
• costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations and complying with commercial and legal requirements of overseas markets;
• rules and regulations regarding currency redemption;
• complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals;
• laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected;
• tariffs and trade barriers;
• regulations related to customs and import/export matters;
• longer payment cycles;
• tax consequences, such as tax law changes, including termination or reduction of tax and other incentives that the applicable government provides to domestic companies, and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States;
• currency fluctuations and exchange controls, including devaluations and other exchange rate movements;
• rates of inflation, price instability and interest rate fluctuations;
• liquidity of domestic capital and lending markets;
• challenges in collecting accounts receivable;
• cultural and language differences;
• employment regulations;
• energy shortages;
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• crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks, natural disasters, wars and other forms of social instability;
• deterioration of political relations with the United States;
• obligatory military service by personnel; and
• government appropriation of assets.
We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, we may be unable to complete such combination or, if we complete such combination, our operations might suffer, either of which may adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.
If our management following our initial business combination is unfamiliar with U.S. securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws, which could lead to various regulatory issues.
Following our initial business combination, any or all of our management could resign from their positions as officers of the company, and the management of the target business at the time of the business combination could remain in place. Management of the target business may not be familiar with U.S. securities laws. If new management is unfamiliar with U.S. securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.
After our initial business combination, our results of operations and prospects could be subject, to a significant extent, to the economic, political, social and government policies, developments and conditions in the country in which we operate.
The economic, political and social conditions, as well as government policies, of the country in which our operations are located could affect our business. Economic growth could be uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy and such growth may not be sustained in the future. If in the future such country’s economy experiences a downturn or grows at a slower rate than expected, there may be less demand for spending in certain industries. A decrease in demand for spending in certain industries could materially and adversely affect our ability to find an attractive target business with which to consummate our initial business combination and if we effect our initial business combination, the ability of that target business to become profitable.
We may face risks related to companies in our target industries.
If we are successful in completing a business combination with a target business in the carbon capture, utilization and storage industry, we may be subject to, and possibly adversely affected by, the following risks:
• an inability to compete effectively in a highly competitive environment with many incumbents having substantially greater resources;
• an inability to manage rapid change, increasing expectations and growth;
• a reliance on proprietary technology to provide services and to manage our operations, and the failure of this technology to operate effectively, or our failure to use such technology effectively;
• an inability to license or enforce intellectual property rights on which our business may depend;
• any significant disruption in our computer systems or those of third parties that we would utilize in our operations;
• an inability by us, or a refusal by third parties, to license content to us upon acceptable terms;
• potential liability for negligence, copyright, or trademark infringement or other claims based on the nature and content of materials that we may distribute;
• competition for advertising revenue;
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• disruption or failure of our networks, systems or technology as a result of computer viruses, “cyber- attacks,” misappropriation of data or other malfeasance, as well as outages, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, accidental releases of information or similar events;
• an inability to obtain necessary hardware, software and operational support; and
• reliance on third-party vendors or service providers.
Any of the foregoing could have an adverse impact on our operations following a business combination. However, our efforts in identifying prospective target businesses will not be limited to businesses with transformative technologies for industrial applications. Accordingly, if we acquire a target business in another industry, these risks we will be subject to risks attendant with the specific industry in which we operate or target business which we acquire, which may or may not be different than those risks listed above.
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 preparing for an initial public offering, as well as many such companies currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available 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.
Risks Related to Our Organization and Structure
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 stockholders.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (1) $10.20 per public share or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so in 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 stockholders may be reduced below $10.20 per share.
We are dependent upon our directors and officers and their departure could adversely affect our ability to operate.
Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and in particular, Messrs. Gray, Rodgers and DeMoss. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our directors and officers, at least until we have completed our initial business combination. In addition, our directors and officers are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating their time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. Moreover, certain of our directors and officers have time and attention
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requirements for investment funds of which affiliates of our sponsor are the investment managers. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our directors or officers. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or officers could have a detrimental effect on us.
Our 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 our initial 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 applicable 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.
Our directors and officers 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 directors and officers 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 may be entitled to substantial compensation and our officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. Certain of our independent directors also serve as officers and/or board members for other entities. If our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs, which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination. For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs, please see “Management — Directors, Director Nominees and Officers.”
Certain of our directors and officers 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.
Following the completion of this offering and until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Our sponsor and directors and officers are, or may in the future become, affiliated with entities that are engaged in a similar business. For more information, see the section entitled “Management — Conflicts of Interest.” Our sponsor and directors and officers are also not prohibited from sponsoring, investing or otherwise becoming involved with, any other blank check companies, including in connection with their initial business combinations, prior to us completing our initial business combination. Moreover, certain of our directors and officers have time and attention requirements for investment funds of which affiliates of our sponsor are the investment managers.
Our directors and officers also may become aware of business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us and the other entities to which they owe certain fiduciary or contractual duties. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to other entities
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prior to its presentation to us, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under applicable law. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the company and it is an opportunity that we are able to complete on a reasonable basis.
For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest that you should be aware of, please see “Management — Directors, Director Nominees and Officers,” “Management — Conflicts of Interest” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”
Our directors, officers, security holders and their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests.
We have not adopted a policy that prohibits our directors, officers, security holders or their respective affiliates from having a direct or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. In fact, we may enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or officers, although we do not intend to do so. Nor do we have a policy that 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. As a result, there may be substantial overlap between companies that would be a suitable business combination for us and companies that would make an attractive target for such other affiliates.
We may engage in a business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our sponsor, directors or officers which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In light of the involvement of our sponsor, directors and officers with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, directors and officers. Certain of our directors and officers also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including those described under “Management — Conflicts of Interest.” Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. Our sponsor, directors and officers 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 and guidelines for a business combination as set forth in “Proposed Business — Effecting Our Initial Business Combination — Selection of a target business and structuring of our initial business combination” and such transaction was approved by a majority of our independent and disinterested directors. Despite our agreement that we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another valuation or appraisal firm that regularly renders fairness opinions on the type of target business we are seeking to acquire, regarding the fairness to our company from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, directors or officers, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the business combination may not be as advantageous to our public stockholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.
Since our initial stockholders 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 January 13, 2022, our sponsor initially subscribed for an aggregate of 3,593,750 founders shares. In connection with a reduction in the planned size of the offering, the subscription agreement was amended and restated on October 10, 2022 and on December 28, 2022, the subscription agreement was further amended and restated in connection with a change in the proposed terms of the offering to provide for a subscription of 3,066,667 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.008 per share. Our initial stockholders will collectively own approximately 23.8% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a stock dividend or share repurchase or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at approximately 25% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock upon the consummation of this offering. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination.
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In addition, our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an 440,000 private placement units (or up to 480,000 private placement units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), each unit consisting of one share of common stock and one warrant, with each warrant exercisable for one share of common stock, for a purchase price of $4,400,000 in the aggregate or $4,800,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, or $10.00 per unit, that will also be worthless if we do not complete a business combination.
The founder shares are identical to the shares of common stock included in the units being sold in this offering except that: (1) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions contained in a letter agreement that our initial stockholders, directors and officers have entered into, (2) pursuant to such letter agreement, our initial stockholders, directors and officers have agreed to waive: (i) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them, as applicable, in connection with the completion of our initial business combination; (ii) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre- initial business combination activity; and (iii) their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) 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 (3) the founder shares are entitled to registration rights. If we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our initial stockholders have agreed (and their respective permitted transferees will agree), pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, to vote their founder shares and any public shares held by them purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination. While we do not expect our board of directors to approve any amendment to or waiver of the letter agreement, investment agreements or registration rights agreement prior to our initial business combination, it may be possible that our board of directors, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to or waivers of such agreements in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Any such amendments or waivers would not require approval from our stockholders, may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible, and may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities.
The personal and financial interests of our sponsor, directors and officers 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 12-month deadline following the closing of this offering nears, which is the deadline for the completion of our initial business combination.
The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may result in significant dilution to the implied value of your public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination.
We are offering our units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit and the amount in our trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.20 per public share, implying an initial value of $10.20 per public share. However, prior to this offering, our sponsor paid a nominal aggregate purchase price of $25,000 for the founder shares, or approximately $0.008 per share. As a result, the value of your public shares may be significantly diluted upon the consummation of our initial business combination, when the founder shares are converted into public shares.
The value of the founder shares following completion of our initial business combination is likely to be substantially higher than the nominal price paid for them, even if the trading price of our public shares at such time is substantially less than $10.20 per share.
Upon the closing of this offering, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option, our sponsor will have invested in us an aggregate of $4,425,000, comprised of the $25,000 purchase price for the founder shares and the $4,400,000 purchase price for the private placement units. Assuming a trading price of $10.00 per
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share upon consummation of our initial business combination, the 2,666,667 founder shares and 440,000 private placement units would have an aggregate implied value of $21,902,002. Even if the trading price of our common stock was as low as approximately $1.42 per share, and the private placement units were worthless, the value of the founder shares would be equal to the sponsor’s initial investment in us. As a result, our sponsor is likely to be able to recoup its investment in us and make a substantial profit on that investment, even if our public shares have lost significant value. Accordingly, our management team, which owns interests in our sponsor, may have an economic incentive that differs from that of the public stockholders to pursue and consummate an initial business combination rather than to liquidate and to return all of the cash in the trust to the public stockholders, even if that business combination were with a riskier or less-established target business. For the foregoing reasons, you should consider our management team’s financial incentive to complete an initial business combination when evaluating whether to redeem your shares prior to or in connection with the initial business combination.
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 stockholders do not agree.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation does not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold, except that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 following such redemptions, or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement that may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. As a result, we may be able to complete our initial business combination even though a substantial majority of our public stockholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all public shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, and all shares of common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.
In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or governing instruments in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination that some of our stockholders may not support.
In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds, extended the time to consummate an initial business combination and, with respect to their warrants, amended their warrant agreements to require the warrants to be exchanged for cash and/or other securities. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or governing instruments, including the warrant agreement, or extend the time to consummate an initial business combination in order to effectuate our initial business combination. To the extent any of such amendments would be deemed to fundamentally change the nature of any of the securities offered through this registration statement, we would register, or seek an exemption from registration for, the affected securities.
Certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that relate to our pre- business combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account) may be amended with the approval of holders of not less than a majority of our common stock, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other blank check companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our stockholders may not support.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that any of its provisions (other than amendments relating to the appointment of directors, which require the approval by a majority of at least 90% of our common stock voting at a stockholder meeting) related to pre-business combination activity (including the
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requirement to fund the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances and to provide redemption rights to public stockholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by holders of at least a majority of our common stock, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of a majority of our common stock. In all other instances, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that it may be amended by holders of a majority of our common stock, subject to applicable provisions of the DGCL, or applicable stock exchange rules. We may not issue additional securities that can vote on amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or on our initial business combination. Our initial stockholders who collectively will beneficially own 25% of our common stock upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), may participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation which will govern our pre-business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete our initial business combination with which you do not agree. Our stockholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus)or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of our common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. These agreements are contained in a letter agreement that we have entered into with our sponsor, officers and directors. Our stockholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our sponsor, officers or directors for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our stockholders would need to pursue a stockholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.
Our initial stockholders will control the election of our board of directors until consummation of our initial business combination and will hold a substantial interest in us. As a result, they will appoint all of our directors prior to our initial business combination and may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Upon the closing of this offering, our initial stockholders will own 25% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). In addition, the founder shares, all of which will be held by our initial stockholders, will entitle the holders to elect all of our directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. Holders of our public shares will have no right to vote on the election of directors during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended by a majority of at least 90% of our common stock voting at a stockholder meeting. As a result, you will not have any influence over the election of directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination.
Neither our initial stockholders nor, to our knowledge, any of our officers or directors, have any current intention to purchase additional securities, other than as disclosed in this prospectus. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our common stock. In addition, as a result of their substantial ownership in our company, our initial stockholders may exert a substantial influence on other actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and approval of major corporate transactions. If our initial stockholders purchase any shares of our common stock in this offering or in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their influence over these actions. Accordingly, our initial stockholders will exert significant influence over actions requiring a stockholder vote at least until the completion of our initial business combination.
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We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants.
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 (a) the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder for the purpose of (i) curing any ambiguity or correct any mistake, including to conform the provisions of the warrant agreement to the description of the terms of the warrants and the warrant agreement set forth in this prospectus, or defective provision or (ii) adding or changing any provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the warrant agreement as the parties to the warrant agreement may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the rights of the registered holders of the warrants under the warrant agreement and (b) all other modifications or amendments require the vote or written consent of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants, provided that any amendment that solely affects the terms of the private placement units or any provision of the warrant agreement solely with respect to the private placement units will also require at least a majority of the then outstanding private placement units. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.
A provision of our warrant agreement may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
Unlike some blank check companies, if
(i) we issue additional shares of common stock 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 of common stock,
(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 completion 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, the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described below under “Description of Securities — Redeemable — Warrants —” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.
Our warrant agreement will designate the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our warrant agreement will provide that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreement will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions
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in our warrant agreement. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions of the warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”) in the name of any holder of our warrants, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.
This choice-of-forum provision may limit a warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our warrant agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.
Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and Delaware law may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock and could entrench management.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include three-year director terms and the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred stock, 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. Section 203 of the DGCL affects the ability of an “interested stockholder” to engage in certain business combinations, for a period of three years following the time that the stockholder becomes an “interested stockholder.” We will elect in our certificate of incorporation not to be subject to Section 203 of the DGCL. Nevertheless, our certificate of incorporation will contain provisions that have the same effect as Section 203 of the DGCL, except that it will provide that affiliates of our sponsor and their transferees will not be deemed to be “interested stockholders,” regardless of the percentage of our voting stock owned by them, and will therefore not be subject to such restrictions. These charter provisions may limit the ability of third parties to acquire control of our company.
Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and Delaware law may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will require, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against us, our directors, officers or employees arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us, our directors, officers or employees governed by the internal affairs doctrine may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware, except any action (A) as to which the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination), (B) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery, (C) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction, or (D) arising under the Securities Act, as to which the Court of Chancery and the federal district court for the District of Delaware shall have concurrent jurisdiction. If an action is brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel. Although we believe this provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, a court may determine that this provision is unenforceable, and to the extent it is enforceable, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers, although our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that the exclusive forum provision will be applicable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and
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regulations thereunder. As a result, the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities
Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As noted above, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that the Court of Chancery and the federal district court for the District of Delaware shall have concurrent jurisdiction over any action arising under the Securities Act. Accordingly, there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such provision, and our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
Although we believe this provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers.
We may not hold an annual stockholder meeting until after the consummation of our initial business combination. Our public stockholders will not have the right to elect or remove directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination.
We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after we consummate our initial business combination (unless required by Nasdaq) and thus may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the DGCL, which requires an annual meeting of stockholders be held for the purposes of electing directors in accordance with a company’s bylaws unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, they may attempt to force us to hold one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court of Chancery in accordance with Section 211(c) of the DGCL.
We are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies or smaller reporting companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes- Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our shares of common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the end of any second quarter of a fiscal year, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the end of such fiscal year. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period 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
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financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our shares of common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our shares of common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
Changes in the market for directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate and complete an initial business combination.
In recent months, the market for directors and officers liability insurance for special purpose acquisition companies has changed in ways adverse to us and our management team. Fewer insurance companies are offering quotes for directors and officers liability coverage, the premiums charged for such policies have generally increased and the terms of such policies have generally become less favorable. These trends may continue into the future.
The increased cost and decreased availability of directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate an initial business combination. In order to obtain directors and officers liability insurance or modify its coverage as a result of becoming a public company, the post-business combination entity might need to incur greater expense, accept less favorable terms or both. However, any failure to obtain adequate directors and officers liability insurance could have an adverse impact on the post-business combination’s ability to attract and retain qualified officers and directors.
In addition, even after we were to complete an initial business combination, our directors and officers could still be subject to potential liability from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to the initial business combination. As a result, in order to protect our directors and officers, the post- business combination entity may need to purchase additional insurance with respect to any such claims (“run- off insurance”). The need for run-off insurance would be an added expense for the post-business combination entity, and could interfere with or frustrate our ability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors.
Risks Related to Ownership of Our Securities and This Offering
Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 may result in the imposition of an excise tax on the Company
On August 16, 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the “IR Act”) was signed into federal law. The IR Act provides for, among other things, a new U.S. federal 1% excise tax on certain repurchases of stock by publicly traded U.S. domestic corporations and certain U.S. domestic subsidiaries of publicly traded foreign corporations occurring on or after January 1, 2023. The excise tax is imposed on the repurchasing corporation itself, not its stockholders from which shares are repurchased. The amount of the excise tax is generally 1% of the fair market value of the shares repurchased at the time of the repurchase. However, for purposes of calculating the excise tax, repurchasing corporations are permitted to net the fair market value of certain new stock issuances against the fair market value of stock repurchases during the same taxable year. In addition, certain exceptions apply to the excise tax. The U.S. Department of the Treasury (the “Treasury”) has been given authority to provide regulations and other guidance to carry out and prevent the abuse or avoidance of the excise tax.
Any redemption or other repurchase that occurs after December 31, 2022, in connection with a Business Combination, extension vote or otherwise, may be subject to the excise tax. Whether and to what extent the Company would be subject to the excise tax in connection with a Business Combination, extension vote or otherwise would depend on a number of factors, including (i) the fair market value of the redemptions and repurchases in connection with the Business Combination, extension or otherwise, (ii) the structure of a Business Combination, (iii) the nature and amount of any “PIPE” or other equity issuances in connection with a Business Combination (or otherwise issued not in connection with a Business Combination but issued within the same taxable year of
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a Business Combination) and (iv) the content of regulations and other guidance from the Treasury. In addition, because the excise tax would be payable by the Company and not by the redeeming holder, the mechanics of any required payment of the excise tax have not been determined. The foregoing could cause a reduction in the cash available on hand to complete a Business Combination and in the Company’s ability to complete a Business Combination.
The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your 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 increases. If our initial business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the trust account until we liquidate the trust account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your 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.
If a stockholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our initial business combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.
We will comply with the tender offer rules or proxy rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our initial business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a stockholder fails to receive our tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, such stockholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, the tender offer documents or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or redeem public shares. In the event that a stockholder fails to comply with these procedures, its shares may not be redeemed. See “Proposed Business — Manner of Conducting Redemptions — Tendering stock certificates in connection with a tender offer or redemption rights.”
You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. To liquidate your investment, therefore, you may be forced to sell your public shares and/or public warrants, potentially at a loss.
Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (1) our completion of an initial business combination, and then only in connection with those shares of our common stock that such stockholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus)or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed an initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus), subject to applicable law. In addition, if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) for any reason, compliance with Delaware law may require that we submit a plan of dissolution to our then-existing stockholders for approval prior to the distribution of the proceeds held in our trust account. In that case, public stockholders may be forced to wait beyond 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) before they receive funds from our trust account. In no other circumstances will a
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stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. Holders of public warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the public warrants. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares and/or public warrants, potentially at a loss.
Nasdaq may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
We intend to apply to list our units on Nasdaq on or promptly after the date of this prospectus and our common stock and warrants on or promptly after their date of separation. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq. Although after giving effect to this offering we expect to meet, on a pro forma basis, the minimum initial listing standards set forth in the Nasdaq listing standards, we cannot assure you that our securities will be, or will continue to be, listed on Nasdaq in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on Nasdaq prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and share price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum amount in stockholders’ 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 and our stockholder’s equity would generally be required to be at least $5,000,000. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.
If Nasdaq delists any of our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list our securities on another national securities exchange, we expect such securities could be quoted on an over-the- counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:
• a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;
• reduced liquidity for our securities;
• a determination that our common stock is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our common stock to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities;
• a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and
• a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future.
The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because we expect that our units and eventually shares of our common stock and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq, our units, shares of our common stock and warrants will qualify as covered securities under such statute. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of covered securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by special purpose acquisition companies, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on Nasdaq, our securities would not qualify as covered securities under such statute and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
Since the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units are intended to be used to complete an initial business combination with a target business that has not been selected, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the U.S. securities laws. However, because we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the successful completion of this offering and the sale of the private placement units and will file 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. In accordance with the SEC’s penny stock rules, we will calculate net tangible assets as total assets less intangible
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assets and liabilities. We expect our net tangible assets following this offering to exceed $5,000,001, as our total assets will primarily consist of the $81,600,000 of proceeds in the trust account and our total liabilities will consist of the warrant liability, deferred underwriting discounts and accrued offering costs and other payables. Moreover, if this offering were subject to Rule 419, that rule would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us unless and until the funds in the trust account were released to us in connection with our completion of an initial business combination. For a more detailed comparison of our offering to offerings that comply with Rule 419, please see “Proposed Business — Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.”
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of stockholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of the shares of our common stock, you will lose your ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of shares of our common stock.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares,” without our prior consent. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. And as a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per- share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.20 per share.
Our placing of funds in the trust account may not protect those funds from third-party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain 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 enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver only if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative.
Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third-party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where we are unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per- share redemption amount received by public stockholders could be less than the $10.20 per public share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors.
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Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent auditors) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (1) $10.20 per public share or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Our sponsor may not have sufficient funds available to satisfy those obligations. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such obligations, and therefore, no funds are currently set aside to cover any such obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.20 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per public share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our directors or officers will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
The securities in which we invest the funds held in the trust account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders may be less than $10.20 per share.
The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. Treasuries. 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 certificate of incorporation, our public stockholders 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 stockholders may be less than $10.20 per share.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a winding-up or bankruptcy petition or an involuntary winding-up or bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy court may seek to recover such proceeds, and the members of our board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims of punitive damages.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a winding-up or bankruptcy petition or an involuntary winding-up or bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/ creditor and/or insolvency laws as a voidable performance. As a result, a liquidator could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our stockholders. In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a winding-up or bankruptcy petition or an involuntary winding-up or bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over the claims of our stockholders and the per- share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a winding-up or bankruptcy petition or an involuntary winding-up or bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable insolvency law, and may be included in our
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liquidation estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any liquidation claims deplete the trust account, the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation would be reduced.
If we have not completed our initial business combination within the allotted time period, our public stockholders may be forced to wait beyond such allotted time period before redemption from our trust account.
If we have not completed our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) or during any Extension Period, we will distribute the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses and which interest shall be net of taxes payable), pro rata to our public stockholders 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 stockholders from the trust account shall be effected automatically by function of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation prior to any voluntary winding up. If we are required to windup, liquidate the trust account and distribute such amount therein, pro rata, to our public stockholders, as part of any liquidation process, such winding up, liquidation and distribution must comply with the applicable provisions of Delaware law. In that case, investors may be forced to wait beyond the allotted time period before the redemption proceeds of our trust account become available to them and they receive the return of their pro rata portion of the proceeds from our trust account. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to the date of our redemption or liquidation unless, prior thereto, we consummate our initial business combination or amend certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and then only in cases where investors have properly sought to redeem their shares of our common stock. Only upon our redemption or any liquidation will public stockholders be entitled to distributions if we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period and do not amend certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation prior thereto.
Our stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.
Under the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months of the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If a corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 120-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. However, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following the 24th month from the closing of this offering in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with the foregoing procedures.
Because we do not intend to comply with Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the 10 years following our dissolution. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, consultants, etc.) or prospective target businesses. If our plan of distribution complies with Section 281(b) of the DGCL, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would likely be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. We cannot assure you that we will properly assess all claims that may be potentially brought against us. As such, our stockholders could
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potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend beyond the third anniversary of such date. Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months of the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution.
We are registering the issuance of the shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time, however such registration may not be in place when an investor desires to exercise warrants, thus precluding such investor from being able to exercise its warrants except on a cashless basis and potentially causing such warrants to expire worthless.
We are registering the issuance of the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time. However, under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that, as soon as practicable after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement covering the issuance of such shares, and we will use our best efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of our initial business combination and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating to those shares of our common stock until the warrants expire or are redeemed. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current, complete or correct or the SEC issues a stop order. If any such registration statement has not been declared effective by the 60th Business Day following the closing of the business combination, holders of the warrants shall have the right, during the period beginning on the 61st Business Day after the closing of the business combination and ending upon such registration statement being declared effective by the SEC, and during any other period when we fail to have maintained an effective registration statement covering the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, to exercise such warrants on a “cashless basis”. We shall provide the Warrant Agent with an opinion of counsel stating that (i) the exercise of the warrants on a cashless basis is not required to be registered under the Act and (ii) the shares of Common Stock issued upon such exercise will be freely tradable under U.S. federal securities laws by anyone who is not an affiliate (as such term is defined in Rule 144 under the Act) of the Company and, accordingly, will not be required to bear a restrictive legend.
The grant of registration rights to our initial stockholders and their respective permitted transferees may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exercise of such rights may adversely affect the market price of shares of our common stock.
Pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be entered into on or prior to the closing of this offering, the Company shall use its best efforts to file a registration statement within 30 days of our initial business combination, for our initial stockholders and their respective permitted transferees. In addition, our initial stockholders and their respective permitted transferees can demand that we register the resale of their founder shares. In addition, our sponsor and its permitted transferees can demand that we register the resale of the shares of common stock included in the private placement units and the shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants included in the private placement units, and holders of units that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans may demand that we register the resale of the securities included in such units or the shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants. We will bear the cost of registering these securities. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of shares of our common stock. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the stockholders of the target business may increase the equity stake they seek in the combined entity or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the market price of shares of our common stock that is expected when the shares of common stock owned by our initial stockholders or their permitted transferees, our private placement units or units issued in connection with working capital loans are registered for resale.
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We may issue additional shares of our common stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our stockholders and likely present other risks.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will authorize the issuance of up to 40,000,000 shares of our common stock, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 11,226,667 (assuming that the underwriters have not exercised their over-allotment option) authorized but unissued shares of our common stock available for issuance, which amount takes into account shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants Immediately after this offering, there will be no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding.
We may issue a substantial number of additional shares of our common stock in order to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also enter into forward purchase agreements or other commitments to purchase our securities after closing of this offering and prior to completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue shares of our common stock to redeem the warrants as described in “Description of Securities — Redeemable Warrants”. However, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, among other things, that prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares of common stock that would entitle the holders thereof to (1) receive funds from the trust account or (2) vote as a class with our public shares on any initial business combination. The issuance of additional shares of common stock or shares of preferred stock:
• may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering;
• may subordinate the rights of holders of shares of common stock if shares of preferred stock are issued with rights senior to those afforded our shares of common stock;
• could cause a change of control if a substantial number of our shares of common stock is issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present directors and officers;
• may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the share ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us;
• may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, shares of common stock and/or warrants; and
• may not result in adjustment to the exercise price of our warrants.
We may issue our shares to investors in connection with our initial business combination at a price that is less than the prevailing market price of our shares at that time.
In connection with our initial business combination, we may issue shares to investors in private placement transactions (so-called PIPE transactions) at a price of $10.00 per share or which approximates the per-share amounts in our trust account at such time, which is generally approximately $10.00. The purpose of such issuances will be to enable us to provide sufficient liquidity to the post-business combination entity. The price of the shares we issue may therefore be less, and potentially significantly less, than the market price for our shares at such time. As a result, you will experience further dilution.
The potential PIPE transactions may result in costs particular to the de-SPAC process that would not be anticipated in a traditional initial public offering. The potential PIPE transactions are intended to ensure a return on investment to the investor in return for funds facilitating the sponsor’s completion of the initial business combination or providing sufficient liquidity.
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 more likely to expire worthless.
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We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.
We have the ability to redeem the outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant if, among other things, the Reference Value equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “Description of Securities — Redeemable Warrants —”) and if, and only if, there is a current registration statement in effect with respect to the shares of common stock underlying such warrants. Please see “Description of Securities — Redeemable Warrants —.” If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption, each warrant holder can exercise his, her or its warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of the shares of common stock may fall below the $18.00 trigger price as well as the $11.50 warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.
If we call the warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the average reported last sale price of the shares of common stock for the five trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants.
Our management’s ability to require holders of our warrants to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis will cause holders to receive fewer shares of common stock upon their exercise of the warrants than they would have received had they been able to exercise their warrants for cash.
If we call our public warrants for redemption after the redemption criteria described elsewhere in this prospectus have been satisfied, our management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise his warrant (including any private warrants included in the private units) 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 shares of common stock received by a holder upon exercise will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised his warrant for cash. This will have the effect of reducing the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company.
If we do not file and maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, holders will only be able to exercise such warrants on a “cashless basis.”
If we do not file and maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants at the time that holders wish to exercise such warrants, they will only be able to exercise them on a “cashless basis” provided that an exemption from registration is available. As a result, the number of shares of common stock that holders will receive upon exercise of the warrants will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised his warrant for cash. Further, if an exemption from registration is not available, holders would not be able to exercise on a cashless basis and would only be able to exercise their warrants for cash if a current and effective prospectus relating to the common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is available. Under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed to use our best efforts to meet these conditions and to file and maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration of the warrants. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to do so. If we are unable to do so, the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company may be reduced or the warrants may expire worthless.
An investor will only be able to exercise a warrant if the issuance of shares of common stock upon such exercise has been registered or qualified or is deemed exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the holder of the warrants.
No warrants will be exercisable and we will not be obligated to issue shares of common stock unless the shares of common stock issuable upon such exercise has been registered or qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the holder of the warrants. If the shares of common stock issuable upon
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exercise of the warrants are not qualified or exempt from qualification in the jurisdictions in which the holders of the warrants reside, the warrants may be deprived of any value, the market for the warrants may be limited and they may expire worthless if they cannot be sold.
Our sponsor paid an aggregate of $25,000 or approximately $0.008 per founder share, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution upon the purchase of shares of our common stock.
The difference between the public offering price per share (allocating all of the unit purchase price to the shares of common stock and none to the warrant included in the unit) and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of common stock after this offering constitutes the dilution to you and the other investors in this offering. Our sponsor acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, significantly contributing to this dilution. Upon the closing of this offering, and assuming no value is ascribed to the warrants included in the units, you and the other public stockholders will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 86.9% (or $8.69 per share, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share of $1.31 and the initial offering price of $10.00 per unit. This dilution would become exacerbated to the extent that public stockholders seek redemptions from the trust.
Our warrants and founder shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of shares of our common stock and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.
We will be issuing warrants to purchase 8,000,000 shares of our common stock (or 9,200,000 shares of our common stock if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), at a price of $11.50 per whole share (subject to adjustment as provided herein), as part of the units offered by this prospectus and, simultaneously with the closing of this offering, in a private placement, our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase 440,000 private placement units (or up to 480,000 private placement units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), each containing one share of our common stock and one warrant exercisable to purchase one share of our common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. Our initial stockholders currently hold 3,066,667 shares of our common stock (up to 400,000 of which are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised). In addition, if our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our directors and officers make any working capital loans, up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be converted into units, at the price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. Such units would be identical to the private placement units. To the extent we issue shares of our common stock to effectuate a business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares of our common stock upon exercise of these warrants or conversion rights could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Any such issuance will increase the number of issued and outstanding shares of our common stock and reduce the value of the shares of our common stock issued to complete the business combination. 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 units are identical to the units sold as part of the units in this offering.
The determination of the size of this offering and the terms of the securities offered is more arbitrary than the size of an offering and the terms of the securities offered of an operating company in a particular industry.
Prior to this offering there has been no public market for any of our securities. In determining the size of this offering, management held customary organizational meetings with the underwriters, both prior to our inception and thereafter, with respect to the state of capital markets, generally, and the amount the underwriters believed they reasonably could raise on our behalf. Factors considered in determining the size of this offering and terms of the units, including the shares of our common stock and warrants underlying the units, include:
• the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies;
• prior offerings of those companies;
• our prospects for acquiring an operating business at attractive values;
• a review of debt to equity ratios in leveraged transactions;
65
• our capital structure;
• an assessment of our management and their experience in identifying operating companies;
• general conditions of the securities markets at the time of this offering; and
• other factors as were deemed relevant.
There is currently no market for our securities and a market for our securities may not develop, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.
There is currently no market for our securities. Stockholders therefore have no access to information about prior market history on which to base their investment decision. Following this offering, the price of our securities may vary significantly due to one or more potential business combinations and general market or economic conditions, including as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases). Furthermore, an active trading market for our securities may never develop or, if developed, it may not be sustained. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market can be established and sustained.
66
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Some statements contained in this prospectus are forward-looking in nature. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management team’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this prospectus may include, for example, statements about:
• our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses;
• our ability to complete our initial business combination;
• our expectations around the performance of a prospective target business or businesses;
• our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination;
• our 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;
• our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination;
• our pool of prospective target businesses and our target industries;
• our ability to consummate an initial business combination due to the uncertainty resulting from the recent COVID-19 pandemic;
• the ability of our directors and officers to generate a number of potential business combination opportunities;
• our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading;
• the lack of a market for our securities;
• the use of proceeds not held in the trust account or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance;
• the trust account not being subject to claims of third parties; or
• our financial performance following this offering.
The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors.” Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward- looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
67
We are offering 8,000,000 units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit. We estimate that the net proceeds of this offering together with the funds we will receive from the sale of the private placement units will be used as set forth in the following table.
|
Without |
Over-Allotment |
|||||||
|
Gross proceeds |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Gross proceeds from units offered to public(1) |
$ |
80,000,000 |
|
$ |
92,000,000 |
|
||
|
Gross proceeds from private placement units offered in the private placement |
|
4,400,000 |
|
|
4,800,000 |
|
||
|
Total gross proceeds |
$ |
84,400,000 |
|
$ |
96,800,000 |
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
Estimated offering expenses(2) |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Underwriting discounts (excluding deferred portion)(3) |
$ |
800,000 |
|
$ |
920,000 |
|
||
|
Legal fees and expenses |
|
365,000 |
|
|
365,000 |
|
||
|
Accounting fees and expenses |
|
117,000 |
|
|
117,000 |
|
||
|
Printing and engraving expenses |
|
35,000 |
|
|
35,000 |
|
||
|
SEC and FINRA filing fees |
|
80,000 |
|
|
80,000 |
|
||
|
Miscellaneous expenses(5) |
|
111,000 |
|
|
111,000 |
|
||
|
Total estimated offering expenses (other than underwriting discounts) |
$ |
708,000 |
|
$ |
708,000 |
|
||
|
Proceeds after estimated offering expenses |
$ |
82,892,000 |
|
$ |
95,172,000 |
|
||
|
Held in trust account |
$ |
81,600,000 |
|
$ |
93,840,000 |
|
||
|
% of public offering size |
|
102.0 |
% |
|
102.0 |
% |
||
|
Not held in trust account(2) |
$ |
1,292,000 |
|
$ |
1,332,000 |
|
||
The following table shows the use of the approximately $1,292,000 of net proceeds not held in the trust account(6).
|
Amount |
% of Total |
|||||
|
Target search |
$ |
195,000 |
15.1 |
% |
||
|
Accounting, audit and tax |
|
325,000 |
25.2 |
% |
||
|
Office and administrative |
|
150,000 |
13.3 |
% |
||
|
Directors and officers insurance premiums(4) |
|
300,000 |
11.6 |
% |
||
|
Legal |
|
150,000 |
11.6 |
% |
||
|
Working capital |
|
172,000 |
23.2 |
% |
||
|
Total |
$ |
1,292,000 |
100.0 |
% |
||
____________
(1) Includes amounts payable to public stockholders who properly redeem their shares in connection with our successful completion of the initial business combination.
(2) As of December 31, 2022, we had borrowed $257,380 under the $450,000 amended promissory note with our sponsor. This note will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $1,292,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting discounts) not held in the trust account. These expenses are estimates only. In the event that deferred offering expenses are less than as set forth in this table, any such amounts will be used for post-closing working capital expenses. In the event that the offering expenses are more than as set forth in this table, we may fund such excess with funds not held in the trust account.
(3) The underwriters have agreed to defer underwriting discounts equal to 3.0% of the gross proceeds of this offering. Upon completion of our initial business combination, $2,400,000, which constitutes the underwriters’ deferred underwriting discounts (or $2,760,000 if the underwriters’ over- allotment option is exercised in full) will be paid to the underwriters from the funds held in the trust account, and the remaining funds, less amounts used to pay redeeming stockholders, will be released to us and can be used to pay all or a portion of the acquisition price of the business or businesses with which our initial business combination occurs or for general corporate purposes, including payment of principal or interest on indebtedness incurred in connection with our initial business combination, to fund the purchases of other companies or for working capital. The underwriters will not be entitled to any interest accrued on the deferred underwriting discounts.
68
(4) This amount represents the approximate amount of annualized director and officer liability insurance premiums we anticipate paying following the completion of this offering and until we complete a business combination.
(5) Includes organizational and administrative expenses and may include amounts related to above- listed expenses in the event actual amounts exceed estimates.
(6) These expenses are estimates only. Our actual expenditures for some or all of these items may differ from the estimates set forth herein. For example, we may incur greater legal and accounting expenses than our current estimates in connection with negotiating and structuring a business combination based upon the level of complexity of such business combination. In the event we identify an acquisition target in a specific industry subject to specific regulations, we may incur additional expenses associated with legal due diligence and the engagement of special legal counsel. In addition, our staffing needs may vary and as a result, we may engage a number of consultants to assist with legal and financial due diligence. We do not anticipate any change in our intended use of proceeds, other than fluctuations among the current categories of allocated expenses, which fluctuations, to the extent they exceed current estimates for any specific category of expenses, would not be available for our expenses. The amount in the table above does not include interest available to us from the trust account to pay taxes. In addition, in order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our directors and officers may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans may be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. The units would be identical to the private placement units issued to our sponsor. The terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
The rules of Nasdaq provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement units be deposited in a trust account. Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, $81,600,000 (or $93,840,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), including $2,400,000 (or $2,760,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of deferred underwriting discounts, will, upon the consummation of this offering, be placed in a U.S.-based trust account at Bank of America, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. The funds in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. Treasuries and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. We will not be permitted to withdraw any of the principal or interest held in the trust account except for the withdrawal of interest to pay taxes, if any. The funds held in the trust account will not otherwise be released from the trust account until the earliest of : (1) our completion of an initial business combination; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed an initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus), subject to applicable law. Based on current interest rates, we expect that interest earned on the trust account will be sufficient to pay taxes.
The net proceeds held in the trust account may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we ultimately complete our initial business combination and to pay the deferred underwriting discounts. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or the redemption of our public shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.
69
We believe that amounts not held in trust will be sufficient to pay the costs and expenses to which such proceeds are allocated. This belief is based on the fact that while we may begin preliminary due diligence of a target business in connection with an indication of interest, we intend to undertake in-depth due diligence, depending on the circumstances of the relevant prospective acquisition, only after we have negotiated and signed a letter of intent or other preliminary agreement that addresses the terms of a business combination. However, if our estimate of the costs of undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating a business combination is less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may be required to raise additional capital, the amount, availability and cost of which is currently unascertainable. If we are required to seek additional capital, we could seek such additional capital through loans or additional investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or any of their respective affiliates, but such persons are not under any obligation to loan funds to, or otherwise invest in, us.
We will enter into an Administrative Services Agreement with an affiliate of our sponsor for office space, administrative and support services.
Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $450,000 under an unsecured promissory note to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of December 31, 2022, we had borrowed $257,380 under the $450,000 amended promissory note with our sponsor. This note is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the earlier of December 31, 2024 and the closing of this offering. This note will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $1,292,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting discounts) not held in the trust account.
In addition, in order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our directors and officers may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans may be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. The units would be identical to the private placement units issued to our sponsor. The terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may also purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. Please see “Proposed Business — Permitted purchases and other transactions with respect to our securities” for a description of how such persons will determine from which stockholders to seek to acquire shares. The price per share paid in any such transaction may be different than the amount per share a public stockholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. However, such persons have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. Such persons will be subject to restrictions in making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules.
We may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 following such redemptions and the agreement for our initial business combination may require as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights so that we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement or any net worth or cash requirements, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination, and may instead search for an alternate business combination.
70
Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (1) our completion of an initial business combination, and then only in connection with those shares of our common stock that such stockholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed an initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus), subject to applicable law. In no other circumstances will a stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or 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.
Our initial stockholder, directors and officers have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination or certain amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation as described elsewhere in this prospectus. Our initial stockholders and any other investors holding founder shares have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. However, if our initial stockholders acquire public shares, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.
71
We have not paid any cash dividends on our shares of common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to our initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any additional stock dividends in the foreseeable future, except if we increase the size of this offering, in which case we will effect a stock dividend or other appropriate mechanism immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 25% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering. Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
72
The difference between the public offering price per share of our common stock, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units we are offering pursuant to this prospectus or the private placement units, and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of common stock after this offering constitutes the dilution to investors in this offering. Such calculation does not reflect any dilution associated with the sale and exercise of warrants, including the private placement units, which would cause the actual dilution to the public stockholders to be higher, particularly where a cashless exercise is utilized. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our net tangible book value, which is our total tangible assets less total liabilities (including the value of shares of our common stock which may be redeemed for cash), by the number of issued and outstanding shares of common stock.
As of December 31, 2022, our net tangible book value deficit was $345,554, or $(0.13) per share of our common stock. After giving effect to the sale of 8,000,000 shares of our common stock included in the units we are offering by this prospectus, the sale of the private placement units and the deduction of underwriting discounts and estimated expenses of this offering, our pro forma net tangible book value at December 31, 2022, would have been $5,000,001 or $1.31 per share, representing an immediate decrease in net tangible book value (as decreased by the value of the 8,000,000 shares of our common stock that may be redeemed for cash and assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) of $1.44 per share to our initial stockholders as of the date of this prospectus and an immediate dilution of $8.69 per share or 86.9% to our public stockholders not exercising their redemption rights. The dilution to new investors if the underwriters exercise the over-allotment option in full would be an immediate dilution of $8.84 per share or 88.4%.
The following table illustrates the dilution to the public stockholders on a per-share basis, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units or the private placement units:
|
Without |
With |
|||||||
|
Public offering price |
$ |
10.00 |
|
$ |
10.00 |
|
||
|
Net tangible book value before this offering |
$ |
(0.13 |
) |
$ |
(0.11 |
) |
||
|
Decrease attributable to public stockholders |
$ |
1.44 |
|
$ |
1.27 |
|
||
|
Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering and the sale of the private placement units |
$ |
1.31 |
|
$ |
1.16 |
|
||
|
Dilution to public stockholders |
$ |
8.69 |
|
$ |
8.84 |
|
||
|
Percentage of dilution to new investors |
|
86.9 |
% |
|
88.4 |
% |
||
For purposes of presentation, we have reduced our pro forma net tangible book value after this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) by $5,000,001 because holders of all of our public shares may redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account at a per-share redemption price equal to the amount in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of shares of our common stock sold in this offering.
73
The following table sets forth information with respect to our initial stockholders and the public stockholders:
|
Shared |
Total |
Average Price |
||||||||||||
|
Number |
Percentage |
Amount |
Percentage |
|||||||||||
|
Initial Stockholders(1)(2) |
2,666,667 |
23.8 |
% |
$ |
25,000 |
0.03 |
% |
$ |
0.009 |
|||||
|
Private Placement Units |
440,000 |
3.9 |
% |
|
4,400,000 |
5.21 |
% |
$ |
10.00 |
|||||
|
Representative Shares |
120,000 |
1.1 |
% |
|
— |
— |
|
|
— |
|||||
|
Public Stockholders |
8,000,000 |
71.3 |
% |
|
80,000,000 |
94.76 |
% |
$ |
10.00 |
|||||
|
11,226,667 |
100.00 |
% |
$ |
84,425,000 |
100.00 |
% |
|
|||||||
____________
(1) Assumes the full forfeiture of 400,000 shares that are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over- allotment option is exercised.
(2) The pro forma net tangible book value per share after this offering is calculated as follows:
|
Numerator: |
Without |
With |
||||||
|
Net tangible book deficit before this offering |
$ |
(345,554 |
) |
$ |
(345,554 |
) |
||
|
Proceeds from this offering and sale of the private placement units, net of expenses (including non-deferred underwriting discounts) |
|
82,892,000 |
|
|
95,172,000 |
|
||
|
Plus: offering costs accrued for and paid in advance, excluded from net tangible book value before this offering |
|
336,619 |
|
|
336,619 |
|
||
|
Less: deferred underwriters discounts |
|
(2,400,000 |
) |
|
(2,760,000 |
) |
||
|
Less: assumed maximum proceeds available for redemption to effect a business combination |
|
(75,483,064 |
) |
|
(87,403,064 |
) |
||
|
$ |
5,000,001 |
|
$ |
5,000,001 |
|
|||
|
Denominator: |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Shares of our common stock issued and outstanding prior to this offering |
|
3,066,667 |
|
|
3,066,667 |
|
||
|
Shares forfeited if over-allotment is not exercised |
|
(400,000 |
) |
|
— |
|
||
|
Shares of our common stock included in the units offered |
|
8,440,000 |
|
|
9,680,000 |
|
||
|
Representative shares |
|
120,000 |
|
|
138,000 |
|
||
|
Less: Maximum shares that may be redeemed to effect a business combination |
|
(7,400,300 |
) |
|
(8,568,928 |
) |
||
|
|
3,826,367 |
|
|
4,315,739 |
|
|||
74
The following table sets forth our capitalization at December 31, 2022, and as adjusted to give effect to the sale of our 8,000,000 units in this offering for $80,000,000 (or $10.00 per unit) and the sale of 440,000 private placement units for $4,400,000 (or $10.00 per unit) and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities:
|
December 31, 2022 |
||||||||
|
Actual |
As |
|||||||
|
Promissory note(1) |
$ |
257,380 |
|
$ |
— |
|
||
|
Deferred underwriting discounts |
|
— |
|
|
2,400,000 |
|
||
|
Shares of our common stock, subject to redemption; 0 shares actual and 8,000,000 shares as adjusted(3)(4) |
|
— |
|
|
73,798,577 |
|
||
|
Stockholders’ equity: |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Common stock, $0.0001 par value, 40,000,000 shares authorized (actual and as adjusted); 3,066,667 issued and outstanding (actual), 3,226,667 issued and outstanding (as adjusted) |
|
307 |
|
|
323 |
|
||
|
Additional paid-in capital(5) |
|
24,693 |
|
|
6,718,100 |
|
||
|
Accumulated deficit |
|
(33,935 |
) |
|
(33,935 |
) |
||
|
Total stockholders’ (deficit) equity |
|
(8,935 |
) |
|
6,684,488 |
|
||
|
Total capitalization |
$ |
248,445 |
|
$ |
82,883,065 |
|
||
____________
(1) Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $450,000 under an unsecured promissory note to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering, which loan is due at the earlier of December 31, 2024 or the closing of this offering. As of December 31, 2022, we had borrowed $257,380 under the $450,000 amended promissory note with our sponsor.
(2) Assumes the full forfeiture of 400,000 shares that are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. The proceeds of the sale of such shares will not be deposited into the trust account, the shares will not be eligible for redemption from the trust account nor will they be eligible to vote upon the initial business combination.
(3) The as adjusted amount is presented net of proceeds allocated to the public warrants and net of allocated transaction costs related to this offering. The shares of common stock contain redemption rights that make them redeemable by our public stockholders. Accordingly, they are classified within temporary equity in accordance with the guidance provided in ASC 480-10-S99-3A.
(4) Upon the completion of our initial business combination, we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash at a per share price equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any, divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein whereby redemptions cannot cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 and any limitations (including, but not limited to, cash requirements) created by the terms of the proposed business combination. In accordance with the SEC’s penny stock rules, we will calculate net tangible assets as total assets less intangible assets and liabilities. We expect our net tangible assets following this offering to exceed $5,000,001, as our total assets will primarily consist of the $80,000,000 of proceeds in the trust account and our total liabilities will consist of the deferred underwriting discounts and other payables.
(5) As adjusted additional paid-in capital includes the fair value of the public warrants, the deemed contribution for private placement warrants and representative shares and the allocation for the issuance of founder shares.
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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Overview
We were incorporated as a Delaware corporation for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. We have not selected any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, debt or a combination of cash, shares of stock and debt.
The issuance of additional shares of common stock or shares of preferred stock in a business combination:
• may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering;
• may subordinate the rights of holders of shares of common stock if shares of preferred stock are issued with rights senior to those afforded our shares of common stock;
• could cause a change of control if a substantial number of our shares of common stock is issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present directors and officers;
• may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the share ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us;
• may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, shares of common stock and/or warrants; and
• may not result in adjustment to the exercise price of our warrants.
Similarly, if we issue debt or otherwise incur significant indebtedness, it could result in:
• default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;
• acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;
• our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt is payable on demand;
• our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt is outstanding;
• our inability to pay dividends on shares of our common stock;
• using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on shares of our common stock if declared, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;
• limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;
• increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and
• limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.
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Results of Operations and Known Trends or Future Events
We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our only activities since inception have been organizational activities and those necessary to prepare for this offering.
Following this offering, we will not generate any operating revenues until after completion of our initial business combination. We will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents after this offering. There has been no significant change in our financial or trading position and no material adverse change has occurred since the date of our audited financial statements. After this offering, we expect to incur increased expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses. We expect our expenses to increase substantially after the closing of this offering.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our liquidity needs have been satisfied prior to the completion of this offering through receipt of $25,000 from the sale of the founder shares to our sponsor and up to $450,000 under an unsecured promissory note from our sponsor. As of December 31, 2022, we had borrowed $257,380 under this $450,000 amended promissory note with our sponsor. We estimate that the net proceeds from (1) the sale of the units in this offering, after deducting offering expenses of approximately $708,000 and underwriting discounts of $800,000 ($920,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) (excluding deferred underwriting discounts of $2,400,000, ($2,760,000 if the underwriters’ over- allotment option is exercised in full), and (2) the sale of the private placement units for a purchase price of $4,400,000 (or $4,800,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), will be $84,400,000 (or $96,800,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). Of this amount, $81,600,000 or $93,840,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, including $2,400,000 (or $2,760,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting discounts will be deposited into the trust account. The funds in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. Treasuries. The remaining $1,292,000 will not be held in the trust account. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $1,508,000 we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $1,508,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account (which interest shall be net of permitted withdrawals) to complete our initial business combination. We will make permitted withdrawals from the trust account to pay our taxes, including franchise taxes and income taxes. Delaware franchise tax is based on our authorized shares or on our assumed par and non-par capital, whichever yields a lower result. Under the authorized shares method, each share is taxed at a graduated rate based on the number of authorized shares with a maximum aggregate tax of $200,000 per year. Under the assumed par value capital method, Delaware taxes each $1,000,000 of assumed par value capital at the rate of $400; where assumed par value would be (1) our total gross assets following this offering, divided by (2) our total issued shares of common stock following this offering, multiplied by (3) the number of our authorized shares following this offering. Based on the number of shares of our common stock authorized and outstanding and our estimated total gross proceeds after the completion of this offering, our annual franchise tax obligation is expected to be capped at no more than the maximum amount of annual franchise taxes payable by us as a Delaware corporation of $200,000. Our annual income tax obligations will depend on the amount of interest and other income earned on the amounts held in the trust account. We expect the only taxes payable by us out of the funds in the trust account will be income and franchise taxes. We expect the interest earned on the amount in the trust account will be sufficient to pay our taxes. To the extent that our capital stock or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.
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Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we will have available to us $1,292,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account. We will use these funds primarily to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, structure, negotiate and complete a business combination, and to pay taxes to the extent the interest earned on the trust account is not sufficient to pay our taxes.
In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our directors and officers may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans may be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. The units would be identical to the private placement units issued to our sponsor. The terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
We expect our primary liquidity requirements during that period to include approximately $300,000 for directors and officers insurance premiums and $992,000 for legal, accounting, due diligence, travel or other expenses in connection with any business combinations; and for general working capital that will be used for miscellaneous expenses and reserves net of estimated interest income.
These amounts are estimates and may differ materially from our actual expenses. In addition, we could use a portion of the funds not being placed in trust to pay commitment fees for financing, fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business or as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into an agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business, the amount that would be used as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision would be determined based on the terms of the specific business combination and the amount of our available funds at the time. Our forfeiture of such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise) could result in our not having sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conducting due diligence with respect to, prospective target businesses.
We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds following this offering in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, if our estimates of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating an initial business combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our initial business combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to complete our initial business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon completion of our initial business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination.
As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, at December 31, 2022, we had $34 in cash and negative working capital of $345,554. Further, we expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to complete our initial business combination will be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
Controls and Procedures
We are not currently required to certify an effective system of internal controls as defined by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We will be required to comply with the internal control reporting requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023. Only in the event that we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be
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required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company, we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement.
Prior to the closing of this offering, we have not completed an assessment, nor have our registered independent accounting firm tested our systems, of internal controls. We expect to assess the internal controls of our target business or businesses prior to the completion of our initial business combination and, if necessary, to implement and test additional controls as we may determine are necessary in order to state that we maintain an effective system of internal controls. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding the adequacy of internal controls. Many small and mid- sized target businesses we may consider for our initial business combination may have internal controls that need improvement in areas such as:
• staffing for financial, accounting and external reporting areas, including segregation of duties;
• reconciliation of accounts;
• proper recording of expenses and liabilities in the period to which they relate;
• evidence of internal review and approval of accounting transactions;
• documentation of processes, assumptions and conclusions underlying significant estimates; and
• documentation of accounting policies and procedures.
Because it will take time, management involvement and perhaps outside resources to determine what internal control improvements are necessary for us to meet regulatory requirements and market expectations for our operation of a target business, we may incur significant expenses in meeting our public reporting responsibilities, particularly in the areas of designing, enhancing, or remediating internal and disclosure controls. Doing so effectively may also take longer than we expect, thus increasing our exposure to financial fraud or erroneous financing reporting.
Once our management’s report on internal controls is complete, we will retain our registered independent accounting firm to audit and render an opinion on such report when required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The independent auditors may identify additional issues concerning a target business’s internal controls while performing their audit of internal control over financial reporting.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
The net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units held in the trust account will be invested in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. Treasuries and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk.
Related Party Transactions
On January 13, 2022, our sponsor purchased 3,593,750 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.011 per share. On October 10, 2022, in connection with a reduction in the size of the offering and again on December 28, 2022 in connection with a change in the terms of the offering, the subscription agreement for the founders shares was amended and restated to provide for 3,066,667 founders shares. The purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the Company by the number of founder shares issued. Our initial stockholders will collectively own approximately 23.8% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering but taking into account the private placement units that they have committed to purchase). If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a stock dividend or share repurchase or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with
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respect to our founder shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at approximately 25% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock upon the consummation of this offering. Up to 400,000 founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over- allotment option is exercised.
We will enter into an Administrative Services Agreement pursuant with an affiliate of our sponsor for office space, administrative and support services.
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 and will determine which expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.
Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $450,000 under an unsecured promissory note to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of December 31, 2022, we had borrowed $257,380 under the $450,000 amended promissory note with our sponsor. This note is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the earlier of December 31, 2024 or the closing of this offering. This note will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $1,508,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting discounts) not held in the trust account.
In addition, in order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our directors and officers may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans may be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. The units would be identical to the private placement units issued to our sponsor. The terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase 440,000 private placement units (or up to 480,000 private placement units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) ($4,400,000 in the aggregate or $4,800,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Each private placement unit consists of one share of common stock and one warrant. One warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of our common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. The private placement units are identical to the units sold as part of the units in this offering.
Pursuant to a registration rights agreement that we will enter into with our initial stockholders on or prior to the closing of this offering, the Company shall use its best efforts to file a registration statement within 30 days of the business combination to register certain securities for sale under the Securities Act. These holders, and holders of units issued upon conversion of working capital loans, if any, are entitled under the registration rights agreement to make up to three demands that we register certain of our securities held by them for sale under the Securities Act and to have the securities covered thereby registered for resale pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. In addition, these holders have the right to include their securities in other registration statements filed by us. However, the registration rights agreement provides that we will not be required to effect or permit any registration or cause any registration statement to become effective until the securities covered thereby are released from their lock-up restrictions, as described herein. We will bear the costs and expenses of filing any such registration statements. See “Principal Stockholders — Registration Rights.”
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Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements; Commitments and Contractual Obligations; Quarterly Results
As of December 31, 2022, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4) (ii) of Regulation S-K and did not have any commitments or contractual obligations. No unaudited quarterly operating data is included in this prospectus as we have conducted no operations to date.
JOBS Act
On April 5, 2012, the JOBS Act was signed into law. The JOBS Act contains provisions that, among other things, relax certain reporting requirements for qualifying public companies. We will qualify as an “emerging growth company” and under the JOBS Act will be allowed to comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements based on the effective date for private (not publicly traded) companies. We are electing to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards, and as a result, we may not comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.
Additionally, we are in the process of evaluating the benefits of relying on the other reduced reporting requirements provided by the JOBS Act. Subject to certain conditions set forth in the JOBS Act, if, as an “emerging growth company,” we choose to rely on such exemptions we may not be required to, among other things: (1) provide an auditor’s attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act; (2) provide all of the compensation disclosure that may be required of non-emerging growth public companies under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act; (3) comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the PCAOB regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (auditor discussion and analysis); and (4) disclose certain executive compensation-related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the CEO’s compensation to median employee compensation. These exemptions will apply for a period of five years following the completion of this offering or until we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” whichever is earlier.
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Our Company
CO2 Energy Transition Corp., a Delaware corporation, is a blank check company incorporated on September 30, 2021 for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization, or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any specific business combination target, and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any potential business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities and activities related to this offering. We have generated no operating revenues to date and we do not expect that we will generate operating revenues unless and until we consummate our initial business combination. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, debt or a combination of cash, shares of stock and debt.
Although we may pursue a business combination in any industry, our objective is to identify and consummate a business combination with a business in the carbon capture, utilization and storage industries.
Our Management Team, Board of Directors and Director Nominees
We will seek to capitalize on the industry experiences, network of relationships, domain expertise and deal-making abilities of our management team. The experience of our management team members includes running both private and public upstream, downstream and midstream energy companies, along with extensive governmental and regulatory backgrounds dealing with local, state, and federal government agencies. Additionally, the board and management team have extensive operational, financial, engineering, legal, and environmental expertise with strong technical backgrounds. The board and management professionals are well qualified C-Level executives coupled with excellent board experience in executive, audit, compensation and ESG committee responsibilities.
The group also possesses public company, M&A, financial management experience, and a strong track record of private equity investments, including in energy, legal, financial, and related industries. We believe our management team positions our company to efficiently find, screen and consummate an attractive transaction.
E. Will Gray II serves as our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Gray is currently Chief Executive Officer and a director of New Era Helium Corp. From May 2020 up until its share exchange with New Era Helium, he served as Managing Partner of Solis Partners, LLC. Solis Partners owned over 215,000 acres in both Texas and Southeast New Mexico focusing on conventional natural gas/helium and carbon capture and storage (“CCUS”) and enhanced oil recovery (“EOR”) San Andres production. He is the former CEO and founder of Remnant Oil Company — an upstream energy company that acquired and operated both secondary(water) and tertiary (CO2) floods within the Permian Basin, a company he co-founded in 2016. He served in that capacity until 2020. Operations also included management of an 18.5-mile CO2 pipeline that interconnects with the Kinder Morgan Cortez main trunk line. Remnant Oil Company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July 2019 and such petition was later changed to a Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing. From 2014-1015, he served as Chairman & CEO of Dala Petroleum and from 2012-2013, Mr. Gray was an EVP of Resaca Exploration (a Torch Energy Portfolio Company) He has ESG experience and a track record for protecting fresh water rights within S.E. New Mexico, renewable energy development on owned acreage, and the reduction of carbon footprints for certain Permian Basin oilfield service providers. Mr. Gray is a Trustee of the Texas State Development Foundation and on the investment committee. He is also a former board member of the United Way Fund in Midland. He has a B.S. in Business Management from Texas State University.
Brady Rogers will serve as our President & Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Rogers is currently CEO of Native State CCS a CCS development company targeting on-site geological storage for ethanol plants since 2020 and is responsible for capital development, customer origination and technical due diligence for CCS opportunities. Additionally, he has served as CEO of Focus Oil from 2016 to date with his primary focus on strategic, mergers & acquisitions and technical advisory for middle market oil & gas acquisitions. He was a Vice President of GulfSlope Energy from 2013 – 2016 in corporate development & engineering. He was formerly Group Head — Energy Acquisitions & Divestitures for J.P. Morgan from 2010 – 2013. He was with Venoco E & P in Denver in engineering & as an operations manager from 2008 – 2010. His international experience includes a stint with Endeavour International Corporation in London, UK & Houston in development & engineering lead North Sea 2005 – 2008 and Devon Energy Sr. Production & Reservoir Engineer from 2002 – 2005. Mr. Rogers has
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a Masters in Global Energy Management from university of Colorado and a BS in Petroleum Engineering from University of Kansas. He has served on the Board of Directors, Unconventional Resources Technical Advisory Committee (URTAC, 2009 – 2010 by direct appointment of President Barack Obama. URTAC is a US Department of Energy administered board that makes annual recommendations on federal research of E & P foundational sciences in conjunction with federal, state and environmental, and industry representatives. He has been a former or current member of SPE, IPAA, ADAM, YPE, DAC and Houston Producers Forum. He is a former Board of Trustees of the Houston Hobby Center for the Performing Arts and an active volunteer with Junior achievement, Habit for Humanity and PTSD veteran support group.
Harold R. “Chip” DeMoss, III serves as our CFO. Mr. DeMoss is also currently co-founder and Chief Financial Officer of Tanglewood Energy Partners, LLC, a privately-held energy investment management company, a position he has held since 2019. Since 1993, he has also served as chairman of DeMoss Interests, Ltd, a family office holding group composed of oil and gas, farming, and real estate interests. He was formerly the General Manager of George & Cynthia Mitchell Historic Galveston Properties. He started his career with the audit group of Coopers & Lybrand where he focused on energy and real estate clients in the Houston office. He holds FINRA investment banking and other securities registrations, in addition to Certified Public Accountant registrations in Texas and Florida. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and hold the AICPA’s Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designation. He obtained his BBA degree from Texas A&M University and his MS degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Board of Directors
William H. “Bill” Flores will serve as a Director upon the effective date of the registration of which this prospectus forms a part. Since November 2021, Bill has served as Vice-Chairman of the Board of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Mr. Flores served as Representative of the 17th District of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives from January 2011 to January 2021. Prior to serving in Congress, Mr. Flores worked in the energy business for approximately 30 years, including 20 years as a C-level officer for oil and gas and energy service companies, culminating with his service as Director, President, CEO, and Co-Founder of Phoenix Exploration Company from 2005 to 2009, following which he retired to run for Congress. During his career, Mr. Flores served on public boards including Marine Drilling Companies Inc. (NYSE/NASDAQ) and Great Western Resources (London Stock Exchange). He is currently active on numerous private entity boards, including higher education and non-profit organizations. Bill is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in Texas and an Executive Member of the Latino Corporate Directors Association (LCDA). He holds a BBA in Accounting from Texas A&M University in College Station and an MBA from Houston Baptist University.
Charles E. “Chuck” Fox will serve as director upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is part. He is chief executive officer and co-founder of Windy Cove Energy II, an oil and gas producer, and Pure Earth Plasma Holdings, an entity which is expected to own more than 20% of SynergenMet upon its listing on the Australian Stock Exchange. Chuck is expected to serve as director upon Synergen’s listing. Synergen’s primary businesses will be the carbon free production of hydrogen and carbon black, the destruction of PFAS and the manufacture of plasma torches. Prior to Pure Earth and Windy Cove Energy II, he co-founded and led Windy Cove Energy as its chief executive officer from 2014 – 2016. Previously, he was vice president of operations and engineering for Kinder Morgan CO2 Company (2000 – 2013). Chuck is a co-author of the SPE monograph, Practical Aspects of CO2 Flooding and was an SPE distinguished lecturer on carbon capture utilization and storage. He has taught numerous classes about CO2 flooding and carbon storage. He holds a M.S. degree in petroleum engineering from Stanford University and a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Rice University. He is a registered professional engineer in Texas and New Mexico.
Don Kendall will serve as a director upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Additionally, he will serve as Chairman of the audit committee for the board. Since 1999, he has served Managing Director & CEO of Kenmont Capital, LP a private equity fund & family office. Since 2021, he has also served as a partner in New Climate Ventures. He has run a $500 million distressed debt hedge fund for energy, power and infrastructure sectors and a private equity Fund of Funds. He is past President, Cogen Technologies a domestic and international development acquisitions company with several billion in assets. He is also former Chairman/CEO, Palmetto Partners, Ltd an investment management/family office for a Forbes 400 family. He has served on multiple public boards including as the Chair for Special Committee of the Solar City board and been a member of audit, compensation ESG and conflict committees in the past. He is a current board member of Talos
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Energy a NYSE listed company with special emphasis in Carbon Capture Sequestration & Storage assets in the Gulf of Mexico. He also serves on non-profit boards for the Jane Goodall Institute and Earthwatch, Inc. He is a graduate of Hamilton College with an A.B. and an MBA form Amos Tuck School of Business-Dartmouth College.
Marcella Burke will serve as a Director upon the effective date of the registration of which this prospectus forms a part. She is an environmental law partner at Eversheds Sutherland US LLP since July 2022. Prior to that, from September 2019 through July 2022, she was a partner at King & Spalding LLP, where she led the Houston office’s Environmental Health and Safety practice. Before joining private practice, Ms. Burke served as Deputy Solicitor at the US Department of the Interior from July 2018 through September 2019 and as Deputy General Counsel at the Environmental Protection Agency form October 2017 through July 2018. She also served at the Department of Interior as Deputy Solicitor for Energy and Natural Resources, and Senior Counselor to the Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management, where she managed the litigation docket and regulatory portfolio of all energy and natural resource permitting and project development on federal lands, including for the federal carbon capture program. She leads her firm’s Energy Transition initiative and is a board member of the Houston ESG Council. She was named by the Petroleum Economist as a global Top 100 Women of the Energy Transition 2021, received the National Law Journal Energy/Environmental Law Trailblazer Award 2021, named Lawdragon 500 Leading Environmental & Energy Lawyers 2021, and ranked among the Legal 500 United States top environmental practices 2021. She is on the Executive Committee of the Environment & Natural Resources Division of the State Bar of Texas, the Institute for Energy Law Advisory Counsel, and is the Chair of the Environment & Natural Resources Program Committee of the Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law.
Leisha John will serve as an ESG Advisor to the Board. Ms. John is a CPA with 38 years of experience at EY (Ernst & Young LLP). She served as the first Americas Director of Environmental Sustainability from 2008 through her retirement in 2021. In her role, she advised the EY Americas Executive Board on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) matters. Prior to her ESG appointment, Ms. John was the CEO of EY’s Global Delivery Services (shared services) center in Bangalore, India where she led the global operations from 2004 – 2008. Her expertise in operations, workforce development, transformation and multi-stakeholder engagement contributed to billions of dollars of growth at EY. Prior to her CEO role, she served as the Director of Strategy and Innovation for EY’s US Tax practice following many years serving EY’s audit and tax clients in various industries. Currently, she is the Chairman of Earthwatch Institute, a global organization that engages citizens in science to promote conservation. Ms. John is a CPA, a LEED AP, a Competent Board ESG Certificate holder, and serves on the Sustainable Business Advisory Council for the University of Miami.
Mark Mathews will serve as the General Counsel upon the closing of this offering. Mr. Mathews has been providing legal services for the energy industry for more than thirty (30) years. He has an extensive oil and gas legal and business management career in the upstream, midstream and energy services industry. During his career, Mr. Mathews has represented both publicly traded and privately held clients and has advised numerous private equity backed and sold companies as well as independent oil and gas firms including equity and debt offerings and merger and acquisition transactions, complex corporate oil and gas litigation in state and federal courts, asset acquisitions, divestitures and reorganizations. Since October 2020, Mark has served as the President for Tanglewood Energy Partners, LLC. Prior to that, from June 2018 to September 2020, he served as General Counsel for Churchill Oil & Gas, LLC and from August 2015 through September 2017, he served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Copestone Energy. He served as Managing Attorney — Oil & Gas for Denbury Resources, Inc. which included CO2 related asset acquisitions, pipeline issues and divestitures. Mr. Mathews has been a Partner/Shareholder in major U.S. law firms, practice specializing in the energy industry. Mr. Mathews holds a BBA in Petroleum Land Management from the University of Oklahoma and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from South Texas College of Law.
Ken Ziober, Ken Ziober currently serves as Vice President of Business Development for New Energy Development Company, a position he has held since July 2021. Mr. Ziober also serves as President of Ameriquest Energy Venture, LLC, a consulting firm he founded in 2016, a partner in Enverede Ventures, LLC and chief operating officer of Phoenix Environmental Services Corp. He provides project development, strategic, commercial and advisory services from over 30 years of diverse project development, commodity supply, marketing, trading, risk management, regulatory, logistics and asset optimization experience. Throughout Mr. Ziober’s career he has held positions in trading, marketing, and optimization, leading teams to profitable growth across multiple commodity platforms, including natural gas and power, spanning the upstream, midstream and downstream energy sectors. Mr. Ziober launched his career beginning in 1988 working as an economic analyst for Panhandle Eastern Pipeline and from 1994 to 2003 Ken traded and marketed natural gas for Duke Energy and predecessors Pan Energy and
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Panhandle Trading. In late 2003, Ken joined Spark Energy, a gas and electric provider with less than 10 employees. In part with Mr. Ziober’s expertise and hard work of the management team, Spark Energy eventually became a public company in 2014. In 2004 Mr. Ziober played an integral role in the startup of a Spark Energy Company, Marlin Midstream, a gas processing business, which ultimately became a public company in 2013. In 2011, with the advent of natural gas shale expansion, he led the creation of a separate wholesale division to focus on the monetization of Spark and Marlin’s gas assets. In 2012, Mr. Ziober led the creation of a crude oil and refined products logistics and marketing business. Subsequent to Spark Energy, Mr. Ziober was President and COO of a crude oil gathering and refined products marketing company. He later consulted commodity supply, marketing and risk management, chemical product development for the energy sector, natural disaster and environmental organic business startups, and M&A representation in the upstream, midstream, and downstream retail gas & power space.
Steve Melzer has over forty years as a geotechnical and engineering professional having owned Melzer Consulting and is the Founder of the Annual CO2 Flooding and CCS Conference now in its 27th year of existence supported by leading CO2 companies around the world. He is a former Director of the Center of Energy and Economic Development, University of Texas. He was formerly the department manager and senior technical Engineer for Science Applications International Corporation “SAIC”. Steve has a BS from Texas A & M University in Geological Engineering and a MSE from Purdue University in Civil Engineering and is a registered Professional Engineer in Texas. Melzer has consulted with clients and regulators worldwide on evolving policies on CO2 Capture, EOR, CCUS and CCS.
The past performance of our management team or of their affiliates is not a guarantee either (i) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (ii) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team’s or their affiliates’ performance as indicative of our future performance.
Business Strategy
The Market Opportunity
Recent bipartisan support for carbon capture legislation heavily emphasized the government’s willingness to advance and support technologies for carbon capture, utilization, storage and other purposes as efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions continues. The recently introduced CCUS Tax Credit Amendments Act will ensure CCUS 45Q and related tax credits are fully utilized to their full potential to encourage increased commercialization of CCUS, including ancillary industries for support: transportation, distribution, storage, technologies, processes and enhanced low carbon recovery opportunities along with methane emission reduction, reduction of CO2 emission from electrical generation and generation of lower carbon intensive liquid fuels.
Our Business Strategy
We will focus on four categories in the CO2 energy transition space:
1. Carbon Capture, Sequestration, Storage, and Utilization
a. Transportation including distribution and storage
b. Technologies and processes including direct air capture
c. Proven geological assets/entities using CO2 for enhanced recovery or reservoir repressuring
d. Permanent geologic storage
2. Reduction of CO2 emissions by the electrical generation industry
a. Generation and/or smart usage of peak power
b. Mitigation of the adverse effects of intermittent renewable power
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c. Small scale hydro
d. Efficiency technologies
e. Electric storage
3. Generation of lower carbon intensive liquid fuels
a. Biodiesel and renewable diesel
b. Recycling of solid and liquid wastes
c. Electrofuels
d. Hydrogen (Blue/Green)
e. Amonia (Blue/Green)
f. Sustainable aviation fuels
4. CO2 Energy Transition Service entities
a. Measurement, testing and controls
b. Environmental and regulatory compliance
c. Marketing and trading CO2 tax credits
d. Project development and operational
e. Equipment and manufacturing
Competitive Advantage
Initial Business Combination Criteria
Consistent with our strategy, we have identified the following attributes and guidelines to evaluate potential business combination targets. We may decide, however, to enter into our initial business combination with one or more businesses that do not meet these criteria and guidelines if we believe such business presents a compelling investment opportunity. We intend to pursue an initial business combination with companies that have the following characteristics:
a. Excellent fit in carbon capture/transition strategy;
b. $150 – 250 million in enterprise value;
c. Sound environmental and regulatory performance criteria;
d. Significant growth potential; and
e. Strong management team with energy transition experience.
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as on other considerations, factors, and criteria that our management team 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, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents that we would file with the SEC.
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Additional Disclosures
Our Acquisition Process
We have not selected any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. Certain members of our management team are employed by our sponsor. Our sponsor is continuously made aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue for our initial business combination, but we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf) contacted, or had any discussions, formal or otherwise, with any prospective target business with respect to a business combination transaction with us.
All of our officers have fiduciary and contractual duties to sponsor and to certain companies in which it has invested or to certain other entities. These entities may compete with us for acquisition opportunities. Subject to their fiduciary duties under applicable law, none of the members of our management team who are also employed by our sponsor or its affiliates have any obligation to present us with any opportunity for a potential business combination of which they become aware. Our sponsor and directors and officers are also not prohibited from sponsoring, investing or otherwise becoming involved with, any other blank check companies, including in connection with their initial business combinations, prior to us completing our initial business combination. Our management team, in their capacities as directors, officers or employees of our sponsor or its affiliates or in their other endeavors, may choose to present potential business combinations to the related entities described above, current or future entities affiliated with or managed by our sponsor, or third parties, before they present such opportunities to us, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under applicable law and any other applicable fiduciary duties. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the company and it is an opportunity that we are able to complete on a reasonable basis. For more information, see the section entitled “Management — Conflicts of Interest.”
Our directors and officers presently have, 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 applicable law. Our directors and officers are also not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs, and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. See “Risk Factors — Certain of our directors and officers 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.”
We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our directors or officers will materially adversely affect our ability to identify and pursue business combination opportunities or complete our initial business combination.
You should not rely on the historical record of our founders’ and management’s performance as indicative of our future performance. See “Risk Factors — Past performance by our management team and their respective affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in the company.”
Initial Business Combination
Nasdaq rules require that our initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if permitted, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discounts held in trust). We refer to this as the 80% of net assets test. If our board of directors is not able independently to determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we may obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. Although we may purchase multiple businesses
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in related industries in connection with our initial business combination, we do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination, although there is no assurance that will be the case.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own 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 stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the 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 of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the issued and outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity securities of a target, 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 stockholders 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% of net assets test. If our initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we are not then listed on Nasdaq for whatever reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% of net assets test.
Prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
Corporate Information
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our shares of common stock that is held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the end of that
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year’s second fiscal quarter, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.00 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” will have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our shares of common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our shares of common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter.
We are a Delaware corporation incorporated on September 30, 2021. Our executive offices are located at 1334 Brittmoore Rd, Suite 190, Houston, Texas 77043 and our telephone number is (346) 482-6238. Upon completion of this offering, our corporate website address will be revelstonecapital.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 prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. You should not rely on any such information in making your decision whether to invest in our securities.
We have not conducted any operations and has generated no revenues. Until we complete our initial business combination, we will have no operations and will generate no operating revenues. In making your decision whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the background of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company. This offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. Accordingly, you will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. For additional information concerning how Rule 419 blank check offerings differ from this offering, please see “Proposed Business — Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.” You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” included elsewhere in this prospectus.
Sourcing of Potential Business Combination Targets
We believe our management team’s significant operating and transaction experience and relationships with companies will provide us with a substantial number of potential business combination targets. Over the course of their careers, the members of our management team have developed a broad network of contacts and corporate relationships around the world. This network has grown through the activities of our management team sourcing, acquiring, financing and selling businesses, our management team’s relationships with sellers, financing sources and target management teams and the experience of our management team in executing transactions under varying economic and financial market conditions.
We believe this network provides our management team with a robust and consistent flow of acquisition opportunities which were proprietary or where a limited group of investors were invited to participate in the sale process. We believe that the network of contacts and relationships of our management team will provide us with important sources of acquisition opportunities. In addition, we anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment market participants, private equity funds and large business enterprises seeking to divest non-core assets or divisions.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, directors or officers, or making the acquisition through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, directors or officers. In the event we seek to complete an initial business combination with a target that is affiliated with our sponsor, directors or officers, we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another valuation or appraisal firm that regularly renders fairness opinions on the type of target business we are seeking to acquire that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context.
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As more fully discussed in “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our directors or officers becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may be required to present such business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such business combination opportunity to us. Our directors and officers currently have fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us.
Mail addressed to the Company and received at its registered office will be forwarded unopened to the forwarding address supplied by the Company to be dealt with. None of the Company or its directors, officers, advisors or service providers (including the organization which provides registered office services in the State of Delaware) will bear any responsibility for any delay howsoever caused with regards to mail reaching the forwarding address.
Status as a Public Company
We believe our structure will make us an attractive business combination partner to target businesses. As an existing public company, we offer target businesses an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination. In this situation, the owners of the target business would exchange their equity securities, shares or shares of stock in the target business for our shares or for a combination of our shares and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. Although there are various costs and obligations associated with being a public company, we believe target businesses will find this method a more certain and cost-effective method to becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering. In a typical initial public offering, there are additional expenses incurred in marketing, road show and public reporting efforts that may not be present to the same extent in connection with a business combination with us.
Furthermore, once a proposed business combination is completed, the target business will have effectively become public, whereas an initial public offering is always subject to the underwriters’ ability to complete the offering, as well as general market conditions, which could delay or prevent the offering from occurring. Once public, we believe the target business would then have greater access to capital and an additional means of providing management incentives consistent with stockholders’ interests. It can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our shares of common stock that is held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.00 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our shares of common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our shares of common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter.
Financial Position
With funds available for a business combination initially in the amount of $81,600,000 assuming no redemptions and after payment of $2,400,000 of deferred underwriting discounts (or $93,840,000 assuming no redemptions and after payment of up to $2,760,000 of deferred underwriting discounts if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), in each case, after estimated offering expenses of $1,508,000 ($1,628,000 in the event of the over-allotment) and prior to any post-IPO working capital expenses, we offer a target business a variety of options such as creating a liquidity event for its owners, providing capital for the potential growth and expansion of its operations or strengthening its balance sheet by reducing its debt ratio. Because we are able to complete our initial business combination using our cash, debt or equity securities, or a combination of the
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foregoing, we have the flexibility to use the most efficient combination that will allow us to tailor the consideration to be paid to the target business to fit its needs and desires. However, we have not taken any steps to secure third-party financing and there can be no assurance it will be available to us.
Effecting Our Initial Business Combination
We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations for an indefinite period of time following this offering. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, our shares, debt or a combination of these as the consideration to be paid in our initial business combination. We may seek to complete our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.
If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or the redemptions of our public shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.
We have not selected any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target.
We may seek to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt or equity securities in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, and we may effectuate our initial business combination using the proceeds of such offering rather than using the amounts held in the trust account.
In the case of an initial business combination funded with assets other than the trust account assets, our tender offer documents or proxy materials disclosing the business combination would disclose the terms of the financing and, only if required by law or we decide to do so for business or other reasons, we would seek stockholder approval of such financing. There are no prohibitions on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. At this time, we are not a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities or otherwise.
Selection of a target business and structuring of our initial business combination
Nasdaq rules require that our initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if permitted, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discounts held in trust). We refer to this as the 80% of net assets test. The fair market value of the target or targets will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community, such as discounted cash flow valuation or value of comparable businesses. If our board of directors is not able independently to determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we may obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. Although we may purchase multiple businesses in related industries in connection with our initial business combination, we do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination, although there is no assurance that will be the case. Subject to this requirement, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting one or more prospective target businesses, although we will not be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.
In any case, we will only complete an initial business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the 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. 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
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acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. There is no basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any target business with which we may ultimately complete our initial business combination.
To the extent we effect our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review which may encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information, which will be made available to us.
The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which our initial business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination.
Lack of business diversification
For an indefinite period of time after the completion of our initial business combination, the prospects for our success may depend entirely on the future performance of a single business. Unlike other entities that have the resources to complete business combinations with multiple entities in one or several industries, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations and mitigate the risks of being in a single line of business.
By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry.
Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:
• solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset; or
• dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services.
This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our initial business combination.
Limited ability to evaluate the target’s management team
Although we intend to closely scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with that business, our assessment of the target business’s management may not prove to be correct. In addition, the future management may not have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of members of our management team, if any, in the target business cannot presently be stated with any certainty. While it is possible that one or more of our directors will remain associated in some capacity with us following our initial business combination, it is unlikely that any of them will devote their full efforts to our affairs subsequent to our initial business combination. Moreover, we cannot assure you that members of our management team will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.
We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with the combined company. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
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Following our initial business combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.
Stockholders may not have the ability to approve our initial business combination
We may conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC. However, we will seek stockholder approval if it is required by applicable law or stock exchange rule, or we may decide to seek stockholder approval for business or other reasons. Presented in the table below is a graphic explanation of the types of initial business combinations we may consider and whether stockholder approval is currently required under Delaware law for each such transaction.
|
Type of Transaction |
Whether Stockholder Approval is Required |
|
|
Purchase of assets |
No |
|
|
Purchase of stock of target not involving a merger with the company |
No |
|
|
Merger of target into a subsidiary of the company |
No |
|
|
Merger of the company with a target |
Yes |
Under Nasdaq’s listing rules, stockholder approval would be required for our initial business combination if, for example:
• we issue (other than in a public offering for cash) shares of common stock that will either (a) be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of shares of our common stock then issued and outstanding (other than in a public offering);
• any of our directors, officers or substantial security holders (as defined by the rules of Nasdaq) has a 5% or greater interest, directly or indirectly, in the target business or assets to be acquired and if the number of shares of common stock to be issued, or if the number of shares of common stock into which the securities may be convertible or exercisable, exceeds either (a) 1% of the number of shares of common stock or 1% of the voting power outstanding before the issuance in the case of any of our directors and officers or (b) 5% of the number of shares of common stock or 5% of the voting power issued and outstanding before the issuance in the case of any substantial security holders; or
• the issuance or potential issuance of shares of common stock will result in our undergoing a change of control.
The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination in those instances in which stockholder approval is not required by law will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on business and legal reasons, which include a variety of factors, including, but not limited to:
• the timing of the transaction, including in the event we determine stockholder approval would require additional time and there is either not enough time to seek stockholder approval or doing so would place the company at a disadvantage in the transaction or result in other additional burdens on the company;
• the expected cost of holding a stockholder vote;
• the risk that the stockholders would fail to approve the proposed business combination;
• other time and budget constraints of the company; and
• additional legal complexities of a proposed business combination that would be time-consuming and burdensome to present to stockholders.
Permitted purchases and other transactions with respect to our securities
In the event we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may purchase public shares or warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit
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on the number of securities such persons may purchase. Additionally, at any time at or prior to our initial business combination, subject to applicable securities laws (including with respect to material nonpublic information), our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire public shares, vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination or not redeem their public shares. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds held in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or warrants in such transactions. Such persons will be subject to restrictions in making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such stockholder, although still the record holder of our shares, is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. We will adopt an insider trading policy which will require insiders to (1) refrain from purchasing securities during certain blackout periods and when they are in possession of any material non-public information and (2) clear certain trades prior to execution. We cannot currently determine whether our insiders will make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan, as it will be dependent upon several factors, including but not limited to, the timing and size of such purchases. Depending on such circumstances, our insiders may either make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan or determine that such a plan is not necessary.
In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights or submitted a proxy to vote against our initial business combination, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares and any proxy to vote against our initial business combination. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will be required to comply with such rules.
The purpose of such transaction could be to (1) vote in favor of our initial business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of our initial business combination, (2) reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination or (3) satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. This may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our securities 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.
Our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and/or any of their respective affiliates anticipate that they may identify the stockholders with whom our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may pursue privately negotiated transactions by either the stockholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by stockholders (in the case of public shares) following our mailing of tender offer or proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates enter into private transactions, they would identify and contact only potential selling or redeeming stockholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against our initial business combination. Such persons would select the stockholders from whom to acquire shares based on the number of shares available, the negotiated price per share and such other factors as any such person may deem relevant at the time of purchase. The price per share paid in any such transaction may be different than the amount per share a public stockholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. Our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates will be restricted from purchasing shares if such purchases do not comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.
Any purchases by our sponsor, directors, officers and/or any of their respective affiliates who are affiliated purchasers under Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act will be restricted unless such purchases are made in compliance with Rule 10b-18, which is a safe harbor from liability for manipulation under Section 9(a)(2) and
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Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Rule 10b-18 has certain technical requirements that must be complied with in order for the safe harbor to be available to the purchaser. Our sponsor, directors, officers and/or any of their respective affiliates will be restricted from making purchases of shares of common stock if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act.
Ability to extend time to complete an initial business combination
If we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months, we may, by resolution of our board of directors if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time to consummate an initial business combination up to six times, each by an additional one month (for a total of up to 18 months to complete an initial business combination), subject to the sponsors depositing additional funds into the trust account as set out below. Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement entered into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC on the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our initial stockholders or their affiliates or designees, upon five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account for each one-month extension, $266,400, or $306,360 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.0333 per share in either case) on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline, up to an aggregate of $1,598,400 (or $1,838,160 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or approximately $0.20 per share. Any such payments would be made in the form of a loan. The terms of the promissory note to be issued in connection with any such loans have not yet been negotiated. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. If we do not complete a business combination, we will not repay such loans. Furthermore, the letter agreement with our initial stockholders contains a provision pursuant to which our sponsors has agreed to waive its right to be repaid for such loans in the event that we do not complete a business combination. Our sponsor and their affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination.
Redemption rights for public stockholders upon completion of our initial business combination
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. At the completion of our initial business combination, we will be required to purchase any shares of common stock properly delivered for redemption and not withdrawn. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.20 per public share. The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting discounts we will pay to the underwriters. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Our initial stockholders, directors and officers have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination.
Manner of Conducting Redemptions
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (1) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the business combination or (2) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement. Asset acquisitions and stock purchases would not typically require stockholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than approximately 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock or seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation would typically require stockholder approval. We intend to conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless stockholder approval is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement or we choose to seek stockholder approval for business or other reasons.
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If a stockholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation:
• conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers; and
• file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies.
Upon the public announcement of our initial business combination, if we elect to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, we and our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase our shares of common stock in the open market, in order to comply with Rule 14 e-5 under the Exchange Act.
In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public stockholders not tendering more than a specified number of public shares, which number will be based on the requirement that we may not redeem public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 following such redemptions, or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement that may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. If public stockholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete such initial business combination.
If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation:
• conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules; and
• file proxy materials with the SEC.
We expect that a final proxy statement would be mailed to public stockholders at least 10 days prior to the stockholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such stockholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. Although we are not required to do so, we currently intend to comply with the substantive and procedural requirements of Regulation 14A in connection with any stockholder vote even if we are not able to maintain our Nasdaq listing or Exchange Act registration.
In the event that we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection therewith, provide our public stockholders with the redemption rights described above upon completion of the initial business combination.
If we seek stockholder approval, unless otherwise required by applicable law, regulation or stock exchange rules, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the shares of our common stock voted are voted in favor of our initial business combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. Shares held by our initial stockholders, officers and directors will be included in determining the presence of a quorum and have agreed to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. These quorums and voting thresholds and agreements, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. In addition, our initial stockholders, directors and officers have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of a business combination.
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Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 following such redemptions. Redemptions of our public shares may also be subject to a higher net tangible asset test or cash requirement pursuant to an agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed business combination may require: (1) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners; (2) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes; or (3) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all public shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, and all shares of common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.
Limitation on redemption upon completion of our initial business combination if we seek stockholder approval
Notwithstanding the foregoing redemption rights, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to Excess Shares, without our prior consent.
We believe this restriction will discourage stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to exercise their redemption rights against a proposed business combination as a means to force us or our sponsor or its affiliates to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public stockholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our sponsor or its affiliates at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our stockholders’ ability to redeem no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination.
Tendering stock certificates in connection with a tender offer or redemption rights
We may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, rather than simply voting against the initial business combination. The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements, which will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Accordingly, a public stockholder would have from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, or up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the business combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. Pursuant to the tender offer rules, the tender offer period will be not less than 20 business days and, in the case of a stockholder vote, a final proxy statement would be mailed to public stockholders at least 10 days prior to the stockholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such stockholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. Given the relatively short exercise period, it is advisable for stockholders to use electronic delivery of their public shares.
There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker a fee of approximately $100 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder.
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However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights to tender their shares. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated.
In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, some blank check companies would distribute proxy materials for the stockholders’ vote on an initial business combination, and a holder could simply vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holder was seeking to exercise his or her redemption rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would contact such stockholder to arrange for him or her to deliver his or her certificate to verify ownership. As a result, the stockholder then had an “option window” after the completion of the business combination during which he or she could monitor the price of the company’s shares in the market. If the price rose above the redemption price, he or she could sell his or her shares in the open market before actually delivering his or her shares to the company for cancellation. As a result, the redemption rights, to which stockholders were aware they needed to commit before the stockholder meeting, would become “option” rights surviving past the completion of the business combination until the redeeming holder delivered its certificate. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a redeeming holder’s election to redeem is irrevocable once the business combination is approved.
Any request to redeem such shares, once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the date set forth in the tender offer materials or two business days prior to the scheduled date of the stockholder meeting set forth in our proxy materials, as applicable (unless we elect to allow additional withdrawal rights). Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivered its certificate in connection with an election of redemption rights and subsequently decides prior to the applicable date not to elect to exercise such rights, such holder may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically). It is anticipated that the funds to be distributed to holders of our public shares electing to redeem their shares will be distributed promptly after the completion of our initial business combination.
If our initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public stockholders who elected to exercise their redemption rights would not be entitled to redeem their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account. In such case, we will promptly return any certificates delivered by public holders who elected to redeem their shares.
If our initial proposed business combination is not completed, we may continue to try to complete a business combination with a different target until 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) or during any Extension Period.
Redemption of public shares and liquidation if no initial business combination
Our sponsor, directors and officers have agreed that we will have only 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) to complete our initial business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such 12-month period or during any Extension Period, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than 10 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 (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses and which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the 12-month time period or during any Extension Period.
Our initial stockholders, directors and officers have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination,
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as described in more detail in this prospectus) or during any Extension Period. However, if our initial stockholders and acquire public shares, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted 12-month time period.
Our sponsor, directors and officers have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of our common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares. However, we may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 following such redemptions.
We expect that all costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, as well as payments to any creditors, will be funded from amounts remaining out of the $1,292,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. However, if those funds are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, to the extent that there is any interest accrued in the trust account not required to pay taxes, we may request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $100,000 of such accrued interest to pay those costs and expenses.
If we were to expend all of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account, the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders upon our dissolution would be approximately $10.20. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to the claims of our creditors which would have higher priority than the claims of our public stockholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption amount received by stockholders will not be substantially less than $10.20. While we intend to pay such amounts, if any, we cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims.
Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements or even if they execute such agreements that they would be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account including but not limited to fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver only if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third-party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where we are unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, 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. Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent auditors) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (1) $10.20 per public share or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, due to reductions in value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of
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interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. In the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, then our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company and, therefore, our sponsor may not be able to satisfy those obligations. None of our other officers will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below (1) $10.20 per public share or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, due to reductions in value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its indemnification obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so in any particular instance. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per-share redemption price will not be substantially less than $10.20 per share.
We will seek to reduce the possibility that our sponsor will have to indemnify the trust account due to claims of creditors by endeavouring to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account. Our sponsor will also not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We will have access to up to $1,292,000 from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, with which to pay any such potential claims (including costs and expenses incurred in connection with our liquidation, currently estimated to be no more than approximately $100,000). In the event that we liquidate and it is subsequently determined that the reserve for claims and liabilities is insufficient, stockholders who received funds from our trust account could be liable for claims made by creditors. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $1,508,000, we may fund such excess with funds from the funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $1,508,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
Under the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months of the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If the corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution.
Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months of the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus), is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 12 months of the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination,
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as described in more detail in this prospectus), we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (net of permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law; and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Accordingly, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following our 12th month and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with those procedures. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of such date.
Because we will not be complying with Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the subsequent ten years. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses. As described above, pursuant to the obligation contained in our underwriting agreement, we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses 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.
As a result of this obligation, the claims that could be made against us are significantly limited and the likelihood that any claim that would result in any liability extending to the trust account is remote.
Further, our sponsor may be liable only to the extent necessary to ensure that the amounts in the trust account are not reduced below: (1) $10.20 per public share; or (2) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.20 per share due to reductions in value of the trust assets, in each case net of permitted withdrawals and will not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.
If we file a winding-up or bankruptcy petition or an involuntary winding-up or bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable insolvency law, and may be included in our insolvency estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any insolvency claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.20 per share to our public stockholders.
Additionally, if we file a winding-up or bankruptcy petition or an involuntary winding-up or bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or insolvency laws as a voidable performance. As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our stockholders. Furthermore, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.
Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (1) our completion of an initial business combination, and then only in connection with those shares of our common stock that such stockholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed an initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this
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offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus), subject to applicable law. In no other circumstances will a stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or 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.
Amended and restated certificate of incorporation
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the consummation of our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains a provision which provides that, if we seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, we will provide public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares in connection with any such amendment. Specifically, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, among other things, that:
• prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we shall either: (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which stockholders may seek to redeem their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against, or abstain from voting on, the proposed business combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest (net of permitted withdrawals); or (2) provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to tender their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest (net of permitted withdrawals), in each case subject to the limitations described herein;
• we will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and, solely if we seek stockholder approval, a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of our initial business combination at a duly held stockholders meeting;
• if our initial business combination is not consummated within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus), then our existence will terminate and we will distribute all amounts in the trust account; and
• prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares of common stock that would entitle the holders thereof to (1) receive funds from the trust account or (2) vote as a class with our public shares on any initial business combination.
These provisions cannot be amended without the approval of holders of at least two-thirds of our shares of common stock who attend and vote in a stockholder meeting. In the event we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we may consummate our initial business combination only if approved by a majority of the shares of common stock voted by our stockholders at a duly held stockholder meeting.
Additionally, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors and that holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended by a majority of at least 90% of our shares of common stock attending and voting in a stockholder meeting. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our stockholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rule, holders of our founder shares and holders of our public shares will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote.
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Comparison of redemption or purchase prices in connection with our initial business combination and if we fail to complete our initial business combination.
The following table compares the redemptions and other permitted purchases of public shares that may take place in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and if we have not completed our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) or during any Extension Period.
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Redemptions in Connection with our Initial Business Combination |
Other Permitted Purchases of Public Shares by our Affiliates |
Redemptions if we fail to Complete an Initial Business Combination |
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Calculation of redemption price |
Redemptions at the time of our initial business combination may be made pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a stockholder vote. The redemption price will be the same whether we conduct redemptions pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a stockholder vote. In either case, our public stockholders may redeem their public shares for cash equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination (which is initially anticipated to be $10.20 per share), including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then- issued and outstanding public shares, subject to the limitation that no redemptions will take place if all of the redemptions would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 following such redemptions, and any limitations (including, but not limited to, cash requirements) agreed to in connection with the negotiation of terms of a proposed business combination. |
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may purchase public shares or warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. Such purchases will be restricted except to the extent such purchases are able to be made in compliance with Rule 10b-18, which is a safe harbor from liability for manipulation under Section 9(a)(2) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares in such transactions. |
If we have not completed our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months if the period of time in which we may complete an initial business combination is extended in accordance with the procedures set forth in this prospectus) or during any Extension Period, we will redeem all public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (which is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per share), including interest (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses and which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares. |
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Redemptions in Connection with our Initial Business Combination |
Other Permitted Purchases of Public Shares by our Affiliates |
Redemptions if we fail to Complete an Initial Business Combination |
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Impact to remaining stockholders |
The redemptions in connection with our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for our remaining stockholders, who will bear the burden of the deferred underwriting discounts and interest withdrawn in order to pay taxes (to the extent not paid from amounts accrued as interest on the funds held in the trust account). |
If the permitted purchases described above are made, there will be no impact to our remaining stockholders because the purchase price would not be paid by us. |
The redemption of our public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for the shares held by our initial stockholders who will be our only remaining stockholders after such redemptions. |
Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419
The following table compares the terms of this offering to the terms of an offering by a blank check company subject to the provisions of Rule 419. This comparison assumes that the gross proceeds, underwriting discounts and underwriting expenses of our offering would be identical to those of an offering undertaken by a company subject to Rule 419, and that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option. None of the provisions of Rule 419 apply to our offering.
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Terms of our Offering |
Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering |
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Escrow of offering proceeds |
The rules of Nasdaq provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement units be deposited in a trust account. $81,600,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account at Bank of America, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. |
Approximately $69,120,000 of the offering proceeds, representing the gross proceeds of this offering less allowable underwriting discounts, expenses and company deductions under Rule 419, would be required to be deposited into either an escrow account with an insured depositary institution or in a separate bank account established by a broker-dealer in which the broker-dealer acts as trustee for persons having the beneficial interests in the account. |
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Investment of net proceeds |
$81,600,000 of the net offering proceeds and the sale of the private placement units held in trust will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. Treasuries and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. |
Proceeds could be invested only in specified securities such as a money market fund meeting conditions of the Investment Company Act or in securities that are direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed as to principal or interest by, the United States. |
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Terms of our Offering |
Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering |
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Receipt of interest on escrowed funds |
Interest on proceeds from the trust account to be paid to stockholders is reduced by (1) any taxes paid or payable and (2) in the event of our liquidation for failure to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time, up to $100,000 of net interest that may be released to us should we have no or insufficient working capital to fund the costs and expenses of our dissolution and liquidation. |
Interest on funds in escrow account would be held for the sole benefit of investors, unless and only after the funds held in escrow were released to us in connection with our completion of a business combination. |
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Limitation on fair value or net assets of target business |
Nasdaq rules require that our initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if permitted, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discounts held in trust). |
The fair value or net assets of a target business must represent at least 80% of the maximum offering proceeds |
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Trading of securities issued |
The units will begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The shares of our common stock and warrants constituting the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day) unless the representatives inform us of their decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. |
No trading of the units or the underlying shares of common stock and warrants would be permitted until the completion of a business combination. During this period, the securities would be held in the escrow or trust account. |
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Exercise of the warrants |
The warrants cannot be exercised until on the later of twelve months from the date of this offering or 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. |
The warrants could be exercised prior to the completion of a business combination, but securities received and cash paid in connection with the exercise would be deposited in the escrow or trust account. |
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Terms of our Offering |
Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering |
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Election to remain an investor |
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest, net of permitted withdrawals, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein. We may not be required by applicable law or stock exchange rules to hold a stockholder vote. If we are not required by applicable law or stock exchange rules and do not otherwise decide to hold a stockholder vote, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC and file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, we hold a stockholder vote, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. Pursuant to the tender offer rules, the tender offer period will be not less than 20 business days and, in the case of a stockholder vote, a final proxy statement would be mailed to public stockholders at least 10 days prior to the stockholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such stockholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of our initial business |
A prospectus containing information pertaining to the business combination required by the SEC would be sent to each investor. Each investor would be given the opportunity to notify the company in writing, within a period of no less than 20 business days and no more than 45 business days from the effective date of a post-effective amendment to the company’s registration statement, to decide if he, she or it elects to remain a stockholder of the company or require the return of his, her or its investment. If the company has not received the notification by the end of the 45th business day, funds and interest or dividends, if any, held in the trust or escrow account are automatically returned to the stockholder. Unless a sufficient number of investors elect to remain investors, all funds on deposit in the escrow account must be returned to all of the investors and none of the securities are issued. |
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Terms of our Offering |
Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering |
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combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. Additionally, each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares without voting and, if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. |
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Business combination deadline |
If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus), 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 100% of the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to fund our working capital requirements (less taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and in all cases subject to the requirements of other applicable law. |
If an acquisition has not been completed within 18 months after the effective date of the Company’s registration statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account are returned to investors. |
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Terms of our Offering |
Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering |
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Release of funds |
Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our taxes, if any, the funds held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of: (1) our completion of an initial business combination; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed an initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus), subject to applicable law. |
The proceeds held in the escrow account are not released until the earlier of the completion of a business combination or the failure to affect a business combination within the allotted time. |
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Limitation on redemption rights of stockholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold a stockholder vote |
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect Excess Shares (more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering), without our prior consent. Our public |
Most blank check companies provide no restrictions on the ability of stockholders to redeem shares based on the number of shares held by such stockholders in connection with an initial business combination. |
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Terms of our Offering |
Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering |
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stockholders’ inability to redeem Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and they could suffer a material loss on their investment in us if they sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. |
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Tendering stock certificates in connection with a tender offer or redemption rights |
We will require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve our initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option. The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. Accordingly, a public stockholder would have from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, or up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the business combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. |
In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, holders could vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holders were seeking to exercise their redemption rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would contact such stockholders to arrange for them to deliver their certificate to verify ownership. |
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 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 this offering and the sale of the private placement units, 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, in the event we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we are obligated to pay cash for shares of our
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common stock, it will potentially reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. Any of these obligations may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
Conflicts of Interest
All of our officers have fiduciary and contractual duties to our sponsor and to certain companies in which it has invested or to certain other entities. These entities may compete with us for acquisition opportunities. While the risk is partially mitigated due to our sponsor and the Company seeking targets of quite different enterprise sizes, if these entities decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing such opportunities. Subject to his or her fiduciary duties under applicable law, none of the members of our management team who are also employed by our sponsor or its affiliates have any obligation to present us with any opportunity for a potential business combination of which they become aware. Our sponsor and directors and officers are also not prohibited from sponsoring, investing or otherwise becoming involved with, any other blank check companies, including in connection with their initial business combinations, prior to us completing our initial business combination. Our management team, in their capacities as directors, officers or employees of our sponsor or its affiliates or in their other endeavors, may choose to present potential business combinations to the related entities described above, current or future entities affiliated with or managed by our sponsor, or third parties, before they present such opportunities to us, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under applicable law and any other applicable fiduciary duties. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the company and it is an opportunity that we are able to complete on a reasonable basis. For more information, see the section entitled “Management — Conflicts of Interest.”
Our directors and officers presently have, 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 applicable law. See “Risk Factors — Certain of our directors and officers 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.”
We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our directors or officers will materially adversely affect our ability to identify and pursue business combination opportunities or complete our initial business combination.
Indemnity
Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent auditors) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (1) $10.20 per public share or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy their indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company and, therefore, our sponsor may not be able to satisfy those obligations. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such obligations.
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Facilities
We currently maintain our executive offices at 1334 Brittmoore Rd, Suite 190, Houston, Texas 77043. In addition, we may have officers that do not work from our designated facilities due to telecommuting. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
Employees
We currently have three officers, including Messrs. Gray, Rodger and DeMoss and do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Members of our management team are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time that any such person will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the current stage of the business combination process.
Periodic Reporting and Financial Information
We will register our units, shares of our common stock and warrants under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual reports will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public auditors.
We will provide stockholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials sent to stockholders to assist them in assessing the target business. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, U.S. GAAP or IFRS, depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with PCAOB standards. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such financial statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. While this may limit the pool of potential business combination candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.
We will be required to evaluate our internal control procedures for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.
Prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
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In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our shares of common stock that is held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.00 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” will have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our shares of common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our shares of common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter.
Legal Proceedings
There is no material litigation, arbitration or governmental proceeding currently pending against us or any members of our management team in their capacity as such, and we and the members of our management team have not been subject to any such proceeding in the 12 months preceding the date of this prospectus.
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Directors, Director Nominees and Officers
Our directors, director nominees and officers are as follows:
|
Name |
Age |
Title |
||
|
E. Will Gray II |
47 |
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board |
||
|
Brady Rodgers |
44 |
President and Chief Operating Officer |
||
|
Ken Ziober |
58 |
Vice President, Business Development |
||
|
Harold R. DeMoss III |
65 |
Chief Financial Officer |
||
|
Mark Mathews |
62 |
General Counsel |
||
|
Don Kendall, Jr |
70 |
Independent Director Nominee |
||
|
William H. Flores |
68 |
Independent Director Nominee |
||
|
Marcella Burke |
40 |
Independent Director Nominee |
||
|
Charles E. Fox |
62 |
Independent Director Nominee |
E. Will Gray II
Chairman and CEO
Will Gray serves as our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Gray is currently Chief Executive Officer and a director of New Era Helium Corp. From May 2020 up until its share exchange with New Era Helium, he served as Managing Partner of Solis Partners, LLC. Solis Partners owned over 215,000 acres in both Texas and Southeast New Mexico focusing on conventional natural gas/helium and carbon capture and storage (“CCUS”) and enhanced oil recovery (“EOR”) San Andres production. He is the former CEO and founder of Remnant Oil Company — an upstream energy company that acquired and operated both secondary(water) and tertiary (CO2) floods within the Permian Basin, a company he co-founded in 2016. He served in that capacity until 2020. Operations also included management of an 18.5-mile CO2 pipeline that interconnects with the Kinder Morgan Cortez main trunk line. Remnant Oil Company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July 2019 and such petition was later changed to a Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing. From 2014-1015, he served as Chairman & CEO of Dala Petroleum and from 2012-2013, Mr. Gray was an EVP of Resaca Exploration (a Torch Energy Portfolio Company) He has ESG experience and a track record for protecting fresh water rights within S.E. New Mexico, renewable energy development on owned acreage, and the reduction of carbon footprints for certain Permian Basin oilfield service providers. Mr. Gray is a Trustee of the Texas State Development Foundation and on the investment committee. He is also a former board member of the United Way Fund in Midland. He has a B.S. in Business Management from Texas State University.
We believe Mr. Gray is qualified to serve as a director due to his extensive energy and CO2 experience.
Brady Rodgers
President & COO
Brady Rodgers will serve as our President & Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Rogers is currently CEO of Native State CCS a CCS development company targeting on-site geological storage for ethanol plants since 2017 and is responsible for capital development, customer origination and technical due diligence for CCS opportunities. Additionally, he has served as CEO of Focus Oil from 2016 to date with his primary focus on strategic, mergers & acquisitions and technical advisory for middle market oil & gas acquisitions. He was a Vice President of GulfSlope Energy from 2013-2016 in corporate development & engineering. He was formerly Group Head — Energy Acquisitions & Divestitures for J.P. Morgan from 2010-2013. He was with Venoco E & P in Denver in engineering & as an operations manager from 2008-2010. His international experience includes a stint with Endeavour International Corporation in London, UK & Houston in development & engineering lead North Sea 2005-2008 and Devon Energy Sr. Production & Reservoir Engineer from 2002-2005. Mr. Rogers has a Masters in Global Energy Management from university of Colorado and a BS in Petroleum Engineering from University of Kansas. He has served on the Board of Directors, Unconventional Resources Technical Advisory Committee (URTAC, 2009-2010 by direct appointment of President Barack Obama. URTAC is a US Department of Energy administered board that makes annual recommendations on federal research of E & P foundational sciences in conjunction with federal, state and environmental, and industry representatives. He has been a former or current member of SPE, IPAA, ADAM, YPE, DAC and Houston Producers Forum. He is a former Board of Trustees of the Houston Hobby Center for the Performing Arts and an active volunteer with Junior achievement, Habit for Humanity and PTSD veteran support group.
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Ken Ziober
VP of Business Development
Ken Ziober, currently serves as Vice President of Business Development for New Energy Development Company, a position he has held since July 2021. Mr. Ziober also serves as President of Ameriquest Energy Venture, LLC, a consulting firm he founded in 2016, a partner in Enverede Ventures, LLC and chief operating officer of Phoenix Environmental Services Corp. He provides project development, strategic, commercial and advisory services from over 30 years of diverse project development, commodity supply, marketing, trading, risk management, regulatory, logistics and asset optimization experience. Throughout Mr. Ziober’s career he has held positions in trading, marketing, and optimization, leading teams to profitable growth across multiple commodity platforms, including natural gas and power, spanning the upstream, midstream and downstream energy sectors. Mr. Ziober launched his career beginning in 1988 working as an economic analyst for Panhandle Eastern Pipeline and from 1994 to 2003 Ken traded and marketed natural gas for Duke Energy and predecessors Pan Energy and Panhandle Trading. In late 2003, Ken joined Spark Energy, a gas and electric provider with less than 10 employees. In part with Mr. Ziober’s expertise and hard work of the management team, Spark Energy eventually became a public company in 2014. In 2004 Mr. Ziober played an integral role in the startup of a Spark Energy Company, Marlin Midstream, a gas processing business, which ultimately became a public company in 2013. In 2011, with the advent of natural gas shale expansion, he led the creation of a separate wholesale division to focus on the monetization of Spark and Marlin’s gas assets. In 2012, Mr. Ziober led the creation of a crude oil and refined products logistics and marketing business. Subsequent to Spark Energy, Mr. Ziober was President and COO of a crude oil gathering and refined products marketing company. He later consulted commodity supply, marketing and risk management, chemical product development for the energy sector, natural disaster and environmental organic business startups, and M&A representation in the upstream, midstream, and downstream retail gas & power space.
Harold R. DeMoss, III, CPA
Chief Financial Officer
Harold R. “Chip” DeMoss, III Harold R. “Chip” DeMoss, III serves as our CFO. Mr. DeMoss is also currently co-founder and Chief Financial Officer of Tanglewood Energy Partners, LLC, a privately-held energy investment management company, a position he has held since 2019. Since 1993, he has also served as chairman of DeMoss Interests, Ltd, a family office holding group composed of oil and gas, farming, and real estate interests. He was formerly the General Manager of George & Cynthia Mitchell Historic Galveston Properties. He started his career with the audit group of Coopers & Lybrand where he focused on energy and real estate clients in the Houston office. He holds FINRA investment banking and other securities registrations, in addition to Certified Public Accountant registrations in Texas and Florida. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and hold the AICPA’s Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designation. He obtained his BBA degree from Texas A&M University and his MS degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Mark Mathews
General Counsel
Mr. Mathews Mr. Mathews will serve as the General Counsel upon the closing of this offering. Mr. Mathews has been providing legal services for the energy industry for more than thirty (30) years. He has an extensive oil and gas legal and business management career in the upstream, midstream and energy services industry. During his career, Mr. Mathews has represented both publicly traded and privately held clients and has advised numerous private equity backed and sold companies as well as independent oil and gas firms including equity and debt offerings and merger and acquisition transactions, complex corporate oil and gas litigation in state and federal courts, asset acquisitions, divestitures and reorganizations. Since October 2020, Mark has served as the President for Tanglewood Energy Partners, LLC. Prior to that, from June 2018 to September 2020, he served as General Counsel for Churchill Oil & Gas, LLC and from August 2015 through September 2017, he served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Copestone Energy. He served as Managing Attorney — Oil & Gas for Denbury Resources, Inc. which included CO2 related asset acquisitions, pipeline issues and divestitures. Mr. Mathews has been a Partner/Shareholder in major U.S. law firms, practice specializing in the energy industry. Mr. Mathews holds a BBA in Petroleum Land Management from the University of Oklahoma and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from South Texas College of Law.
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Don Kendall, Jr.
Director (Audit)
Don Kendall will serve as a director upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Additionally, he will serve as Chairman of the audit committee for the board. Since 1999, he has served Managing Director & CEO of Kenmont Capital, LP a private equity fund & family office. Since 2021, he has also served as a partner in New Climate Ventures. He has run a $500 million distressed debt hedge fund for energy, power and infrastructure sectors and a private equity Fund of Funds. He is past President, Cogen Technologies a domestic and international development acquisitions company with several billion in assets. He is also former Chairman/CEO, Palmetto Partners, Ltd an investment management/ family office for a Forbes 400 family. He has served on multiple public boards including as the Chair for Special Committee of the Solar City board and been a member of audit, compensation ESG and conflict committees in the past. He is a current board member of Talos Energy a NYSE listed company with special emphasis in Carbon Capture Sequestration & Storage assets in the Gulf of Mexico. He also serves on non-profit boards for the Jane Goodall Institute and Earthwatch, Inc. He is a graduate of Hamilton College with an A.B. and an MBA form Amos Tuck School of Business- Dartmouth College.
We believe Mr. Kendall is qualified to serve on our board due to his many years of executive experience and board service with energy and related companies.
William H. Flores, CPA
Independent Director (Energy / Government)
William H. “Bill” Flores will serve as a Director upon the effective date of the registration of which this prospectus forms a part. Since November 2021, Bill has served as Vice-Chairman of the Board of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Mr. Flores recently served as Representative of the 17th District of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives from January 2011 to January 2021. Prior to serving in Congress, Mr. Flores worked in the energy business for approximately 30 years, including 20 years as a C-level officer for oil and gas and energy service companies, culminating with his service as Director, President, CEO, and Co-Founder of Phoenix Exploration Company from 2005 to 2009, following which he retired to run for Congress. During his career, Mr. Flores served on public boards including Marine Drilling Companies Inc. (NYSE / NASDAQ) and Great Western Resources (London Stock Exchange). He is currently active on numerous private entity boards, including higher education and non-profit organizations. Bill is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in Texas and an Executive Member of the Latino Corporate Directors Association (LCDA). He holds a BBA in Accounting from Texas A&M University in College Station and an MBA from Houston Baptist University.
We believe Mr. Flores is qualified to serve on our board due to his extensive government and energy experience.
Marcella Burke
Independent Director (Legal and Regulatory)
Marcella Burke will serve as a Director upon the effective date of the registration of which this prospectus forms a part. She is an environmental law partner at Eversheds Sutherland US LLP since July 2022. Prior to that, from September 2019 through July 2022, she was a partner at King & Spalding LLP, where she led the Houston office’s Environmental Health and Safety practice. Before joining private practice, Ms. Burke served as Deputy Solicitor at the US Department of the Interior from July 2018 through September 2019 and as Deputy General Counsel at the Environmental Protection Agency form October 2017 through July 2018. She also served at the Department of Interior as Deputy Solicitor for Energy and Natural Resources, and Senior Counselor to the Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management, where she managed the litigation docket and regulatory portfolio of all energy and natural resource permitting and project development on federal lands, including for the federal carbon capture program. She leads her firm’s Energy Transition initiative and is a board member of the Houston ESG Council. She was named by the Petroleum Economist as a global Top 100 Women of the Energy Transition 2021, received the National Law Journal Energy/Environmental Law Trailblazer Award 2021, named Lawdragon 500 Leading Environmental & Energy Lawyers 2021, and ranked among the Legal 500 United States top environmental practices 2021. She is on the Executive Committee of the Environment & Natural Resources Division of the State Bar of Texas, the Institute for Energy Law Advisory Counsel, and is the Chair of the Environment & Natural Resources Program Committee of the Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law.
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We believe Ms. Burke is qualified to serve on our board due to her extensive legal experience with energy, natural resources and related industries.
Charles E. Fox
Independent Director (Industry)
Charles E. “Chuck” Fox will serve as director upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is part. He is chief executive officer and co-founder of Windy Cove Energy II, an oil and gas producer, and Pure Earth Plasma Holdings, an entity which is expected to own more than 20% of SynergenMet upon its listing on the Australian Stock Exchange. Chuck is expected to serve as director upon Synergen’s listing. Synergen’s primary businesses will be the carbon free production of hydrogen and carbon black, the destruction of PFAS and the manufacture of plasma torches. Prior to Pure Earth and Windy Cove Energy II, he co-founded and led Windy Cove Energy as its chief executive officer from 2014 – 2016. Previously, he was vice president of operations and engineering for Kinder Morgan CO2 Company (2000 — 2013). Chuck is a co-author of the SPE monograph, Practical Aspects of CO2 Flooding and was an SPE distinguished lecturer on carbon capture utilization and storage. He has taught numerous classes about CO2 flooding and carbon storage. He holds a M.S. degree in petroleum engineering from Stanford University and a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Rice University. He is a registered professional engineer in Texas and New Mexico.
We believe Mr. Fox is qualified to serve on our board due his extensive experience in the energy industry.
Fred Zeidman
Advisory Council Member
Fred Zeidman is Chairman of WoodRock & Co., an investment banking service business and served as Chairman and CEO of Good Works Acquisition Corp. until it’s sale to Cipher Mining and Chairman of Good Works Acquisition Corp.II. both publicly held SPACs and Mr. Zeidman served as Chairman of Gordian Group LLC, a U.S. investment bank specializing in board level advice in complex, distressed or “story” financial matters. Mr. Zeidman is Co-Chair and Director of Council for a Secure America (CSA), an organization dedicated to promoting United States energy independence and its impact on United States foreign policy. Mr. Zeidman, Chairman Emeritus of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council was appointed by President George W. Bush in March 2002 and served in that position from 2002-2010. A prominent Houston based business and civic leader; Mr. Zeidman also is Chairman Emeritus of the University of Texas Health Science System Houston. He is formerly National Chairman of the Development Corp of Israel Campaign (Israel Bonds) and served on the Board of the National World War II Museum. Over the course of his distinguished 50-year career, Mr. Zeidman has been involved in numerous high-profile workouts, restructurings and reorganizations. He was the former CEO, President and Chairman of Seitel, Inc., a Houston-based onshore seismic data provider where he was instrumental in the successful turnaround of the Company. He served as lead Director of Straight Path Communications, Inc. until its sale to Verizon in 2018. Director of REMA a division of NRG Corp. and he further serves on the board of Prosperity Bank and was formerly Restructuring Officer of TransMeridian Exploration Inc. and Chief Bankruptcy Trustee of AremisSoft Corp. He held the post of Chairman of the Board and CEO of Unibar Corporation, the largest domestic independent drilling fluids company, until its sale to Anchor Drilling Fluids in 1992. Mr. Zeidman holds a Bachelor’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis and a Master’s in Business Administration from New York University.
Leisha John
Advisory Council Member
Leisha John will serve as an ESG Advisor to the Board. Ms. John is a CPA with 38 years of experience at EY (Ernst & Young LLP). She served as the first Americas Director of Environmental Sustainability from 2008 through her retirement in 2021. In her role, she advised the EY Americas Executive Board on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) matters. Prior to her ESG appointment, Ms. John was the CEO of EY’s Global Delivery Services (shared services) center in Bangalore, India where she led the global operations from 2004- 2008. Her expertise in operations, workforce development, transformation and multi-stakeholder engagement contributed to billions of dollars of growth at EY. Prior to her CEO role, she served as the Director of Strategy and Innovation for EY’s US Tax practice following many years serving EY’s audit and tax clients in various industries. Currently, she is the Chairman of Earthwatch Institute, a global organization that engages citizens in science to promote conservation. Ms. John is a CPA, a LEED AP, a Competent Board ESG Certificate holder, and serves on the Sustainable Business Advisory Council for the University of Miami.
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Number, Terms of Office and Appointment of Directors and Officers
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we expect that our board of directors will consist of five members. Prior to our initial business combination, holders of our founder shares will have the right to appoint all of our directors and remove members of the board of directors for any reason, 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 certificate of incorporation may only be amended by a majority of at least 90% of our shares of common stock attending and voting in a stockholder meeting. Each of our directors will hold office for a two-year term. Subject to any other special rights applicable to the stockholders, any vacancies on our board of directors may be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors present and voting at the meeting of our board of directors or by a majority of the holders of our shares of common stock (or, prior to our initial business combination, 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 certificate of incorporation as it deems appropriate. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that our officers may consist of a Chairman, a Chief Executive Officer, a President, a Chief Operating Officer, a Chief Financial Officer, Vice Presidents, a Secretary, Assistant Secretaries, a Treasurer and such other offices as may be determined by the board of directors.
Director Independence
Nasdaq listing standards require that a majority of our board of directors be independent. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person that, in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, has no material relationship with the listed company (either directly or as a partner, stockholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with the company). Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we expect to have three “independent directors” as defined in the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules prior to completion of this offering. Our board of directors has determined that each of Messrs. Kendall, Flores, Fox and Burke is an independent director under applicable SEC and Nasdaq listing standards.
Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
Officer and Director Compensation
None of our directors or officers have received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. 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 compensation from the combined company. All compensation will be fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders in connection with a proposed business combination. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining executive officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers after the completion of our initial business combination will be determined by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors.
We are not party to any agreements with our directors and officers that provide for benefits upon termination of employment. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business, and we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination should be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination.
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Committees of the Board of Directors
Upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, our board of directors will have three standing committees: an audit committee; a compensation committee; and a nominating and corporate governance committee. 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 will operate under a charter that will be approved by our board of directors and will have the composition and responsibilities described below. The charter of each committee will be available on our website following the closing of this offering.
Audit Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish an audit committee of the board of directors. The members of our audit committee will be Messrs. Kendall, Flores and Gray. Mr. Kendall will serve as chair of the audit committee.
Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our board of directors has determined that ___________ qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules and has accounting or related financial management expertise.
We will adopt an audit committee charter, which will detail the purpose and principal functions of the audit committee, including:
• assisting board oversight of (1) the integrity of our financial statements, (2) our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, (3) our independent auditor’s qualifications and independence, and (4) the performance of our internal audit function and independent auditors;
• the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent auditors and any other independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us;
• pre-approving all audit and non-audit services to be provided by the independent auditors or any other registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures;
• reviewing and discussing with the independent auditors all relationships the auditors have with us in order to evaluate their continued independence;
• setting clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent auditors;
• setting clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations;
• obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the independent auditors describing the independent auditor’s internal quality-control procedures and (2) any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review, or peer review, of the audit firm, or by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities, within the preceding five years respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the firm and any steps taken to deal with such issues;
• meeting to review and discuss our annual audited financial statements and quarterly financial statements with management and the independent auditor, including reviewing our specific disclosures under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”;
• reviewing and approving any related party transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC prior to us entering into such transaction; and
• reviewing with management, the independent auditors, and our legal advisors, as appropriate, any legal, regulatory or compliance matters, including any correspondence with regulators or government agencies and any employee complaints or published reports that raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies and any significant changes in accounting standards or rules promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC or other regulatory authorities.
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Compensation Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish a compensation committee of the board of directors. The members of our compensation committee will be ___________ and ___________ will serve as chair of the compensation committee. We will adopt a compensation committee charter, which will detail 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, evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our Chief Executive Officer based on such evaluation;
• reviewing and making recommendations to our board of directors with respect to the compensation, and any incentive-compensation and equity-based plans that are subject to board approval of all of our other officers;
• reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans;
• implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans;
• assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements;
• approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our officers and employees;
• producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and
• reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors.
The charter will also provide that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, independent legal counsel or other adviser and will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by Nasdaq and the SEC.
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
We do not have a standing nominating committee though we intend to form a corporate governance and nominating committee as and when required to do so by law or Nasdaq listing rules. In accordance with Rule 5605 of the Nasdaq listing rules, a majority of the independent directors may recommend a director nominee for selection by the board of directors. The board of directors believes that the independent directors can satisfactorily carry out the responsibility of properly selecting or approving director nominees without the formation of a standing nominating committee. The directors who will participate in the consideration and recommendation of director nominees are Messrs. Kendall, Flores and Burke. In accordance with Rule 5605 of the Nasdaq listing rules, all such directors are independent. As there is no standing nominating committee, we do not have a nominating committee charter in place. The board of directors will also consider director candidates recommended for nomination by our stockholders during such times as they are seeking proposed nominees to stand for election at the next annual meeting of stockholders (or, if applicable, a special meeting of stockholders). Our stockholders that wish to nominate a director for election to our board of directors should follow the procedures set forth in our bylaws.
We have not formally established any specific, minimum qualifications that must be met or skills that are necessary for directors to possess. In general, in identifying and evaluating nominees for director, the board of directors considers educational background, diversity of professional experience, knowledge of our business, integrity, professional reputation, independence, wisdom, and the ability to represent the best interests of our stockholders.
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Code of Ethics
Prior to the closing of this offering, we will adopt a code of business conduct and ethics (our “Code of Ethics”) applicable to our directors, officers and employees. We will file a copy of our form of our Code of Ethics as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. You will be able to review this document by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of our Code of Ethics will be provided without charge upon request from us. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K. See “Where You Can Find Additional Information.”
Conflicts of Interest
Our management team is responsible for the management of our affairs. As described above and below, each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities, pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, he or she will honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. 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 stockholders; provided that there is full disclosure by the directors. This can be done by way of permission granted in the amended and restated certificate of incorporation or alternatively by stockholder approval at stockholder meetings.
All of our officers have fiduciary and contractual duties to our sponsor and to certain companies in which it has invested or to certain other entities. While the risk is partially mitigated as a result of our sponsor seeking targets of different enterprise sizes than us, if these entities decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing such opportunities. None of the members of our management team who are also employed by our sponsor or its affiliates have any obligation to present us with any opportunity for a potential business combination of which they become aware, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under applicable law. Our sponsor and directors and officers are also not prohibited from sponsoring, investing or otherwise becoming involved with, any other blank check companies, including in connection with their initial business combinations, prior to us completing our initial business combination. Our management team, in their capacities as directors, officers or employees of our sponsor or its affiliates or in their other endeavors, may choose to present potential business combinations to the related entities described above, current or future entities affiliated with or managed by our sponsor, or third parties, before they present such opportunities to us, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under applicable law and any other applicable fiduciary duties.
Our directors and officers presently have, 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 applicable law. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the company and it is an opportunity that we are able to complete on a reasonable basis. Our directors and officers are also not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs, and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence.
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See “Risk Factors — Certain of our directors and officers 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.”
We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our directors or officers will materially adversely affect our ability to identify and pursue business combination opportunities or complete our initial business combination. You should not rely on the historical record of our founders’ and management’s performance as indicative of our future performance. See “Risk Factors — Past performance by our management team and their respective affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in the company.”
Potential investors should also be aware of the following potential conflicts of interest:
• None of our directors or officers 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 directors and officers may become aware of investment and business opportunities that 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. For a complete description of our management’s other affiliations, see “— Directors, Director Nominees and Officers.”
• Our initial stockholders, directors and officers have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Additionally, our initial stockholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months after the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) or during any Extension Period. However, if our initial stockholders or any of our directors, officers or affiliates acquire public shares, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. If we do not complete our initial business combination within such applicable time period, the proceeds of the sale of the private placement units held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, and the private placement units will expire worthless. With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our initial stockholders until the earlier of: (1) one year after the completion of our initial business combination; and (2) subsequent to our initial business combination (x) if the last reported sale price of shares of our common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, rights issuances, consolidations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and other similar transactions) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property. With certain limited exceptions, the private placement units and the shares of common stock underlying such warrants, will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our sponsor until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. Since our sponsor and directors and officers may directly or indirectly own shares of common stock and warrants following this offering, our directors and officers 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 directors and officers may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our initial business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether to proceed with a particular business combination.
• Our directors and officers may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such directors and officers was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
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The conflicts described above may not be resolved in our favor.
Accordingly, as a result of multiple business affiliations, our directors and officers 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 directors, officers and director nominees currently have fiduciary duties or contractual obligations:
|
Individual |
Entity |
Entity’s Business |
Affiliation |
|||
|
E. Will Gray II |
Solis Partners, LLC |
Managing Partner |
||||
|
Don Kendall Jr. |
Kenmont Capital Partners |
Chief Executive Officer |
||||
|
New Climate Ventures |
Partner |
|||||
|
Talos Energy Partners |
Director |
|||||
|
William H. Flores |
Electric Reliability Council of Texas |
|||||
|
Veriten Holdings, LLC |
||||||
|
Charles E. Fox |
Windy Cove Energy II, LLC |
CEO and Director |
||||
|
Pure Earth Plasma Holdings, LLC |
Director |
Accordingly, if any of the above directors or officers 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 applicable law. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the company and it is an opportunity that we are able to complete on a reasonable basis. We do not believe, however, that any of the foregoing fiduciary duties or contractual obligations will materially adversely affect our ability to identify and pursue business combination opportunities or complete our initial business combination.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, directors or officers. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with such a company, we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another valuation or appraisal firm that regularly renders fairness opinions on the type of target business we are seeking to acquire that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
In addition, our sponsor or any of its affiliates may make additional investments in the company in connection with the initial business combination, although our sponsor and its affiliates have no obligation or current intention to do so. If our sponsor or any of its affiliates elects to make additional investments, such proposed investments could influence our sponsor’s motivation to complete an initial business combination.
In the event that we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our initial stockholders, directors and officers have agreed, pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, to vote any founder shares (and their respective permitted transferees will agree) and public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination.
Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Directors and Officers
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that our officers and directors will be indemnified by us to the fullest extent authorized by Delaware law, as it now exists or may in the future be amended. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that our directors will not be personally liable for monetary damages to us or stockholders for breaches of their fiduciary duty as directors, except to the extent such exemption from liability or limitation thereof is not permitted by the DGCL.
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We will enter into agreements with our officers and directors to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Our bylaws also permit us to maintain insurance on behalf of any officer, director or employee for any liability arising out of his or her actions, regardless of whether Delaware law would permit such indemnification. We will obtain a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors.
These provisions may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against our directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against directors and officers, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. Furthermore, a stockholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
We believe that these provisions, the insurance and the indemnity agreements are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced officers and directors.
In connection with this registration statement, we have undertaken that insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
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The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our shares of common stock as of the date of this prospectus, and as adjusted to reflect the sale of shares of our common stock included in the units offered by this prospectus, and assuming no purchase of units in this offering, by:
• each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock;
• each of our directors, officers and director nominees; and
• all our directors, officers and director nominees as a group.
Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect record or beneficial ownership of the private placement units as these warrants are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this prospectus.
The post-offering ownership percentage column below assumes that the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option, that our sponsor forfeits 400,000 founder shares, and that there are 11,226,667 shares of common stock issued and outstanding after this offering.
|
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1) |
Number of |
Before |
Approximate |
||||
|
CO2 Energy Transition, LLC(4) |
3,066,667 |
100 |
% |
23.8 |
|||
|
E. Will Gray II |
— |
|
|||||
|
Brady Rodgers |
— |
|
|||||
|
Ken Ziober |
— |
|
|||||
|
Harold R. DeMoss III |
— |
|
|||||
|
Mark Mathews |
|
||||||
|
Charles E. Fox |
— |
|
|||||
|
Don Kendall, Jr |
|
||||||
|
William H. Flores |
|
||||||
|
Marcella Burke |
|
||||||
|
All Directors, Director Nominees and Executive Officers as a Group (9 persons) |
3,066,667 |
100 |
% |
||||
____________
* less than 1%
(1) Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following entities or individuals is c/o CO2 Energy Transition Corp., 1334 Brittmore, Suite 190, Houston, Texas 77043.
(2) Interests shown consist solely of founder shares.
(3) Includes up to 400,000 founder shares that will be forfeited depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised.
(4) Each of our officers, directors is, directly or indirectly, a member of our sponsor or have direct or indirect economic interests in our sponsor, and each of them disclaims any beneficial ownership of any shares held by our sponsor except to the extent of his or her ultimate pecuniary interest.
Immediately after this offering, our initial stockholders will collectively beneficially own 25.0% of the then issued and outstanding shares of common stock (assuming our initial stockholders do not purchase any units in this offering) and will have the right to elect all of our directors prior to our initial business combination as a result of holding all of the founder shares. Holders of our public shares will not have the right to appoint any directors to our board of directors prior to our initial business combination. In addition, because of their ownership block,
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our initial stockholders may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all other matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and approval of significant corporate transactions. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a capitalization or share repurchase or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our founder shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at approximately 25% of our issued and shares of common stock upon the consummation of this offering.
Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase 440,000 private placement units (or up to 480,000 private placement units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $10.00 per unit ($4,400,000 in the aggregate or $4,800,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Each private placement unit entitles the holder to receive one share of common stock and the right to purchase one share of our common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) or during any Extension Period, the proceeds of the sale of the private placement units held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, and the private placement units will expire worthless. The private placement units are identical to the warrants sold as part of the units in this offering and are entitled to registration rights, as described below.
Our sponsor and our directors and officers are deemed to be our “promoters” as such term is defined under the federal securities laws. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions” for additional information regarding our relationships with our promoters.
Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Units
The founder shares, private placement units and any shares of our common stock issued upon conversion or exercise of the private warrants included in the private placement units are each subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to lock-up provisions in the letter agreement with us to be entered into by our initial stockholders, directors and officers Those lock-up provisions provide that such securities are not transferable or salable (1) in the case of the founder shares, until the earlier of: (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination; and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination (x) if the last reported sale price of shares of our common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, rights issuances, consolidations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and other similar transactions) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property, and (2) in the case of the private placement units and the respective shares of our common stock underlying such warrants, until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except in each case (a) to our directors or officers, any affiliates or family members of any of our directors or officers, 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 the individual’s immediate family or an affiliate of such person, or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of the individual; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) by private sales or transfers made in connection with the consummation of a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the securities were originally purchased; (f) in the event of our liquidation prior to our completion of our initial business combination; (g) in the case of an entity, by virtue of the laws of its jurisdiction or its organizational documents or operating agreement; or (h) in the event of our completion of a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction which results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of our common stock for cash, securities or other property subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (e) these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions.
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Registration Rights
The holders of the founder shares, private placement units and any units that may be issued on conversion of working capital loans up to $1,500,000 (and any shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of the warrants included in the private placement units or units issued upon conversion of the working capital loans) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering requiring us to register such securities for resale. In addition, our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration demands, that we register such securities. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall use its best efforts to file a registration statement within 30 days of our business combination to register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination and rights to require us to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. However, the registration rights agreement provides that we will not be required to effect or permit any registration or cause any registration statement to become effective until termination of the applicable lock-up period as described under “Principal Stockholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Units.” We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
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CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
On January 13, 2022, our sponsor purchased 3,593,750 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. In connection with a reduction in the size of the offering, the subscription agreement was amended and restated on October 10, 2022 and on December 28, 2022 to provide that the founders shares would amount to 3,066,667. Our initial stockholders will collectively own approximately 23.8% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a capitalization or share repurchase or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our founder shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at approximately 25% of our issued and shares of common stock upon the consummation of this offering. Up to 400,000 founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised.
Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 440,000 private placement units (or up to 480,000 private placement units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, for a purchase price of $10.00 per unit ($4,400,000 in the aggregate or $4,800,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Each private placement contains one share of common stock and one warrant. Each warrant may be exercised for one share of our common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. The private placement units (including the shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by it until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination.
As more fully discussed in “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our directors or officers becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may be required to present such business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such business combination opportunity to us. Our directors and officers currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us.
We will enter into an Administrative Services Agreement with an affiliate of our sponsor for office space, administrative and support services to such affiliate. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, our sponsor 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 to our sponsor, directors, officers or our or any of their respective affiliates and will determine which expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.
Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $450,000 under an unsecured promissory note to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of December 31, 2022, we had borrowed $257,380 under the $450,000 amended promissory note with our sponsor. This note is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the earlier of December 31, 2024, and the closing of this offering. This note will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $1,292,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of expenses (other than underwriting discounts) not held in the trust account, after payment of offering expenses of $1,508,000. The value of our sponsor’s interest in this loan transaction corresponds to the principal amount outstanding under any such loan.
In addition, in order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our directors and officers may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans may be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender.
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The warrants would be identical to the private placement units issued to our sponsor. The terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to our stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, furnished to our stockholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of distribution of such tender offer materials or at the time of a stockholder meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post- combination business to determine executive officer and director compensation.
We have entered into a registration rights agreement with respect to the founder shares, private placement units and warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans (if any), which is described under the heading “Principal Stockholders — Registration Rights.”
Related Party Policy
We have not yet adopted a formal policy for the review, approval or ratification of related party transactions. Accordingly, the transactions discussed above were not reviewed, approved or ratified in accordance with any such policy.
Prior to the closing of this offering, we will adopt our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, or our Code of Ethics, requiring us to avoid, wherever possible, all conflicts of interests, except under guidelines or resolutions approved by our board of directors (or the appropriate committee of our board of directors) or as disclosed in our public filings with the SEC. Under our Code of Ethics, conflict of interest situations will include any financial transaction, arrangement or relationship (including any indebtedness or guarantee of indebtedness) involving the company.
In addition, our audit committee, pursuant to a written charter that we will adopt prior to the consummation of this offering, will be responsible for reviewing and approving related party transactions to the extent that we enter into such transactions. An affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the audit committee present at a meeting at which a quorum is present will be required in order to approve a related party transaction. A majority of the members of the entire audit committee will constitute a quorum. Without a meeting, the unanimous written consent of all of the members of the audit committee will be required to approve a related party transaction. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, directors or officers, or our or any of their respective affiliates.
These procedures are intended to determine whether any such related party transaction impairs the independence of a director or presents a conflict of interest on the part of a director, employee or officer.
To further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our sponsor, directors or officers unless we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another valuation or appraisal firm that regularly renders fairness opinions on the type of target business we are seeking to acquire that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. Furthermore, there will be no finder’s fees, reimbursements or cash payments made 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, other than the following payments, none of which will be made from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination:
• repayment of an aggregate of up to $450,000 under the amended promissory note made to us by our sponsor to cover offering- related and organizational expenses;
• reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination; and
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• repayment of loans which may be made by our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our directors and officers to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, the terms of which have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units, at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender.
The above payments may be funded using the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units not held in the trust account or, upon completion of the initial business combination, from any amounts remaining from the proceeds of the trust account released to us in connection therewith.
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We are a Delaware corporation and our affairs will be governed by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, the Delaware General Corporation Law, or DGCL, and applicable stock exchange rules. Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation which will be adopted upon the consummation of this offering, we will be authorized to issue 40,000,000 shares of our common stock, $0.0001 par value per share. The following description summarizes the material terms of our shares as set out more particularly in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Because it is only a summary, it may not contain all the information that is important to you.
Units
Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one share of our common stock and one redeemable warrant. Each warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of the company’s shares of our common stock. This means only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time by a warrant holder.
The shares of our common stock and warrants constituting the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day) unless the representatives inform us of their decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the shares of our common stock and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into shares of our common stock and warrants. Additionally, the units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination.
In no event will the shares of our common stock and warrants be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet of the company reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering which will include this audited balance sheet. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
Common Stock
Upon the closing of this offering, 11,226,667 shares of our common stock will be outstanding (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units and the corresponding forfeiture of 400,000 founder shares by our sponsor), including:
• 8,000,000 shares of our common stock underlying the units being offered in this offering;
• 3,066,667 shares of our common stock held by our initial stockholders;
• 440,000 shares of our common stock underlying the private placement units being sold in a concurrent private placement; and
• 120,000 Representative Shares.
If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a stock dividend or share contribution back to capital or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to the founder shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of founder shares by our initial stockholders at approximately 25% of our issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering.
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Common stockholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by stockholders. On any matter submitted to a vote of our stockholders, holders of shares of our founder shares and holders of shares of our public shares will vote together. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended if approved by a majority of at least 90% of our common stock voting at a stockholder meeting. Unless specified in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of our shares of common stock that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our stockholders (other than the election of directors). Directors will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class elected in each year. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the election of directors. Our stockholders are entitled to receive ratable dividends when, as and if declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available therefor.
Because our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will authorize the issuance of up to 40,000,000 shares of our common stock, if we were to enter into a business combination, we may (depending on the terms of such a business combination) be required to increase the number of shares of common stock which we are authorized to issue at the same time as our stockholders vote on the business combination to the extent we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination.
In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until not later than one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. Under Section 211(b) of the DGCL, we are, however, required to hold an annual meeting of stockholders for the purposes of electing directors in accordance with our bylaws unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, and thus we may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the DGCL, which requires an annual meeting. Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, they may attempt to force us to hold one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court of Chancery in accordance with Section 211(c) of the DGCL.
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest (net of permitted withdrawals), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.20 per public share. The per share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting discounts we will pay to the underwriters. The redemption right will include the requirement that any beneficial owner on whose behalf a redemption right is being exercised must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Permitted transferees of our sponsor, officers or directors will be subject to the same obligations. Unlike many blank check companies that hold stockholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business combinations and provide for related redemptions of public shares for cash upon completion of such initial business combinations even when a vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, if a stockholder vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will require these tender offer documents to contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, a stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If we seek stockholder approval, unless a different vote is required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of our initial business combination. Unless otherwise required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, a quorum for such
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meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. However, the participation of our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their respective affiliates in privately-negotiated transactions (as described in this prospectus), if any, could result in the approval of our initial business combination even if a majority of our public stockholders vote, or indicate their intention to vote, against such business combination.
For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding shares of common stock, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. We intend to give approximately 30 days (but not less than 10 days nor more than 60 days) prior written notice of any such meeting, if required, at which a vote shall be taken to approve our initial business combination. These quorum and voting thresholds and agreements may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, without our prior consent, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Our stockholders’ inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination, and such stockholders could suffer a material loss in their investment if they sell such Excess Shares on the open market. Additionally, such stockholders will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete the business combination. And, as a result, such stockholders will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose such shares would be required to sell their stock in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
If we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, our initial stockholders, officers and directors have (and their respective permitted transferees, as applicable, will agree) agreed to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to the founder shares and shares underlying the private placement units, we would need 2,740,001, or 34.3% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the option to purchase additional units is not exercised), or 110,001, or 1.38% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), of the 8,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of our initial business combination in order to have such initial business combination approved. Additionally, each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.
Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 12 months of the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus), we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but no more than ten business days thereafter, subject to lawfully available funds therefor, 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 (net of permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law; and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 months of the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus). However, if our sponsor or any of our officers or directors acquires public shares after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect
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to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 months of the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus).
In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the company after a business combination, our stockholders are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining available for distribution to them after payment of liabilities and after provision is made for each class of stock, if any, having preference over the common stock. Our stockholders have no preemptive or other subscription rights. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to the common stock, except that we will provide our stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest (net of permitted withdrawals), upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein.
Founder Shares
The founder shares are identical to the shares of our common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, and holders of founder shares have the same stockholder rights as public stockholders, except that: (1) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below; (2) our initial stockholders, directors and officers have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive: (i) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them, as applicable, in connection with the completion of our initial business combination; (ii) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) or during any Extension Period, or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre- initial business combination activity; and (iii) their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) 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 (3) the founder shares are entitled to registration rights once converted. If we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our initial stockholders, directors and officers have agreed (and their respective permitted transferees will agree), pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, to vote their founder shares and any public shares held by them purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination.
With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares are not transferable, assignable or salable (except to our directors and officers and other persons or entities affiliated with our sponsor, each of whom will be subject to the same transfer restrictions) until the earlier of: (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination; and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination (x) if the last reported sale price of shares of our common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, rights issuances, consolidations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and other similar transactions) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.
Redeemable Warrants
No warrants are currently outstanding. Each warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one share of common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing on the later of twelve months from the date of this offering or 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. However, no warrants will be exercisable for cash unless we have an effective and current registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus
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relating to such shares of common stock. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the public 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. In the event of such cashless exercise, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” for this purpose will mean the average reported last sale price of the shares of common stock for the 5 trading days ending on the trading day prior to the date of exercise. The warrants will expire on the fifth anniversary of our completion of an initial business combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
The private warrants included in the private placement units, as well as any warrants underlying additional units we issue to our sponsor, officers, directors, initial stockholders, holding founder shares or their affiliates in payment of working capital loans made to us, will be identical to the warrants underlying the units being offered by this prospectus.
We may call the warrants for redemption, in whole and not in part, at a price of $0.01 per warrant,
• at any time after the warrants become exercisable,
• upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder,
• if, and only if, the reported last sale price of the shares of common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations), for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading day period commencing at any time after the warrants become exercisable and ending on the third business day prior to the notice of redemption to warrant holders (Reference Value”); and
• if, and only if, there is a current registration statement in effect with respect to the shares of common stock underlying such warrants.
The right to exercise will be forfeited unless the warrants are exercised prior to the date specified in the notice of redemption. On and after the redemption date, a record holder of a warrant will have no further rights except to receive the redemption price for such holder’s warrant upon surrender of such warrant.
The redemption criteria for our warrants have been established at a price which is intended to provide warrant holders a reasonable premium to the initial exercise price and provide a sufficient differential between the then-prevailing share price and the warrant exercise price so that if the share price declines as a result of our redemption call, the redemption will not cause the share price to drop below the exercise price of the warrants.
If we call the warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” for this purpose shall mean the average reported last sale price of the shares of common stock for the 5 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants.
The 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 (i) to cure any ambiguity or correct any mistake, including to conform the provisions of the warrant agreement to the description of the terms of the warrants and the warrant agreement set forth in this prospectus, or to cure, correct or supplement any defective provision, or (ii) to add or change any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the warrant agreement as the parties
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to the warrant agreement may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the interests of the registered holders of the warrants. The warrant agreement requires the approval, by written consent or vote, of the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants in order to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders.
The exercise price and number of shares of common stock issuable on exercise of the warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a stock dividend, extraordinary dividend or our recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, except as described below, the warrants will not be adjusted for issuances of shares of common stock at a price below their respective exercise prices.
In addition, if (x) we issue additional shares of common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a an issue price or effective issue price less than $9.20 per share of common stock (“Newly Issued Price”) (of with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors, and in the case of any such issuance to our sponsor, initial stockholders or their affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by them prior to such issuance), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of shares of our common stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which we consummate our initial business combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) the Newly Issued Price.
The warrants may be exercised upon surrender of the warrant certificate on or prior to the expiration date at the offices of the warrant agent, with the exercise form on the reverse side of the warrant certificate completed and executed as indicated, accompanied by full payment of the exercise price, by certified or official bank check payable to us, for the number of warrants being exercised. The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of shares of common stock and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive shares of common stock. After the issuance of shares of common stock upon exercise of the warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by stockholders.
Warrant holders may elect to be subject to a restriction on the exercise of their warrants such that an electing warrant holder would not be able to exercise their warrants to the extent that, after giving effect to such exercise, such holder would beneficially own in excess of 9.9% of the shares of common stock outstanding.
No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the warrants. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round up to the nearest whole number the number of shares of common stock to be issued to the warrant holder.
We have agreed that, subject to applicable law, any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement, 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 we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction will be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. See “Risk Factors — Our warrant agreement will designate the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.” This exclusive forum provision shall not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act, any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum.
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 loan us funds as may be required, although they are under no obligation to advance funds or invest in us. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into private units of the post business combination entity at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. Such units would be identical to the private placement units.
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Dividends
We have not paid any cash dividends on our shares of common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to our initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any stock dividends in the foreseeable future, except if we increase the size of this offering, in which case we will affect a capitalization or other appropriate mechanism immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at approximately 25% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock upon the consummation of this offering. Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
Our Transfer Agent and Warrant Agent
The transfer agent for our shares of common stock and warrant agent for our warrants is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. We have agreed to indemnify Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company in its roles as transfer agent and warrant agent, its agents and each of its stockholders, directors, officers and employees against all liabilities, including judgments, costs and reasonable counsel fees that may arise out of acts performed or omitted for its activities in that capacity, except for any liability due to any gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith of the indemnified person or entity.
Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation contain certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the completion of our initial business combination. These provisions (other than amendments relating to the appointment of directors, which require the approval of a majority of at least 90% of our common stock voting in a stockholder meeting) cannot be amended without the approval of the holders of at least a majority of our common stock.
Our initial stockholders who collectively will beneficially own 25% of our shares of common stock upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), may participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Specifically, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, among other things, that:
• if we have not completed our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus), we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than 10 business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses and which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law;
• prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares of common stock that would entitle the holders thereof to (1) receive funds from the trust account or (2) vote as a class with our public shares on any initial business combination;
• although we do not intend to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or our officers, we are not prohibited from doing so. In the event we enter into such a transaction, we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, will obtain
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an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another valuation or appraisal firm that regularly renders fairness opinions on the type of target business we are seeking to acquire that such a business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view;
• if a stockholder vote on our initial business combination is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, we will offer to redeem our public shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, and will file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act;
• as long as our securities are listed on Nasdaq, our initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in trust (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discounts held in trust);
• if our stockholders approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of common stock upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares; and
• we will not effectuate our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.
In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that under no circumstances will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 following such redemptions.
Certain Anti-Takeover Provisions of Delaware Law and our Amended and restated certificate of incorporation and Bylaws
We have elected to be exempt from the restrictions imposed under Section 203 of the DGCL. However, our certificate of incorporation will contain similar provisions providing that we may not engage in certain “business combinations” with any “interested stockholder” for a three-year period following the time that such stockholder becomes an interested stockholder unless:
• prior to such time, our board of directors approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;
• upon consummation of the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an “interested stockholder,” the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of our voting stock outstanding at the time the transaction commenced (excluding certain shares); or
• on or subsequent to such time, the business combination is approved by the Board and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock not owned by the interested stockholder.
Generally, a “business combination” includes a merger, asset or stock sale to the interested stockholder. Subject to certain exceptions, an “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with that person’s affiliates and associates, owns, or within the previous three years owned, 15% or more of our voting stock.
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Under some circumstances, this provision will make it more difficult for a person who is an interested stockholder to effect various business combinations with us for a three-year period.
Our certificate of incorporation will provide that our sponsor and its various affiliates, successors and transferees will not be deemed to be “interested stockholders” regardless of the percentage of our voting stock owned by them, and accordingly will not be subject to this provision.
Our authorized but unissued common stock are available for future issuances without stockholder approval and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved common stock could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.
Exclusive Forum For Certain Lawsuits
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will require, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against us, our directors, officers or employees arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us, our directors, officers or employees governed by the internal affairs doctrine may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware, except any action (A) as to which the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination), (B) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery, (C) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction, or (D) arising under the Securities Act, as to which the Court of Chancery and the federal district court for the District of Delaware shall have concurrent jurisdiction. If an action is brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel. Although we believe this provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, a court may determine that this provision is unenforceable, and to the extent it is enforceable, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers, although our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that the exclusive forum provision will be applicable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As a result, the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As noted above, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that the Court of Chancery and the federal district court for the District of Delaware shall have concurrent jurisdiction over any action arising under the Securities Act. Accordingly, there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such provision, and our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
Special Meeting of Stockholders
Our bylaws provide that special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by a majority vote of our board of directors, by our chief executive officer or by our chairman, if any.
Securities Eligible for Future Sale
Immediately after this offering we will have 11,226,667 (or 12,884,667 if the underwriters’ over- allotment option is exercised in full) shares of common stock issued and outstanding. Of these shares, the 8,000,000 shares of our common stock (or 9,200,000 shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) sold in this offering will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, except for any shares purchased by one of our affiliates within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act. All of the
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remaining 2,666,667 (or 3,066,667 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) founder shares, all 440,000 (or 480,000 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) private placement units and the 138,000 representative shares are restricted securities under Rule 144, in that they were issued in private transactions not involving a public offering, and are subject to transfer restrictions as set forth elsewhere in this prospectus.
Rule 144
Pursuant to Rule 144, a person who has beneficially owned restricted shares of common stock or warrants for at least six months would be entitled to sell their securities provided that (1) such person is not deemed to have been one of our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale and (2) we are subject to the Exchange Act periodic reporting requirements for at least three months before the sale and have filed all required reports under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the 12 months (or such shorter period as we were required to file reports) preceding the sale.
Persons who have beneficially owned restricted shares of common stock or warrants for at least six months but who are our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale, would be subject to additional restrictions, by which such person would be entitled to sell within any three- month period only a number of securities that does not exceed the greater of:
• 1% of the total number of shares of common stock then issued and outstanding, which will equal 112,267 shares immediately after this offering (or 128,847 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full); or
• the average weekly reported trading volume of the shares of common stock during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to the sale.
Sales by our affiliates under Rule 144 are also limited by manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us.
Restrictions on the Use of Rule 144 by Shell Companies or Former Shell Companies
Rule 144 is not available for the resale of securities initially issued by shell companies (other than business combination related shell companies) or issuers that have been at any time previously a shell company. However, Rule 144 also includes an important exception to this prohibition if the following conditions are met:
• the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company;
• the issuer of the securities is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act;
• the issuer of the securities has filed all Exchange Act reports and material required to be filed, as applicable, during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than Current Reports on Form 8-K; and
• at least one year has elapsed from the time that the issuer filed current Form 10 type information with the SEC reflecting its status as an entity that is not a shell company.
As a result, our initial stockholders will be able to sell their founder shares and our sponsor will be able to sell its private placement units, pursuant to Rule 144 without registration, one year after we have completed our initial business combination.
Registration Rights
The holders of the founder shares, private placement units and any units that may be issued on conversion of working capital loans up to $1,500,000 (and any shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of the warrants included in the private placement units or units issued upon conversion of the working capital loans and upon conversion of the founder shares) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering requiring us to register such securities for resale (in the case of the founder shares, only after conversion to shares of our common stock). In addition, our
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initial stockholders and their respective permitted transferees will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration demands, that we register such securities. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall use its best efforts to file a registration statement within 30 days of our business combination to register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination and rights to require us to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. However, the registration rights agreement provides that we will not be required to effect or permit any registration or cause any registration statement filed under the Securities Act to become effective until termination of the applicable lock-up period as described under “Principal Stockholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Units.” We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Listing of Securities
We intend to apply to list our units, shares of our common stock and warrants on Nasdaq under the symbols “__________U”, “__________” and “__________W”, respectively. We expect that our units will be listed on Nasdaq promptly on or after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Following the date, the shares of our common stock and warrants are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that the shares of our common stock and warrants will be listed separately and as a unit on Nasdaq. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq.
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UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The following is a discussion of the material U.S. federal income tax considerations of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our units, our common stock and our warrants, which we refer to collectively as our securities. Because the components of a unit (consisting of one share of our common stock and one redeemable warrant) are separable at the option of the holder, the holder of a unit should be treated, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as the owner of the underlying common stock and one warrant components of the unit, as the case may be. As a result, the discussion below with respect to actual holders of common stock and warrants should also apply to holders of units (as the deemed owners of the underlying common stock and warrants that comprise the units).
This discussion applies only to securities that are held as a capital asset within the meaning of Section 1221 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) (generally, property held for investment) and is applicable only to holders who purchased units in this offering, and assumes any distributions made (or deemed made) on our common stock will be paid in U.S. dollars. This discussion does not address all the U.S. federal income tax considerations that may be relevant to holders in light of their individual circumstances (including consequences under the alternative minimum tax, the Medicare tax on net investment income, and consequences under Section 451(b) of the Code) and does not address any U.S. federal non-income tax (such as the estate or gift tax), state, local, non-U.S. or other tax laws. This discussion also does not address all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may be relevant to holders that are subject to special rules, including (but not limited to):
• financial institutions, insurance companies, mutual funds, real estate investment trusts, and regulated investment companies;
• investors in pass-through entities (such as partnerships, S corporations and disregarded entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes);
• tax-exempt organizations;
• brokers or dealers in securities or currencies;
• traders in securities that elect to use a mark-to-market method of accounting;
• persons that hold common stock as part of a straddle, hedge, integrated transaction, constructive sale or conversion transaction, or those that purchased or sell their common stock as part of a wash sale;
• certain expatriates, former citizens of, or long-term residents of the United States, or persons that have a functional currency other than the U.S. dollar;
• persons that own (or are treated as owning) 5% or more of our common stock;
• persons who hold or receive our common stock as compensation, through a tax-qualified retirement plan or through the exercise of a warrant or conversion rights under convertible instruments;
• persons who hold shares of common stock that may constitute “qualified small business stock” under Section 1202 of the Code or as “Section 1244 stock” for purposes of Section 1244 of the Code; and persons who acquired common stock in a transaction subject to the gain rollover provisions of Section 1045 of the Code.
For purposes of this summary, a “U.S. Holder” is a beneficial holder of securities who or that is (i) an individual who is a U.S. citizen or resident of the United States as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes; (ii) a corporation or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes created in, or organized under the law of, the United States or any state or political subdivision thereof; (iii) an estate the income of which is includible in gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes regardless of its source; or (iv) a trust (A) the administration of which is subject to the primary supervision of a U.S. court and which has one or more U.S. persons (within the meaning of the Code) who have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (B) that has in effect a valid election under applicable Treasury regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.
For purposes of this summary, a “Non-U.S. Holder” is a beneficial holder of securities who or that is neither a U.S. Holder nor a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
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If you are an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of your partners or other owners will depend on the status of the partners (or other owners) and your activities. If you are a partner (or other owners) of a partnership or other pass- through entity that acquires our securities, you are urged to consult your own tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of acquiring, owning and disposing of our securities.
This discussion is based on the Code, applicable U.S. Treasury Regulations thereunder, published administrative rulings and court decisions, all as currently in effect as of the date hereof, and all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect. Any such change could affect the continuing validity of this discussion. We have not requested, and will not request, a ruling from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) with respect to any of the U.S. federal income tax consequences described below, and as a result there can be no assurance that the IRS will not disagree with or challenge any of the conclusions we have reached and describe herein. This discussion does not address any aspect of state, local or non-U.S. taxation, or any U.S. federal taxes other than income taxes (such as gift and estate taxes).
THE FOLLOWING DISCUSSION DOES NOT PURPORT TO BE A COMPLETE ANALYSIS OR DISCUSSION OF ALL OF THE POTENTIAL TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR SECURITIES. ALL HOLDERS OF OUR SECURITIES SHOULD CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS AS TO THE SPECIFIC TAX CONSEQUENCES TO THEM OF THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR SECURITIES, INCLUDING TAX RETURN REPORTING REQUIREMENTS AND THE APPLICABILITY AND EFFECT OF ANY STATE, LOCAL, NON-U.S. AND OTHER TAX LAWS IN LIGHT OF THEIR PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES.
Personal Holding Company Status
We could be subject to a second level of U.S. federal income tax on a portion of our income if we are determined to be a personal holding company (“PHC”), for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A U.S. corporation will generally be classified as a PHC for U.S. federal income tax purposes in a given taxable year if (i) at any time during the last half of such taxable year, five or fewer individuals (without regard to their citizenship or residency and including as individuals for this purpose certain entities such as certain tax-exempt organizations, pension funds and charitable trusts) own or are deemed to own (pursuant to certain constructive ownership rules), directly or indirectly, more than 50% of the stock of the corporation by value and (ii) at least 60% of the corporation’s adjusted ordinary gross income, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes, for such taxable year consists of PHC income (which includes, among other things, dividends, interest, certain royalties, annuities and, under certain circumstances, rents).
Depending on the date and size of our initial business combination, it is possible that at least 60% of our adjusted ordinary gross income may consist of PHC income as discussed above. In addition, depending on the concentration of our stock in the hands of individuals, including the members of our sponsor and certain tax-exempt organizations, pension funds and charitable trusts, it is possible that more than 50% of our stock may be owned or deemed owned (pursuant to the constructive ownership rules) by five or fewer such persons during the last half of a taxable year. Thus, no assurance can be given that we will not become a PHC following this offering or in the future. If we are or were to become a PHC in a given taxable year, we would be subject to an additional PHC tax, currently 20%, on our undistributed PHC income, which generally includes our taxable income, subject to certain adjustments.
General Treatment and Characterization of the Units
No statutory, administrative or judicial authority directly addresses the treatment of the units or instruments with terms substantially the same as the units for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, therefore, their treatment is not entirely clear. The acquisition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as the acquisition of one share of our common stock and one redeemable warrant to acquire one share of our common stock. We intend to treat the acquisition of a unit in this manner and, by purchasing a unit, you agree to adopt such treatment for tax purposes. Each holder of a unit must allocate the purchase price paid by such holder for such unit between the one share of common stock and the one redeemable warrant based on their respective relative fair market values at the time of issuance. Under U.S. federal income tax law, each investor must make his or her own determination of such value based on all the facts and circumstances. Therefore, we strongly urge each investor to consult his or her own tax adviser regarding the determination of value for these purposes. The price allocated to each share of
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common stock and the one redeemable warrant should be the stockholder’s tax basis in such share or redeemable warrant, as the case may be. Any disposition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a disposition of the share of common stock and the redeemable warrant constituting the unit, and the amount realized on the disposition should be allocated between the common stock and the warrant based on their respective relative fair market values at the time of disposition (as determined by each such unit holder based on all the facts and circumstances). The separation of shares of common stock and warrants constituting units should not be a taxable event for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
The foregoing treatment of the units, shares of common stock and warrants and a holder’s purchase price allocation are not binding on the IRS or the courts. Because there is no authority that directly addresses instruments that are similar to the units, no assurance can be given that the IRS or the courts will agree with the characterization described above or the discussion below. Accordingly, each prospective investor is urged to consult its tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of an investment in a unit (including alternative characterizations of a unit). The following discussion assumes that the characterization of the units described above is respected for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
U.S. Holders
Taxation of Distributions
If we pay distributions in cash or other property (other than certain distributions of our stock or rights to acquire our stock) to U.S. Holders of shares of our common stock, such distributions will generally constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent paid from our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. Distributions in excess of current and accumulated earnings and profits will constitute a return of capital that will be applied against and reduce (but not below zero) the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in our common stock. Any remaining excess will be treated as gain realized on the sale or other disposition of the common stock and will be treated as described under “U.S. Holders — Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock” below.
Dividends we pay to a U.S. Holder that is a taxable corporation will generally qualify for the dividends received deduction if the requisite holding period is satisfied. With certain exceptions (including, but not limited to, dividends treated as investment income for purposes of investment interest deduction limitations), and provided certain holding period requirements are met, dividends we pay to a non-corporate U.S. Holder will generally constitute “qualified dividends” that will be subject to tax at the applicable tax rate for long-term capital gains. It is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to the common stock described in this prospectus may prevent a U.S. Holder from satisfying the applicable holding period requirements with respect to the dividends received deduction or the preferential tax rate on qualified dividend income, as the case may be. If the holding period requirements are not satisfied, then a corporation may not be able to qualify for the dividends received deduction and would have taxable income equal to the entire dividend amount, and non-corporate U.S. Holders may be subject to tax on such dividend at regular ordinary income tax rates instead of the preferential rate that applies to qualified dividends.
Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock and Warrants
A U.S. Holder will generally recognize gain or loss on the sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of our common stock or warrants which, in general, would include a redemption of common stock or warrants that is treated as a sale of such securities as described below (including as a result of our dissolution and liquidation if we do not complete an initial business combination within the required time period). Any such gain or loss will be capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized and the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in the common stock or warrants.
Any such capital gain or loss will generally be long term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder’s holding period for such common stock and warrants exceeds one year. It is unclear, however, whether the redemption rights with respect to the common stock described in this prospectus may suspend the running of the applicable holding period for this purpose. Long term capital gains recognized by non-corporate U.S. Holders may be taxed at reduced rates. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.
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Generally, the amount realized by a U.S. Holder is the sum of the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received in such disposition (or, if the common stock or warrants are held as part of units at the time of the disposition, the portion of the amount realized on such disposition that is allocated to the common stock or warrants based upon the then fair market values of the common stock and the warrants included in the units). A U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its common stock or warrants generally will equal the U.S. Holder’s acquisition cost (that is, as discussed above, the portion of the purchase price of a unit allocated to a share of common stock or one warrant or, as discussed below, the U.S. Holder’s initial basis for common stock received upon exercise of warrants) less, in the case of a share of Class A common stock, any prior distributions treated as a return of capital.
Redemption of Common Stock
In the event that a U.S. Holder’s common stock is redeemed pursuant to the redemption provisions described in this prospectus under the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Common Stock” or if we purchase a U.S. Holder’s common stock in an open market transaction, the treatment of the transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes will depend on whether the redemption or purchase by us qualifies as sale of the common stock under Section 302 of the Code. If the redemption or purchase by us qualifies as a sale of common stock, the U.S. Holder will be treated as described under “U.S. Holders — Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock and Warrants” above. If the redemption or purchase by us does not qualify as a sale of common stock, the U.S. Holder will be treated as receiving a corporate distribution with the tax consequences described above under “U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions.” Whether a redemption or purchase by us qualifies for sale treatment will depend largely on the total number of shares of our stock treated as held by the U.S. Holder (including any stock constructively owned by the U.S. Holder as a result of owning warrants) relative to all of our shares outstanding both before and after the redemption or purchase by us. A redemption or purchase by us of common stock will generally be treated as a sale of the common stock (rather than as a distribution) if the redemption or purchase by us (i) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the U.S. Holder, (ii) results in a “complete termination” of the U.S. Holder’s interest in us or (iii) is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the U.S. Holder. These tests are explained more fully below.
In determining whether any of the foregoing tests are satisfied, a U.S. Holder takes into account not only stock actually owned by the U.S. Holder, but also shares of our stock that are constructively owned by it. A U.S. Holder may constructively own, in addition to stock owned directly, stock owned by certain related individuals and entities in which the U.S. Holder has an interest or that have an interest in such U.S. Holder, as well as any stock the U.S. Holder has a right to acquire by exercise of an option, which would generally include common stock which could be acquired pursuant to the exercise of the warrants. A redemption or purchase by us of a U.S. Holder’s stock will meet the “substantially disproportionate test” with respect to the U.S. Holder if the percentage of our outstanding voting stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder immediately following such redemption or purchase of outstanding voting stock is, among other requirements, less than 80% of the percentage of our outstanding voting stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder immediately before such redemption or purchase. Prior to our initial business combination, the common stock may not be treated as voting stock for this purpose and, consequently, this substantially disproportionate test may not be applicable. There will be a “complete termination” of a U.S. Holder’s interest if either (i) all of the shares of our stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder are redeemed or purchased by us or (ii) all of the shares of our stock actually owned by the U.S. Holder are redeemed or purchased by us and the U.S. Holder is eligible to waive, and effectively waives in accordance with specific rules, the attribution of stock owned by certain family members and the U.S. Holder does not constructively own any other stock (including any stock constructively owned by the U.S. Holder as a result of owning warrants). The redemption or purchase by us of the common stock will not be essentially equivalent to a dividend if a U.S. Holder’s conversion results in a “meaningful reduction” of the U.S. Holder’s proportionate interest in us. Whether the redemption or purchase by us will result in a meaningful reduction in a U.S. Holder’s proportionate interest in us will depend on the particular facts and circumstances. However, the IRS has indicated in a published ruling that even a small reduction in the proportionate interest of a small minority stockholder in a publicly held corporation who exercises no control over corporate affairs may constitute such a “meaningful reduction.” Each U.S. Holder should consult with its own tax advisor as to the tax consequences of a redemption or purchase by us.
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If none of the foregoing tests is satisfied, the redemption or purchase by us will be treated as a distribution taxed as described above under “U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions.” After the application of those rules, any remaining tax basis of the U.S. Holder in the redeemed or purchased common stock should be added to the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its remaining stock, or, if it has none, to the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its warrants or possibly in other stock constructively owned by it.
Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant
Except as discussed below with respect to the cashless exercise of a warrant, a U.S. Holder will generally not recognize gain or loss on the acquisition of our common stock upon exercise of a warrant for cash. The U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the share of our common stock received upon exercise of the warrant will generally equal the sum of the U.S. Holder’s initial investment in the warrant (i.e., the portion of the U.S. Holder’s purchase price for a unit that is allocated to the warrant, as described above under “General Treatment and Characterization of the Units”) and the exercise price of such warrant. It is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period for the common stock received upon exercise of the warrant will begin on the date of exercise of the warrant or the day following the date of exercise of the warrant; however, in either case, the holding period will not include the period during which the U.S. Holder held the warrant. If a warrant is allowed to lapse unexercised, a U.S. holder will generally recognize a capital loss equal to such holder’s tax basis in the warrant. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to certain limitations.
The tax consequences of a cashless exercise of a warrant are not clear under current tax law. A cashless exercise may be nontaxable, either because the exercise is not a gain realization event or because the exercise is treated as a recapitalization for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In either nontaxable situation, a U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the common stock received would generally equal the holder’s tax basis in the warrant exercised therefor. If the cashless exercise were treated as not being a gain realization event, it is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period in the common stock would be treated as commencing on the date following the date of exercise (or possibly on the date of exercise) of the warrant; in either case, the holding period would not include the period during which the U.S. Holder held the warrant. If, however, the cashless exercise was treated as a recapitalization, the holding period of the common stock would include the holding period of the warrant.
It is also possible that a cashless exercise could be treated in part as a taxable exchange in which gain or loss would be recognized. In such event, a U.S. Holder would recognize gain or loss with respect to the portion of the exercised warrants treated as surrendered to pay the exercise price for the total number of warrants to be exercised (the “surrendered warrants”). The U.S. Holder would recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the fair market value of the surrendered warrants and the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in such warrants. In this case, a U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the common stock received would equal the sum of the U.S. Holder’s initial tax basis in the warrants exercised (i.e., the portion of the U.S. Holder’s purchase price for the units that is allocated to the warrants, as described above under “General Treatment and Characterization of the Units”) (except for any such tax basis allocable to the surrendered warrants) and the exercise price of the exercised warrants. It is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period for the common stock would commence on the date of exercise of the warrant or on the date following the date of exercise of the warrant; in either case, the holding period would not include the period during which the U.S. Holder held the warrant.
Due to the absence of authority on the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a cashless exercise, including when a U.S. Holder’s holding period would commence with respect to the common stock received, there can be no assurance which, if any, of the alternative tax consequences and holding periods described above would be adopted by the IRS or a court of law. Accordingly, each U.S. Holder should consult their own tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of a cashless exercise.
If we give notice of an intention to redeem warrants for $0.10 as described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Redeemable Warrants,” and a U.S. Holder exercises its warrant on a cashless basis and receives the amount of common stock as determined by reference to the table set forth thereunder, we intend to treat such exercise as a redemption of warrants for common stock for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Such redemption of warrants for common stock should be treated as a “recapitalization” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, a U.S. Holder should not recognize any gain or loss on the redemption of warrants for shares of the common stock. A U.S. Holder’s aggregate tax basis in the shares of common stock received in the redemption should equal the U.S. Holder’s aggregate tax basis in the warrants redeemed and the holding period for
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the shares of common stock received in redemption of the warrants should include the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the surrendered warrants. However, there is some uncertainty regarding this tax treatment and it is possible such a redemption could be treated in part as a taxable exchange in which gain or loss would be recognized in a manner similar to that discussed above for a cashless exercise of warrants or otherwise characterized. Accordingly, each U.S. Holder is urged to consult its tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of a redemption of warrants for shares of common stock.
If we redeem warrants for cash pursuant to the redemption provisions described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Redeemable Warrants —” or if we purchase warrants in an open market transaction, such redemption or purchase generally will be treated as a taxable disposition to the U.S. Holder, taxed as described above under “Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock and Warrants.”
Possible Constructive Distributions
The terms of each warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of shares of common stock for which the warrant may be exercised or to the exercise price of the warrant in certain events, as discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Redeemable Warrants —” An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution is generally not a taxable event. The U.S. Holders of the warrants would, however, be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment increases such U.S. Holders’ proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of shares of common stock that would be obtained upon exercise or through a decrease in the exercise price of the warrant) as a result of a distribution of cash or other property to the holders of shares of our common stock, or as a result of the issuance of a stock dividend to holders of shares of our common stock, in each case which is taxable to the holders of such shares as a distribution. Such constructive distribution to a U.S. Holder of warrants would be treated as if such U.S. Holders had received a cash distribution from us equal to the fair market value of such increased interest (taxed as described above under “U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions”). For certain informational reporting purposes, we are required to determine the date and amount of any such constructive distributions. Proposed Treasury regulations, which we may rely on prior to the issuance of final regulations, specify how the date and amount of constructive distributions are determined.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding
Information reporting requirements may apply to dividends paid to a U.S. Holder and to the proceeds of the sale or other disposition of our units, shares of common stock and warrants, unless the U.S. Holder is an exempt recipient. Backup withholding may apply to such payments if the U.S. Holder fails to provide a taxpayer identification number, a certification of exempt status or has been notified by the IRS that it is subject to backup withholding (and such notification has not been withdrawn).
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules will be allowed as a refund or a credit against a U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.
Non-U.S. Holders
Taxation of Distributions
In general, any distributions (including constructive distributions, such as described under “Non-U.S. Holders — Possible Constructive Distributions” below) we make to a Non-U.S. Holder of shares of our common stock, to the extent paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles), will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Provided such dividends are not effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and are not attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment under an applicable treaty), we will be required to withhold tax from the gross amount of the dividend at a rate of 30%, unless such Non-U.S. Holder is eligible for a reduced rate of withholding tax under an applicable income tax treaty and provides proper certification of its eligibility for such reduced rate (usually on an IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E, as applicable). In the case of any constructive dividend, it is possible that this tax would be withheld from any amount owed to a Non-U.S. Holder by the applicable withholding agent, including cash distributions on other property or sale proceeds from warrants or other property subsequently paid or credited to such holder.
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Any distribution not constituting a dividend will be treated first as reducing (but not below zero) the Non-U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its shares of our common stock and, to the extent such distribution exceeds the Non-U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis, as gain realized from the sale or other disposition of the common stock, which will be treated as described under “Non-U.S. Holders — Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock and Warrants” below. In addition, if we determine that we are likely to be classified as a “U.S. real property holding corporation” (see “Non-U.S. Holders — Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock and Warrants” below), we will withhold 15% of any distribution that exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits, including a distribution in redemption of our common stock. See also “U.S. Holders — Possible Constructive Distributions” for potential U.S. federal tax consequences with respect to constructive distributions.
Dividends that we pay to a Non-U.S. Holder that are effectively connected with such Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (or if a tax treaty applies, are attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the Non-U.S. Holder) will generally not be subject to U.S. withholding tax, provided such Non-U.S. Holder complies with certain certification and disclosure requirements (usually by providing an IRS Form W-8ECI). Instead, such dividends will generally be subject to U.S. federal income tax, net of certain deductions, at the same rates applicable to U.S. Holders, unless an applicable income tax treaty provides otherwise. A Non-U.S. corporation receiving dividends that are effectively connected income may also be subject to a “branch profits tax” at a rate of 30% (or a lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty).
Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant
The U.S. federal income tax treatment of a Non-U.S. Holder’s exercise of a warrant, or the lapse of a warrant held by a Non-U.S. Holder, will generally correspond to the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the exercise or lapse of a warrant by a U.S. Holder, as described above under “U.S. Holders — Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant” above, although to the extent a cashless exercise results in a taxable exchange, the consequences would be similar to those described below in “Non-U.S. Holders — Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock and Warrants.”
The U.S. federal income tax treatment for a Non-U.S. Holder of a redemption of warrants for Class A common stock described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Redeemable Warrants —” will correspond to the U.S. federal income tax treatment for a U.S. Holder of a redemption of warrants for common stock, as described above in “U.S. Holders — Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant.”
The U.S. federal income tax treatment for a Non-U.S. Holder of a redemption of warrants for cash described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Redeemable Warrants —” (or if we purchase warrants in an open market transaction) would be similar to that described below in “Non-U.S. Holders — Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock and Warrants.”
Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock and Warrants
A Non-U.S. Holder will generally not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax in respect of gain recognized on a sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of our common stock (including a dissolution and liquidation in the event we do not complete an initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) or warrants (including an expiration or redemption of our warrants), in each case without regard to whether such securities were held as part of a unit, unless:
• the gain is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business by the Non-U.S. Holder within the United States (and, under certain income tax treaties, is attributable to a United States permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the Non-U.S. Holder);
• the Non-U.S. Holder is an individual present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of disposition and certain other conditions are met; or
• we are or have been a “United States real property holding corporation” for U.S. federal income tax purposes at any time during the shorter of the five-year period ending on the date of disposition or the period that the Non-U.S. Holder held our common stock, and, in the case where shares of our common
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stock are regularly traded on an established securities market, the Non-U.S. Holder has owned, directly or constructively, more than 5% of our common stock at any time within the shorter of the five-year period preceding the disposition or such Non-U.S. Holder’s holding period for the shares of our common stock. There can be no assurance that our common stock will be treated as regularly traded on an established securities market for this purpose. These rules may be modified for Non-U.S. Holders of warrants. If we are or have been a “United States real property holding corporation” and you own warrants, you are urged to consult your own tax advisor regarding the application of these rules.
Unless an applicable treaty provides otherwise, gain described in the first bullet point above will be subject to tax at generally applicable U.S. federal income tax rates as if the Non-U.S. Holder were a U.S. resident. Any gains described in the first bullet point above of a Non-U.S. Holder that is a foreign corporation may also be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” at a 30% rate (or lower applicable treaty rate). Gain described in the second bullet point above will generally be subject to a 30% U.S. federal income tax. Non-U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding possible eligibility for benefits under income tax treaties.
If the third bullet point above applies to a Non-U.S. Holder, gain recognized by such holder on the sale, exchange or other disposition of our common stock or warrants will be subject to tax at generally applicable U.S. federal income tax rates. In addition, a buyer of our common stock or warrants from such holder may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 15% of the amount realized upon such disposition. We cannot determine whether we will be a United States real property holding corporation in the future until we complete an initial business combination. We will be classified as a United States real property holding corporation if the fair market value of our “United States real property interests” equals or exceeds 50 percent of the sum of the fair market value of our worldwide real property interests plus our other assets used or held for use in a trade or business, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Redemption of Common Stock
The characterization for U.S. federal income tax purposes of the redemption of a Non-U.S. Holder’s common stock pursuant to the redemption provisions described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Common Stock” will generally correspond to the U.S. federal income tax characterization of such a redemption of a U.S. Holder’s common stock, as described under “U.S. Holders — Redemption of Common Stock” above, and the consequences of the redemption to the Non-U.S. Holder will be as described above under “Non-U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions” and “Non-U.S. Holders — Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock and Warrants,” as applicable.
Possible Constructive Distributions
The terms of each warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of shares of common stock for which the warrant may be exercised or to the exercise price of the warrant in certain events, as discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Redeemable Warrants.” An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution is generally not a taxable event. Non-U.S. Holders of the warrants would, however, be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment increases such Non-U.S. Holders’ proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of shares of common stock that would be obtained upon exercise or through a decrease in the exercise prices of the warrant) as a result of a distribution of cash or other property to the holders of shares of our common stock, or as a result of the issuance of a stock dividend to holders of shares of our common stock, in each case which is taxable to the holders of such shares as a distribution. Such constructive distribution to a Non-U.S. Holder of warrants would be treated as described above under “Non-U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions” and would be subject to U.S. federal income tax withholding under that section in the same manner as if such Non-U.S. Holders had received a cash distribution from us equal to the fair market value of such increased interest. For certain informational reporting purposes, we are required to determine the date and amount of any such constructive distributions. Proposed Treasury regulations, which we may rely on prior to the issuance of final regulations, specify how the date and amount of constructive distributions are determined.
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Information Reporting and Backup Withholding
Information returns will be filed with the IRS in connection with payments of dividends and the proceeds from a sale or other disposition of our units, shares of common stock and warrants. A Non-U.S. Holder may have to comply with certification procedures to establish that it is not a United States person (by providing certification of its foreign status, under penalties of perjury, on a duly executed applicable IRS Form W-8 or by otherwise establishing an exemption) in order to avoid information reporting and backup withholding requirements. The certification procedures required to claim a reduced rate of withholding under a treaty will generally satisfy the certification requirements necessary to avoid the backup withholding as well.
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. The amount of any backup withholding from a payment to a Non-U.S. Holder will be allowed as a credit against such holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability and may entitle such holder to a refund, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.
FATCA Withholding
Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code and the U.S. Treasury Regulations and administrative guidance promulgated thereunder (commonly referred to as the “Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act” or “FATCA”) generally impose withholding of 30% on payments of dividends (including constructive dividends) in respect of our securities and, subject to the proposed regulations discussed below, on proceeds from sales or other disposition of our securities paid to “foreign financial institutions” (which is broadly defined for this purpose and includes investment vehicles) and certain other non-U.S. entities unless various U.S. information reporting and due diligence requirements (relating to ownership by U.S. persons of interests in or accounts with those entities) have been satisfied or an exemption applies (typically certified as to by the delivery of a properly completed IRS Form W-8BEN-E). If FATCA withholding is imposed, a beneficial owner that is not a foreign financial institution may be entitled to a refund of any amounts withheld by filing a U.S. federal income tax return (which may entail significant administrative burden). Foreign financial institutions located in jurisdictions that have an intergovernmental agreement with the United States governing FATCA may be subject to different rules. Similarly, dividends and, subject to the proposed regulations discussed below, proceeds from sales or other disposition in respect of our securities held by an investor that is a non-financial non-U.S. entity that does not qualify under certain exceptions will be subject to withholding at a rate of 30%, unless such entity either (i) certifies to us or the applicable withholding agent that such entity does not have any “substantial United States owners” or (ii) provides certain information regarding the entity’s “substantial United States owners,” which will in turn be provided to the U.S. Department of Treasury. The U.S. Department of the Treasury has proposed regulations which eliminate the federal withholding tax of 30% applicable to the gross proceeds of a sale or other disposition of our securities, and which state that taxpayers may rely on the proposed regulations until final regulations are issued. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the possible implications of FATCA on their investment in our securities.
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EF Hutton is acting as sole book-running manager and as representative of the underwriters named below. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the underwriting agreement between us and the representative, we have agreed to sell to the underwriters, and the underwriters have agreed to purchase from us, the number of units set forth opposite its name below.
|
Underwriter |
Number of |
|
|
EF Hutton |
|
|
|
Total |
8,000,000 |
Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the underwriting agreement, the underwriters have agreed to purchase all of the units sold under the underwriting agreement (other than those covered by the over-allotment option described below) if any of these units are purchased.
We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make in respect of those liabilities.
The underwriters are offering the units, subject to prior sale, when, as and if issued to and accepted by them, subject to approval of legal matters by their counsel, including the validity of the units, and other conditions contained in the underwriting agreement, such as the receipt by the underwriters of officer’s certificates and legal opinions. The underwriters reserve the right to withdraw, cancel or modify offers to the public and to reject orders in whole or in part.
Discounts and Commissions
The representative has advised us that the underwriters propose initially to offer the units to the public at the public offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus and to dealers at that price less a concession not in excess of $[___] per unit. After the initial offering, the public offering price, concession or any other term of the offering may be changed.
The following table shows the underwriting discounts that we are to pay to the underwriters in connection with this offering. These amounts are shown assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
|
Per Unit |
Without |
With |
|||||||
|
Public offering price |
$ |
10.00 |
$ |
80,000,000 |
$ |
92,000,000 |
|||
|
Underwriting discounts(1) |
$ |
0.55 |
$ |
4,400,000 |
$ |
5,060,000 |
|||
|
Proceeds, before expenses, payable to us |
$ |
9.45 |
$ |
75,600,000 |
$ |
86,940,000 |
|||
____________
(1) Includes $0.30 per unit, or $2,400,000 (or $2,760,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) in the aggregate of deferred underwriting discounts, payable to the underwriters for compensation to be placed in a trust account located in the United States as described in this prospectus. The deferred discounts will be released to the underwriters only on completion of an initial business combination, as described in this prospectus.
We have also agreed to pay all expenses relating to the offering, including all fees, disbursements and expenses in connection with the proposed offering, including, without limitation: the costs of preparing, printing, mailing and delivering the Registration Statement, the preliminary and final prospectus contained therein and amendments thereto, post-effective amendments and supplements thereto, this agreement and related documents (all in such quantities as EF Hutton may reasonably require); preparing and printing stock certificates and warrant certificates; the costs of any “due diligence” meetings; net roadshow; i-Deal system, filing fees (including SEC filing fees), costs and expenses (including third party expenses and disbursements) incurred in registering the offering, FINRA filing fees; preparation of leather bound volumes and Lucite cube mementos in such quantities as EF Hutton may reasonably request; transfer taxes; transfer and warrant agent and registrar fees; and all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by EF Hutton in connection with its engagement, including, without limitation, any expenses and fees incurred by EF Hutton’s counsel, expenses incurred for background checks on our senior management
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and board of directors to be conducted upon the execution of this engagement letter by a background search firm acceptable to EF Hutton, subject to a maximum amount of $100,000 in the event of a closing. Additionally, we provided an expense advance to EF Hutton of $25,000.
We estimate that the expenses of the offering payable by us will be $708,000, excluding the underwriting discounts and directors and officers’ insurance premiums. We have agreed to reimburse the underwriters for all expenses and fees associated with the review by FINRA and the fees and expenses (including, without limitation, expenses and fees incurred by underwriters’ counsel) of the underwriters (not to exceed $100,000).
Option to Purchase Additional Units
We have granted an option to the underwriter, exercisable for 45 days after the date of this prospectus, to purchase up to 1,200,000 additional units at the public offering price, less the underwriting discount. If this option is exercised in full, the total proceeds to us will be $92,000,000 before deduction of underwriting discounts and estimated offering expenses. The underwriters have agreed that, to the extent the over-allotment option is exercised, they will purchase a number of additional shares proportionate to the underwriters’ initial amount reflected in the foregoing table.
Representative Shares
We have agreed to issue to EF Hutton 120,000 shares of common stock (138,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) upon the consummation of this offering. EF Hutton has agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any such shares until the completion of our initial business combination. In addition, EF Hutton has agreed (i) to waive its redemption rights with respect to such shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) to waive its rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months if we extend such period, as described in more detail in this prospectus) from the closing of this offering.
The representative shares have been deemed compensation by FINRA and are therefore subject to a lock-up for a period of 180 days immediately following the commencement of sales of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part pursuant to Rule 5110(e)(1) of FINRA’s NASD Conduct Rules. Pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110(e)(1), these securities may not be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated or the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the economic disposition of the securities by any person for a period of 180 days immediately following the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, nor may they be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated for a period of 180 days immediately following the commencement of sales of this offering except to any underwriter and selected dealer participating in the offering and their bona fide officers or partners, registered persons or affiliates or as otherwise permitted under Rule 5110(e)(2), and only if any such transferee agrees to the foregoing lock-up restrictions.
Right of First Refusal
For a period of 24 months after the closing of the initial business combination (but in no event longer than 36 months from the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part), EF Hutton shall have an irrevocable right of first refusal to act as sole investment banker, sole book-runner and/or sole placement agent, at its sole discretion, for each and every future public and private equity and debt offerings by us, or any successor to or any current or future subsidiary of ours. EF Hutton shall have the sole right to determine whether or not any other broker-dealer shall have the right to participate in any such offering and the economic terms of any such participation.
No Sales of Similar Securities
We, our sponsor and our officers and directors have agreed that we will not offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, without the prior written consent of EF Hutton for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus, any units, warrants, shares of common stock or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, shares of common stock; provided, however, that we may (1) issue and sell the private placement units; (2) issue and sell the additional units to cover our underwriters’ over-allotment option (if any); (3) register with the SEC pursuant to an agreement to be entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale
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of the securities in this offering, the resale of the private placement units and the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants included therein and the founder shares; and (4) issue securities in connection with our initial business combination. However, the foregoing shall not apply to the forfeiture of any founder shares pursuant to their terms or any transfer of founder shares to any current or future independent director of the Company (as long as such current or future independent director is subject to the terms of the letter agreement, filed herewith, at the time of such transfer; and as long as, to the extent any Section 16 reporting obligation is triggered as a result of such transfer, any related Section 16 filing includes a practical explanation as to the nature of the transfer). EF Hutton in its sole discretion may release any of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements at any time without notice.
Our initial stockholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earlier to occur of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination; or (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of the shares of common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, capitalization of shares, share dividends, rights issuances, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date following the completion of our initial business combination on which we complete a liquidation, merger, amalgamation, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property (except with respect to permitted transferees as described herein under “Principal Stockholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private placement units”). Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial stockholders with respect to any founder shares.
The private placement units (including the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants included in the private placement units) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except with respect to permitted transferees as described herein under “Principal Stockholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Units”).
Nasdaq Capital Market Listing
We expect the units to be approved for listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market, subject to notice of issuance, under the symbol “__________U” and, once the shares of common stock and warrants begin separate trading, to have our shares of common stock and warrants listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbols “__________” and “__________W,” respectively.
Before this offering, there has been no public market for our securities. The initial public offering price was determined through negotiations between us and the representative. In addition to prevailing market conditions, the factors to be considered in determining the initial public offering price are:
• the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies;
• prior offerings of those companies;
• our management;
• our capital structure; and
• currently prevailing general conditions in equity securities markets, including current market valuations of publicly traded companies considered comparable to our company.
An active trading market for our securities may not develop. It is also possible that after the offering our securities will not trade in the public market at or above the initial public offering price.
The underwriters do not expect to sell more than 5% of the units in the aggregate to accounts over which they exercise discretionary authority.
If we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus), the trustee and the underwriters have agreed that: (1) they will forfeit any rights or claims to their deferred underwriting discounts, including any accrued interest thereon, then in the trust account; and (2) the deferred underwriters’ discounts will be distributed on a pro rata basis, together with any accrued interest thereon (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) to the public stockholders.
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Price Stabilization, Short Positions and Penalty Bids
Until the distribution of the units is completed, SEC rules may limit underwriters and selling group members from bidding for and purchasing our securities. However, the representative may engage in transactions that stabilize the price of the units, such as bids or purchases to peg, fix or maintain that price.
In connection with the offering, the underwriters may purchase and sell our units in the open market. These transactions may include short sales, purchases on the open market to cover positions created by short sales and stabilizing transactions. Short sales involve the sale by the underwriters of a greater number of units than they are required to purchase in the offering. “Covered” short sales are sales made in an amount not greater than the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units described above. The underwriters may close out any covered short position by either exercising their option to purchase additional units or purchasing units in the open market. In determining the source of units to close out the covered short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of units available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase units through the option granted to them. “Naked” short sales are sales in excess of such option. The underwriters must close out any naked short position by purchasing units in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the units in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering. Stabilizing transactions consist of various bids for or purchases of units made by the underwriters in the open market prior to the completion of the offering.
The underwriters may also impose a penalty bid. This occurs when a particular underwriter repays to the underwriters a portion of the underwriting discount received by it because the representatives have repurchased units sold by or for the account of such underwriter in stabilizing or short covering transactions.
Similar to other purchase transactions, the underwriters’ purchases to cover the syndicate short sales may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of the units or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the units. As a result, the price of the units may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. The underwriters may conduct these transactions on the Nasdaq Capital Market, in the over-the-counter market or otherwise.
Neither we nor any of the underwriters make any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of the units. In addition, neither we nor any of the underwriters make any representation that the representatives will engage in these transactions or that these transactions, once commenced, will not be discontinued without notice.
Electronic Distribution
In connection with the offering, certain of the underwriters or securities dealers may distribute prospectuses by electronic means, such as e-mail.
Other Relationships
We are not under any contractual obligation to engage any of the underwriters to provide any services for us after this offering, but we may do so at our discretion. However, any of the underwriters may introduce us to potential target businesses or assist us in raising additional capital in the future, including by acting as a placement agent in a private offering or underwriting or arranging debt financing. If any of the underwriters provide services to us after this offering, we may pay such underwriter fair and reasonable fees that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with any of the underwriters and no fees for such services will be paid to any of the underwriters prior to the date that is 90 days from the date of this prospectus, unless FINRA determines that such payment would not be deemed underwriters’ compensation in connection with this offering, and we may pay the underwriters of this offering or any entity with which they are affiliated, a finder’s fee or other compensation for services rendered to us in connection with the completion of a business combination. Any fees we may pay the underwriters or their respective affiliates for services rendered to us after this offering may be contingent on the completion of a business combination and may be paid in other than cash. The underwriters or their respective affiliates that provide these services to us may have a potential conflict of interest given that the underwriters are entitled to the deferred portion of their underwriting compensation for this offering only if an initial business combination is completed within the specified timeframe.
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European Economic Area and the United Kingdom
In relation to each member state of the European Economic Area which is a party to the agreement relating to the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom, each referred to as a Relevant State, with effect from and including the date on which the Prospectus Regulation enters into effect in that Relevant State, an offer to the public of any securities which are the subject of the offering contemplated by this prospectus may not be made in that Relevant State, except that an offer to the public in that Relevant State of any securities may be made at any time under the following exemptions under the Prospectus Regulation:
A. to any legal entity which is a “qualified investor” as defined in the Prospectus Regulation;
B. to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Regulation) per Relevant State, subject to obtaining the prior consent of the underwriters for any such offer; or
C. in any other circumstances falling within Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation, provided that no such offer of securities shall require us or any of the underwriters to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the Prospectus Regulation.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to any securities in any Relevant State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any securities to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase any securities and the expression “Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 and includes any relevant delegated regulations.
This prospectus has been prepared on the basis that any offer of common shares in any EEA Member State or the United Kingdom will be made pursuant to an exemption under the Prospectus Regulation from the requirement to publish a prospectus for offers of securities. Accordingly any person making or intending to make an offer in an EEA Member State or the United Kingdom of securities which are the subject of the offering contemplated in this prospectus may only do so in circumstances in which no obligation arises for us or any of the underwriters to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation in relation to such offer. Neither we nor the underwriters have authorized, nor do they authorize, the making of any offer of common shares in circumstances in which an obligation arises for us or the underwriters to publish a prospectus for such offer.
United Kingdom
This prospectus is only being distributed to, and is only directed at, persons in the United Kingdom that are “qualified investors” within the meaning of Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive that are also (i) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended, referred to herein as the Order, and/or (ii) high net worth entities falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated. Each such person is referred to herein as a Relevant Person.
This prospectus and its contents are confidential and should not be distributed, published or reproduced (in whole or in part) or disclosed by recipients to any other persons in the United Kingdom. Any person in the United Kingdom that is not a Relevant Person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Switzerland
The units may not be publicly offered in Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (“SIX”) or on any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. This document has been prepared without regard to the disclosure standards for issuance prospectuses under art. 652a or art. 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or the disclosure standards for listing prospectuses under art. 27 ff. of the SIX Listing Rules or the listing rules of any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the units or the offering may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.
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Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the offering, the Company, the units have been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. In particular, this document will not be filed with, and the offer of units will not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA (FINMA), and the offer of units has not been and will not be authorized under the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes (“CISA”). The investor protection afforded to acquirers of interests in collective investment schemes under the CISA does not extend to acquirers of units.
Notice to Prospective Investors in the Dubai International Financial Centre
This prospectus relates to an Exempt Offer in accordance with the Offered Securities Rules of the Dubai Financial Services Authority (“DFSA”). This prospectus is intended for distribution only to persons of a type specified in the Offered Securities Rules of the DFSA. It must not be delivered to, or relied on by, any other person. The DFSA has no responsibility for reviewing or verifying any documents in connection with Exempt Offers. The DFSA has not approved this prospectus nor taken steps to verify the information set forth herein and has no responsibility for the prospectus. The securities to which this prospectus relates may be illiquid and/or subject to restrictions on their resale. Prospective purchasers of the units offered should conduct their own due diligence on the units. If you do not understand the contents of this prospectus you should consult an authorized financial advisor.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Australia
No placement document, prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document has been lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (“ASIC”), in relation to the offering. This prospectus does not constitute a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act 2001 (the “Corporations Act”), and does not purport to include the information required for a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act.
Any offer in Australia of the units may only be made to persons (the “Exempt Investors”) who are “sophisticated investors” (within the meaning of section 708(8) of the Corporations Act), “professional investors” (within the meaning of section 708(11) of the Corporations Act) or otherwise pursuant to one or more exemptions contained in section 708 of the Corporations Act so that it is lawful to offer the units without disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act.
The units applied for by Exempt Investors in Australia must not be offered for sale in Australia in the period of 12 months after the date of allotment under the offering, except in circumstances where disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act would not be required pursuant to an exemption under section 708 of the Corporations Act or otherwise or where the offer is pursuant to a disclosure document which complies with Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act. Any person acquiring units must observe such Australian on-sale restrictions.
This prospectus contains general information only and does not take account of the investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any particular person. It does not contain any securities recommendations or financial product advice. Before making an investment decision, investors need to consider whether the information in this prospectus is appropriate to their needs, objectives and circumstances, and, if necessary, seek expert advice on those matters.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Hong Kong
The securities have not been offered or sold and will not be offered or sold in Hong Kong, by means of any document, other than (a) to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571) of Hong Kong and any rules made under that Ordinance; or (b) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” as defined in the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32) of Hong Kong or which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of that Ordinance. No advertisement, invitation or document relating to the securities has been or may be issued or has been or may be in the possession of any person for the purposes of issue, whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere, which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public of Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to securities which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance and any rules made under that Ordinance.
155
Notice to Prospective Investors in Japan
The securities have not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan (Law No. 25 of 1948, as amended) and, accordingly, will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, in Japan, or for the benefit of any Japanese Person or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to any Japanese Person, except in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines promulgated by relevant Japanese governmental or regulatory authorities in effect at the relevant time. For the purposes of this paragraph, “Japanese Person” shall mean any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Singapore
This prospectus has not been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, the securities were not offered or sold or caused to be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase and will not be offered or sold or caused to be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, and this prospectus or any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the securities, has not been circulated or distributed, nor will it be circulated or distributed, whether directly or indirectly, to any person in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor (as defined in Section 4A of the Securities and Futures Act (Chapter 289) of Singapore, as modified or amended from time to time (the “SFA”)) pursuant to Section 274 of the SFA, (ii) to a relevant person (as defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA) pursuant to Section 275(1) of the SFA, or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A) of the SFA, and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA, or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA.
Where the securities are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is:
(a) a corporation (which is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA)) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or
(b) a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary of the trust is an individual who is an accredited investor, securities or securities-based derivatives contracts (each term as defined in Section 2(1) of the SFA) of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferred within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the securities pursuant to an offer made under Section 275 of the SFA except:
(c) to an institutional investor or to a relevant person, or to any person arising from an offer referred to in Section 275(1A) or Section 276(4)(i)(B) of the SFA;
(d) where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer;
(e) where the transfer is by operation of law; or
(f) as specified in Section 276(7) of the SFA.
Notice to Prospective Investors in the Cayman Islands
No invitation, whether directly or indirectly, may be made to the public in the Cayman Islands to subscribe for our securities.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Canada
The securities may be sold only to purchasers purchasing, or deemed to be purchasing, as principal that are accredited investors, as defined in National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions or subsection 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), and are permitted clients, as defined in National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations. Any resale of the securities must be made in accordance with an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the prospectus requirements of applicable securities laws.
156
Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if this prospectus (including any amendment thereto) contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory. The purchaser should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.
Pursuant to section 3A.3 (or, in the case of securities issued or guaranteed by the government of a non-Canadian jurisdiction, section 3A.4) of National Instrument 33-105 Underwriting Conflicts (NI 33-105), the underwriters are not required to comply with the disclosure requirements of NI 33-105 regarding underwriter conflicts of interest in connection with this offering.
157
Loeb & Loeb LLP is acting as counsel in connection with the registration of our securities under the Securities Act, and as such, will pass upon the validity of the securities offered in this prospectus with respect to units and warrants. In connection with this offering, Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP is acting as counsel to the underwriter.
The financial statements of CO2 Energy Transition Corp. as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 and for the year ended December 31, 2022 and for the period from September 30, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, included in this Prospectus and in this Registration Statement have been so included in reliance on the report of BDO USA, LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, appearing elsewhere herein and in this Registration Statement, given on the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing. The report on the financial statements contains an explanatory paragraph regarding the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act with respect to the securities we are offering by this prospectus. This prospectus does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. For further information about us and our securities, you should refer to the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed with the registration statement. Whenever we make reference in this prospectus to any of our contracts, agreements or other documents, the references are materially complete but may not include a description of all aspects of such contracts, agreements or other documents, and you should refer to the exhibits attached to the registration statement for copies of the actual contract, agreement or other document.
Upon completion of this offering, we will be subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act and will file annual, quarterly and current event reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You can read our SEC filings, including the registration statement, over the Internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
158
|
Audited Financial Statements of CO2 Energy Transition Corp.: |
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F-2 |
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F-3 |
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F-4 |
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F-5 |
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F-6 |
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F-7 |
F-1
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Stockholder and the Board of Directors of
CO2 Energy Transition Corp.
Houston, Texas
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of CO2 Energy Transition Corp. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the related statements of operations, changes in stockholder’s deficit and cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2022 and for the period from September 30, 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, 2022 and 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2022 and the period from September 30, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Going Concern Uncertainty
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company does not have sufficient cash and working capital to sustain its operations and the Company’s ability to execute its business plan is dependent upon its completion of the proposed initial public offering described in Note 1 to the financial statements. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note 1. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. 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 audits 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 audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits 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 audits 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 audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ BDO USA, LLP
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2022.
McLean, Virginia
February 23, 2023
F-2
CO2 ENERGY TRANSITION CORP.
BALANCE SHEETS
|
December 31, |
December 31, |
|||||||
|
ASSETS |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Current assets |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Cash |
$ |
34 |
|
$ |
— |
|
||
|
Total Current Assets |
|
34 |
|
|
— |
|
||
|
Deferred offering costs |
|
336,619 |
|
|
87,375 |
|
||
|
TOTAL ASSETS |
$ |
336,653 |
|
$ |
87,375 |
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDER’S DEFICIT |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Current liabilities |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Accrued expenses |
$ |
3,600 |
|
$ |
4,474 |
|
||
|
Accrued offering costs |
|
84,608 |
|
|
— |
|
||
|
Promissory note – related party |
|
257,380 |
|
|
— |
|
||
|
Advance from related party |
|
— |
|
|
90,048 |
|
||
|
Total Current Liabilities |
|
345,588 |
|
|
94,522 |
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
Commitment and Contingencies (Note 4) |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Stockholder’s Deficit |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Common stock, $0.00001 par value; 40,000,000 shares authorized; 3,066,667 and 0 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively |
|
307 |
|
|
— |
|
||
|
Additional paid-in capital |
|
24,693 |
|
|
— |
|
||
|
Accumulated deficit |
|
(33,935 |
) |
|
(7,147 |
) |
||
|
Total Stockholder’s Deficit |
|
(8,935 |
) |
|
(7,147 |
) |
||
|
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDER’S DEFICIT |
$ |
336,653 |
|
$ |
87,375 |
|
||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-3
CO2 ENERGY TRANSITION CORP.
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
|
For the year ended |
For the |
|||||||
|
Operating and formation costs |
$ |
10,788 |
|
$ |
6,047 |
|
||
|
Net loss |
$ |
(10,788 |
) |
$ |
(6,047 |
) |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding(1) |
|
2,666,667 |
|
|
— |
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
Basic and diluted net loss per common share |
$ |
(0.00 |
) |
$ |
— |
|
||
____________
(1) Includes an aggregate of up to 400,000 shares of common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full by the underwriters (see Note 5).
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-4
CO2 ENERGY TRANSITION CORP.
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDER’S DEFICIT
FOR THE PERIOD FROM SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 (INCEPTION) THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2021
AND FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2022
|
|
Additional Paid-in |
Accumulated |
Total Stockholder’s |
|||||||||||||
|
Shares |
Amount |
|||||||||||||||
|
Balance – September 30, 2021 (Inception) |
— |
$ |
— |
$ |
— |
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
|||||
|
Distributions to Sponsor |
— |
|
— |
|
— |
|
(1,100 |
) |
|
(1,100 |
) |
|||||
|
Net loss |
— |
|
— |
|
— |
|
(6,047 |
) |
|
(6,047 |
) |
|||||
|
Balance – December 31, 2021 |
— |
$ |
— |
$ |
— |
$ |
(7,147 |
) |
$ |
(7,147 |
) |
|||||
|
Distributions to Sponsor |
— |
|
— |
|
— |
|
(16,000 |
) |
|
(16,000 |
) |
|||||
|
Issuance of common stock(1) |
3,066,667 |
|
307 |
|
24,693 |
|
— |
|
|
25,000 |
|
|||||
|
Net loss |
— |
|
— |
|
— |
|
(10,788 |
) |
|
(10,788 |
) |
|||||
|
Balance – December 31, 2022 |
3,066,667 |
$ |
307 |
$ |
24,693 |
$ |
(33,935 |
) |
$ |
(8,935 |
) |
|||||
____________
(1) Includes an aggregate of up to 400,000 shares of common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full by the underwriters (see Note 5).
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-5
CO2 ENERGY TRANSITION CORP.
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
|
For the Year |
For the |
|||||||
|
Cash Flows from Operating Activities: |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Net loss |
$ |
(10,788 |
) |
$ |
(6,047 |
) |
||
|
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Formation costs paid on behalf of the Company |
|
— |
|
|
1,537 |
|
||
|
Operating expenses paid on behalf of the Company |
|
7,976 |
|
|
— |
|
||
|
Changes in current assets and liabilities: |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Accrued expenses |
|
(874 |
) |
|
4,474 |
|
||
|
Net cash used in operating activities |
|
(3,686 |
) |
|
— |
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
Cash Flows from Financing Activities: |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Proceeds from issuance of common stock |
|
25,000 |
|
|
— |
|
||
|
Proceeds from promissory note – related party |
|
147,600 |
|
|
— |
|
||
|
Repayment of promissory note – related party |
|
(30,000 |
) |
|
— |
|
||
|
Distributions to Sponsor |
|
(1,000 |
) |
|
— |
|
||
|
Payments of offering costs |
|
(137,880 |
) |
|
— |
|
||
|
Net cash provided by financing activities |
|
3,720 |
|
|
— |
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
Net Change in Cash |
|
34 |
|
|
— |
|
||
|
Cash – Beginning of period |
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
||
|
Cash – End of period |
$ |
34 |
|
$ |
— |
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing activities: |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Distributions to Sponsor included in advances from related party |
$ |
— |
|
$ |
1,100 |
|
||
|
Deferred offering costs included in accrued offering costs |
$ |
84,608 |
|
$ |
— |
|
||
|
Distributions to Sponsor included in promissory note |
$ |
15,000 |
|
$ |
— |
|
||
|
Deferred offering costs included in promissory note |
$ |
26,756 |
|
$ |
— |
|
||
|
Reclassification of advances from related party to promissory note |
$ |
90,048 |
|
$ |
— |
|
||
|
Deferred offering costs included in advance from related party |
$ |
— |
|
$ |
87,375 |
|
||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-6
CO2 ENERGY TRANSITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 1 — DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION, BUSINESS OPERATIONS, AND GOING CONCERN
CO2 Energy Transition Corp. (the “Company”) was incorporated in Delaware on September 30, 2021. The Company was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”). The Company is not limited to a particular industry or sector for purposes of consummating a Business Combination. While the Company may pursue an initial business combination target in any industry or geographic location, the Company intends to focus its search for a target business in the carbon capture, utilization and storage industry. The Company is an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early stage and emerging growth companies.
As of December 31, 2022, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from September 30, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2022 relates to the Company’s formation and the proposed initial public offering (“Proposed Public Offering”), which is described below. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of its initial Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the Proposed Public Offering. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.
The Company’s Sponsor is CO2 Energy Transition LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”). The Company’s ability to commence operations is contingent upon obtaining adequate financial resources through a Proposed Public Offering of units consisting of common stock and public warrants (“the Proposed Public Offering”) and the sale of private placement units (the “Private Placement Units”) that will close simultaneously with the Proposed Public Offering. The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering and the sale of Private Placement Units, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination.
There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully. The Company must complete one or more initial Business Combinations with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (as defined below) (excluding any deferred underwriting discounts). The Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). Upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, management has agreed that an amount equal to at least $10.20 per Unit sold in the Proposed Public Offering, including proceeds of the Private Placement Units, will be held in a trust account (“Trust Account”), located in the United States and invested only in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 days or less or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund selected by the Company meeting certain conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the funds held in the Trust Account, as described below.
The Company will provide the holders of the outstanding Public Shares (the “Public Stockholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek stockholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company. The Public Stockholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (initially anticipated to be $10.20 per Public Share, plus any pro rata interest then in the Trust Account, net of taxes payable). There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of a Business Combination with respect to the Company’s warrants.
The Company will only proceed with a Business Combination if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 following any related redemptions and, if the Company seeks stockholder approval, a majority of the shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination. If a stockholder vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements and the Company does not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or
F-7
CO2 ENERGY TRANSITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 1 — DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION, BUSINESS OPERATIONS, AND GOING CONCERN (cont.)
other reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Certificate of Incorporation”), conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination.
If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, or the Company decides to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, the Company will offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If the Company seeks stockholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the holders of the Company’s shares prior to the Proposed Public Offering (the “Initial Stockholders”) have agreed to vote its Founder Shares and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Proposed Public Offering in favor of approving a Business Combination. Additionally, each Public Stockholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company seeks stockholder approval of a Business Combination and it does not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, the Certificate of Incorporation will provide that a Public Stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the Public Shares, without the prior consent of the Company.
The Initial Stockholders have agreed (a) to waive their redemption rights with respect to the Founder Shares and Public Shares held by them in connection with the completion of a Business Combination, (b) to waive their liquidation rights with respect to the Founder Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within 15 months (or up to 21 months in certain circumstances) from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering and (c) not to propose an amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemptions in connection with a Business Combination or to redeem 100% of its Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period (as defined below) or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity, unless the Company provides the Public Stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares in conjunction with any such amendment. However, if the Sponsor acquires Public Shares in or after the Proposed Public Offering, such Public Shares will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period.
The Company will have until 15 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering to complete a Business Combination (the “Combination Period”). If the Company has not completed 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 earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to pay taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish Public Stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining stockholders and the Company’s board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the Company’s warrants, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period.
The Initial Stockholders have agreed to waive their liquidation rights with respect to the Founder Shares and Placement Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if the Initial Stockholders acquire Public Shares in or after the Proposed Public Offering, such Public Shares will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period.
F-8
CO2 ENERGY TRANSITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 1 — DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION, BUSINESS OPERATIONS, AND GOING CONCERN (cont.)
Risks and Uncertainties
Management continues to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus and/or the war could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations, the close of Proposed Public Offering, and/or the search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of these financial statements. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Going Concern Consideration
As of December 31, 2022, the Company had $34 in cash and a working capital deficit of $345,554. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had no cash and a working capital deficit of $94,522. The Company has incurred and expects to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of its financing and acquisition plans. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of time within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued. Management plans to address this uncertainty through the Proposed Public Offering. There is no assurance that the Company’s plans to raise capital or to consummate a Business Combination will be successful or successful within the period available to consummate a Business Combination. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying audited financial statements are presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.
Emerging Growth Company Status
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
F-9
CO2 ENERGY TRANSITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (cont.)
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period.
Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial 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 Equivalents
The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The Company has no cash equivalents as of December 31, 2022 and 2021.
Deferred Offering Costs
Deferred offering costs consist of legal, accounting and other costs incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the Proposed Public Offering and that will be charged against the proceeds of the offering upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering. Should the Proposed Public Offering prove to be unsuccessful, these deferred costs, as well as additional expenses to be incurred, will be charged to operations.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurement” defines fair value as the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability, in an orderly transaction between market participants. Fair value measurements are classified on a three-tier hierarchy as follows:
• Level 1 — defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical instruments in active markets;
• Level 2 — defined as inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable such as quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets or quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and
• Level 3 — defined as unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions, such as valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable.
In many cases, a valuation technique used to measure fair value includes inputs from multiple levels of the fair value hierarchy described above. The lowest level of significant input determines the placement of the entire fair value measurement in the hierarchy.
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities which qualify as financial instruments under ASC 820 approximates the carrying amounts represented in the accompanying balance sheet, primarily due to their short- term nature.
Derivative Financial Instruments
The Company accounts for derivative financial instruments in accordance with ASC 815, “Derivatives and Hedging”. For derivative financial instruments that are accounted for as liabilities, the derivative instrument is initially recorded at its fair value upon issuance and remeasured at each reporting date, with changes in the fair value reported in the statement of operations. The classification of derivative financial instruments is evaluated at the end of each reporting period. There were no derivative financial instruments as of December 31, 2022 and 2021.
F-10
CO2 ENERGY TRANSITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (cont.)
Net Loss per Common Share
The Company complies with accounting and disclosure requirements of FASB ASC 260, “Earnings Per Share.” Net loss per share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period, excluding common shares subject to forfeiture. Weighted average shares were reduced for the effect of an aggregate of 400,000 common shares that are subject to forfeiture if the option to purchase additional units is not exercised in full by the underwriters. As of December 31, 2022, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into common shares and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted loss per share is the same as basic loss per share for the period presented. As of December 31, 2021, the Company did not have any outstanding common shares. As a result, net loss per share is not presented in the statement of operations for the period from September 30, 2021 (Inception) through December 31, 2021.
Income Taxes
The Company follows the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes under ASC 740, “Income Taxes.” Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statements carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that included the enactment date. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company had $765 and $95, respectively, of U.S. federal net operating loss carryovers available to offset future taxable income. Net operating loss carryovers are indefinite lived for future offsets. In assessing the realization of the deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion of all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which temporary differences representing net future deductible amounts become deductible. Management considers the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income and tax planning strategies in making this assessment. After consideration of all of the information available, management believes that significant uncertainty exists with respect to future realization of deferred tax assets and therefore established a full valuation allowance of $2,798 and $1,270 as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Income tax expense (benefit) for the year ended December 31, 2022 and for period from September 30, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 was $0. Income tax expense (benefit) during the year ended December 31, 2022 and for the period from September 30, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, differs from the expected U.S. federal income tax rate of 21% of pretax loss due to the following:
• (25.9%) and (21.0%) valuation allowance recorded on deferred tax assets, respectively.
ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. There were no unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2022 and 2021. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense (benefit). No amounts were accrued for the payment of interest and penalties as of December 31, 2022 and 2021.
The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position. The Company is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities since inception.
F-11
CO2 ENERGY TRANSITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (cont.)
Concentration of Credit Risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution, which, at times, may exceed the Federal Depository Insurance Coverage. The Company has not experienced losses on this account and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such account.
Recent Accounting Standards
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, with early adoption permitted beginning on January 1, 2021. The Company adopted ASU 2020-06 effective September 30, 2021 and noted there is no impact on its financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
The Company has considered all new accounting pronouncements and has concluded that there are no new pronouncements that may have a material impact on the results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows, based on the current information.
NOTE 3 — RELATED PARTIES
Founder Shares
On January 13, 2022, the Sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain offering costs of the Company in consideration for 3,593,750 shares of common stock (the “Founder Shares”). In connection with a reduction in the planned size of the offering, the Sponsor amended and restated the subscription agreement on October 10, 2022 to provide for a subscription of 2,300,000 shares of our common stock. On December 28, 2022, in connection with a change in the terms of the offering, the Sponsor further amended and restated the subscription agreement to provide for a subscription of 3,066,667 shares of our common stock. All shares have been retrospectively presented so that the total Founder Shares issued total 3,066,667 shares of common stock. The Founder Shares include an aggregate of up to 400,000 shares subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment is not exercised in full, so that the number of Founder Shares will equal, on an as-converted basis, approximately 25% of the Company’s issued and outstanding common stock after the Proposed Public Offering (assuming the Sponsor does not purchase any Public Shares in the Proposed Public Offering).
The Initial Stockholders have agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Founder Shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) one year after the completion of a Business Combination and (B) subsequent to a Business Combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of the common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after a Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Public Stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.
F-12
CO2 ENERGY TRANSITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 3 — RELATED PARTIES (cont.)
Advance from Related Party
As of December 31, 2021, the Sponsor advanced to the Company a total of $90,048 for payment of formation and deferred offering costs. Subsequently, on January 5, 2022, the Sponsor issued an unsecured promissory note to the Company (the “Promissory Note”), pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $450,000. The Promissory Note is non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of (i) December 31, 2024 or (ii) the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering. The $90,048 that was owed to the Sponsor on December 31, 2021 was reclassified to the Promissory Note effective January 5, 2022.
Promissory Note — Related Party
On January 5, 2022, the Sponsor issued an unsecured promissory note to the Company (the “Promissory Note”), pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $400,000. The Promissory Note is non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of (i) December 31, 2024 or (ii) the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering. As of December 31, 2022, there was $257,380 under the Promissory Note which included $90,048 that was owed to the Sponsor on December 31, 2021, as an advance for payment of formation and deferred offering costs. The amount was reclassified to the Promissory Note on January 5, 2022. There were no amounts outstanding under the Promissory Note as of December 31, 2021.
Working Capital Loans
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company would repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, 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 $1,500,000 of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into units at a price of $10.00 per unit. The units would be identical to the Private Placement Units. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, no such Working Capital Loans were outstanding.
NOTE 4 — COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Registration Rights
The holders of the Founder Shares, Private Placement Units and any units that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans (and any common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Units and units that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans and upon conversion of the Founder Shares) will have rights to require the Company to register any of the securities held by them for resale under the Securities Act pursuant to a registration and stockholder rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of the Proposed Public Offering. These holders will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration demands, that the Company register such securities for sale under the Securities Act. In addition, these holders will have “piggy-back” registration rights to include their securities in other registration statements filed by the Company. The registration rights agreement does not contain liquidated damages or other cash settlement provisions resulting from delays in registering our securities. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
F-13
CO2 ENERGY TRANSITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 5 — STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
Common Stock — The Company is authorized to issue 40,000,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of common stock are entitled to one vote for each share. On January 13, 2022, there were 3,593,750 shares of common stock issued and outstanding. In connection with a reduction in the size of the initial public offering, on October 10, 2022 and on December 28, 2022, the subscription agreement was amended and restated to provide that the number of founder shares issued and outstanding are 3,066,667. The Founder Shares include an aggregate of up to 400,000 shares subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment is not exercised in full, so that the number of Founder Shares will equal, on an as-converted basis, approximately 25% of the Company’s issued and outstanding common stock after the Proposed Public Offering (assuming the Sponsor does not purchase any Public Shares in the Proposed Public Offering). There were no shares of common stock issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2021.
Distributions — Distributions of $16,000 and $1,100 were made to the Sponsor during the year ended December 31, 2022 and the period from September 30, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, respectively. These amounts relate to expenses paid by the Company on behalf of the Sponsor.
NOTE 6 — SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
On February 15, 2023, the Company amended the Promissory Note’s principal amount from $400,000 to $450,000. The Promissory Note is non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of (i) December 31, 2024 or (ii) the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering.
F-14
8,000,000 Units
CO2 Energy Transition Corp.
____________________
PROSPECTUS
, 2023
____________________
Until , 2023 (25 days after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that effect transactions in these securities whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers’ obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.
PART II INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 13.Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.
The estimated expenses payable by us in connection with the offering described in this registration statement (other than the underwriting discounts, and excluding directors’ and officers’ premiums) will be as follows:
|
Legal fees and expenses |
$ |
365,000 |
|
|
Accounting fees and expenses |
|
117,000 |
|
|
SEC and FINRA filing fees |
|
80,000 |
|
|
Printing and engraving expenses |
|
35,000 |
|
|
Miscellaneous expenses |
|
111,000 |
|
|
Total offering expenses |
$ |
708,000 |
Item 14.Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that all of our directors, officers, employees and agents shall be entitled to be indemnified by us to the fullest extent permitted by Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”). Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law concerning indemnification of officers, directors, employees and agents is set forth below.
Section 145. Indemnification of officers, directors, employees and agents; insurance.
(a) A corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the person’s conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner which the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that the person’s conduct was unlawful.
(b) A corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation and except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.
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(c) To the extent that a present or former director or officer of a corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in subsections (a) and (b) of this section, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith.
(d) Any indemnification under subsections (a) and (b) of this section (unless ordered by a court) shall be made by the corporation only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the present or former director, officer, employee or agent is proper in the circumstances because the person has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in subsections (a) and (b) of this section. Such determination shall be made, with respect to a person who is a director or officer at the time of such determination, (1) by a majority vote of the directors who are not parties to such action, suit or proceeding, even though less than a quorum, or (2) by a committee of such directors designated by majority vote of such directors, even though less than a quorum, or (3) if there are no such directors, or if such directors so direct, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion, or (4) by the stockholders.
(e) Expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by an officer or director in defending any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding may be paid by the corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such director or officer to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified by the corporation as authorized in this section. Such expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by former officers and directors or other employees and agents may be so paid upon such terms and conditions, if any, as the corporation deems appropriate.
(f) The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, the other subsections of this section shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be entitled under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in such person’s official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office. A right to indemnification or to advancement of expenses arising under a provision of the certificate of incorporation or a bylaw shall not be eliminated or impaired by an amendment to such provision after the occurrence of the act or omission that is the subject of the civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding for which indemnification or advancement of expenses is sought, unless the provision in effect at the time of such act or omission explicitly authorizes such elimination or impairment after such action or omission has occurred.
(g) A corporation shall have power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of such person’s status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability under this section.
(h) For purposes of this section, references to “the corporation” shall include, in addition to the resulting corporation, any constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and authority to indemnify its directors, officers, and employees or agents, so that any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of such constituent corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such constituent corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, shall stand in the same position under this section with respect to the resulting or surviving corporation as such person would have with respect to such constituent corporation if its separate existence had continued.
II-2
(i) For purposes of this section, references to “other enterprises” shall include employee benefit plans; references to “fines” shall include any excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to any employee benefit plan; and references to “serving at the request of the corporation” shall include any service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, employee or agent with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or beneficiaries; and a person who acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in a manner “not opposed to the best interests of the corporation” as referred to in this section.
(j) The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, this section shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person.
(k) The Court of Chancery is hereby vested with exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine all actions for advancement of expenses or indemnification brought under this section or under any by law, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise. The Court of Chancery may summarily determine a corporation’s obligation to advance expenses (including attorneys’ fees).
In connection with this registration statement, we have undertaken that insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers, and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been advised that, in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person in a successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, we will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to the court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. See Item 17 “Undertakings”.
In accordance with Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, will provide that no director shall be personally liable to us or any of our stockholders for monetary damages resulting from breaches of their fiduciary duty as directors, except to the extent such limitation on or exemption from liability is not permitted under the DGCL. The effect of this provision of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation is to eliminate our rights and those of our stockholders (through stockholders’ derivative suits on our behalf) to recover monetary damages against a director for breach of the fiduciary duty of care as a director, including breaches resulting from negligent or grossly negligent behavior, except, as restricted by Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL. However, this provision does not limit or eliminate our rights or the rights of any stockholder to seek non-monetary relief, such as an injunction or rescission, in the event of a breach of a director’s duty of care.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will also provide that we will, to the fullest extent authorized or permitted by applicable law, indemnify our current and former officers and directors, as well as those persons who, while directors or officers of our corporation, are or were serving as directors, officers, employees or agents of another entity, trust or other enterprise, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan, in connection with any threatened, pending or completed proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, against all expense, liability and loss (including, without limitation, attorney’s fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes and penalties and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered by any such person in connection with any such proceeding. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a person eligible for indemnification pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will be indemnified by us in connection with a proceeding initiated by such person only if such proceeding was authorized by our board of directors, except for proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification.
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(l) For purposes of this section, references to “other enterprises” shall include employee benefit plans; references to “fines” shall include any excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to any employee benefit plan; and references to “serving at the request of the corporation” shall include any service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, employee or agent with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or beneficiaries; and a person who acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in a manner “not opposed to the best interests of the corporation” as referred to in this section.
(m) The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, this section shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person.
(n) The Court of Chancery is hereby vested with exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine all actions for advancement of expenses or indemnification brought under this section or under any by law, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise. The Court of Chancery may summarily determine a corporation’s obligation to advance expenses (including attorneys’ fees).
In connection with this registration statement, we have undertaken that insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers, and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been advised that, in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person in a successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, we will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to the court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. See Item 17 “Undertakings”.
In accordance with Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, will provide that no director shall be personally liable to us or any of our stockholders for monetary damages resulting from breaches of their fiduciary duty as directors, except to the extent such limitation on or exemption from liability is not permitted under the DGCL. The effect of this provision of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation is to eliminate our rights and those of our stockholders (through stockholders’ derivative suits on our behalf) to recover monetary damages against a director for breach of the fiduciary duty of care as a director, including breaches resulting from negligent or grossly negligent behavior, except, as restricted by Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL. However, this provision does not limit or eliminate our rights or the rights of any stockholder to seek non-monetary relief, such as an injunction or rescission, in the event of a breach of a director’s duty of care.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will also provide that we will, to the fullest extent authorized or permitted by applicable law, indemnify our current and former officers and directors, as well as those persons who, while directors or officers of our corporation, are or were serving as directors, officers, employees or agents of another entity, trust or other enterprise, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan, in connection with any threatened, pending or completed proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, against all expense, liability and loss (including, without limitation, attorney’s fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes and penalties and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered by any such person in connection with any such proceeding. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a person eligible for indemnification pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will be indemnified by us in connection with a proceeding initiated by such person only if such proceeding was authorized by our board of directors, except for proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification.
II-4
Item 15.Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities.
On January 13, 2022, CO2 Energy Transition, LLC, our sponsor, subscribed for an aggregate of 3,593,750 founder shares, for an aggregate offering price of $25,000 at an average purchase price of approximately $0.011 per share. In connection with a reduction in the size of the offering, on October 10, 2022 and on December 28, 2022, the subscription agreement was amended and restated to provide that the number of founders shares would be 3,066,667. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent approximately 25% of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock upon completion of this offering. Such securities were issued in connection with our incorporation pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. Our sponsor is an accredited investor for purposes of Rule 501 of Regulation D. In addition, our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase 440,000 private placement units (or up to 480,000 private placement units if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), at $10.00 per unit (for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $4,400,000 or approximately $4,800,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). This purchase will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the completion of our initial public offering. This issuance will be made pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.
No underwriting discounts or commissions were paid with respect to such sales.
Item 16.Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.
(a) Exhibits. The following exhibits are being filed herewith:
|
Exhibit |
Description |
|
|
1.1* |
Form of Underwriting Agreement |
|
|
3.1* |
Certificate of Incorporation |
|
|
3.2* |
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation |
|
|
3.3* |
Certificate of Amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation |
|
|
3.4* |
Form of Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation |
|
|
3.5* |
Bylaws |
|
|
4.1* |
Specimen Unit Certificate |
|
|
4.2* |
Specimen Share of Common stock Certificate |
|
|
4.3* |
Specimen Warrant Certificate (included in Exhibit 4.4) |
|
|
4.4* |
Form of Warrant Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Company and the Registrant |
|
|
5.1* |
Opinion of Loeb & Loeb LLP |
|
|
10.1* |
Promissory Note, dated January 5, 2022, issued to CO2 Energy Transfer, LLC |
|
|
10.2* |
Form of Letter Agreement among the Registrant and its directors and officers; CO2 Energy Transfer, LLC and EF Hutton |
|
|
10.3* |
Form of Investment Management Trust Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Company and the Registrant |
|
|
10.4* |
Form of Registration Rights Agreement between the Registrant and certain security holders |
|
|
10.5* |
Securities Subscription Agreement, dated January 13, 2022, between the Registrant and CO2 Energy Transition, LLC as amended and restated on October 10, 2022. |
|
|
10.6* |
Form of Private Placement Unit Purchase Agreement between the Registrant and CO2 Energy Transition, LLC |
|
|
10.7* |
Form of Indemnity Agreement |
|
|
10.8* |
Form of Administrative Services Agreement, by and between the Registrant and an affiliate of the Registrant |
|
|
14* |
Form of Code of Ethics and Business Conduct |
|
|
23.1 |
||
|
23.2* |
Consent of Loeb & Loeb LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1) |
|
|
24* |
Power of Attorney (included on signature page to the initial filing of the Registration Statement) |
II-5
|
Exhibit |
Description |
|
|
99.1* |
Consent of Don Kendall, Jr. |
|
|
99.2* |
Consent of William H. Flores |
|
|
99.3* |
Consent of Marcella Burke |
|
|
99.4* |
Consent of Charles E. Fox |
|
|
99.5* |
Form of Audit Committee Charter |
|
|
99.6* |
Form of Compensation Committee Charter |
|
|
99.7* |
Form of Nominating Committee Charter |
|
|
107 |
____________
* To be filed by amendment.
(b) Financial Statements. See page F-1 for an index to the financial statements.
Item 17.Undertakings.
(c) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriters at the closing specified in the underwriting agreements, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriters to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.
(d) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
(e) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that:
(1) For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.
(2) For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(3) For the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser, if the registrant is subject to Rule 430C, each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use.
II-6
(4) For the purpose of determining liability of a registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of an undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:
(i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;
(ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by an undersigned registrant;
(iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and
(iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.
II-7
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the city of Houston, state of Texas on the 23rd day of February, 2023.
|
CO2 ENERGY TRANSITION CORP. |
||||
|
By: |
/s/ E. Will Gray II |
|||
|
Name: E. Will Gray II |
||||
|
Title: Chief Executive Officer |
||||
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
|
Name |
Position |
Date |
||
|
/s/ E. Will Gray II |
Chief Executive Officer |
February 23, 2023 |
||
|
E. Will Gray II |
(Principal Executive Officer and Director) |
|||
|
/s/ Harold R. DeMoss, III |
Chief Financial Officer |
February 23, 2023 |
||
|
Harold R. DeMoss, III |
(Principal Accounting and Financial Officer) |
II-8
Exhibit 23.1
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
CO2 Energy Transition Corp.
Houston, TX
We hereby consent to the use in the Prospectus constituting a part of this Registration Statement of our report dated February 23, 2023, relating to the financial statements of CO2 Energy Transition Corp., which is contained in that Prospectus. Our report contains an explanatory paragraph regarding the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.
We also consent to the reference to us under the caption “Experts” in the Prospectus.
/s/ BDO USA, LLP
McLean, Virginia
February 23, 2023