Andretti Acquisition Corp. II 10-K, filed Mar 25, 2025
Andretti Acquisition Corp. II (POLE)
About this 10-K
Andretti Acquisition Corp. II filed this 10-K on March 25, 2025, covering the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024.
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
(Mark One)
For
the fiscal year ended
or
For the transition period from to
Commission
file number:
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code: (
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||
| The | ||||
| The | ||||
| The |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports),
and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule
405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant
was required to submit such files).
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer, “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ |
| ☒ | Smaller reporting company | ||
| Emerging growth company |
If
an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying
with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness
of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered
public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.
If
securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant
included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements.
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes
The
registrant’s shares were not listed on any exchange and had no value as of the last business day of the second fiscal quarter of
2024. The registrant’s Units begin trading on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC on September
6, 2024 and the registrant’s Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants began trading on The Nasdaq
Stock Market LLC on October 28, 2024. Accordingly, there was no market value for the registrant’s public securities as of the last
business day of the second fiscal quarter of 2024. The aggregate market value of the registrant’s outstanding Class A Ordinary
Shares, other than shares held by persons who may be deemed affiliates of the registrant, computed by reference to the closing price
for the Class A Ordinary Shares on December 31, 2024, as reported on The Nasdaq Stock Market
LLC, was $
As
of March 25, 2025, there were
TABLE OF CONTENTS
i
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Report (as defined below), including, without limitation, statements under Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act (as defined below) and Section 21E of the Exchange Act (as defined below). These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the words “believes,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “may,” “will,” “potential,” “projects,” “predicts,” “continue,” or “should,” or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology. There can be no assurance that actual results will not materially differ from expectations. Such statements include, but are not limited to, any statements relating to our ability to consummate any acquisition or other Business Combination (as defined below) and any other statements that are not statements of current or historical facts. These statements are based on Management’s (as defined below) current expectations, but actual results may differ materially due to various factors, including, but not limited to:
| ● | our ability to complete our initial Business Combination; |
| ● | our expectations around the performance of the prospective target business or businesses; |
| ● | our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial Business Combination; |
| ● | our officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial Business Combination, as a result of which they would then receive expense reimbursements; |
| ● | the potential incentive to consummate an initial Business Combination with an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value or is unprofitable for public investors due to the low initial price for the Founder Shares (as defined below) paid by our Sponsor (as defined below); |
| ● | our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial Business Combination; |
| ● | the ability of our Management Team (as defined below) to generate and execute on potential acquisition opportunities that will generate value for shareholders; |
| ● | our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading; |
| ● | the use of proceeds not held in the Trust Account (as defined below) or available to us from interest income on the Trust Account balance; |
| ● | the Trust Account not being subject to claims of third parties; | |
| ● | the value of the Founder Shares following completion of our initial Business Combination likely being substantially higher than the nominal price paid for them, even if the trading price of our Public Shares (as defined below) at such time is substantially less than the Redemption Price (as defined below); |
| ● | the impact on the amount held in the Trust Account, our capitalization, principal shareholders and other impacts on our Company (as defined below) or Management Team should we seek to extend the Combination Period (as defined below) consistent with applicable laws, regulations and stock exchange rules; |
| ● | our financial performance; or |
| ● | the other risks and uncertainties discussed in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” below. |
ii
Additionally, in 2024, the SEC (as defined below) adopted additional rules and regulations relating to SPACs (as defined below). The 2024 SPAC Rules (as defined below) require, among other matters, (i) additional disclosures relating to SPAC sponsors and related persons; (ii) additional disclosures relating to SPAC Business Combination transactions; (iii) additional disclosures relating to dilution and to conflicts of interest involving sponsors and their affiliates in connection with proposed Business Combination transactions; (iv) additional disclosures regarding projections included in SEC filings in connection with proposed Business Combination transactions; and (v) the requirement that both the SPAC and its target company be co-registrants in connection with registration statements relating to proposed Business Combination transactions. In addition, the SEC’s adopting release provided guidance describing circumstances in which a SPAC could become subject to regulation under the Investment Company Act (as defined below), including its duration, asset composition, business purpose, and the activities of the SPAC and its management team. The 2024 SPAC Rules may materially affect our ability to negotiate and complete our initial Business Combination and may increase the costs and time related thereto.
The forward-looking statements contained in this Report are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. Future developments affecting us may not be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. 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.
Unless otherwise stated in this Report, or the context otherwise requires, references to:
| ● | “2024 SPAC Rules” are to the rules and regulations for SPACs adopted by the SEC on January 24, 2024, which became effective on July 1, 2024; |
| ● | “Administrative Services Agreement” are to the Administrative Services Agreement, dated September 5, 2024, we entered into with our Sponsor, for office space and secretarial and administrative support services; |
| ● | “Amended and Restated Charter” are to our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, as amended and restated from time to time, and currently in effect; |
| ● | “ASC” are to the FASB (as defined below) Accounting Standards Codification; |
| ● | “Audit Committee” are to the audit committee of our Board of Directors (as defined below); |
| ● | “Board of Directors” or “Board” are to our board of directors; |
| ● | “BTIG” are to BTIG, LLC, the representative of the underwriters in the Initial Public Offering; | |
| ● | “Business Combination” are to a merger, capital share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses; |
| ● | “Class A Ordinary Shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share; |
| ● | “Class B Ordinary Shares” are to our Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share; |
| ● | “Combination Period” are to (i) the 24-month period, from the closing of the Initial Public Offering (as defined below) to September 9, 2026 (or such earlier time as determined by our Board), that we have to consummate an initial Business Combination, or (ii) such other period in which we must consummate an initial Business Combination pursuant to an amendment to our Amended and Restated Charter and consistent with applicable laws, regulations and stock exchange rules; |
| ● | “Companies Act” are to the Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands as may be amended from time to time; |
| ● | “Company,” “our,” “we,” or “us” are to Andretti Acquisition Corp. II. Cayman Islands exempted company; |
iii
| ● | “Continental” are to Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, trustee of our Trust Account and warrant agent of our Public Warrants (as defined below); |
| ● | “Deferred Fee” are to the additional fee of 4.25% of the gross proceeds of the Initial Public Offering to which the underwriters to the Initial Public Offering are entitled that is payable only upon our completion of the initial Business Combination; |
| ● | “DWAC System” are to the Depository Trust Company’s Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian System; |
| ● | “Exchange Act” are to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; |
| ● | “Excise Tax” are to the 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 as provided for by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022; |
| ● | “FASB” are to the Financial Accounting Standards Board; |
| ● | “FINRA” are to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority; |
| ● | “Founder Shares” are to the Class B Ordinary Shares initially purchased by our Sponsor prior to the Initial Public Offering and the Class A Ordinary Shares that (i) will be issued upon the automatic conversion of the Class B Ordinary Shares at the time of our Business Combination or (ii) are issued at any time prior to our initial Business Combination, upon conversion of Class B Ordinary Shares at the option of the holder, each as described herein (for the avoidance of doubt, such Class A Ordinary Shares will not be “Public Shares”); |
| ● | “GAAP” are to the accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America; |
| ● | “IFRS” are to the International Financial Reporting Standards, as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board; |
| ● | “Initial Public Offering” or “IPO” are to the initial public offering that we consummated on September 9, 2024; |
| ● | “Investment Company Act” are to the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended; |
| ● | “IPO Promissory Note” are to that certain unsecured promissory note, as amended, in the principal amount of up to $400,000 issued to our Sponsor, initially dated on May 24, 2024; |
| ● | “IPO Registration Statement” are to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 initially filed with the SEC on June 28, 2024, as amended, and declared effective on September 5, 2024 (File No. 333-280552); |
| ● | “JOBS Act” are to the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012; |
| ● | “Letter Agreement” are to the Letter Agreement, dated September 5, 2024, which we entered into with our officers, our directors and the Sponsor; |
| ● | “Management” or our “Management Team” are to our executive officers and non-independent directors; |
| ● | “Nasdaq” are to The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC; | |
| ● | “Nasdaq 36-Month Requirement” are to the requirement pursuant to the Nasdaq Rules (as defined below) that a SPAC must complete one or more Business Combinations within 36 months following the effectiveness of its initial public offering registration statement; | |
| ● | “Nasdaq Rules” are to the continued listing rules of Nasdaq, as they exist as of the date of this Report; | |
| ● | “Option Units” are to the 3,000,000 units of our Company that were purchased by the underwriters of the Initial Public Offering pursuant to the full exercise of the Over-Allotment Option (as defined below); |
| ● | “Ordinary Resolution” are to a resolution of our Company passed by a simple majority of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at a general meeting of our Company, or a resolution approved in writing by all of the holders of the issued shares entitled to vote on such matter (or such lower threshold as may be allowed under the Companies Act from time to time); |
| ● | “Ordinary Shares” are to the Class A Ordinary Shares and the Class B Ordinary Shares, together; |
| ● | “Over-Allotment Option” are to the 45-day option that the underwriters of the Initial Public Offering had to purchase up to an additional 3,000,000 Option Units to cover over-allotments, if any, pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement (as defined below), which was fully exercised; |
| ● | “PCAOB” are to the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States); |
| ● | “Private Placement” are to the private placement of Private Placement Units (as defined below) that occurred simultaneously with the closing of our Initial Public Offering and pursuant to the Private Placement Units Purchase Agreements (as defined below); |
iv
| ● | “Private Placement Shares” are to the Class A Ordinary Shares included within the Private Placement Units purchased by our Sponsor in the Private Placement; |
| ● | “Private Placement Units” are to the units issued to our Sponsor and BTIG in the Private Placement; | |
| ● | “Private Placement Warrants” are to the warrants included within the Private Placement Units purchased by our Sponsor and BTIG in the Private Placement; |
| ● | “Private Placement Units Purchase Agreements” are to the (i) Private Placement Units Purchase Agreement, dated September 5, 2024, which we entered into with our Sponsor and (ii) the Private Placement Units Purchase Agreement, dated September 5, 2024, which we entered into with BTIG, together; |
| ● | “Public Shares” are to the Class A Ordinary Shares sold as part of the Public Units (as defined below) in our Initial Public Offering (whether they were purchased in our Initial Public Offering or thereafter in the open market); |
| ● | “Public Shareholders” are to the holders of our Public Shares, including our Sponsor and Management Team to the extent our Sponsor and/or the members of our Management Team purchase Public Shares, provided that the Sponsor’s and each member of our Management Team’s status as a “Public Shareholder” will only exist with respect to such Public Shares; |
| ● | “Public Units” are to the units sold in our Initial Public Offering, which consist of one Public Share and one-half of one Public Warrant; |
| ● | “Public Warrants” are to the redeemable warrants sold as part of the Public Units in our Initial Public Offering (whether they were subscribed for in our Initial Public Offering or purchased in the open market); |
| ● | “Redemption Price” are to the pro rata redemption price in any redemption we expect to pay, which was approximately $10.15 per Public Share as of December 31, 2024 (before taxes payable, if any); |
| ● | “Registration Rights Agreement” are to the Registration Rights Agreement, dated September 5, 2024, which we entered into with the Sponsor and the other holders party thereto; |
| ● | “Report” are to this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024; |
| ● | “Sarbanes-Oxley Act” are to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002; |
| ● | “SEC” are to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; |
| ● | “Securities Act” are to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended; |
| ● | “SPACs” are to special purpose acquisition companies; |
| ● | “Special Resolution” are to a resolution of our Company passed by at least a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at a general meeting of our Company of which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution has been duly given, or a resolution approved in writing by all of the holders of the issued shares entitled to vote on such matter (or such lower threshold as may be allowed under the Companies Act from time to time); |
| ● | “Sponsor” are to Andretti Sponsor II LLC, Delaware limited liability company; |
| ● | “Trust Account” are to the U.S.-based trust account in which an amount of $230,000,000 from the net proceeds of the sale of the Public Units in the Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement Units in the Private Placement was placed following the closing of the Initial Public Offering; |
| ● | “Underwriting Agreement” are to the Underwriting Agreement, dated September 5, 2024, which we entered into with BTIG, as representative of the several underwriters of the Initial Public Offering; |
| ● | “Units” are to the Private Placement Units and the Public Units, together; |
| ● | “Warrants” are to the Private Placement Warrants and the Public Warrants, together; |
| ● | “Withum” are to WithumSmith+Brown, PC, our independent registered public accounting firm; and |
| ● | “Working Capital Loans” are to funds that, in order to provide working capital or finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor or certain of our directors and officers may, but are not obligated to, loan us. |
v
PART I
Item 1. Business.
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated on May 21, 2024 as a Cayman Islands exempted company and formed for the purpose of effecting a Business Combination with one or more businesses or entities. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities, activities related to our Initial Public Offering, and searching for a Business Combination target. As of the date of this Report, we have not selected any specific Business Combination target. We have generated no operating revenues to date and we do not expect that we will generate operating revenues until we consummate our initial Business Combination.
The 2024 SPAC Rules may materially affect our ability to negotiate and complete our initial Business Combination and may increase the costs and time related thereto.
Initial Public Offering
On September 9, 2024, we consummated our Initial Public Offering of 23,000,000 Public Units, including 3,000,000 Option Units issued pursuant to the full exercise of the Over-Allotment Option. Each Public Unit consists of one Public Share and one-half of one Public Warrant, with each whole Public Warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one Class A Ordinary Share for $11.50 per share. The Units were sold at a price of $10.00 per Public Unit, generating gross proceeds to us of $230,000,000.
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering and pursuant to the Private Placement Units Purchase Agreement, we completed the private sale of an aggregate of 760,000 Private Placement Units to our Sponsor and BTIG in the Private Placement at a purchase price of $10.00 per Private Placement Unit, generating gross proceeds of $7,600,000. Of those 760,000 Private Placement Units, the Sponsor purchased 450,000 Private Placement Units and BTIG purchased 310,000 Private Placement Units.
A total of $231,150,000, comprised of the proceeds from the Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement was placed in the Trust Account maintained by Continental, acting as trustee.
It is the job of our Sponsor and Management Team to complete our initial Business Combination. Our Management Team is led by William J. (Bill) Sandbrook, our Executive Chairman, and William M. (Matt) Brown, our Chief Executive Officer and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer. In addition, our Management Team is aided by Mario Andretti, our advisor, and Michael M. Andretti, our special advisor and a member of our Board of Directors. We must complete our initial Business Combination by September 9, 2026, the end of our Combination Period, which is 24-months from the closing of our Initial Public Offering, unless we decide to pursue an amendment to our Amended and Restated Charter and select another period in which we must consummate an initial Business Combination. If our initial Business Combination is not consummated by the end of our Combination Period, then our existence will terminate, and we will distribute all amounts in the Trust Account, as described further herein.
We may seek to extend the Combination Period consistent with applicable laws, regulations and stock exchange rules by amending the Amended and Restated Charter. Such an amendment would require the approval of our Public Shareholders, who will be provided the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares in connection with the vote on such approval. Such redemptions will decrease the amount held in our Trust Account, and our capitalization, and may affect our ability to maintain our listing on Nasdaq. In addition, the Nasdaq Rules currently require SPACs (such as us) to complete our initial Business Combination in accordance with the Nasdaq 36-Month Requirement. If we do not meet the Nasdaq 36-Month Requirement, our securities will likely be subject to a suspension of trading and delisting from Nasdaq.
Andretti Acquisition Corp.
Members of our Management Team and our independent directors were formerly members of the management team and independent directors of Andretti Acquisition Corp, respectively. On January 18, 2022, Andretti Acquisition Corp. consummated its initial public offering (the “Andretti IPO”) of 23,000,000 units. The units were sold at a price of $10.00 per unit, including the issuance of 3,000,000 units as a result of the underwriters’ exercise of their over-allotment option in full. The units were sold at a price of $10.00 per unit, generating gross proceeds of $230,000,000. In addition, simultaneously with the closing of the Andretti IPO, Andretti Acquisition Corp. completed the private sale of an aggregate of 13,550,000 warrants (the “Andretti PPWs”), at a purchase price of $1.00 per warrant to its sponsor and its sponsor’s co-investor, generating gross proceeds of $13,550,000. A total of $235,750,000 of the net proceeds from the sale of the units (including the over-allotment units and the Andretti PPWs) was placed in a U.S.-based trust account. Andretti Acquisition Corp. consummated its business combination with Zapata Computing, Inc. (“Zapata AI”), an Industrial Generative AI software company, on March 28, 2024, resulting in Zapata Computing Holdings Inc. (“Zapata”). Zapata’s common stock traded on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “ZPTA” and its warrants traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “ZPTAW.” Effective October 24, 2024, Zapata removed all its securities listing and registration on Nasdaq following its previous announcement of the termination of all of its employees and the approval by the Zapata’s board of directors of the cessation of its operations.
1
General
Our Management Team provides valuable guidance, technical domain expertise, value-added input regarding senior team leadership capabilities of prospective business combination targets, and have access to differentiated ideas and opportunities through complementary networks. They also have SPAC experience and a proven track record of Business Combination success.
We believe that our Management Team are well positioned among other SPAC vehicles. We may pursue an initial Business Combination in any business or industry, but our evaluation approach primarily concentrates on assessing well-established companies that possess prominent competitive positions, unique business concepts, seasoned management teams, appealing financial profiles, and substantial potential for long-term growth. Our Management Team has a wide network of business owners, public and private company executives and board members, investment bankers, debt and private equity investors, high net worth families and their respective advisors, commercial bankers, attorneys, management consultants, accountants, and other transaction intermediaries that we plan to use to source our initial Business Combination. We believe that by using this strategy in conjunction with the technical know-how, established relationships, and successful track record of our Management Team in a range of subsectors, we will be able to create significant opportunities to generate value for shareholders. William M. (Matt) Brown is dedicated full-time to the process of identifying, evaluating and negotiating with an acquisition target for our initial Business Combination. Our Management Team have significant, meaningful experience as, among other titles, investors, executives, corporate strategists and business development heads within both public and private companies.
Business Strategy
Our goal is to acquire a compelling asset with a skilled management team that is ready to grow. Given our Management Team’s wide network of relationships, we anticipate an extensive and diverse pipeline of proprietary prospects from firms that we believe should be in the public domain. We plan to leverage our wide global network of relationships to create a pipeline of initial Business Combination opportunities.
While we examine a wide range of assets in terms of growth stages and capital structures, we seek to back a company that has a high demand for its products or services and operates in market verticals and/or geographies with little competition, or a company that has a demonstrable advantage over its competitors due to factors such as the use of distinct technology, a business model, or a brand. We use our Management Team’s industry knowledge and experience, as well as their broad personal network, to add significant value to any acquired firm.
Following the completion of our Initial Public Officering, members of our Management Team began (i) communicating with their network of relationships to articulate our initial Business Combination criteria, including the parameters of our search for a target business, and (ii) a disciplined process of pursuing and reviewing promising leads.
Acquisition Criteria
Consistent with our business strategy, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating targets for our initial Business Combination. We use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating Business Combination opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial Business Combination with a target business that does not meet any or all of these criteria and guidelines:
Lasting competitive advantage: Our goal is to highlight forward-thinking businesses that not only exhibit robust business models and enduring competitive advantages in their respective industries, but also act as industry disruptors. We think that, among other things, well-known brands, exclusive technologies, solid connections with distributors and customers, and beneficial cost structures may offer these qualities.
Recognition in the market and reputation: We are looking for businesses that we think have a sizable market share in their industry and are, or have the potential to become, market leaders. These standards, in our opinion, will provide us defensive market share and enable us to develop more quickly than the rest of the industry.
Strength and track record of a seasoned management team: We aim to find businesses with management teams that have demonstrated their abilities and are willing to collaborate with us so they may leverage our Management Team’s knowledge and experience.
2
Attractive financial profile: We seek businesses with either proven or attractive future financial performance, or potential to enhance financial performance, and generate strong, sustainable cash flow. We are targeting companies that have a clear path to profitability through growing and predictable revenues and the ability to take on additional leverage.
Future growth trajectory:
We are looking for businesses in sectors of the economy that, in our opinion, have a durable competitive edge, are benefiting from favorable secular trends, and have room to grow through a partnership with us. We are focusing on businesses that have grown significantly organically and that, in our opinion, are in a strong position to gain more market share in their particular industry.
Maximizing the value of becoming a publicly traded entity: We are concentrating on purchasing a business with an easily comprehensible public market narrative. We plan to collaborate with stakeholders and management who want to see significant growth and their business go public. We are focusing on businesses that can take advantage of the advantages that come with being a publicly traded company. These advantages include easier access to debt and equity financing, attracting and keeping talent through equity compensation, the ability to use equity as a medium of exchange for strategic mergers and acquisitions after the initial Business Combination, and increased benefits for branding and market positioning.
Growth potential: Our goal is to identify businesses with the best chance of growing to a significant size, both organically and possibly through acquisitions or other strategic deals. We favor businesses with solid plans for growth and businesses that operate in consolidating sectors. Accordingly, we seek a target that could act as a platform for us to accelerate growth and potentially execute accretive acquisitions that could increase shareholder value.
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial Business Combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines, as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our Management may deem relevant. We may decide to enter into our initial Business Combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, and in the event we do, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our shareholder communications related to our initial Business Combination, which, as discussed in this Report, would be in the form of proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents that we would file with the SEC.
Acquisition Process
In evaluating a prospective target business, we conduct a due diligence review which may encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection of facilities, as applicable, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information about the target and its industry which will be made available to us. If we determine to move forward with a particular target, we will proceed to structure and negotiate the terms of the Business Combination transaction.
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, and negotiation with, 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 available for us to use to complete another Business Combination.
Initial Business Combination
We intend to effectuate our initial Business Combination using cash from the proceeds of our Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement, the proceeds of the sale of our Ordinary Shares in connection with our initial Business Combination, shares issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target, other securities issuances, or a combination of the foregoing. 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.
We will provide our Public Shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of our initial Business Combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) without a shareholder vote by means of a tender offer. If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial Business Combination only if we receive an Ordinary Resolution. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement.
3
We have until September 9, 2026 or until such earlier liquidation date as our Board of Directors may approve, to consummate our initial Business Combination. If we anticipate that we may be unable to consummate our initial Business Combination within such 24-month period, we may seek shareholder approval to amend our Amended and Restated Charter to extend the date by which we must consummate our initial Business Combination. If we seek shareholder approval for an extension, our Public Shareholders will be offered an opportunity to redeem their Public Shares at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned thereon (less taxes payable, if any), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding Public Shares, subject to applicable law.
If we are unable to complete our initial Business Combination within the Combination Period, we will redeem 100% of the Public Shares at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned thereon (less taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest income to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding Public Shares, subject to applicable law and certain conditions as further described herein. We cannot assure our Public Shareholders that we will in fact be able to distribute the Redemption Price as a result of claims of creditors, which may take priority over the claims of our Public Shareholders.
The Nasdaq Rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the Trust Account (excluding the Deferred Fee and taxes payable on the interest earned on the Trust Account, the “80% Test”). Our Board of Directors will make the determination as to the fair market value of our initial Business Combination. If our Board of Directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of our initial Business Combination, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it likely that our Board of Directors will be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of our initial Business Combination, it may be unable to do so if it is less familiar or experienced with the business of a particular target or if there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of the target’s assets or prospects. Additionally, pursuant to the Nasdaq Rules, any initial Business Combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors.
We anticipate structuring our initial Business Combination so that the post-transaction company in which our Public Shareholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial Business Combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the Business Combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the Business Combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new Ordinary Shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity interests of a target. 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 Ordinary Shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial Business Combination could own less than a majority of our issued and outstanding Ordinary 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 taken into account for purposes of the 80% Test. If the Business Combination involves more than one target business, the 80% Test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial Business Combination with a company that is affiliated with our Sponsor, officers or directors, advisor, or completing the Business Combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our Sponsor, officers or directors or advisor. In the event we seek to complete our initial Business Combination with a company that is affiliated (as defined in our Amended and Restated Charter) with our Sponsor, officers, directors or advisor, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, stating that the consideration to be paid by us in 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.
4
Members of our Management Team and our independent directors directly or indirectly own Founder Shares and/or Private Placement Units after the Initial Public Offering and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial Business Combination. The low price that our Sponsor, executive officers and directors (directly or indirectly) paid for the Founder Shares creates an incentive whereby our officers and directors could potentially make a substantial profit even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for Public Shareholders. If we are unable to complete our initial Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Founder Shares and Private Placement Units may expire worthless, except to the extent they receive liquidating distributions from assets outside the Trust Account, which could create an incentive for our Sponsor, executive officers and directors to complete a transaction, even if we select an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for Public Shareholders. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular Business Combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial Business Combination.
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a Business Combination opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a Business Combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such Business Combination opportunity to such other entity, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Our Amended and Restated Charter provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer, among other persons, shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us, and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which (a) may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other or (b) the presentation of which would breach an existing legal obligation of a director or officer to any other entity. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial Business Combination.
In addition, our Sponsor and our officers and directors may sponsor or form other SPACs similar to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial Business Combination. As a result, our Sponsor, officers and directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present Business Combination opportunities to us or to any other SPAC with which they may become involved. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial Business Combination target. However, we do not believe that any such potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial Business Combination.
Sourcing of Potential Initial Business Combination Targets
Target business candidates are brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers and private investment funds. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being solicited by us through calls or mailings. These sources may also introduce us to target businesses in which they think we may be interested on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read our Initial Public Offering prospectus and know what types of businesses we are targeting. Our officers and directors, as well as their affiliates, may also bring to our attention target business candidates of which they become aware through their business contacts as a result of formal or informal inquiries or discussions they may have, as well as attending trade shows or conventions. In addition, we expect to receive a number of proprietary deal flow opportunities that would not otherwise necessarily be available to us as a result of the track record and business relationships of our officers and directors. While we do not presently anticipate engaging the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on any formal basis, we may engage these firms or other individuals in the future, in which event we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction.
Prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial Business Combination, there may be payment by us to our Sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates, of a finder’s fee, advisory fee, consulting fee or success fee for any services they render in order to effectuate the completion of our initial Business Combination, which, if made prior to the completion of our initial Business Combination, will be paid from funds held outside the Trust Account.
5
We will engage a finder only to the extent our Management determines that the use of a finder may bring opportunities to us that may not otherwise be available to us or if finders approach us on an unsolicited basis with a potential transaction that our Management determines is in our best interest to pursue. Payment of a finder’s fee is customarily tied to completion of a transaction, in which case any such fee will be paid out of the funds held in the Trust Account.
Financial Position
With funds available for a Business Combination as of December 31, 2024 in the amount of $234,500,051 (before redemptions, taxes payable on the interest earned, if any, and payment of the Deferred Fee), we offer a target business a variety of options, such as creating a liquidity event for its owners, providing capital for the potential growth and expansion of its operations or strengthening its balance sheet by reducing its debt ratio. Because we are able to complete our initial Business Combination using our cash, debt or equity securities, or a combination of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to use the most efficient combination that will allow us to tailor the consideration to be paid to the target business to fit its needs and desires. However, we have not taken any steps to secure third-party financing and there can be no assurance it will be available to us.
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 negative economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact on the particular industry in which we operate after our initial Business Combination, and |
| ● | cause us to depend on the marketing and sale of a single product or limited number of products or services. |
Limited Ability to Evaluate the Target’s Management Team
Although we 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. The determination as to whether any of the members of our Management Team will remain with the combined company will be made in connection with our initial Business Combination. 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 our shareholders that members of our Management Team will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.
We cannot assure our shareholders that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with the combined company.
Following a Business Combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We cannot assure our shareholders 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.
6
Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination
We may conduct redemptions without a shareholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC subject to the provisions of our Amended and Restated Charter. However, we will seek shareholder approval if it is required by law or applicable stock exchange rule, or we may decide to seek shareholder approval for business or other reasons.
Under the Nasdaq’s Rules, shareholder approval would be required for our initial Business Combination if, for example:
| ● | We issue Ordinary Shares that will be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of our Ordinary Shares then outstanding (other than in a public offering); |
| ● | Any of our directors, officers or substantial shareholders (as defined by the Nasdaq Rules) has a 5% or greater interest earned on the Trust Account (or such persons collectively have a 10% or greater interest), directly or indirectly, in the target business or assets to be acquired or otherwise and the present or potential issuance of Ordinary Shares could result in an increase in outstanding Ordinary Shares or voting power of 5% or more; or |
| ● | The issuance or potential issuance of Ordinary Shares will result in our undergoing a change of control. |
The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed Business Combination in those instances in which shareholder approval is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements 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: (i) the timing of the transaction, including in the event we determine shareholder approval would require additional time and there is either not enough time to seek shareholder approval or doing so would place the Company at a disadvantage in the transaction or result in other additional burdens on the company; (ii) the expected cost of holding a shareholder vote; (iii) the risk that the shareholders would fail to approve the proposed Business Combination; (iv) other time and budget constraints of the Company; and (v) additional legal complexities of a proposed Business Combination that would be time-consuming and burdensome to present to shareholders.
Permitted Purchases of Our Securities
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial Business Combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial Business Combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates may purchase Public Shares or Public Warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial Business Combination, although they are under no obligation or duty to do so. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgment that such Public Shareholder, although still the record holder of our Public 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, advisors and their affiliates purchase Public Shares in privately negotiated transactions from Public Shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling Public Shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their Public Shares. It is intended that, if Rule 10b-18 would apply to purchases by Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates, then such purchases will comply with Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act, to the extent it applies, which provides a safe harbor for purchases made under certain conditions, including with respect to timing, pricing and volume of purchases.
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 and their affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire Public Shares, vote their Public Shares in favor of our initial Business Combination or not redeem their Public Shares. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the Trust Account will be used to purchase Public Shares or Public Warrants in such transactions.
The purpose of any such transactions could be to (1) increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of the Business Combination, (2) reduce the number of Public Warrants outstanding and/or increase the likelihood of approval on any matters submitted to the Public Warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial Business Combination or (3) satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial Business Combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial Business Combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
7
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our securities may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
Our Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the Public Shareholders with whom our Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates may pursue privately negotiated transactions by either the Public Shareholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by Public Shareholders (in the case of Public Shares) following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial Business Combination. To the extent that our Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates enter into a private transaction, they would identify and contact only potential selling or redeeming Public Shareholders who have expressed their election to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata share of the Trust Account or vote against our initial Business Combination, whether or not such Public Shareholder has already submitted a proxy with respect to our initial Business Combination but only if such Public Shares have not already been voted at the general meeting related to our initial Business Combination. Our Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates will select which Public Shareholders to purchase Public Shares from based on the negotiated price and number of Public Shares and any other factors that they may deem relevant, and will be restricted from purchasing Public Shares if such purchases do not comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.
Our Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates will be restricted from making purchases of Public Shares if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements. Additionally, in the event our Sponsor, , directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates were to purchase our securities from Public Shareholders, such purchases would be structured in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act including, in pertinent part, through adherence to the following:
| ● | our registration statement/proxy statement filed for our Business Combination transaction would disclose the possibility that our Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase our securities from Public Shareholders outside the redemption process, along with the purpose of such purchases; |
| ● | if our Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates were to purchase our securities from Public Shareholders, they would do so at a price no higher than the price offered through our redemption process; |
| ● | our registration statement/proxy statement filed for our Business Combination transaction would include a representation that any of our securities purchased by our Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates would not be voted in favor of approving the Business Combination transaction; |
| ● | our Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates would not possess any redemption rights with respect to our securities or, if they do acquire and possess redemption rights, they would waive such rights; and |
| ● | we would disclose in a Current Report on Form 8-K, before our general meeting of shareholders to approve the Business Combination transaction, the following material items: |
| o | the amount of our securities purchased outside of the redemption offer by our Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates, along with the purchase price; |
| o | the purpose of the purchases by our Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates; |
| o | the impact, if any, of the purchases by our Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates on the likelihood that the Business Combination transaction will be approved; |
| o | the identities of our security holders who sold to our Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates (if not purchased on the open market) or the nature of our security holders (e.g., 5% security holders) who sold to our Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates; and |
| o | the number of our securities for which we have received redemption requests pursuant to our redemption offer. |
8
Redemption Rights for Public Shareholders upon Completion of Our Initial Business Combination
We will provide our Public Shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares, regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or vote against, our initial Business Combination, 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 earned on the funds held in the Trust Account (less taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein. As of December 31, 2024, the Redemption Price was approximately $10.15 per Public Share (before taxes payable, if any). The per share amount we will distribute to Public Shareholders who properly redeem their Public Shares will not be reduced by the Deferred Fee we will pay to the underwriters of the Initial Public Offering. Our Sponsor, officers and directors have entered into the Letter Agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their Founder Shares, Private Placement Shares and any Public Shares they may hold in connection with the completion of our initial Business Combination.
Our proposed initial Business Combination may impose a minimum cash requirement for (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A Ordinary Shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed initial Business Combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the initial Business Combination or redeem any Public Shares, and all Public Shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof. We may, however, raise funds through the issuance of equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial Business Combination, including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop arrangements into which we may enter following consummation of the Initial Public Offering, in order to, among other reasons, satisfy such net tangible assets or minimum cash requirements.
Manner of Conducting Redemptions
We will provide our Public Shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of our initial Business Combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) without a shareholder vote by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement or whether we were deemed to be a foreign private issuer (which would require a tender offer rather than seeking shareholder approval under SEC rules). Asset acquisitions and share purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with our company (other than with a 90% subsidiary of ours) and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares or seek to amend our Amended and Restated Charter would require shareholder approval. So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on Nasdaq, we will be required to comply with the shareholder approval requirements of the Nasdaq Rules.
The requirement that we provide our Public Shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares by one of the two methods listed above are contained in provisions of our Amended and Restated Charter and will apply whether or not we maintain our registration under the Exchange Act or our listing on Nasdaq. Such provisions may be amended if approved by a Special Resolution.
9
If we provide our Public Shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares in connection with a general meeting, we will, pursuant to our Amended and Restated Charter:
| ● | 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. |
In the event that we seek shareholder approval of our initial Business Combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection therewith, provide our Public Shareholders with the redemption rights described above upon completion of the initial Business Combination.
If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial Business Combination only if we receive an Ordinary Resolution. A quorum for such meeting will be present if the holders of at least one third of issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares entitled to vote at the meeting are represented in person or by proxy. Our Sponsor, officers and directors will count toward this quorum and, pursuant to the Letter Agreement, our Sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their Founder Shares, Private Placement Shares and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Initial Public Offering (including in open market and privately-negotiated transactions, aside from shares they may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act, which would not be voted in favor of approving the Business Combination transaction) in favor of our initial Business Combination. For purposes of seeking approval of an Ordinary Resolution, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial Business Combination once a quorum is obtained. As a result, in addition to our Sponsor’s Founder Shares, we would need 7,500,001, or approximately 37.5%, of the 20,000,000 Public Shares sold in the Initial Public Offering to be voted in favor of an initial Business Combination in order to have our initial Business Combination approved, assuming all outstanding Ordinary Shares are voted and the parties to the Letter Agreement do not acquire any Class A Ordinary Shares. Assuming that only the holders of one-third of our issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares, representing a quorum under our Amended and Restated Charter vote their Ordinary Shares at a general meeting of the Company, we will not need any Public Shares in addition to our Founder Shares to be voted in favor of an initial Business Combination in order to approve an initial Business Combination. However, if our initial Business Combination is structured as a statutory merger or consolidation with another company under Cayman Islands law, the approval of our initial Business Combination will require a Special Resolution.
In addition, prior to the closing of our initial Business Combination, only holders of our Class B Ordinary Shares (i) have the right to appoint and remove directors prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial Business Combination and (ii) are entitled to vote on continuing our company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any Special Resolution required to amend our constitutional documents or to adopt new constitutional documents, in each case, as a result of our approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreement of our Sponsor, officers and directors, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial Business Combination. Each Public Shareholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares irrespective of whether they vote for or vote against the proposed transaction, or whether they do not vote or abstain from voting on the proposed transaction, or whether they were a Public Shareholder on the record date for the general meeting held to approve the proposed transaction.
If a shareholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will:
| ● | 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. |
10
In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial Business Combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on Public Shareholders not tendering more than the number of Public Shares we are permitted to redeem. If Public Shareholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the initial Business Combination.
Upon the public announcement of our initial Business Combination, if we elect to conduct redemption pursuant to the tender offer rules, we or our Sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase our Class A Ordinary Shares in the open market, in order to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act.
We intend to require our Public Shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to, at the holder’s option, either deliver their share certificates to our transfer agent or deliver their shares to our transfer agent electronically using the DWAC System, prior to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. In the case of proxy materials, this date may be up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the initial Business Combination. In addition, if we conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote, we intend to require a Public Shareholder seeking redemption of its Public Shares to also submit a written request for redemption to our transfer agent two business days prior to the scheduled vote in which the name of the beneficial owner of such Public Shares is included. The proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, that we will furnish to our Public Shareholders in connection with our initial Business Combination will indicate whether we are requiring Public Shareholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. We believe that this will allow our transfer agent to efficiently process any redemptions without the need for further communication or action from the redeeming Public Shareholders, which could delay redemptions and result in additional administrative cost. If the proposed initial Business Combination is not approved and we continue to search for a target company, we will promptly return any certificates or shares delivered by Public Shareholders who elected to redeem their Public Shares.
Our proposed initial Business Combination may impose a minimum cash requirement for (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions. 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 initial Business Combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the initial Business Combination or redeem any Public Shares, and all Public Shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof. We may, however, raise funds through the issuance of equity or equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial Business Combination.
Limitation on Redemption Upon Completion of Our Initial Business Combination If We Seek Shareholder Approval
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial Business Combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial Business Combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our Amended and Restated Charter provides that a Public Shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in our Initial Public Offering (the “Excess Shares”) without our prior consent. We believe this restriction will discourage shareholders 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 Management to purchase their Public Shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a Public Shareholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the Publics Sares sold in the Initial Public Offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such Public Shareholder’s Public Shares are not purchased by us, our Sponsor or our Management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our Public Shareholders’ ability to redeem no more than 15% of the Public Shares sold in the Initial Public Offering without our prior consent, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of Public Shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial Business Combination, particularly in connection with a Business Combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash.
However, we would not be restricting our Public Shareholders’ ability to vote all of their Public Shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial Business Combination.
11
Delivering Share Certificates in Connection with the Exercise of Redemption Rights
As described above, we intend to require our Public Shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their Public Shares in “street name,” to, at the holder’s option, either deliver their share certificates to our transfer agent or deliver their shares to our transfer agent electronically using the DWAC System, prior to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. In the case of proxy materials, this date may be up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the initial Business Combination. In addition, if we conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote, we intend to require a Public Shareholder seeking redemption of its Public Shares to also submit a written request for redemption to our transfer agent two business days prior to the scheduled vote in which the name of the beneficial owner of such Public Shares is included. The proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our Public Shares in connection with our initial Business Combination will indicate whether we are requiring Public Shareholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. Accordingly, a Public Shareholder would have up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the initial Business Combination if we distribute proxy materials, or from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, as applicable, to submit or tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that a shareholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures disclosed in the proxy or tender offer materials, as applicable, its Public Shares may not be redeemed. Given the relatively short exercise period, it is advisable for shareholders to use electronic delivery of their Public Shares.
There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced process and the act of certificating the Public Shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the broker submitting or tendering Public Shares 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. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require Public Shareholders seeking to exercise redemption rights to submit or tender their Public shares. The need to deliver Public Shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated.
Any request to redeem such Public Shares, once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. 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 Public 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 Shareholders who elected to exercise their redemption rights would not be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for the applicable pro rata share of the Trust Account. In such case, we will promptly return any certificates delivered by Public Shareholders who elected to redeem their Public 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 the end of the Combination Period.
Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation if No Initial Business Combination
Our Amended and Restated Charter provide that we have only the duration of the Combination Period to complete our initial Business Combination. If we have not completed our initial Business Combination within such time period, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible, but not more than ten business days thereafter (and 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 earned on the funds held in the Trust Account (which interest shall be net of taxes and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then-outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish Public Shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our Board of Directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. 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 Combination Period.
Our Sponsor, officers and directors have entered into the Letter Agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to any Founder Shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial Business Combination within the Combination Period; although, they are entitled to liquidating distributions from assets outside the Trust Account. However, if our Sponsor or Management Team acquire Public Shares after the Initial Public Offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to such Public Shares if we fail to complete our initial Business Combination within the allotted Combination Period.
12
Our Sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to the Letter Agreement, that they will not propose any amendment to our Amended and Restated Charter (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of our Public Shares if we do not complete our initial Business Combination within the Combination Period or (ii) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity, in each case unless we provide our Public Shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account (less taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares.
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 approximately $798,454 of proceeds held outside the Trust Account, although we cannot assure our shareholders 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 income taxes on interest income earned on the Trust Account balance, 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 the Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement, other than the proceeds deposited in the Trust Account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the Trust Account, the Redemption Price upon our dissolution would be approximately $10.15 as of December 31, 2024. 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 Shareholders. We cannot assure our shareholders that the actual per-share redemption amount received by shareholders will not be substantially less than the Redemption Price. While we intend to pay such amounts, if any, we cannot assure our shareholders that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims.
Although we seek to have all vendors, service providers, 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 Shareholders, 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 consider whether competitive alternatives are reasonably available to us and will only enter into an agreement with such third party if Management believes that such third party’s engagement would be in the best interests of the Company under the circumstances. Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third-party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by Management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where Management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. Withum, our independent registered public accounting firm, and the underwriters of the Initial Public Offering did not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the Trust Account. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for any reason.
In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, our Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to us (except for our independent registered public accounting firm), or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or other similar agreement or Business Combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below the lesser of (i) $10.05 per Public Share and (ii) the actual amount per Public Share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account, if less than $10.05 per share due to reductions in the value of the Trust Account assets, less taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the Trust Account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of the Initial Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, we have not asked our Sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our Sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and we believe that our Sponsor’s only assets are securities of our Company. Therefore, we cannot assure our shareholders that our Sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the Trust Account, the funds available for our initial Business Combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.05 per Public Share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial Business Combination, and our Public Shareholders would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of their Public Shares. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
13
In the event that the proceeds in the Trust Account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.05 per Public Share and (ii) the actual amount per Public Share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account if less than $10.05 per share due to reductions in the value of the Trust Account assets, in each case less taxes payable, 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 if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. Accordingly, we cannot assure our Public Shareholders that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per-share redemption price will not be less than the Redemption Price.
We seek to reduce the possibility that our Sponsor will have to indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers, 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 monies held in the Trust Account. Our Sponsor will also not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of the Initial Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. As of December 31, 2024, we had access to up to approximately $798,454 from the proceeds of the Initial Public Offering 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, shareholders who received funds from our Trust Account could be liable for claims made by creditors.
If we file a bankruptcy or insolvency petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or insolvency petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the Trust Account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the Trust Account, we cannot assure our shareholders we will be able to return $10.05 per share to our Public Shareholders. Additionally, if we file a bankruptcy or insolvency petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or insolvency petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy/insolvency laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance, preference or disposition.” As a result, a liquidator or bankruptcy or other court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our Board of Directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to us or our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our Company to claims of punitive damages, by paying Public Shareholders from the Trust Account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure our shareholders that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.
Our Public Shareholders are entitled to receive funds from the Trust Account only (i) in the event of the redemption of our Public Shares if we do not complete our initial Business Combination within the Combination Period, (ii) in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our Amended and Restated Charter (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 the Combination Period or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity or (iii) if they redeem their respective shares for cash upon the completion of our initial Business Combination, subject to applicable law and any limitations (including but not limited to cash requirements) created by the terms of the proposed Business Combination. In no other circumstances will a shareholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the Trust Account. In the event we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial Business Combination, a shareholder’s voting in connection with the Business Combination alone will not result in a shareholder’s redeeming its shares to us for an applicable pro rata share of the Trust Account. Such Public Shareholder must have also exercised its redemption rights described above. These provisions of our Amended and Restated Charter, like all provisions of our Amended and Restated Charter, may be amended with a shareholder vote.
14
Competition
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our initial Business Combination, we encounter competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other SPACs, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, public companies and operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting Business Combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess greater financial, technical, human and other resources than us. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses is limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our Public Shareholders who exercise or are forced to exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial Business Combination and our outstanding Warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Either of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial Business Combination.
Employees
We currently have two officers: William J. Sandbrook and William M. Brown. William M. (Matt) Brown is dedicated full-time to the process of identifying, evaluating and negotiating with an acquisition target for our initial Business Combination.
Periodic Reporting and Financial Information
We have registered our Public Units, Public Shares and Public 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, including this Report, contain financial statements audited and reported on by Withum, our independent registered public accountant.
We will provide shareholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents sent to shareholders to assist them in assessing the target business. In all likelihood, these financial statements will need to be prepared in accordance with, or reconciled to, GAAP, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances, and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may conduct an initial Business Combination with because some targets may be unable to provide such statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial Business Combination within the prescribed time frame. We cannot assure our shareholders that any particular target business identified by us as a potential Business Combination candidate will have financial statements prepared in accordance with the requirements outlined above, or that the potential target business will be able to prepare its financial statements in accordance with the requirements outlined above. To the extent that these requirements cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business. 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, 2025 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 have our internal control procedures audited. 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 Business Combination.
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company. Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies conducting business mainly outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Act. As an exempted company, we have applied for and received a tax exemption undertaking from the Cayman Islands government that, in accordance with Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Act (Revised) of the Cayman Islands, for a period of 30 years from the date of the undertaking, no law that is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations will apply to us or our operations and, in addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax will be payable (i) on or in respect of our shares, debentures or other obligations or (ii) by way of the withholding in whole or in part of a payment of dividend or other distribution of income or capital by us to our shareholders or a payment of principal or interest or other sums due under a debenture or other obligation of us.
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 shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
15
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 September 9, 2029, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Class A Ordinary Shares that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.
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 Class A Ordinary Shares 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 Class A Ordinary Shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter.
In addition, prior to the consummation of a Business Combination, only holders of our Class B Ordinary Shares have the right to vote on the appointment or removal of directors and an amendment to continue our existence in a jurisdiction outside of the Cayman Islands. As a result, Nasdaq considers us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq corporate governance standards. Under Nasdaq corporate governance standards, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power for the appointment of directors is held by an individual, group or another company is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements. We currently do not intend to rely on the “controlled company” exemption, but may do so in the future. Accordingly, if we choose to do so, our shareholders will not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of the Nasdaq corporate governance requirements.
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
As a smaller reporting company under Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act, we are not required to include risk factors in this Report. However, the following is a partial list of material risks, uncertainties and other factors that could have a material effect on us and our operations:
| ● | we are a blank check company and an early-stage company with no revenue or basis to evaluate our ability to select a suitable business target; |
| ● | we may not be able to select an appropriate target business or businesses and complete our initial Business Combination within the Combination Period; |
| ● | our expectations around the performance of a prospective target business or businesses may not be realized; |
| ● | we may not be successful in retaining or recruiting required officers, key employees or directors following our initial Business Combination; |
| ● | our officers and directors may have difficulty allocating their time between our Company and other businesses and may potentially have conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial Business Combination; |
| ● | we may not be able to obtain additional financing to complete our initial Business Combination or reduce the number of Public Shareholders requesting redemption; |
| ● | we may issue our Ordinary Shares to investors in connection with our initial Business Combination at a price that is less than the prevailing market price of our Ordinary Shares at that time; |
| ● | our shareholders may not be given the opportunity to choose the initial Business Combination target or to vote on the initial Business Combination; |
| ● | Trust Account funds may not be protected against third-party claims or bankruptcy; |
| ● | an active market for our public securities may not continue and our shareholders may have limited liquidity and trading; |
| ● | our financial performance following a Business Combination with an entity may be negatively affected by their lack of an established record of revenue, cash flows and experienced management; |
| ● | there may be more competition to find an attractive target for an initial Business Combination, which could increase the costs associated with completing our initial Business Combination and may result in our inability to find a suitable target; |
16
| ● | 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; |
| ● | 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; |
| ● | we may engage one or more of the underwriters of the Initial Public Offering or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us after the Initial Public Offering, which may include acting as a financial advisor in connection with an initial Business Combination or as placement agent in connection with a related financing transaction. The underwriters of the Initial Public Offering are entitled to receive the Deferred Fee that will be released from the Trust Account only upon completion of an initial Business Combination. These financial incentives may cause them to have potential conflicts of interest in rendering any such additional services to us after the Initial Public Offering, including, for example, in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial Business Combination; |
| ● | 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; |
| ● | since our Sponsor will lose its entire investment in us if our initial Business Combination is not completed (other than with respect to any Public Shares they may acquire during or after the Initial Public Offering), and because our Sponsor, officers and directors may profit substantially even under circumstances in which our Public Shareholders would experience losses in connection with their investment, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular Business Combination target is appropriate for our initial Business Combination; |
| ● | 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 the Redemption Price; |
| ● | 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 Combination Period, our Public Shareholders may receive only the Redemption Price, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our Trust Account and our Warrants will expire worthless; |
| ● | we may not be able to complete an initial Business Combination with certain potential target companies if a proposed transaction with the target company may be subject to review or approval by regulatory authorities pursuant to certain U.S. or foreign laws or regulations, including the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States; |
| ● | recent fluctuations in inflation and interest rates in the United States and elsewhere could make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial Business Combination; |
| ● | adverse developments affecting the financial services industry, including events or concerns involving liquidity, defaults or non-performance by financial institutions, could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations, or our prospects; |
| ● | military or other conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East or elsewhere may lead to increased volume and price volatility for publicly traded securities, or affect the operations or financial condition of potential target companies, which could make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial Business Combination; | |
| ● | if our initial Business Combination involves a company organized under the laws of a state of the United States, it is possible the Excise Tax will be imposed on us in connection with redemptions of our Ordinary Shares after or in connection with such initial Business Combination; | |
| ● | cyber incidents or attacks directed at us or third parties could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss; |
| ● | 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; | |
| ● | 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; and | |
| ● | to mitigate the risk that we might be deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, we may, at any time (based on our Management Team’s ongoing assessment of all factors related to our potential status under the Investment Company Act), instruct the trustee to liquidate the investments held in the Trust Account and instead to hold the funds in the Trust Account in an interest-bearing demand deposit account at a bank until the earlier of the consummation of our initial Business Combination or our liquidation. As a result of such transfer, we could receive less interest on the funds held in the Trust Account than the interest we would have received pursuant to our original Trust Account investments, which could reduce the dollar amount our Public Shareholders would receive upon any redemption or our liquidation. |
17
We may seek to extend the Combination Period, which could reduce the amount held in our Trust Account and have adverse effects on our Company.
If we are unable to consummate our Initial Business Combination on or before September 9, 2026, we may seek shareholder approval to extend the Combination Period by amending our Amended and Restated Charter. In such event, our Public Shareholders will be provided the opportunity to have all or a portion of their Public Shares redeemed. Any redemptions will reduce the amount held in our Trust Account, the effect of which may adversely affect our ability to consummate our initial Business Combination and may also impair our ability to maintain our Nasdaq listing.
We anticipate that our securities will be suspended from trading on Nasdaq and delisted if we do not consummate our initial Business Combination by September 5, 2027. Any trading suspension or delisting could have a material adverse effect on the trading of our securities and may adversely affect our ability to consummate an initial Business Combination.
Our IPO Registration Statement was declared effective by the SEC on September 5, 2024 and our securities are currently listed on the Global Market tier of Nasdaq. Pursuant to our Amended and Restated Charter, we have until September 9, 2026 to consummate our initial Business Combination. However, under the Nasdaq Rules, if a SPAC does not meet the Nasdaq 36-Month Requirement, the SPAC will be subject to a suspension of trading and delisting from Nasdaq.
Under the Nasdaq Rules, a SPAC’s Nasdaq-listed securities will be immediately suspended from trading if the SPAC does not meet the Nasdaq 36-Month Requirement, and Nasdaq will, at such point, commence delisting procedures. Although a SPAC can request a hearing before the hearing panel of Nasdaq (the “Hearing Panel”), the scope of the Hearing Panel’s review is limited. If a SPAC completes a Business Combination after receiving a delisting determination by the staff of the Listing Qualifications Department of Nasdaq (a “Staff Delisting Determination”) and/or demonstrates compliance with all applicable initial listing requirements, the combined company can apply to list its securities on Nasdaq pursuant to the normal application review process. The Nasdaq Rules contain a list of deficiencies that would immediately result in a Staff Delisting Determination, which includes noncompliance with the Nasdaq 36-Month Requirement. Accordingly, were we to amend our Amended and Restated Charter to extend the date by which we are permitted to consummate our initial Business Combination, we would still need to consummate our initial Business Combination on or prior to September 5, 2027 in order to avoid a suspension of our securities from trading on and delisting from Nasdaq. If Nasdaq were to suspend our securities from trading and delist our securities, our securities could potentially be quoted on an over-the-counter market. Even if our securities are then quoted on an over-the-counter market, our Nasdaq suspension and delisting could have significant material adverse consequences, including:
| ● | making our securities appear to be less attractive to potential target companies than the securities of an exchange listed SPAC; |
| ● | limited availability of market quotations for our securities; |
| ● | reduced liquidity for our securities; |
| ● | the possibility that our Class A Ordinary Shares would be deemed “penny stock,” which will require brokers trading in our Class A Ordinary Shares to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities; |
| ● | limited news and analyst coverage; and |
| ● | decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future. |
In addition, if our securities are delisted from Nasdaq, trading in our securities, and offers and sales of our securities by us, may be subject to state securities regulation and additional compliance costs.
The share price of the post-Business Combination company may be less than the Redemption Price of our Public Shares.
Each Public Unit sold in our Initial Public Offering at an offering price of $10.00 per Public Unit consisted of one Public Share and one-half of one Public Warrant. Of the proceeds we received from the Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement, $231,150,000 was placed in our Trust Account. We will provide our Public Shareholders the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares in connection with the completion of our initial Business Combination, and potentially upon the occurrence of certain other events prior to our initial Business Combination. We expect that the pro rata redemption price in any redemption will be approximately $10.15 per Public Share as of December 31, 2024 (before taxes payable, if any), representing a pro rata portion of our Trust Account without taking into account any interest or other income earned on such funds (less any withdrawals from such interest or income for taxes paid), although the Redemption Price may be less in certain circumstances. As a result, Public Shareholders who own our Public Shares on a redemption date can anticipate receiving the Redemption Price in connection with a redemption for each Public Share that they choose to redeem.
There can be no assurance that, after our initial Business Combination, our Public Shareholders would be able to sell their shares in the post-Business Combination company for the Redemption Price, or any higher price. We have not, as yet, identified a target and are therefore unable to provide any assurances as to its financial condition, business prospects or potential risks. It is therefore possible that the share price of the post-Business Combination company may decline below the Redemption Price. In recent years, the share prices of many post-Business Combination companies have fallen following a Business Combination. As a result, if our Public Shareholders continue to hold shares in the post-Business Combination company following our initial Business Combination, we cannot assure our shareholders that the trading price of such shares will be greater than the Redemption Price.
18
Certain agreements related to the Initial Public Offering may be amended, or their provisions waived, without shareholder approval.
Certain of the agreements related to the Initial Public Offering to which we are a party may be amended, or their provisions waived, without shareholder approval. Such agreements include, among others, the (i) Underwriting Agreement, (ii) Letter Agreement, (iii) Registration Rights Agreement, (iii) Private Placement Units Purchase Agreements and (iv) Administrative Services Agreement. These agreements contain various provisions that our Public Shareholders might deem to be material. For example, our Letter Agreement and the Underwriting Agreement contain certain lock-up provisions with respect to the Founder Shares and other securities held by our Sponsor, officers and directors, subject to certain exceptions. Amendments or waivers to such agreements would require the consent of the applicable parties thereto and, in certain cases, the consent of the underwriters of the Initial Public Offering. Any such modification, such as an amendment to shorten lock-up restrictions, may benefit our Sponsor, officers and/or directors. Any such amendments would not require approval from our shareholders, 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. For example, although we would not amend lock-up provisions to permit securities held by our Sponsor to be freely sold prior to our initial Business Combination, we may amend such provisions to permit them to be freely sold after the Business Combination earlier than they would otherwise be permitted, which may have an adverse effect on the price of our securities.
Uncertainty in connection with certain international economic and political relationships, including the imposition of tariffs on international trade, political disputes, regulatory changes and other international matters could have a material adverse effect on our ability to identify potential targets and to consummate our initial Business Combination, and could adversely affect the financial performance of any target, either foreign or domestic.
The international economic and political environment is dynamic and subject to change. There is currently significant uncertainty about the future economic and political relationships between the United States and a number of other countries. These uncertainties include, among other things, the potential imposition of protective tariffs on goods imported from other countries and reciprocal tariffs other countries may impose on United States products, political disputes that may affect relationships between the United States and other countries and the imposition of regulatory or other restrictions on trade and commerce. Any such matters could potentially limit the number of potential targets we may consider, and could also have a material adverse effect on the financial performance of such potential targets. Among other things, historical financial performance of companies affected by these international matters may not provide as accurate a barometer of future performance as would pertain in a more stable economic environment.
For additional risks relating to our operations, other than as set forth above, see the section titled “Risk Factors” contained in our IPO Registration Statement. Any of these factors could result in a significant or material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition. Additional risks could arise that may also affect our business or ability to consummate an initial Business Combination. We may disclose changes to such risk factors or disclose additional risk factors from time to time in our future filings with the SEC.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.
Not applicable.
Item 1C. Cybersecurity.
Although
as a blank check company, we do not have any operations, we are nonetheless subject to the risk of cybersecurity incidents. Among other
things, the investments in our Trust Account and bank deposits may be vulnerable to such incidents, and we may depend on the digital
technologies of third parties.
Item 2. Properties.
Our executive offices are located at 100 Kimball Place, Suite 550, Alpharetta GA 30009, and our telephone number is (770) 299-2201. The cost for our use of this space is included in the $2,500 per month fee we pay to our Sponsor for certain office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support, pursuant to the Administrative Services Agreement; upon completion of our initial Business Combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings.
To the knowledge of our Management Team, there is no material litigation currently pending or contemplated against us, any of our officers or directors in their capacity as such or against any of our property.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
Not applicable.
19
PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters, and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
(a) Market Information
Our Public Units, Public Shares and Public Warrants are each traded on the Global Market tier of Nasdaq under the symbols “POLEU,” “POLE” and “POLEW,” respectively. Our Public Units commenced public trading on September 6, 2024, and our Public Shares and Public Warrants commenced separate public trading on October 28, 2024.
(b) Holders
On March 25, 2025, there were three holders of record of our Units, one holder of record of our Class A Ordinary Shares, one holder of record of our Class B Ordinary Shares, and one holder of record of our Warrants.
(c) Dividends
We have not paid any cash dividends on our Ordinary Shares to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial Business Combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial Business Combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to our initial Business Combination will be within the discretion of our Board of Directors at such time. In addition, our Board of Directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any share dividends in the foreseeable future. Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial Business Combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
(d) Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
None.
(e) Performance Graph
As a smaller reporting company, we are not required to provide the information required by Regulation S-K Item 201(e).
(f) Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, pursuant to the Private Placement Units Purchase Agreements, we completed the private sale of an aggregate of 760,000 Private Placement Units to the Sponsor and BTIG at a purchase price of $10.00 per Private Placement Unit, generating gross proceeds to us of $7,600,000. Of those 760,000 Private Placement Units, the Sponsor purchased 450,000 Private Placement Units and BTIG purchased 310,000 Private Placement Units. The Private Placement Units are identical to the Public Units sold in the Initial Public Offering, except as otherwise disclosed in the IPO Registration Statement. No underwriting discounts or commissions were paid with respect to such sale. The issuance of the Private Placement Units was made pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.
(g) Use of Proceeds from the Initial Public Offering
For a description of the use of proceeds generated in our Initial Public Offering and Private Placement, see Part I, Item 2 of our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2024, as filed with the SEC on November 7, 2024. There has been no material change in the planned use of proceeds from our Initial Public Offering and Private Placement as described in the IPO Registration Statement. The specific investments in our Trust Account may change from time to time.
(h) Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers
None.
Item 6. [Reserved]
20
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this Report including, without limitation, statements under this Item regarding our financial position, business strategy and the plans and objectives of Management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. When used in this Report, words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend” and similar expressions, as they relate to us or our Management, identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of our Management, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, our Management. Actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors detailed in our filings with the SEC. All subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are qualified in their entirety by this paragraph.
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and the notes thereto contained elsewhere in this Report.
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated in the Cayman Islands on May 21, 2024 formed for the purpose of a Business Combination with one or more businesses. We intend to effectuate our Business Combination using cash from the proceeds of our Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement, the proceeds of the sale of our Ordinary Shares in connection with our initial Business Combination, shares issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target, other securities issuances, or a combination of the foregoing.
We expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. We cannot assure our shareholders that our plans to complete a Business Combination will be successful.
We may seek to extend the Combination Period consistent with applicable laws, regulations and stock exchange rules by amending our Amended and Restated Charter. Such an amendment would require the approval of our Public Shareholders, who will be provided the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares in connection with the vote on such approval. Such redemptions will decrease the amount held in our Trust Account and our capitalization, and may affect our ability to maintain our listing on Nasdaq. In addition, the Nasdaq Rules currently require SPACs (such as us) to complete our initial Business Combination in accordance with the Nasdaq 36-Month Requirement. If we do not meet the Nasdaq 36-Month Requirement, our securities will likely be subject to a suspension of trading and delisting from Nasdaq.
Results of Operations
We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our only activities from May 21, 2024 (inception) through December 31, 2024 were organizational activities, those necessary to prepare for the Initial Public Offering, described below, and subsequent to the closing of the Initial Public Offering, identifying a target company for a Business Combination. We do not expect to generate any operating revenues until after the completion of our Business Combination. We generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on marketable securities held in the Trust Account. We incur expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance, among other things), as well as for due diligence expenses.
For the period from May 21, 2024 (inception) through December 31, 2024, we had net income of $3,046,826, which consisted of interest earned on marketable securities held in Trust Account of $3,350,051, partially offset by general and administrative cost of $303,225.
Factors That May Adversely Affect our Results of Operations
Our results of operations and our ability to complete an initial Business Combination may be adversely affected by various factors that could cause economic uncertainty and volatility in the financial markets, many of which are beyond our control. Our results of operations and our ability to consummate an initial Business Combination could be impacted by, among other things, downturns in the financial markets or in economic conditions, increases in oil prices, inflation, fluctuations in interest rates, increases in tariffs, supply chain disruptions, declines in consumer confidence and spending, public health considerations, and geopolitical instability, such as the military conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. We cannot at this time predict the likelihood of one or more of the above events, their duration or magnitude or the extent to which they may negatively impact our business and our ability to complete an initial Business Combination.
21
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Until the consummation of the Initial Public Offering, our only source of liquidity was an initial purchase of Class B Ordinary Shares, par value $0.0001 per share, by the Sponsor and loans from the Sponsor pursuant to the IPO Promissory Note.
On May 21, 2024, the Sponsor loaned us an aggregate of up to $300,000 to cover expenses related to the Initial Public Offering pursuant to the IPO Promissory Note. On July 16, 2024, we amended the IPO Promissory Note to increase the principal amount to $400,000. This loan was non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of December 31, 2024 or the date on which we consummated the Initial Public Offering. We repaid a total of $312,130 outstanding balance under the IPO Promissory Note at the closing of the Initial Public Offering on September 9, 2024. Borrowings under the IPO Promissory Note are no longer available.
On September 9, 2024, we consummated the Initial Public Offering of 23,000,000 Public Units, at $10.00 per Public Unit, generating gross proceeds of $230,000,000. Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering and pursuant to the Private Placement Units Purchase Agreement, we consummated the sale of an aggregate of 760,000 Private Placement Units at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement Unit to the Sponsor and BTIG, generating gross proceeds of $7,600,000
Following the Initial Public Offering, a total of $231,150,000 was placed in the Trust Account. We incurred $15,014,904 in Initial Public Offering related costs, including $4,600,000 of cash underwriting fees, $9,775,000 of deferred underwriting fees, and $639,904 of other offering costs.
As of December 31, 2024, we had marketable securities held in the Trust Account of $234,500,051 (including approximately $3,350,051 of interest income). We may withdraw interest from the Trust Account to pay taxes, if any. We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the Trust Account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the Trust Account (less income taxes payable), to complete our Business Combination. To the extent that our share capital or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our Business Combination, the remaining proceeds held in the Trust Account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies. To mitigate the risk that we might be deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, which risk increases the longer that we hold investments in the Trust Account, we may, at any time (based on our Management’s ongoing assessment of all factors related to our potential status under the Investment Company Act), instruct the trustee to liquidate the investments held in the Trust Account and instead to hold the funds in the Trust Account in cash or in an interest-bearing demand deposit account at a bank.
As of December 31, 2024, we had cash of $798,454. We use the funds held outside the Trust Account primarily to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, and structure, negotiate and complete a Business Combination.
In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor, or certain of our officers and directors or their affiliates or our advisor may, but are not obligated to, loan us Working Capital Loans as may be required. If we complete a Business Combination, we would repay such Working Capital Loans, if any. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the Trust Account to repay such Working Capital Loans, but no proceeds from our Trust Account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into units of the post Business Combination entity at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. These units would be identical to the Private Placement Units. 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 Working Capital Loans.
We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, if our estimate of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating a Business Combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our Business Combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to complete our Business Combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our Public Shares upon consummation of our Business Combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such Business Combination.
22
Contractual Obligations
We do not have any long-term debt, capital lease obligations, operating lease obligations or long-term liabilities, other than as set forth below.
Administrative Services and Chief Executive Officer Agreements
Commencing on December 13, 2025, and until completion of our initial Business Combination or liquidation, we pay an affiliate of our Sponsor $2,500 per month for certain office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support pursuant to the Administrative Services Agreement. As of December 31, 2024, we had incurred $9,167 under the Administrative Services Agreement.
Additionally, we agreed to pay our Chief Executive Officer $12,500 per month for his services commencing on September 5, 2024, through the earlier of consummation or the initial Business Combination or the liquidation. As of December 31, 2024, we had incurred $45,833 in such fees.
Underwriting Agreement
The underwriters of the Initial Public Offering had a 45-day option from the date of the Initial Public Offering to purchase up to an additional 3,000,000 Option Units to cover over-allotments, if any. On September 9, 2024, simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the underwriters elected to fully exercise the Over-Allotment Option and purchased the additional 3,000,000 Option Units at a price of $10.00 per Option Unit pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement.
The underwriters of the Initial Public Offering were entitled to a cash underwriting discount of 2.00% of the gross proceeds of the Initial Public Offering, or $4,600,000 in the aggregate, paid on September 9, 2024, at the closing of the Initial Public Offering. Additionally, the underwriters are entitled to a deferred underwriting discount of 4.25% of the gross proceeds of the Initial Public Offering, or $9,775,000 in the aggregate, with such Deferred Fee payable upon the completion of the initial Business Combination.
Critical Accounting Estimates and Policies
The preparation of the audited financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with GAAP requires Management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and income and expenses during the periods reported. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates. We have not identified any critical accounting estimates.
Ordinary Shares Subject to Possible Redemption
We account for our ordinary shares subject to possible conversion in accordance with the guidance in FASB ASC Topic 480, “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Ordinary Shares subject to mandatory redemption are classified as a liability instrument and measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable Ordinary Shares (including Ordinary Shares that feature redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within our control) are classified as temporary equity. At all other times, ordinary shares are classified as shareholders’ equity (deficit). Our Ordinary Shares feature certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of our control and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, as of December 31, 2024, Ordinary Shares subject to possible redemption are presented at redemption value as temporary equity, outside of the shareholders’ deficit section of our balance sheet contained elsewhere in this Report.
We recognize changes in redemption value immediately as they occur and adjusts the carrying value of redeemable Ordinary Shares to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. Increases or decreases in the carrying amount of the redeemable Ordinary Shares are affected by charges against additional paid-in capital (to the extent available) and accumulated deficit.
Net Income per Ordinary Share
We comply with accounting and disclosure requirements of FASB ASC 260, “Earnings Per Share”. We have two classes of Ordinary Shares, our Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares. Income and losses are shared pro rata between the two classes of Ordinary Shares. Net income per Ordinary Share is calculated by dividing the net income by the weighted average Ordinary Shares outstanding for the respective period. Diluted net income per share attributable to holders of Ordinary Shares adjust the basic net income per share attributable to holders of Ordinary Shares and the weighted-average of Ordinary Shares outstanding for the potentially dilutive impact of outstanding Warrants. However, because the Warrants are anti-dilutive, diluted income per Ordinary Share is the same as basic income per Ordinary Share for the periods presented.
Recent Accounting Standards
Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the financial statements contained elsewhere in this Report.
23
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and are not required to provide the information otherwise required under this Item.
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
Reference is made to pages F-1 through F-17 comprising a portion of this Report, which are incorporated herein by reference.
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
None.
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Disclosure controls and procedures are controls and other procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to Management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer (together, the “Certifying Officer”), or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Under the supervision and with the participation of our Management, including our Certifying Officer, we carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act. Based on the foregoing, our Certifying Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of the end of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024.
We do not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures will prevent all errors and all instances of fraud. Disclosure controls and procedures, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the disclosure controls and procedures are met. Further, the design of disclosure controls and procedures must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all disclosure controls and procedures, no evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures can provide absolute assurance that we have detected all of our control deficiencies and instances of fraud, if any. The design of disclosure controls and procedures also is based partly on certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions.
Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
This Report does not include a report of Management’s assessment regarding internal control over financial reporting or an attestation report of our registered public accounting firm due to a transition period established by the rules of the SEC for newly public companies.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Not applicable.
Item 9B. Other Information.
Trading Arrangements
During
the quarterly period ended December 31, 2024, none of our directors or officers (as defined in Rule 16a-1(f) promulgated under the Exchange
Act)
Additional Information
None.
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections.
Not applicable.
24
PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.
Directors and Executive Officers
As of the date of this Report, our directors and officers are as follows:
| Name | Age | Position | ||
| William J. Sandbrook | 67 | Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board of Directors | ||
| William M. Brown | 60 | Chief Executive Officer, Principal Financial and Accounting Officer | ||
| Michael M. Andretti | 62 | Special Advisor and Director | ||
| James W. Keyes | 70 | Director | ||
| Cassandra S. Lee | 56 | Director | ||
| Gerald D. Putnam | 66 | Director | ||
| John J. Romanelli | 67 | Director |
The experience of our directors and executive officers is as follows:
William J. (Bill) Sandbrook has served as our Executive Chairman and the Chairman of the Board of Directors since May 2024. Since 2022, Mr. Sandbrook has served as a member of the board of directors at Imperium Development Partners, LLC, a multifamily real estate development company. Since 2023, Mr. Sandbrook has served as a member of the board of directors at Dispute Resolution AI, LLC, a technology company focusing on developing a platform to assist parties in contractual disputes utilizing artificial intelligence. From 2021 to 2024, he was the Co-Chief Executive Officer and the chairman of the board of directors of Andretti Acquisition Corp., a blank check company that raised approximately $235 million in its initial public offering in January 2022 and completed its business combination with Zapata AI in March 2024 resulting in Zapata. Mr. Sandbrook has extensive corporate management experience, serving as the President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the board of directors of U.S. Concrete, Inc. (NASDAQ: USCR), an American concrete, heavy construction aggregates and related-solutions company. He joined U.S. Concrete, Inc in 2011 as President and Chief Executive Officer and spearheaded turnaround efforts, selling off low-margin units and refocusing U.S. Concrete, Inc on its core competencies. Under Mr. Sandbrook’s leadership, U.S. Concrete, Inc. became a top producer in North America, completed more than 35 acquisitions and grew sales by nearly 3.5x. U.S. Concrete, Inc. held leading market positions in New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Dallas-Fort Worth and Washington, D.C. During his time leading U.S. Concrete, Inc., Mr. Sandbrook worked with Matt Brown, who was the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from 2012 to 2015.
Additionally, in June 2023, Mr. Sandbrook joined the board of directors of Knife River Corporation (NYSE: KNF), where he is Chairman of the Nominating and Governance Committee and is a member of the Audit Committee. In 2019, Mr. Sandbrook was elected Chairman of the National Ready-Mixed Concrete Association and in 2018, he joined the board of directors of Comfort Systems USA, Inc. (NYSE: FIX), where he is a member of both the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Compensation Committee.
In addition to his prior work experience, Mr. Sandbrook was recognized for his efforts at Ground Zero after the September 11th bombing of the World Trade Center. Further, Mr. Sandbrook was named the Rockland County, NY 2002 Business Leader of the Year, the Dominican College 2002 Man of the Year and the American Red Cross 2003 Man of the Year for Southern New York. Earlier in his career, Mr. Sandbrook worked at Tilcon New York in 1992 and became President and Chief Executive Officer three years later. In 1996, Tilcon was acquired by CRH PLC.
Mr. Sandbrook graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. After receiving his Bachelor of Science in Management, he spent 13 years in the U.S. Army, where his service included a four-year tour in Germany in cavalry and engineering units, three years as an associate professor in the Department of Mathematics at the U.S. Military Academy and two years as an army program representative to Raytheon. Mr. Sandbrook also served as a social aide to President Ronald Reagan while teaching at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. In addition to his qualification as an Army Ranger, Mr. Sandbrook earned four Master’s degrees while in the service. He has received a Master of Business Administration from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Science in Systems Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master in Public Policy from the Naval War College and a Master of Arts in International Relations from Salve Regina University. Mr. Sandbrook is well-qualified to serve as a director due to having over thirty years of operational leadership experience, including significant experience as a Chief Executive Officer and experience as a public company board member.
25
William M. (Matt) Brown has served as our Chief Executive Officer and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer since May 2024. Mr. Brown has deep experience leading public and private companies, including both operating companies and special purpose acquisition companies, working across capital markets, executing mergers and acquisitions and transforming businesses to create shareholder value. From March to October 2024, Mr. Brown served on the board of directors of Zapata. Prior to joining our company in 2024, Matt served from 2022 to 2024 as the President and Chief Financial Officer, and from 2021 to 2022, as the Chief Financial Officer, of Andretti Acquisition Corp., a blank check company that raised approximately $235 million in its initial public offering in January 2022 and completed its business combination with Zapata AI in March 2024 resulting in Zapata. From 2020 to 2021, he was Chief Financial Officer of Rocky Mountain Industrials, Inc., an early-stage aggregates and distribution logistics company focused on the Rocky Mountain region. From 2015 to 2017, Mr. Brown was the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Forterra, Inc., a billion-dollar manufacturer of drainage and water pipe. From 2012 through 2015, Mr. Brown served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of U.S. Concrete, Inc., where he worked together with Mr. Sandbrook. From 2007 through 2012, Mr. Brown served as the Treasurer and Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer, and from 2005 through 2007, as the Treasurer, of Drummond Company, Inc., a multibillion-dollar international coal producer. From 1999 through 2005, Mr. Brown served in the investment banking department of Citigroup Global Markets Inc., including as a Vice President in the basic industries coverage group. At Citigroup Global Markets Inc. Mr. Brown led both buy-side and sell-side M&A transactions as well as capital markets offerings of a variety of debt and equity securities. From 1988 through 1997, Mr. Brown served in the United States Navy as a SEAL Officer. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the United States Naval Academy.
Michael M. Andretti currently serves as a special advisor to us and has served as a member of our Board of Directors since May 2024. From 2021 to 2024, Mr. Andretti was the Co-Chief Executive Officer and a director of Andretti Acquisition Corp., a blank check company that raised approximately $235 million in its initial public offering in January 2022 and completed its business combination with Zapata AI in March 2024 resulting in Zapata. Mr. Andretti is a world-renowned race car driver. He was crowned Championship Auto Racing Teams (“CART”) champion in 1991 and is now a successful team owner of many international racing efforts. Mr. Andretti has 42 race victories as a driver, the most in the CART era and fourth-most of all time. After he retired from active racing, he was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Andretti Global until October 2024, a team that won four INDYCAR® Series championships and five Indianapolis 500 races.
Two years after his father, a legendary race car driver Mario Andretti, clinched the 1978 F1 World Championship, Mr. Andretti began his own racing career. He initially competed in Formula Ford and claimed victory in the 1982 SCCA Super Vee Championship with a Ralt RT5. Afterward, he raced in Formula Atlantic in 1983 and made his debut at Le Mans in the same year, finishing third in that race. Mr. Andretti was named Co-Rookie of the Year in the 1984 Indianapolis 500 and finished as championship runner-up in 1986. In 1991, he had a banner year, finishing second in the Indianapolis 500 before winning the Champ Car World Series. Mr. Andretti also raced as part of McLaren’s Formula One team.
After racing in the 2003 Indianapolis 500, Mr. Andretti retired from full-time INDYCAR racing and bought into “Team Green” which subsequently became Andretti Green Racing. In 2009, Andretti Green Racing restructured and emerged as Andretti Autosport, with Mr. Andretti as the sole owner. Across those years, the team won the INDYCAR title on multiple occasions with Tony Kanaan in 2004, Dan Wheldon in 2005, Dario Franchitti in 2007 and Ryan Hunter-Reay in 2012.
Andretti Autosport later became Andretti Global, a global racing institution born out of racing excellence. The team fields multiple entries in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Indy NXT Presented by Firestone and IMSA. Additionally, Andretti Global operated in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship, having completed in the world’s first race series for fully-electric Formula cars and claimed the Drivers World Championship in 2023. The team also raced in Extreme E as Andretti Altawkilat Extreme E, having helped to further develop sustainability in racing. Overall, Andretti Global boasted a highly impressive track record of over 260 total race wins, four INDYCAR SERIES championships, three INDY NXT titles, one Indy Pro 2000 and one USF2000 championship, alongside five Indy 500 victories. In 2018, Mr. Andretti began a collaboration with Ryan Walkinshaw’s Walkinshaw Racing and Zak Brown’s United Autosports to create Walkinshaw Andretti United.
Mr. Andretti has extensive business experience through his time running Andretti Global, as well as through personal business ventures. Before its buyout in October 2024, Andretti Global successfully gained support from a vast portfolio of world class brands that serve as sponsors. In 2018, U.S. Concrete, Inc. announced a partnership with the race team. Andretti Global leveraged a long-term relationship with then-Chief Executive Officer Mr. Sandbrook to team up for Marco Andretti’s INDYCAR races as primary sponsor. Mr. Andretti has also owned various car dealerships, Speedmart stores, car washes, powersport stores and an apparel line throughout his business career. Mr. Andretti is well-qualified to serve as a director due to his experience in founding and leading businesses, including as a Chief Executive Officer, as well as his knowledge of the automotive and motorsport sectors and his history of pursuing the integration of new technologies in motorsports.
26
James W. (Jim) Keyes has served as a member of our Board of Directors since September 2024. Mr. Keyes has over 30 years of experience in retail, consumer products and aerospace. Mr. Keyes has been the Chairman of the board of directors of Key Development, LLC since 2005. Mr. Keyes formerly served as the Chairman of the board of directors of Wild Oats Marketplace, a producer of natural and organic food. During his time at Wild Oats Marketplace, it developed a strategic partnership with Walmart. Previously, he served in roles of the Chairman of the board of directors and Chief Executive Officer at Blockbuster, where he helped Blockbuster survive the financial market collapse in 2008 through a successful restructuring and sale to Dish Networks. Prior to that, Mr. Keyes spent over 20 years in executive roles at 7-Eleven, Inc., including as Global President and Chief Executive Officer from 2000 to 2005. Mr. Keyes also served in various roles at CITGO Petroleum and Gulf Oil Corporation. Mr. Keyes also served as a member of the board of directors of Andretti Acquisition Corp., a blank check company that raised approximately $235 million in its initial public offering in January 2022 and completed its business combination with Zapata AI in March 2024 resulting in Zapata. Mr. Keyes received a Master of Business Administration from Columbia Business School and a Bachelor’s degree from College of the Holy Cross. Mr. Keyes has been awarded with the Horatio Alger Award in 2005 and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2008. Mr. Keyes currently serves on the board of directors for Murphy USA (NYSE: MUSA) and has served on a number of philanthropic boards, including the American Red Cross and the Education is Freedom foundation. Mr. Keyes is well-qualified to serve as a director due to his extensive experience as a business leader, including as a Chief Executive Officer, his experience as a public company director, and his industry knowledge in the consumer and retail sectors.
Cassandra S. (Cassie) Lee has served as a member of our Board of Directors since September 2024. Ms. Lee is an experienced financial leader with extensive experience in the technology industry. Ms. Lee currently serves as Senior Vice President and CFO for AT&T’s (NYSE: T) Mobility and Consumer Wireline Segments. She previously served as AT&T’s Global Chief Audit Executive responsible for identifying and ensuring that material risk was properly mitigated. Over three decades with AT&T she has gained deep experience in all areas of the telecommunications industry both operational and financial. Ms. Lee currently serves on the board of directors of NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI), one of the country’s largest fully regulated utility company. Ms. Lee also served as a member of the board of directors of Andretti Acquisition Corp., a blank check company that raised approximately $235 million in its initial public offering in January 2022 and completed its business combination with Zapata AI in March 2024 resulting in Zapata. Ms. Lee earned a Bachelor of Professional Accountancy degree from Mississippi State University and is a member of the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants. Ms. Lee served in the Mississippi Army National Guard and is a U.S. Army Veteran. Ms. Lee is well-qualified to serve as a director due to her experience as a financial and accounting leader, including in public company compliance, with an extensive knowledge of the telecommunications sector.
Gerald D. (Jerry) Putnam has served as a member of our Board of Directors since September 2024. Mr. Putnam has decades of experience in the financial services industry, both in management roles and on corporate boards of directors. Since July 2020, Mr. Putnam has been a member of the board of directors of MIYO Health, a technology company providing mental health solutions. He also has served as a member of the board of directors of Product Ventures, Ltd., a brand design company since June 2024. Mr. Putnam also served as a member of the board of directors of Andretti Acquisition Corp., a blank check company that raised approximately $235 million in its initial public offering in January 2022 and completed its business combination with Zapata AI in March 2024 resulting in Zapata. Mr. Putnam served as the Chairman of the board of directors and Chief Executive Officer of TruMarx Data Partners Inc. from 2011 to 2012. Prior to that, he was the Senior Advisor of Corporate Strategy, Technology Integration and Derivative Products of NYSE Euronext Inc. from 2007 until 2008 and the President and Co-Chief Operating Officer of NYSE Euronext Inc. from 2006 to 2007. Prior to the merger of NYSE Group, Inc. and Euronext, Mr. Putnam was the President and Co-Chief Operating Officer of NYSE Group, Inc. from 2006 to 2007. A highly successful entrepreneur, he founded Archipelago Holdings, an electronic communications network, in 1997. Mr. Putnam served as the Chief Executive Officer and the Chairman of the board of directors of Archipelago Holdings, leading a $150 million initial public offering in 2004 and the sale of the company to the NYSE in 2006 for approximately $9 billion. Before founding Archipelago Holdings, Mr. Putnam founded Terra Nova Financial, LLC and served as the President from 1994 until 1999. He has served on multiple boards of directors, including Securities Industry Automation Corporation, OptionsHouse LLC, Greenplum, Inc., FX Alliance, LLC, TruMarx Data Partners, Inc. and MediaCrossing. In recognition of his many accomplishments, Mr. Putnam was selected as one of Time Magazine’s innovators of the 21st century and was a recipient of the Chicago Innovation Visionary Award. Mr. Putnam received his undergraduate degree from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Putnam is well-qualified to serve as a director due to his background in founding and growing businesses, including as a Chief Executive Officer, his experience as a corporate director, and his knowledge of the financial services and technology sectors.
27
John J. Romanelli has served as a member of our Board of Directors since September 2024. Mr. Romanelli is an experienced corporate finance executive with transactional and client coverage experience, and has advised boards of directors, chief executive officers and chief financial officers on a wide variety of strategic and financial matters. Mr. Romanelli is skilled with respect to initial public offerings, acquisition financing, messaging and investor relations and strategic transactions. Additionally, he possesses a keen understanding of participants in the special purpose acquisition companies market and public company governance and responsibilities. Mr. Romanelli currently serves as a member of the Advisory Board of #1 Cochran Group, an automobile retail company. Since 2007, Mr. Romanelli has served as the Founder and Managing Partner at Seahawk Advisory Corp., an advisory boutique firm. He has advised private and public companies on a variety of strategic and financial transactions, including restructuring, M&A, investor relations strategies, growth capital and strategies, capital structure and strategic alternatives. At Seahawk Advisory Corp. Mr. Romanelli worked on a wide range of issues and transactions with Mr. Sandbrook, including numerous acquisitions. Prior to Seahawk Advisory Corp., Mr. Romanelli was a Senior Managing Director in the Strategic Finance group at Bear Stearns & Co., and he spent over 20 years in investment banking at Bear Stearns & Co., The First Boston Corporation/Credit Suisse First Boston and Prudential-Bache Securities. Mr. Romanelli also served as a member of the board of directors of Andretti Acquisition Corp., a blank check company that raised approximately $235 million in its initial public offering in January 2022 and completed its business combination with Zapata AI in March 2024 resulting in Zapata. Mr. Romanelli holds a Master of Business Administration in Finance from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Notre Dame. He founded Connacht Whiskey Company, based in Ireland. Mr. Romanelli is well-qualified to serve as a director due to his experience as a leader in finance sector, including his extensive transaction experience in financing and mergers and acquisitions.
Special Advisor
Mario Andretti currently serves as a special advisor to us and is a member of our sponsor. Mr. Mario Andretti is a legendary figure in the history of motorsports. He took the checkered flag 111 times during his career — a career that stretched five decades across six continents. In INDYCAR competition alone, he is the all-time record holder for race starts with 407, the all-time lap leader with 7,587, and second all-time in Indy car pole positions won with 67. His 52 INDYCAR victories is third on the all-time list. He has been inducted into 20 Halls of Fame and is still the only driver to have achieved the racing trifecta: winning the Daytona 500 in 1967, Indy 500 in 1969 and the Formula One World Championship in 1978. He is a four-time Indy car season champion, a winner of the IROC title, National Dirt Track Championship, and a three-time winner of the 12 Hours of Sebring.
In recognition of his achievements, Mr. Mario Andretti was knighted by his native Italy as Commendatore and the Library of Congress in Washington, DC honored him as one of its Living Legends.
Mr. Mario Andretti retired from full-time active competition at the end of 1994 but remains involved in motorsports. He continues to work with Bridgestone/Firestone and MagnaFlow as spokesman, is Vice Chairman of the Andretti Winery and has his name on Andretti Indoor Karting & Games.
Mario Andretti (i) assists us in sourcing and negotiating with potential business combination targets, (ii) provides business insights when we assess potential business combination targets and (iii) upon our request, provides business insights as we work to create additional value in the businesses that we acquire. In this regard, he fulfills some of the same functions as members of our board of directors. However, he has no written advisory agreement with us. Moreover, our special advisor is not be under any fiduciary obligations to us nor does he perform board or committee functions, nor does he have any voting or decision-making capacity on our behalf. He is also not be required to devote any specific amount of time to our efforts or be subject to the fiduciary requirements to which members of our board of directors are subject. Accordingly, if our special advisor becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for any of the entities to which he has fiduciary or contractual obligations (including other blank check companies), he will honor his 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. We may modify or expand our roster of special advisors as we source potential business combination targets or create value in businesses that we may acquire.
We believe our Management Team has the skills and experience to identify, evaluate and consummate a Business Combination and is positioned to assist businesses we acquire. However, our Management Team’s network of contacts, and its investing and operating experience, do not guarantee a successful initial Business Combination. Most members of our Management Team are not required to devote any significant amount of time to our business and are involved with other businesses. We cannot guarantee that our current officers and directors will continue in their respective roles, or in any other role, after our initial Business Combination, and their expertise may only be of benefit to us until we complete our initial Business Combination. Past performance by our Management Team is not a guarantee of success with respect to any Business Combination we may consummate.
28
Family Relationships
No family relationships exist between any of our directors, executive officers, or advisor, other than as set for the below:
| ● | Mario Andretti, our advisor, is the father of Michael M. Andretti, our special advisor and a member of our Board of Directors. |
Involvement in Certain Legal Proceedings
There are no material proceedings to which any director or executive officer, or any associate of any such director or officer is a party adverse to our Company, or has a material interest adverse to our Company.
Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors
Our Board of Directors consists of six members and is divided into three classes with only one class of directors being appointed in each year, and with each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual general meeting) serving a three-year term. In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq.
The term of office of the first class of directors, which consists of James W. Keyes and John J. Romanelli, will expire at our first annual general meeting. The term of office of the second class of directors, which consists of Michael M. Andretti, Cassandra S. Lee and Gerald D. Putnam, will expire at the second annual general meeting. The term of office of the third class of directors, which consists of William J. Sandbrook, will expire at the third annual general meeting.
Prior to the closing of our initial Business Combination, only holders of our Class B Ordinary Shares are entitled to vote on the appointment and removal of directors or continuing our Company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any Special Resolution required to amend our constitutional documents or to adopt new constitutional documents, in each case, as a result of our approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). Holders of our Public Shares will not be entitled to vote on such matters during such time. These provisions of our Amended and Restated Charter relating to these rights of holders of Class B Ordinary Shares may be amended by a Special Resolution of the holders of the Class B Ordinary 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 officers as it deems appropriate pursuant to our Amended and Restated Charter.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors has two standing committees: the Audit Committee and a compensation committee (the “Compensation Committee”). Subject to phase-in rules, the Nasdaq Rules and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors.
Audit Committee
We have established the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors. Cassandra S. Lee, Gerald D. Putnam and John J. Romanelli serve as the members of our Audit Committee. Under the Nasdaq Rules and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have three members of the Audit Committee, all of whom must be independent. Cassandra S. Lee, Gerald D. Putnam and John J. Romanelli are each independent.
Cassandra S. Lee serves as the chairwoman of the Audit Committee. Each member of the Audit Committee is financially literate and our Board of Directors has determined that Cassandra S. Lee qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules.
29
We have adopted an Audit Committee charter, which details the principal functions of the Audit Committee, including:
| ● | assisting Board oversight of (1) the integrity of our financial statements, (2) our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, (3) our independent registered public accounting firm’s qualifications and independence, and (4) the performance of our internal audit function and independent registered public accounting firm; the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent registered public accounting firm 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 registered public accounting firm or any other registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures; reviewing and discussing with the independent registered public accounting firm all relationships the independent registered public accounting firm have with us in order to evaluate their continued independence; |
| ● | setting clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations; obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the independent registered public accounting firm describing (1) the independent registered public accounting firm’s internal quality-control procedures and (2) any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review, or peer review, of the independent registered public accounting 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 registered public accounting firm, 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; |
| ● | reviewing with management, the independent registered public accounting firm, and our legal advisors, as appropriate, any legal, regulatory or compliance matters, including any correspondence with regulators or government agencies and any employee complaints or published reports that raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies and any significant changes in accounting standards or rules promulgated by the FASB, the SEC or other regulatory authorities; and |
| ● | advising the Board and any other Board committees if the clawback provisions of Rule 10D-1 under the Exchange Act (the “SEC Clawback Rule”) are triggered based upon a financial statement restatement or other financial statement change, with the assistance of Management and to the extent that our securities continue to be listed on an exchange and subject to the SEC Clawback Rule. |
Compensation Committee
We have established the Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors. The members of our Compensation Committee are James W. Keyes and Gerald D. Putnam. Gerald D. Putnam serves as chair of the Compensation Committee. Under the Nasdaq Rules and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least two members of the Compensation Committee, all of whom must be independent. James W. Keyes and Gerald D. Putnam are each independent.
We have adopted a Compensation Committee charter, which details the principal functions of the Compensation Committee, including:
| ● | reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our Chief Executive Officer based on such evaluation; |
| ● | reviewing and 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 executive officers and employees; |
| ● | producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; |
| ● | reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors; and |
| ● | advising the Board and any other Board committees if the clawback provisions of the SEC Clawback Rule are triggered based upon a financial statement restatement or other financial statement change and perform any other tasks required of it by the Clawback Policy (as defined below), with the assistance of Management and to the extent that our securities continue to be listed on an exchange and subject to the SEC Clawback Rule. |
30
The charter also provides that the Compensation Committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser and is directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the Compensation Committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by the Nasdaq Rules and the SEC.
Director Nominations
We do not have a standing nominating committee though we would form a corporate governance and nominating committee as and when required to do so by law or the Nasdaq Rules. In accordance with Rule 5605(e)(2) of the Nasdaq Rules, a majority of the independent directors may recommend a director nominee for selection by our Board of Directors. Our 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 Ms. Cassandra S. Lee and Messrs. James W. Keyes, Gerald D. Putnam, and John J. Romanelli. In accordance with Rule 5605(e)(1)(A) of the Nasdaq 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 also considers director candidates recommended for nomination by our shareholders during such times as they are seeking proposed nominees to stand for appointment at the next annual general meeting (or, if applicable, an extraordinary general meeting). Our shareholders that wish to nominate a director for appointment to our Board of Directors should follow the procedures set forth in our Amended and Restated Charter.
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, our Board of Directors considers educational background, diversity of professional experience, knowledge of our business, integrity, professional reputation, independence, wisdom, and the ability to represent the best interests of our shareholders. Prior to our initial Business Combination, our Public Shareholders do not have the right to recommend director candidates for nomination to our Board of Directors.
Code of Ethics
We have adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, applicable to our directors, officers and employees (the “Code of Ethics”). A copy of the Code of Ethics and the charters of the committees of our Board of Directors will be provided without charge upon request from us. If we make any amendments to our Code of Ethics other than technical, administrative or other non-substantive amendments, or grant any waiver, including any implicit waiver, from a provision of the Code of Ethics applicable to our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller or persons performing similar functions requiring disclosure under applicable SEC rules or the Nasdaq Rules, we will disclose the nature of such amendment or waiver on our website. The information included on our website is not incorporated by reference into this Report or in any other report or document we file with the SEC, and any references to our website are intended to be inactive textual references only.
The foregoing description of the Code of Ethics does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by the terms and conditions of the Code of Ethics, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 14 and is incorporated herein by reference.
Trading Policies
On
September 5, 2024, we
The foregoing description of the Insider Trading Policy does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by the terms and conditions of the Insider Trading Policy, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 19 and is incorporated herein by reference.
Compensation Recovery and Clawback Policy
Under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, in the event of misconduct that results in a financial restatement that would have reduced a previously paid incentive amount, we can recoup those improper payments from our executive officers. The SEC has also adopted the SEC Clawback Rule that directs national stock exchanges to require listed companies to implement policies intended to recoup bonuses paid to executives if the company is found to have misstated its financial results.
On September 4, 2024, our Board of Directors approved the adoption of the Executive Compensation Clawback Policy (the “Clawback Policy”), in order to comply with the final Clawback rules adopted by the SEC under the Rule, and the Nasdaq Rules, as set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5608 (the “Nasdaq Clawback Rules”).
The Clawback Policy provides for the mandatory recovery of erroneously awarded incentive-based compensation from our current and former executive officers as defined in the SEC Clawback Rule (“Covered Officers”) in the event that we are required to prepare an accounting restatement, in accordance with the Nasdaq Clawback Rules. The recovery of such compensation applies regardless of whether a Covered Officer engaged in misconduct or otherwise caused or contributed to the requirement of an accounting restatement. Under the Clawback Policy, our Board of Directors may recoup from the Covered Officers erroneously awarded incentive compensation received within a lookback period of the three completed fiscal years preceding the date on which we are required to prepare an accounting restatement.
The foregoing description of the Clawback Policy does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by the terms and conditions of the Clawback Policy, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 97 and is incorporated herein by reference.
31
Item 11. Executive Compensation.
As of the date of this Report, none of our executive officers or directors have received any cash compensation for services rendered to us, other than William M. Brown, our Chief Executive Officer, who receives $12,500 per month for his services as Chief Executive Officer. As of December 31, 2024, we had incurred $45,833 in such fees.
Our Audit Committee reviews on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our Sponsor, executive officers or directors, or our or their affiliates. Any such payments prior to an initial Business Combination are made from funds held outside the Trust Account. Other than quarterly Audit Committee review of such reimbursements, we do not have any additional controls in place governing our reimbursement or payments to our directors and executive officers for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with our activities on our behalf in connection with identifying and consummating an initial Business Combination.
We are not prohibited from paying any fees (including advisory fees), reimbursements or cash payments to our Sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial Business Combination, including the following payments, all of which, if made prior to the completion of our initial Business Combination, are paid from funds held outside the Trust Account:
| ● | Repayment of up to an aggregate of $400,000 in loans made to us by our Sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses pursuant to the IPO Promissory Note. As of December 31, 2024, the IPO Promissory Note had been paid in full and borrowings under the IPO Promissory Note are no longer available; |
| ● | Payment to William M. Brown, our Chief Executive Officer, $12,500 per month for his services as Chief Executive Officer, for up to 24 months, commencing on the closing of the Initial Public Offering; upon completion of our initial Business Combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees; |
| ● | Reimbursement for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support made available to us by our Sponsor, in an amount equal to $2,500 per month pursuant to the Administrative Service Agreement; |
| ● | Payment of consulting, success or finder fees to our independent directors, advisors, or their respective affiliates in connection with the consummation of our initial Business Combination; |
| ● | We may engage our Sponsor or an affiliate of our Sponsor as an advisor or otherwise in connection with our initial business combination and certain other transactions and pay such person or entity a salary or fee in an amount that constitutes a market standard for comparable transactions; |
| ● | Reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating, negotiating and completing an initial Business Combination; and |
| ● | Repayment of Working Capital Loans that may be made by our Sponsor or an affiliate of our Sponsor or certain of our officers and directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial Business Combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into 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. 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 Working Capital Loans. |
32
After the completion of our initial Business Combination, directors or members of our Management Team who remain with us may be paid consulting or management fees from the combined company. All of these fees will be fully disclosed to shareholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials or tender offer materials furnished to our shareholders in connection with a proposed Business Combination.
We have not established any limit on the amount of such fees that may be paid by the combined company to our directors or members of Management. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of the proposed Business Combination, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining executive officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our executive officers will be determined, or recommended to the Board of Directors for determination, either by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors or by a majority of the independent directors on our Board of Directors.
We do not intend to take any action to ensure that members of our Management Team maintain their positions with us after the consummation of our initial Business Combination, although it is possible that some or all of our executive officers and directors may negotiate employment or consulting arrangements to remain with us after our initial Business Combination. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements to retain their positions with us may influence our Management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business, but we do not believe that the ability of our Management to remain with us after the consummation of our initial Business Combination will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential Business Combination. We are not party to any agreements with our executive officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.
The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our Ordinary Shares as of March 25, 2025 based on information obtained from the persons named below, with respect to the beneficial ownership of Ordinary Shares, by:
| ● | each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding Ordinary Shares; | |
| ● | each of our executive officers and directors that beneficially owns our Ordinary Shares; and | |
| ● | all our executive officers and directors as a group. |
In the table below, percentage ownership is based on 29,510,000 shares of our Ordinary Shares, consisting of (i) 23,760,000 Class A Ordinary Shares and (ii) 5,750,000 Class B Ordinary Shares, issued and outstanding as of March 25, 2025. On all matters to be voted upon, except for (i) the appointment and removal of directors of the Board and (ii) continuing our Company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands, holders of the Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares vote together as a single class, unless otherwise required by applicable law. Only holders of Class B Ordinary Shares have the right to vote on the appointment and removal of directors prior to the completion of our initial Business Combination and on a vote to continue our Company in a jurisdiction outside of the Cayman Islands. Currently, all of the Class B Ordinary Shares are convertible into Class A Ordinary Shares on a one-for-one basis.
Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all Ordinary Shares beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect record or beneficial ownership of the Private Placement Warrants as such Private Placement Warrants are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this Report.
33
| Class A Ordinary Shares | Class B Ordinary Shares | Approximate | ||||||||||||||||||
| Name and Address of Beneficial Owner (1) | Number of Shares Beneficially Owned | Approximate Percentage of Class | Number of Shares Beneficially Owned | Approximate Percentage of Class | Percentage of Total Outstanding Ordinary Shares | |||||||||||||||
| Andretti Sponsor II LLC (2)(3) | — | — | 5,750,000 | 100.00 | % | 19.49 | % | |||||||||||||
| William J. Sandbrook (2)(3) | — | — | 5,750,000 | 100.00 | % | 19.49 | % | |||||||||||||
| William M. Brown (3) | — | — | 5,750,000 | 100.00 | % | — | ||||||||||||||
| Michael M. Andretti (3) | — | — | 5,750,000 | 100.00 | % | — | ||||||||||||||
| Mario Andretti (3) | — | — | 5,750,000 | 100.00 | % | — | ||||||||||||||
| James W. Keyes | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||
| Cassandra S. Lee | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||
| Gerald D. Putnam | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||
| John J. Romanelli | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||
| All executive officers, and directors as a group (7 individuals) (2)(3) | — | — | 5,750,000 | 100.00 | % | 19.49 | % | |||||||||||||
| Other 5% Shareholders | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Magnetar Parties (4) | 1,400,000 | 5.89 | % | — | — | 4.74 | % | |||||||||||||
| AQR Parties (5) | 2,277,000 | 9.58 | % | — | — | 7.72 | % | |||||||||||||
| Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. (6) | 1,750,000 | 7.37 | % | — | — | 5.93 | % | |||||||||||||
| LMR Parties (7) | 1,700,000 | 7.16 | % | — | — | 5.76 | % | |||||||||||||
| Barclays PLC (8) | 1,490,200 | 6.27 | % | — | — | 5.05 | % | |||||||||||||
| Goldman Parties (9) | 1,739,089 | 7.32 | % | — | — | 5.89 | % | |||||||||||||
| * | Less than 1% |
| (1) | Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following entities or individuals is 100 Kimball Place, Suite 550, Alpharetta GA 30009. |
| (2) | Interests shown consist solely of Founder Shares, classified as Class B Ordinary Shares. Such shares will (unless otherwise provided in our initial Business Combination agreement) automatically convert into Class A Ordinary Shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial Business Combination, and may be converted at any time prior to our initial Business Combination, at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment. |
| (3) | Andretti Sponsor II LLC, our Sponsor, is the record holder of such shares. There are four managing members of our Sponsor, Mario Andretti, Michael M. Andretti, William J. Sandbrook, and William M. Brown. The approval of managing members holding at least 50% of the economic interests of our Sponsor held by such persons is required to approve an action. All of our officers, directors and our advisors are members of our Sponsor. Each such person disclaims any beneficial ownership of the reported shares other than to the extent of any pecuniary interest they may have therein, directly or indirectly. Each independent director indirectly holds 25,000 Founder Shares, except for Cassandra S. Lee who indirectly holds 30,000 Founder Shares, through membership interests in our Sponsor. |
| (4) | According to a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on November 6, 2024, by (i) Magnetar Financial LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Magnetar Financial”), (ii) Magnetar Capital Partners LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“Magnetar Capital Partners”), (iii) Supernova Management LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Supernova Management”), and (iv) David J. Snyderman, a citizen of the United States (“Mr. Snyderman”, collectively with Magnetar Financial, Magnetar Capital Partners and Supernova Management, the “Magnetar Parties”), in connection with Public Shares held for the following funds (collectively, the “Magnetar Funds”) (a) Magnetar Constellation Master Fund, Ltd, Magnetar Xing He Master Fund Ltd, Magnetar SC Fund Ltd, Purpose Alternative Credit Fund Ltd, all Cayman Islands exempted companies and (b) Magnetar Structured Credit Fund, LP, a Delaware limited partnership and Magnetar Alpha Star Fund LLC, Magnetar Lake Credit Fund LLC, Purpose Alternative Credit Fund - T LLC, all Delaware limited liability companies. Magnetar Financial serves as the investment adviser to the Magnetar Funds, and as such, Magnetar Financial exercises voting and investment power over the Public Shares held for the Magnetar Funds’ accounts. Magnetar Capital Partners serves as the sole member and parent holding company of Magnetar Financial. Supernova Management is the general partner of Magnetar Capital Partners. The manager of Supernova Management is Mr. Snyderman. The principal business address of each of the Magnetar Parties is 1603 Orrington Avenue, 13th Floor, Evanston, Illinois 60201. |
| (5) | According to a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on November 14 2024, by (i) AQR Capital Management, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“AQR”), (ii) AQR Capital Management Holdings, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“AQR Holdings”), (iii) AQR Arbitrage, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (collectively, with AQR and AQR Holdings the “AQR Parties”). The address of the principal business office for the AQR Parties is One Greenwich Plaza, Greenwich, CT 06830. |
34
| (6) | According to a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on November 14, 2024, by Polar Asset Management Partners Inc., a company incorporated under the laws of Ontario, Canada (“Polar”). The address of the principal business office for Polar is 16 York Street, Suite 2900, Toronto, ON, Canada M5J 0E6. |
| (7) |
According to a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on November 14, 2024, by (i) LMR Partners LLP, a United Kingdom limited liability partnership (“LMR”), (ii) LMR Partners Limited, a Hong Kong corporation (“LMR Limited”), (iii) LMR Partners LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“LMR LLC”), (iv) LMR Partners AG, a Swiss corporation (“LMR AG”), (v) LMR Partners (DIFC) Limited, an United Arab Emirates corporation (“LMR DIFC”), (vi) LMR Partners (Ireland) Limited, a limited company incorporated in Ireland (“LMR Ireland”, collectively with LMR, LMR Limited, LMR LLC, LMR AG and LMR DIFC, the “LMR Investment Managers”), (vii) Ben Levine, a citizen of the United Kingdom (“Mr. Levine”), and (viii) Stefan Renold, a citizen of Switzerland (“Mr. Renold”, collectively with the LMR Investment Managers and Mr. Levine, the “LMR Parties”). The LMR Investment Managers serve as the investment managers to certain funds with respect to the Public Shares held by certain funds. Messrs. Levine and Renold are ultimately in control of the investment and voting decisions of the LMR Investment Managers with respect to the securities held by certain funds. The address of the principal business officer of each of the LMR Parties is c/o LMR Partners LLP, 9th Floor, Devonshire House, 1 Mayfair Place, London, W1J 8AJ, United Kingdom. |
| (8) | According to a Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on March 21, 2025 by Barclays Bank PLC, a public limited company of the United Kingdom (“Barclays”). The address of the principal business office of Barclays is 1 Churchill Place, London E14 5HP, United Kingdom. |
| (9) | According to a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 13, 2025, by (i) The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., a Delawar corporation (“GS Group”) and (ii) The Goldman Sachs & Co., LLC, a New York limited liability company (“Goldman Sachs”, and together with GS Group, the “Goldman Parties”). The Public Shares reported as being held by GS Group, as a parent holding company, are owned, or may be deemed to be beneficially owned, by Goldman Sachs, a broker or dealer and an investment adviser. Goldman Sachs is a subsidiary of GS Group. The address of the principal business officer of each of the Goldman Parties is 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282. |
Our Sponsor beneficially owns approximately 20.00% of the issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares. Only holders of Class B Ordinary Shares have the right to appoint directors in any election held prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial Business Combination. Holders of our Public Shares do not have the right to appoint any directors to our Board of Directors prior to our initial Business Combination. Because of this ownership block, our Sponsor may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all other matters requiring approval by our shareholders, including amendments to our Amended and Restated Charter and approval of significant corporate transactions including our initial Business Combination.
Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans
None.
Changes in Control
None.
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.
On May 24, 2024, our Sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share, to cover certain expenses on our behalf in consideration of 5,750,000 Founder Shares. The number of Founder Shares outstanding was determined based on the expectation that the total size of the Initial Public Offering would be a maximum of 23,000,000 Public Units if the Over-Allotment Option was exercised in full, and therefore that such Founder Shares would represent approximately 20% of the outstanding Ordinary Shares after the Initial Public Offering (not including the Class A Ordinary Shares underlying the Private Placement Units). Of the 5,750,000 Founder Shares outstanding, up to 750,000 Founder Shares were subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option was not exercised in full or in part. On September 9, 2024, the underwriters exercised the Over-Allotment Option in full, so those 750,000 Founder Shares are no longer subject to forfeiture.
35
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering and pursuant to the Private Placement Units Purchase Agreements, our Sponsor and BTIG purchased 760,000 Private Placement Units at $10.00 per Private Placement Unit for an aggregate purchase price of $7,600,000 in the Private Placement. Of those 760,000 Private Placement Units, our Sponsor purchased 450,000 Private Placement Units and BTIG purchased 310,000 Private Placement Units. The Private Placement Units are identical to the Public Units sold in the Initial Public Offering, subject to certain limited exceptions as described in the IPO Registration Statement. The Private Placement Units, Private Placement Shares and Private Placement Warrants (including the Class A Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants) (i) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold until 30 days after the completion of our initial Business Combination, (ii) are entitled to registration rights, and (iii) with respect to the Private Placement Warrants contained in the Private Placement Units held by BTIG and/or its designees, will not be exercisable more than five years from the commencement of sales in the Initial Public Offering in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8).
We currently utilize office space at 100 Kimball Place, Suite 550, Alpharetta GA, 30009 from our Sponsor. Pursuant to the Administrative Services Agreement, we pay our Sponsor $2,500 per month for certain office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support provided to members of our Management Team. Upon completion of our Initial Business Combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees. As of December 31, 2024, we had incurred $9,167 under the Administrative Services Agreement.
In addition, we pay William M. Brown, our Chief Executive Officer, $12,500 per month for his services as Chief Executive Officer, for up to 24 months. Upon completion of our Initial Business Combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees. As of December 31, 2024, we had incurred $45,833 in such fees.
Our Sponsor, executive officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, are 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 reviews, on a quarterly basis, all payments that were made to our Sponsor, officers, directors or our or their affiliates. Any such payments prior to an initial Business Combination are made from funds held outside the Trust Account.
On May 21, 2024, the Sponsor loaned us an aggregate of up to $300,000 to cover expenses related to the Initial Public Offering pursuant to the IPO Promissory Note. On July 16, 2024, we amended the IPO Promissory Note to increase the principal amount to $400,000. This loan was non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of December 31, 2024 or the date on which we consummated the Initial Public Offering. We repaid a total of $312,130 outstanding balance under the IPO Promissory Note at the closing of the Initial Public Offering on September 9, 2024. Borrowings under the IPO Promissory Note are no longer available.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial Business Combination, our Sponsor or an affiliate of our Sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us Working Capital Loans as may be required on a non-interest basis. If we complete an initial Business Combination, we would repay such Working Capital Loans. In the event that the initial Business Combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the Trust Account to repay such Working Capital Loans, but no proceeds from our Trust Account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into private placement units at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. Such units and their underlying securities would be identical to the Private Placement Units, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period of the underlying warrants. Except as set forth above, the terms of such Working Capital Loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such Working Capital Loans. Prior to the completion of our initial Business Combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our Sponsor or an affiliate of our Sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our Trust Account.
Any of the foregoing payments to our Sponsor, repayments of loans from our Sponsor or repayments of Working Capital Loans prior to our initial Business Combination will be made using funds held outside the Trust Account.
After our initial Business Combination, members of our Management Team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to our shareholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, furnished to our shareholders. 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 general 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 and director compensation.
We have entered into the Registration Rights Agreement, with respect to the Founder Shares, Private Placement Units and any units that may be issued upon conversion of any Working Capital Loans (and any underlying securities issued thereunder). Pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement, holders of such securities have registration rights to require us to register a sale of any of its securities held by them. The holders of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that we register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the completion of an initial Business Combination. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, BTIG may only make a demand on one occasion and only during the five-year period beginning on the date the sales for the Initial Public Offering commenced. In addition, BTIG may participate in a “piggy-back” registration only during the seven-year period beginning on the date the sales for the Initial Public Offering commenced. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
36
Our Sponsor, directors and officers have also entered into the Letter Agreement, with us, pursuant to which, they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to any Founder Shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if our Sponsor, directors and officers acquire Public Shares in or after the Initial Public Offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to such Public Shares if we fail to complete our initial Business Combination within the Combination Period.
Additionally, pursuant to the Letter Agreement, our Sponsor, directors and officers will not propose any amendment to our Amended and Restated Memorandum (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of our Public Shares if we do not complete our initial Business Combination within the Combination Period or (ii) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity, in each case, unless we provide our Public Shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest 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 then outstanding Public Shares.
Director Independence
The Nasdaq Rules require that a majority of our Board of Directors be independent within one year of our Initial Public Offering. Our Board of Directors has determined that each of Ms. Cassandra S. Lee and Messrs., James W. Keyes, Gerald D. Putnam, and John J. Romanelli are “independent directors” as defined in the Nasdaq Rules and applicable SEC rules. Our independent directors have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services.
The following is a summary of fees paid or to be paid to Withum for services rendered.
Audit Fees
Audit fees consist of fees for professional services rendered for the audit of our year-end financial statements and services that are normally provided by Withum in connection with regulatory filings. The aggregate fees of Withum for professional services rendered for the audit of our annual financial statements, review of the financial information included in our Forms 10-Q for the respective periods and other required filings with the SEC for the period from May 21, 2024 (inception) through December 31, 2024 totaled approximately $91,520. The above amounts include interim procedures and audit fees, as well as attendance at Audit Committee meetings.
Audit-Related Fees
Audit-related fees consist of fees billed for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to performance of the audit or review of our financial statements and are not reported under “Audit Fees.” These services include attest services that are not required by statute or regulation and consultations concerning financial accounting and reporting standards. We did not pay Withum for any audit-related fees for the period from May 21, 2024 (inception) through December 31, 2024,
Tax Fees
Tax fees consist of fees billed for professional services relating to tax compliance, tax planning and tax advice. We did not pay Withum for tax services, planning or advice for the period from May 21, 2024 (inception) through December 31, 2024,
All Other Fees
All other fees consist of fees billed for all other services. We did not pay Withum for any other services for the period from May 21, 2024 (inception) through December 31, 2024,
Pre-Approval Policy
Our Audit Committee was formed upon the consummation of our Initial Public Offering. As a result, the Audit Committee did not pre-approve all of the foregoing services, although any services rendered prior to the formation of our Audit Committee were approved by our Board of Directors. Since the formation of our Audit Committee, and on a going-forward basis, the Audit Committee has and will pre-approve all auditing services and permitted non-audit services performed and to be performed for us by our auditors, including the fees and terms thereof (subject to the de minimis exceptions for non-audit services described in the Exchange Act which are approved by the Audit Committee prior to the completion of the audit).
37
PART IV
Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules.
| (a) | The following documents are filed as part of this Report: |
| (1) | Financial Statements: |
| (2) | Financial Statement Schedules: |
All financial statement schedules are omitted because they are not applicable or the amounts are immaterial and not required, or the required information is presented in the financial statements and notes thereto beginning on page F-1 of this Report.
| (3) | Exhibits |
We hereby file as part of this Report the exhibits listed in the attached Exhibit Index. Exhibits that are incorporated herein by reference can be inspected on the SEC website at www.sec.gov.
Item 16. Form 10-K Summary.
Omitted at our Company’s option.
38
ANDRETTI ACQUISITION CORP. II
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
| Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm | F-2 |
| Financial Statements: | |
| Balance Sheet | F-3 |
| Statement of Operations | F-4 |
| Statement of Changes in Shareholders’ Deficit | F-5 |
| Statement of Cash Flows | F-6 |
| Notes to Financial Statements | F-7 to F-17 |
F-1
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Shareholders and Board of Directors of
Andretti Acquisition Corp II
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Andretti Acquisition Corp II as of December 31, 2024 and the related statements of operations, changes in shareholders’ deficit and cash flows for the period from May 21, 2024 (inception) through December 31, 2024, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Andretti Acquisition Corp II as of December 31, 2024, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from May 21, 2024 (inception) through December 31, 2024, in conformity with the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the entity’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) ("PCAOB") and are required to be independent with respect to Andretti Acquisition Corp II in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Andretti Acquisition Corp II is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the entity’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/
We have served as Andretti Acquisition Corp II's auditor since 2024.
March 25, 2025
PCAOB ID Number
F-2
ANDRETTI ACQUISITION CORP. II
BALANCE SHEET
DECEMBER 31, 2024
| Assets | ||||
| Current assets | ||||
| Cash | $ | |||
| Prepaid expenses | ||||
| Total current assets | ||||
| Long-term prepaid insurance | ||||
| Marketable securities held in Trust Account | ||||
| Total Assets | $ | |||
| Liabilities and Shareholders’ Deficit | ||||
| Current liabilities | ||||
| Accrued expenses | $ | |||
| Total current liabilities | ||||
| Deferred underwriting fee | ||||
| Total Liabilities | ||||
| Commitments and Contingencies (Note 6) | ||||
| Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption, | ||||
| Shareholders’ Deficit | ||||
| Preference shares, $ | ||||
| Class A ordinary shares, $ | ||||
| Class B ordinary shares, $ | ||||
| Additional paid-in capital | ||||
| Accumulated deficit | ( | ) | ||
| Total Shareholders’ Deficit | ( | ) | ||
| Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Deficit | $ | |||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-3
ANDRETTI ACQUISITION CORP. II
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
FOR THE PERIOD FROM MAY 21, 2024 (INCEPTION) THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2024
| Formation and general and administrative costs | $ | |||
| Loss from operations | ( | ) | ||
| Other income: | ||||
| Interest earned on marketable securities held in Trust Account | ||||
| Total other income, net | ||||
| Net income | $ | |||
| Weighted average shares outstanding, Class A redeemable ordinary shares | ||||
| Basic net income per share, Class A redeemable ordinary shares | $ | |||
| Weighted average shares outstanding, Class A and Class B non-redeemable ordinary shares | ||||
| Basic net income per share, Class A and Class B non-redeemable ordinary shares | $ | |||
| Weighted average shares outstanding, Class A and Class B non-redeemable ordinary shares | ||||
| Diluted net income per share, Class A and B non-redeemable ordinary shares | $ |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-4
ANDRETTI ACQUISITION CORP. II
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
FOR THE PERIOD FROM MAY 21, 2024 (INCEPTION) THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2024
| Class A Ordinary Shares | Class B Ordinary Shares | Additional Paid-in | Accumulated | Total Shareholders’ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount | Capital | Deficit | Deficit | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance — May 21, 2024 (Inception) | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of Class B ordinary shares to Sponsor | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accretion for Class A ordinary shares to redemption amount | — | — | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sale of | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fair Value of Public Warrants at issuance | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Allocated value of transaction costs | — | — | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance – December 31, 2024 | $ | $ | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-5
ANDRETTI ACQUISITION CORP. II
STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
FOR THE PERIOD FROM MAY 21, 2024 (INCEPTION) THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2024
| Cash Flows from Operating Activities: | ||||
| Net income | $ | |||
| Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash used in operating activities: | ||||
| Formation costs paid by Sponsor in exchange for issuance of Class B ordinary shares | ||||
| Payment of formation and general costs through promissory note | ||||
| Interest income on marketable securities held in Trust Account | ( | ) | ||
| Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | ||||
| Prepaid expenses | ( | ) | ||
| Long-term prepaid insurance | ( | ) | ||
| Accrued expenses | ||||
| Net cash used in operating activities | ( | ) | ||
| Cash Flows from Investing Activities: | ||||
| Investment of cash into Trust Account | ( | ) | ||
| Net cash used in investing activities | ( | ) | ||
| Cash Flows from Financing Activities: | ||||
| Proceeds from sale of Units, net of underwriting discounts paid | ||||
| Proceeds from sale of Private Placement Units | ||||
| Proceeds from promissory note - related party | ||||
| Repayment of promissory note - related party | ( | ) | ||
| Payment of offering costs | ( | ) | ||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | ||||
| Net Change in Cash | ||||
| Cash – Beginning of period | ||||
| Cash – End of period | $ | |||
| Noncash investing and financing activities: | ||||
| Offering costs included in accrued offering costs | $ | |||
| Deferred offering costs paid by Sponsor in exchange for issuance of Class B ordinary shares | $ | |||
| Deferred offering costs paid through promissory note – related party | $ | |||
| Deferred underwriting fee payable | $ | |||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-6
ANDRETTI ACQUISITION CORP. II
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024
NOTE 1 — DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS
Andretti
Acquisition Corp. II (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted corporation
on
As of December 31, 2024, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activities for the period from May 21, 2024 (inception) through December 31, 2024 relate to the Company’s formation, the initial public offering (“Initial Public Offering”), which is described below, and subsequent to the Initial Public Offering, identifying a target company for a Business Combination. The Company do not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of its initial Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company generates non-operating income in the form of interest income on investments from the proceeds derived from the Initial Public Offering. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.
The
registration statement for the Company’s Initial Public Offering was declared effective on September 5, 2024. On September 9, 2024,
the Company consummated the Initial Public Offering of
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the
Company consummated the sale of an aggregate of
Transaction
costs amounted to $
The
Company’s Business Combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value equal to at least
Following the closing of the
Initial Public Offering, on September 9, 2024, an amount of $
F-7
ANDRETTI ACQUISITION CORP. II
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024
The
Company will provide the Company’s public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon
the completion of the initial Business Combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the initial
Business Combination or (ii) without a shareholder vote by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will
seek shareholder approval of a proposed initial Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in
its discretion. The public shareholders will be entitled to redeem their shares 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 earned on the funds held in the Trust Account (less taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding
Public Shares, subject to the limitations. As of December 31, 2024, the amount in the Trust Account was $
The ordinary shares subject to possible redemption were recorded at redemption value and classified as temporary equity at the completion of the Initial Public Offering, in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480, “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.”
The Company will have only
the duration of the Combination Period to complete the initial Business Combination. However, if the Company is unable to complete its
initial Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company will 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 (less taxes payable and up to $
The Sponsor, officers and directors, and advisor of the Company have entered into a letter agreement with the Company, pursuant to which they have agreed to (i) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, private placement shares, and Public Shares in connection with the completion of the initial Business Combination or an earlier redemption in connection with the commencement of the procedures to consummate the initial Business Combination if the Company determines it is desirable to facilitate the completion of the initial Business Combination; (ii) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, private placement shares, and Public Shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association; (iii) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to their founder shares or private placement shares if the Company fails to complete the initial Business Combination within the Combination Period, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to any Public Shares they hold if the Company fails to complete the initial Business Combination within the Combination Period and to liquidating distributions from assets outside the trust account; and (iv) vote any founder shares and private placement shares held by them and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Initial Public Offering (including in open market and privately-negotiated transactions) in favor of the initial Business Combination.
The Company’s Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to the
Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target
business with which the Company has entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or other similar agreement or Business Combination
agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below the lesser of (i) $
On September 30, 2024, Zakary C. Brown resigned as a member of the board of directors of the Company as well as from his position as a member of the compensation committee of the Company’s board of directors. Mr. Brown’s departure was not the result of any disagreement with the Company’s management or board of directors on any matter relating to the Company’s operations, policies or practices.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
As
of December 31, 2024, the Company had operating cash of $
F-8
ANDRETTI ACQUISITION CORP. II
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024
In connection with the Company’s assessment of going concern considerations in accordance with ASC 205-40, “Going Concern”, as of December 31, 2024, the Company has sufficient funds for the working capital needs of the Company until a minimum of one year from the date of issuance of these financial statements. The Company cannot assure that its plans to consummate an initial Business Combination will be successful.
The Company does not believe that it will need to raise additional funds in order to meet the expenditures required for operating the business. However, if the Company’s estimate of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating a Business Combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, it may have insufficient funds available to operate the business prior to the Company’s initial Business Combination. Moreover, the Company may need to obtain additional financing either to complete the Business Combination or because the Company becomes obligated to redeem a significant number of the Public Shares upon completion of the Company’s Business Combination, in which case the Company may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such Business Combination.
NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying financial statements are presented in U.S. dollars and have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and pursuant to the accounting and disclosure rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).
Emerging Growth Company
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder 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 Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires 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. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
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 and Cash Equivalents
The
Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents.
The Company had $
F-9
ANDRETTI ACQUISITION CORP. II
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024
Marketable Securities Held in Trust Account
As
of December 31, 2024, the assets held in the Trust Account, amounting to $
Offering Costs
The Company complies with the requirements of the ASC 340-10-S99 and SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin Topic 5A, — “Expenses of Offering.” Offering costs consist principally of professional and registration fees that are related to the Initial Public Offering. FASB ASC 470-20, “Debt with Conversion and Other Options,” addresses the allocation of proceeds from the issuance of convertible debt into its equity and debt components. The Company applies this guidance to allocate Initial Public Offering proceeds from the Units between Class A ordinary shares and warrants, using the residual method by allocating Initial Public Offering proceeds first to assigned value of the warrants and then to the Class A ordinary shares. Offering costs allocated to the Public Shares were charged to temporary equity, and offering costs allocated to the Public Warrants (defined below) and Private Placement Units were charged to shareholders' deficit as the warrants associated with the public offering and private placement, after management's evaluation, were accounted for under equity treatment.
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 Deposit Insurance Corporation coverage limit of $
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under FASB ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the balance sheet, primarily due to its short-term nature.
Income Taxes
The Company accounts for income taxes under ASC Topic 740, “Income Taxes,” which requires an asset and liability approach to financial accounting and reporting for income taxes. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are computed for differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities that will result in future taxable or deductible amounts, based on enacted tax laws and rates applicable to the periods in which the differences are expected to affect taxable income. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.
ASC Topic 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. The Company’s management determined that the Cayman Islands is the Company’s major tax jurisdiction. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. As of December 31, 2024, there were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position.
The
Company is considered to be an exempted Cayman Islands company with no connection to any other taxable jurisdiction and is presently
not subject to income taxes or income tax filing requirements in the Cayman Islands or the United States. As such, the Company’s
tax provision was
Warrant Instruments
The
Company accounted for the public warrants (the “Public Warrants”) underlying the Units issued in connection with the Initial
Public Offering and the Private Placement Warrants (defined below) underlying the Private Placement Units sold in the private placement
consummated simultaneously with the Initial Public Offering in accordance with the guidance contained in FASB ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives
and Hedging”. Accordingly, the Company evaluated and classified the warrant instruments under equity treatment at their assigned
values. There were
F-10
ANDRETTI ACQUISITION CORP. II
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024
Class A Shares Subject to Possible Redemption
The
Public Shares contain a redemption feature which allows for the redemption of such Public Shares in connection with the Company’s
liquidation, or if there is a shareholder vote or tender offer in connection with the Company’s initial Business Combination. In
accordance with ASC 480-10-S99, the Company classifies public shares subject to redemption outside of permanent equity as the redemption
provisions are not solely within the control of the Company. The Company recognizes changes in redemption value immediately as they occur
and will adjust the carrying value of redeemable shares to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. At the Initial
Public Offering, the Company recognized the accretion from initial book value to redemption amount value. The change in the carrying
value of redeemable shares will result in charges against additional paid-in capital (to the extent available) and accumulated deficit.
Accordingly, as of September 9, 2024, Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption are presented at redemption value as temporary
equity, outside of the shareholders’ deficit section of the Company’s balance sheet.
| Gross proceeds | $ | |||
| Less: | ||||
| Proceeds allocated to Public Warrants | ( | ) | ||
| Issuance costs allocated to Public Shares | ( | ) | ||
| Plus: | ||||
| Accretion of carrying value to redemption value | ||||
| Class A Ordinary Shares subject to possible redemption, September 30, 2024 | ||||
| Plus: | ||||
| Accretion of carrying value to redemption value | ||||
| Class A Ordinary Shares subject to possible redemption, December 31, 2024 | $ |
Net Income per Ordinary Share
The Company complies with accounting and disclosure requirements of ASC 260, “Earnings Per Share.” The Company has two classes of shares, which are referred to as Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Income and losses are shared pro rata between the two classes of shares. Net income per ordinary share is calculated by dividing the net income by the weighted average ordinary shares outstanding for the respective period. Accretion associated with the redeemable shares of Class A ordinary shares is excluded from earnings per share as the redemption value approximates fair value. Diluted net income per share attributable to ordinary shareholders adjust the basic net income per share attributable to ordinary shareholders and the weighted-average ordinary shares outstanding for the potentially dilutive impact of outstanding warrants. However, because the warrants are anti-dilutive, diluted income per ordinary share is the same as basic income per ordinary share for the periods presented.
The following table reflects the calculation of basic and diluted net income per ordinary share:
| For the Year Ended December 31, 2024 | ||||||||
| Class A | Class B | |||||||
| Basic net income per ordinary share: | ||||||||
| Numerator: | ||||||||
| Allocation of net income | $ | $ | ||||||
| Denominator: | ||||||||
| Basic weighted average ordinary shares outstanding | ||||||||
| Basic net income per ordinary share | $ | $ | ||||||
| Diluted net income per ordinary share: | ||||||||
| Numerator: | ||||||||
| Allocation of net income | $ | $ | ||||||
| Denominator: | ||||||||
| Diluted weighted average ordinary shares outstanding | ||||||||
| Diluted net income per ordinary share | $ | $ | ||||||
Recent Accounting Standards
Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.
F-11
ANDRETTI ACQUISITION CORP. II
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024
NOTE 3 — INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING
Pursuant
to the Initial Public Offering, on September 9, 2024, the Company sold
Warrants — As
of December 31, 2024, there were
The Company will not be obligated to deliver any Class A ordinary shares pursuant to the exercise of a warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current. No warrant will be exercisable and the Company will not be obligated to issue a Class A ordinary share upon exercise of a warrant unless the Class A ordinary share issuable upon such warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the warrants. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to a warrant, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In no event will the Company be required to net cash settle any warrant. In the event that a registration statement is not effective for the exercised warrants, the purchaser of a unit containing such warrant will have paid the full purchase price for the unit solely for the Class A ordinary share underlying such unit.
Under
the terms of the warrant agreement, the Company has agreed that, as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days,
after the closing of the Business Combination, it will use commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a post-effective amendment
to the registration statement for the Initial Public Offering or a new registration statement covering the registration under the Securities
Act of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and thereafter will use its commercially reasonable
efforts to cause the same to become effective within
If
the holders exercise their public warrants on a cashless basis, they would pay the warrant exercise price by surrendering the warrants
for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A
ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” of the Class A
ordinary shares over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” is the
average reported closing price of the Class A ordinary shares for the
Redemption
of Warrants When the Price per Class A Ordinary Share Equals or Exceeds $
| ● | in whole and not in part; |
| ● | at a price of $ |
| ● | upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption (the “ |
| ● | if, and only if, the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $ |
F-12
ANDRETTI ACQUISITION CORP. II
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024
Additionally, if the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares is increased by a share capitalization payable in Class A ordinary shares, or by a subdivision of ordinary shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such share capitalization, sub-division or similar event, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of each warrant will be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding ordinary shares. A rights offering made to all or substantially all holders of ordinary shares entitling holders to purchase Class A ordinary shares at a price less than the fair market value will be deemed a share capitalization of a number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the product of (i) the number of Class A ordinary shares actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for Class A ordinary shares) and (ii) the quotient of (x) the price per Class A ordinary share paid in such rights offering and (y) the fair market value. For these purposes (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for Class A ordinary shares, in determining the price payable for Class A ordinary shares, there will be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (ii) fair market value means the volume weighted average price of Class A ordinary shares as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the Class A ordinary shares trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights.
NOTE 4 — PRIVATE PLACEMENT
Simultaneously
with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Sponsor and BTIG purchased an aggregate of
The Private Placement Warrants
contained in the Private Placement Units are identical to the warrants sold in the Initial Public Offering except, the Private Placement
Warrants (i) may not (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of these warrants), subject to certain limited
exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holders until 30 days after the completion of the initial Business Combination,
(ii) are entitled to registration rights and (iii) with respect to Private Placement Warrants held by BTIG and/or its designees,
will not be exercisable more than five years from the commencement of sales in t the Initial Public Offering in accordance with Financial
Industry Regulatory Authority Rule 5110(g)(8). The Sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with the
Company, pursuant to which they have agreed to (i) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, private placement
shares, and Public Shares in connection with the completion of the initial Business Combination or an earlier redemption in connection
with the commencement of the procedures to consummate the initial Business Combination if the Company determines it is desirable to facilitate
the completion of the initial Business Combination; (ii) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, private
placement shares, and Public Shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated
memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption
in connection with the initial Business Combination or to redeem
NOTE 5 — RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Founder Shares
On
May 24, 2024, the Sponsor made a capital contribution of $
F-13
ANDRETTI ACQUISITION CORP. II
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024
The founder shares are designated
as Class B ordinary shares and, except as described below, are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the Units
sold in the Initial Public Offering, and holders of founder shares have the same shareholder rights as public shareholders, except that
(i) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below, (ii) the founder shares
are entitled to registration rights; (iii) the Company’s sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement
with the Company, pursuant to which they have agreed to (A) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, private
placement shares and Public Shares in connection with the completion of the initial Business Combination, (B) waive their redemption
rights with respect to their founder shares, private placement shares and Public Shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve
an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (C) to modify the substance or timing
of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with the Company’s initial Business Combination or to redeem
Promissory Note — Related Party
The
Sponsor had agreed to loan the Company an aggregate of up to $
Administrative Services Agreement
The
Company entered into an agreement, commencing on September 5, 2024, through the earlier of consummation of the initial Business Combination
or the liquidation, to pay the Sponsor $
Additionally,
the Company agreed to pay the Chief Executive Officer $
For the period from May 21, 2024 (inception) through December 31, 2024, the Company incurred and paid $55,000 in fees for these services.
Related Party Loans
In
order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor or certain of
the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (the “Working
Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company would repay the Working Capital Loans. In the event
that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of the working capital held outside the Trust Account to repay
the Working Capital Loans but no proceeds from the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. Up to $
F-14
ANDRETTI ACQUISITION CORP. II
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024
NOTE 6 — COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Risk and Uncertainties
The United States and global markets are experiencing volatility and disruption following the geopolitical instability resulting from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and the recent escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict. In response to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (“NATO”) deployed additional military forces to eastern Europe, and the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and other countries have announced various sanctions and restrictive actions against Russia, Belarus and related individuals and entities, including the removal of certain financial institutions from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication payment system. Certain countries, including the United States, have also provided and may continue to provide military aid or other assistance to Ukraine and to Israel, increasing geopolitical tensions among a number of nations. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict and the resulting measures that have been taken, and could be taken in the future, by NATO, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Israel and its neighboring states and other countries have created global security concerns that could have a lasting impact on regional and global economies. Although the length and impact of the ongoing conflicts are highly unpredictable, they could lead to market disruptions, including significant volatility in commodity prices, credit and capital markets, as well as supply chain interruptions and increased cyberattacks against U.S. companies. Additionally, any resulting sanctions could adversely affect the global economy and financial markets and lead to instability and lack of liquidity in capital markets.
Any of the above mentioned factors, or any other negative impact on the global economy, capital markets or other geopolitical conditions resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict and subsequent sanctions or related actions, could adversely affect the Company’s search for an initial Business Combination and any target business with which the Company may ultimately consummate an initial Business Combination.
Registration Rights
The holders of founder shares, Private Placement Units (and their underlying securities) and Units that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (and their underlying securities), if any, and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of the founder shares and any Class A ordinary shares held by the Sponsor at the completion of the Initial Public Offering or acquired prior to or in connection with the initial Business Combination, are entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement signed on September 5, 2024. These holders are entitled to make up to three demands and have piggyback registration rights. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Underwriting Agreement
The
underwriters had a
The
underwriters were entitled to a cash underwriting discount of
NOTE 7 — SHAREHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
Preference
Shares — The Company is authorized to issue a total of
Class A
Ordinary Shares — The Company is authorized to issue a total of
F-15
ANDRETTI ACQUISITION CORP. II
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024
Class B
Ordinary Shares — The Company is authorized to issue a total of
The
Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares in connection with the consummation of the initial
Business Combination or earlier at the option of the holder on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for share subdivisions, share
capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or any other
equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts sold in the Initial Public Offering and related to or
in connection with the closing of the initial Business Combination, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A
ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares agree to waive such
adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion
of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate,
Holders
of record of the Company’s Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares are entitled to
F-16
ANDRETTI ACQUISITION CORP. II
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024
NOTE 8 — FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS
The fair value of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities reflects management’s estimate of amounts that the Company would have received in connection with the sale of the assets or paid in connection with the transfer of the liabilities in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. In connection with measuring the fair value of its assets and liabilities, the Company seeks to maximize the use of observable inputs (market data obtained from independent sources) and to minimize the use of unobservable inputs (internal assumptions about how market participants would price assets and liabilities). The following fair value hierarchy is used to classify assets and liabilities based on the observable inputs and unobservable inputs used in order to value the assets and liabilities:
| Level 1: | Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. An active market for an asset or liability is a market in which transactions for the asset or liability occur with sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis. | |
| Level 2: | Observable inputs other than Level 1 inputs. Examples of Level 2 inputs include quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities and quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in markets that are not active. | |
| Level 3: | Unobservable inputs based on assessment of the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. |
The following table presents information about the Company’s equity instruments that are measured at fair value on December 31, 2024, and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation inputs the Company utilized to determine such fair value:
| Level | December 31, 2024 | |||||
| Assets: | ||||||
| Marketable securities held in Trust Account | 1 | $ | ||||
The
fair value of Public Warrants was determined using a Monte Carlo Simulation Model. The Public Warrants have been classified within shareholders’
deficit and will not require remeasurement after issuance.
| September 9, 2024 | ||||
| Share price | $ | |||
| Term (years) | ||||
| Risk-free rate | % | |||
| Volatility | % | |||
NOTE 9. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date up to the date that the financial statements were issued. Based upon this review, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.
F-17
EXHIBIT INDEX
| * | Filed herewith. |
| ** | Furnished herewith. |
| (1) | Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-280552), originally filed with the SEC on June 28, 2024. |
| (2) | Incorporated by reference to Amendment No. 1 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (File No. 333-280552), filed with the SEC on July 31, 2024. |
| (3) | Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on September 9, 2024. |
39
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this Report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
| March 25, 2025 | Andretti Acquisition Corp. II | |
| By: | /s/ William M. Brown | |
| Name: | William M. Brown | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer, Principal Financial and Accounting Officer (Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) | |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this Report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| Name | Position | Date | ||
| /s/ William M. Brown | Chief Executive Officer, Principal Financial and Accounting Officer | March 25, 2025 | ||
| William M. Brown | (Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) | |||
| /s/ William J. Sandbrook | Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board of Directors | March 25, 2025 | ||
| William J. Sandbrook | ||||
| /s/ Michael M. Andretti | Director | March 25, 2025 | ||
| Michael M. Andretti | ||||
| /s/ James W. Keyes | Director | March 25, 2025 | ||
| James W. Keyes | ||||
| /s/ Cassandra S. Lee | Director | March 25, 2025 | ||
| Cassandra S. Lee | ||||
| /s/ Gerald D. Putnam | Director | March 25, 2025 | ||
| Gerald D. Putnam | ||||
| /s/ John J. Romanelli | Director | March 25, 2025 | ||
| John J. Romanelli | ||||
40
Exhibit 4.5
DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTRANT’S SECURITIES
REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED
As of December 31, 2024, Andretti Acquisition Corp. II, a Cayman Islands exempted company (“we,” “our,” “us” or “Company”), had the following three classes of securities registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”): our (i) units, consisting of one Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value per share (the “Class A Ordinary Shares”) and one-half of one redeemable warrant (the “Public Warrants”), with each whole Public Warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one Class A Ordinary Share (the “Units”), (ii) Class A Ordinary Shares, and (iii) Public Warrants, with each whole Public Warrant exercisable for one Class A Ordinary Share for $11.50 per share.
Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, as amended and currently in effect (the “Amended and Restated Charter”), our authorized capital stock consists of 550,000,000 Ordinary Shares, including 500,000,000 Class A Ordinary Shares and 50,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value per share (the “Class B Ordinary Shares”, and together with the Class A Ordinary Shares, the “Ordinary Shares”), and 5,000,000 preference shares, $0.0001 par value per share. The following description summarizes the material terms of our securities registered under Section 12 of the Exchange and does not purport to be complete. It is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, our Amended and Restated Charter and the warrant agreement, dated September 5, 2024, we entered into with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (“Continental”), as warrant agent (the “Warrant Agreement”), each of which is incorporated by reference as an exhibit to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 (the “Report”) of which this Exhibit 4.5 is a part.
Defined terms used herein but not otherwise defined shall have the meaning ascribed to such terms in the Report.
Units
Each Unit consists of one Class A Ordinary Share and one-half of one redeemable Public Warrant. Pursuant to the Warrant Agreement, a Warrant holder may exercise its Warrants only for a whole number of the Class A Ordinary Shares.
Class A Ordinary Shares
Ordinary shareholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by shareholders. Holders of Class A Ordinary Shares and holders of Class B Ordinary Shares vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders except as required by law. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the appointment of directors, with the result that the holders of more than 50% of the shares voted for the appointment of directors can elect all of the directors. However, only holders of Class B Ordinary Shares have the right to appoint directors in any election held prior to the completion of our initial Business Combination, meaning that holders of Class A Ordinary Shares do not have the right to appoint any directors until after the completion of our initial Business Combination. In addition, only the Class B Ordinary Shares are entitled to vote to continue our Company in a jurisdiction outside of the Cayman Islands. Our shareholders are entitled to receive ratable dividends when, as and if declared by the Board of Directors out of funds legally available therefor.
We will provide our Public Shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of our initial Business Combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial Business Combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account (less income taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The per share amount we will distribute to Public Shareholders who properly redeem their Public Shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. Our Sponsor, officers and directors have entered into the Letter Agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any Founder Shares and Public Shares they hold in connection with the completion of our initial Business Combination.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial Business Combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial Business Combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our Amended and Restated Charter provides that a Public Shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to Excess Shares, without our prior consent. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial Business Combination. Our shareholders’ inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial Business Combination, and such shareholders could suffer a material loss in their investment if they sell such Excess Shares on the open market. Additionally, such shareholders will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial Business Combination. And, as a result, such shareholders will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose such shares would be required to sell their shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our Company after a Business Combination, our shareholders are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining available for distribution to them after payment of liabilities and after provision is made for each class of shares, if any, having preference over the Ordinary Shares. Our shareholders have no preemptive or other subscription rights. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to the Ordinary Shares, except that we will provide our Public Shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares for cash 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 (less taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, upon the completion of our initial Business Combination, subject to the limitations described in the Report.
Redeemable Warrants
Each whole Warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one Class A Ordinary Share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing 30 days after the completion of our initial Business Combination. Pursuant to the Warrant Agreement, a Warrant holder may exercise its Warrants only for a whole number of Class A Ordinary Shares. This means only a whole Warrant may be exercised at a given time by a Warrant holder. No fractional Warrants will be issued upon separation of the Units and only whole Warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least two units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole Warrant. The Warrants will expire five years after the completion of our initial Business Combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
We will not be obligated to deliver any Class A Ordinary Shares pursuant to the exercise of a Warrant and will have no obligation to settle such Warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the Class A Ordinary Shares underlying the Warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to our satisfying our obligations described below with respect to registration. No Warrant will be exercisable and we will not be obligated to issue a Class A Ordinary Share upon exercise of a Warrant unless the Class A Ordinary Share issuable upon such Warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the Warrants. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to a Warrant, the holder of such Warrant will not be entitled to exercise such Warrant and such Warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any Warrant. In the event that a registration statement is not effective for the exercised Warrants, the purchaser of a Unit containing such Warrant will have paid the full purchase price for the Unit solely for the Class A Ordinary Share underlying such Unit.
We have agreed that, as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days, after the closing of our initial Business Combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a post-effective amendment to the IPO Registration Statement or a new registration statement covering the registration under the Securities Act of the Class A Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants and thereafter will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days following our initial Business Combination and to maintain a current prospectus relating to the Class A Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants until the expiration of the Warrants in accordance with the provisions of the Warrant Agreement. If a registration statement covering the Class A Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants is not effective by the sixtieth (60th) business day after the closing of our initial Business Combination, Warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise Warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A Ordinary Shares are at the time of any exercise of a Warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of Public Warrants who exercise their Warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement.
2
Once the Warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding Warrants:
| ● | in whole and not in part; |
| ● | at a price of $0.01 per Warrant; upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption (the “30-day redemption period”); and |
| ● | if, and only if, the closing price of the Class A Ordinary Shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and for certain issuances of Class A Ordinary Shares and equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial Business Combination as described elsewhere in the Report) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period commencing at least 30 days after completion of our initial Business Combination and ending three business days before we send the notice of redemption to the Warrant holders. |
We will not redeem the Warrants as described above unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A Ordinary Shares is available throughout the 30-day redemption period. If and when the Warrants become redeemable by us, we may not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of Ordinary Shares upon exercise of the Warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws or we are unable to effect such registration or qualification. We will use our best efforts to register or qualify such Ordinary Shares under the blue sky laws of the state of residence in those states in which the Warrants were offered by us in our Initial Public Offering.
A holder of a Warrant may notify us in writing in the event it elects to be subject to a requirement that such holder will not have the right to exercise such Warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), to the warrant agent’s actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 4.9% or 9.8% (as specified by the holder) of the Class A ordinary shares outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise.
The Warrants have certain anti-dilution and adjustments rights upon certain events.
The Warrants were issued in registered form under the Warrant Agreement. The Warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, and that all other modifications or amendments will require the vote or written consent of the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding Warrants.
In addition, if (x) we issue additional Class A Ordinary Shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per Class A Ordinary Shares (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 Initial shareholders or their affiliates, without taking into account any Founder Shares or Private Placement Shares held by our Initial Shareholders or such 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 consummation of our initial Business Combination (net of redemptions), and the volume weighted average trading price of our Class A Ordinary Shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day after 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, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described above will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and 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 (or on a cashless basis, if applicable), by certified or official bank check payable to us, for the number of Warrants being exercised. The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of Ordinary Shares and any voting rights until they exercise their Warrants and receive Class A Ordinary Shares. After the issuance of Class A Ordinary Shares upon exercise of the Warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by shareholders.
No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the Warrants. If, upon exercise of the Warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of Class A Ordinary Shares to be issued to the Warrant holder.
3
Exhibit 19
Insider Trading Compliance Manual
Andretti Acquisition Corp. II
Adopted: September 5, 2024
In order to take an active role in the prevention of insider trading violations by its officers, directors, employees, consultants, attorneys, advisors and other related individuals, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Andretti Acquisition Corp. II, a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), has adopted the policies and procedures described in this Insider Trading Compliance Manual.
| I. | Adoption of Insider Trading Policy. |
Effective as of the date first written above, the Board has adopted the Insider Trading Policy attached hereto as Exhibit A (as the same may be amended from time to time by the Board, the “Policy”), which prohibits trading based on “material, nonpublic information” regarding the Company or any company whose securities are listed for trading or quotation in the United States (“Material Non-Public Information”).
This Policy covers all officers and directors of the Company and its subsidiaries, all other employees of the Company and its subsidiaries, and consultants or contractors to the Company or its subsidiaries who have or may have access to Material Non-Public Information and members of the immediate family or household of any such person. This Policy (and/or a summary thereof) is to be delivered to all employees, consultants and related individuals who are within the categories of covered persons upon the commencement of their relationships with the Company.
| II. | Designation of Certain Persons. |
A. Section 16 Individuals. All directors and executive officers of the Company will be subject to the reporting and liability provisions of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (“Section 16 Individuals”).
B. Other Persons Subject to Policy. In addition, certain employees, consultants, and advisors of the Company as described in Section I above have, or are likely to have, from time to time access to Material Non-Public Information and together with the Section 16 Individuals, are subject to the Policy, including the pre-clearance requirement described in Section IV. A. below.
C. Post-Termination Transactions. This Policy continues to apply to transactions in Company securities even after an employee, officer or director has resigned or terminated employment. If the person who resigns or separates from the Company is in possession of Material Non-Public Information at that time, he or she may not trade in Company securities until that information has become public or is no longer material.
| INSIDER TRADING POLICY (U.S. ISSUER) | 1 |
| III. | Appointment of Insider Trading Compliance Officer. |
By the adoption of this Policy, the Board has appointed the Company’s Chief Financial Officer as the Insider Trading Compliance Officer (the “Compliance Officer”).
| IV. | Duties of Compliance Officer. |
The Compliance Officer has been designated by the Board to handle any and all matters relating to the Company’s Insider Trading Compliance Program. Certain of those duties may require the advice of outside counsel with special expertise in securities issues and relevant law. The duties of the Compliance Officer shall include the following:
A. Pre-clearing all transactions involving the Company’s securities by the Section 16 Individuals and those individuals having regular access to Material Non-Public Information in order to determine compliance with the Policy, insider trading laws, Section 16 of the Exchange Act and Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Rule 144”). Attached hereto as Exhibit B is a Pre-Clearance Checklist to assist the Compliance Officer’s performance of this duty.
B. Assisting in the preparation and filing of Section 16 reports (Forms 3, 4 and 5) for all Section 16 Individuals, bearing in mind, however, that the preparation of such reports is undertaken by the Company as a courtesy only and that the Section 16 Individuals alone (and not the Company, its employees or advisors) shall be solely responsible for the content and filing of such reports and for any violations of Section 16 under the Exchange Act and related rules and regulations.
C. Serving as the designated recipient at the Company of copies of reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) by Section 16 Individuals under Section 16 of the Exchange Act.
D. Performing periodic reviews of available materials, which may include Forms 3, 4 and 5, Form 144, officers and director’s questionnaires, and reports received from the Company’s stock administrator and transfer agent, to determine trading activity by officers, directors and others who have, or may have, access to Material Non-Public Information.
E. Circulating the Policy (and/or a summary thereof) to all covered employees, including Section 16 Individuals, on an annual basis, and providing the Policy and other appropriate materials to new officers, directors and others who have, or may have, access to Material Non-Public Information.
F. Assisting the Board in implementation of the Policy and all related Company policies.
G. Coordinating with Company internal or external legal counsel regarding all securities compliance matters.
H. Retaining copies of all appropriate securities reports, and maintaining records of his or her activities as Compliance Officer.
[Acknowledgement Appears on the Next Page]
| INSIDER TRADING POLICY (U.S. ISSUER) | 2 |
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I hereby acknowledge that I have received a copy of Andretti Acquisition Corp. II’s Insider Trading Compliance Manual (the “Insider Trading Manual”). Further, I certify that I have reviewed the Insider Trading Manual, understand the policies and procedures contained therein and agree to be bound by and adhere to these policies and procedures.
| Dated: ____________________ | |
| Signature | |
| Name: |
| INSIDER TRADING POLICY (U.S. ISSUER) | 3 |
Exhibit A
ANDRETTI ACQUISITION CORP. II
Insider Trading Policy
and Guidelines with Respect to Certain Transactions in Company Securities
APPLICABILITY OF POLICY
This Policy applies to all transactions in the Company’s securities, including ordinary shares, options and warrants to purchase ordinary shares and any other securities the Company may issue from time to time, such as preferred shares, warrants and convertible notes, as well as to derivative securities relating to the Company’s shares, whether or not issued by the Company, such as exchange-traded options. It applies to all officers and directors of the Company, all other employees of the Company and its subsidiaries, and consultants or contractors to the Company or its subsidiaries who have or may have access to Material Nonpublic Information (as defined below) regarding the Company and members of the immediate family or household of any such person. This group of people is sometimes referred to in this Policy as “Insiders.” This Policy also applies to any person who receives Material Nonpublic Information from any Insider.
Any person who possesses Material Nonpublic Information regarding the Company is an Insider for so long as such information is not publicly known.
DEFINITION OF MATERIAL NONPUBLIC INFORMATION
It is not possible to define all categories of material information. However, the U.S. Supreme Court and other federal courts have ruled that information should be regarded as “material” if there is a substantial likelihood that a reasonable investor:
| (1) | would consider the information important in making an investment decision; and |
| (2) | would view the information as having significantly altered the “total mix” of available information about the Company. |
“Nonpublic” information is information that has not been previously disclosed to the general public and is otherwise not available to the general public.
While it may be difficult to determine whether particular information is material, there are various categories of information that are particularly sensitive and, as a general rule, should always be considered material. In addition, material information may be positive or negative. Examples of such information may include:
| ● | Financial results |
| ● | Information relating to the Company’s stock exchange listing or SEC regulatory issues | |
| ● | Information regarding regulatory review of Company products | |
| ● | Intellectual property and other proprietary/scientific information | |
| ● | Projections of future earnings or losses | |
| ● | Major contract awards, cancellations or write-offs | |
| ● | Joint ventures/commercial partnerships with third parties |
| INSIDER TRADING POLICY (U.S. ISSUER) | A-1 |
| ● | Research milestones and related payments or royalties | |
| ● | News of a pending or proposed merger or acquisition | |
| ● | News of the disposition of material assets | |
| ● | Impending bankruptcy or financial liquidity problems | |
| ● | Gain or loss of a substantial customer or supplier | |
| ● | New product announcements of a significant nature | |
| ● | Significant pricing changes | |
| ● | Stock splits | |
| ● | New equity or debt offerings | |
| ● | Significant litigation exposure due to actual or threatened litigation | |
| ● | Changes in senior management or the Board of Directors of the Company | |
| ● | Capital investment plans | |
| ● | Changes in dividend policy |
CERTAIN EXCEPTIONS
For purposes of this Policy:
1. Share Options Exercises. For purposes of this Policy, the Company considers that the exercise of share options under the Company’s share option plans (but not the sale of the underlying shares) to be exempt from this Policy. This Policy does apply, however, to any sale of shares as part of a broker-assisted “cashless” exercise of an option, or any market sale for the purpose of generating the cash needed to pay the exercise price of an option.
2. 401(k) Plan. This Policy does not apply to purchases of Company shares in the Company’s 401(k) plan resulting from periodic contributions of money to the plan pursuant to payroll deduction elections. This Policy does apply, however, to certain elections that may be made under the 401(k) plan, including (a) an election to increase or decrease the percentage of periodic contributions that will be allocated to the Company share fund, if any, (b) an election to make an intra-plan transfer of an existing account balance into or out of the Company share fund, (c) an election to borrow money against a 401(k) plan account if the loan will result in a liquidation of some or all of a participant’s Company share fund balance and (d) an election to pre-pay a plan loan if the pre-payment will result in allocation of loan proceeds to the Company share fund.
3. Employee Share Purchase Plan. This Policy does not apply to purchases of Company shares in the Company’s employee share purchase plan, if any, resulting from periodic contributions of money to the plan pursuant to the elections made at the time of enrollment in the plan. This Policy also does not apply to purchases of Company shares resulting from lump sum contributions to the plan, provided that the participant elected to participate by lump-sum payment at the beginning of the applicable enrollment period. This Policy does apply to a participant’s election to participate in or increase his or her participation in the plan, and to a participant’s sales of Company shares purchased pursuant to the plan.
4. Dividend Reinvestment Plan. This Policy does not apply to purchases of Company shares under the Company’s dividend reinvestment plan, if any, resulting from reinvestment of dividends paid on Company securities. This Policy does apply, however, to voluntary purchases of Company shares that result from additional contributions a participant chooses to make to the plan, and to a participant’s election to participate in the plan or increase his level of participation in the plan. This Policy also applies to his or her sale of any Company shares purchased pursuant to the plan.
5. General Exceptions. Any exceptions to this Policy other than as set forth above may only be made by advance written approval of each of: (i) the Company’s President or Chief Executive Officers, (ii) the Company’s Insider Trading Compliance Officer and (iii) the Chairman of the Governance and Nominating Committee of the Board. Any such exceptions shall be immediately reported to the remaining members of the Board.
| INSIDER TRADING POLICY (U.S. ISSUER) | A-2 |
STATEMENT OF POLICY
General Policy
It is the policy of the Company to prohibit the unauthorized disclosure of any nonpublic information acquired in the workplace and the misuse of Material Nonpublic Information in securities trading related to the Company or any other company.
Specific Policies
1. Trading on Material Nonpublic Information. With certain exceptions, no Insider shall engage in any transaction involving a purchase or sale of the Company’s or any other company’s securities, including any offer to purchase or offer to sell, during any period commencing with the date that he or she possesses Material Nonpublic Information concerning the Company, and ending at the close of business on the second Trading Day following the date of public disclosure of that information, or at such time as such nonpublic information is no longer material. However, see Section 2 under “Permitted Trading Period” below for a full discussion of trading pursuant to a pre-established plan or by delegation.
As used herein, the term “Trading Day” shall mean a day on which national stock exchanges are open for trading.
2. Tipping. No Insider shall disclose (“tip”) Material Nonpublic Information to any other person (including family members) where such information may be used by such person to his or her profit by trading in the securities of companies to which such information relates, nor shall such Insider or related person make recommendations or express opinions on the basis of Material Nonpublic Information as to trading in the Company’s securities.
Regulation FD (Fair Disclosure) is an issuer disclosure rule implemented by the SEC that addresses selective disclosure of Material Nonpublic Information. The regulation provides that when the Company, or person acting on its behalf, discloses material nonpublic information to certain enumerated persons (in general, securities market professionals and holders of the Company’s securities who may well trade on the basis of the information), it must make public disclosure of that information. The timing of the required public disclosure depends on whether the selective disclosure was intentional or unintentional; for an intentional selective disclosure, the Company must make public disclosures simultaneously; for a non-intentional disclosure the Company must make public disclosure promptly. Under the regulation, the required public disclosure may be made by filing or furnishing a Form 8-K, or by another method or combination of methods that is reasonably designed to effect broad, non-exclusionary distribution of the information to the public.
It is the policy of the Company that all public communications of the Company (including, without limitation, communications with the press, other public statements, statements made via the Internet or social media outlets, or communications with any regulatory authority) be handled only through the Company’s President and/or Chief Executive Officer (the “CEO”), an authorized designee of the CEO or the Company’s public or investor relations firm. Please refer all press, analyst or similar requests for information to the CEO and do not respond to any inquiries without prior authorization from the CEO. If the CEO is unavailable, the Company’s Chief Financial Officer (or the authorized designee of such officer) will fill this role.
3. Confidentiality of Nonpublic Information. Nonpublic information relating to the Company is the property of the Company and the unauthorized disclosure of such information (including, without limitation, via email or by posting on Internet message boards, blogs or social media) is strictly forbidden.
4. Duty to Report Inappropriate and Irregular Conduct. All employees, and particularly managers and/or supervisors, have a responsibility for maintaining financial integrity within the company, consistent with generally accepted accounting principles and both federal and state securities laws. Any employee who becomes aware of any incidents involving financial or accounting manipulation or irregularities, whether by witnessing the incident or being told of it, must report it to their immediate supervisor and to any member of the Company’s Audit Committee. In certain instances, employees are allowed to participate in federal or state proceedings. For a more complete understanding of this issue, employees should consult their employee manual and/or seek the advice from their direct report or the Company’s principal executive officers (who may, in turn, seek input from the Company’s outside legal counsel).
| INSIDER TRADING POLICY (U.S. ISSUER) | A-3 |
POTENTIAL CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LIABILITY
AND/OR DISCIPLINARY ACTION
1. Liability for Insider Trading. Insiders may be subject to penalties of up to $5,000,000 for individuals (and $25,000,000 for a business entity) and up to twenty (20) years in prison for engaging in transactions in the Company’s securities at a time when they possess Material Nonpublic Information regarding the Company. In addition, the SEC has the authority to seek a civil monetary penalty of up to three times the amount of profit gained or loss avoided by illegal insider trading. “Profit gained” or “loss avoided” generally means the difference between the purchase or sale price of the Company’s shares and its value as measured by the trading price of the shares a reasonable period after public dissemination of the nonpublic information.
2. Liability for Tipping. Insiders may also be liable for improper transactions by any person (commonly referred to as a “tippee”) to whom they have disclosed Material Nonpublic Information regarding the Company or to whom they have made recommendations or expressed opinions on the basis of such information as to trading in the Company’s securities. The SEC has imposed large penalties even when the disclosing person did not profit from the trading. The SEC, the stock exchanges and the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. use sophisticated electronic surveillance techniques to monitor and uncover insider trading.
3. Possible Disciplinary Actions. Individuals subject to the Policy who violate this Policy shall also be subject to disciplinary action by the Company, which may include suspension, forfeiture of perquisites, ineligibility for future participation in the Company’s equity incentive plans and/or termination of employment.
PERMITTED TRADING PERIOD
1. Black-Out Period and Trading Window.
To ensure compliance with this Policy and applicable federal and state securities laws, the Company requires that all officers, directors, members of the immediate family or household of any such person and others who are subject to this Policy refrain from conducting any transactions involving the purchase or sale of the Company’s securities, other than during the period in any fiscal quarter commencing at the close of business on the second Trading Day following the date of public disclosure of the financial results for the prior fiscal quarter or year and ending on the twenty-fifth day of the third month of the fiscal quarter (the “Trading Window”). If such public disclosure occurs on a Trading Day before the markets close, then such date of disclosure shall be considered the first Trading Day following such public disclosure.
It is the Company’s policy that the period when the Trading Window is “closed” is a particularly sensitive periods of time for transactions in the Company’s securities from the perspective of compliance with applicable securities laws. This is because Insiders will, as any quarter progresses, are increasingly likely to possess Material Nonpublic Information about the expected financial results for the quarter. The purpose of the Trading Window is to avoid any unlawful or improper transactions or the appearance of any such transactions.
It should be noted that even during the Trading Window any person possessing Material Nonpublic Information concerning the Company shall not engage in any transactions in the Company’s (or any other companies, as applicable) securities until such information has been known publicly for at least two Trading Days. The Company has adopted the policy of delaying trading for “at least two Trading Days” because the securities laws require that the public be informed effectively of previously undisclosed material information before Insiders trade in the Company’s shares. Public disclosure may occur through a widely disseminated press release or through filings, such as Forms 10-Q and 8-K, with the SEC. Furthermore, in order for the public to be effectively informed, the public must be given time to evaluate the information disclosed by the Company. Although the amount of time necessary for the public to evaluate the information may vary depending on the complexity of the information, generally two Trading Days is a sufficient period of time.
| INSIDER TRADING POLICY (U.S. ISSUER) | A-4 |
From time to time, the Company may also require that Insiders suspend trading because of developments known to the Company and not yet disclosed to the public. In such event, such persons may not engage in any transaction involving the purchase or sale of the Company’s securities during such period and may not disclose to others the fact of such suspension of trading.
Although the Company may from time to time require during a Trading Window that Insiders and others suspend trading because of developments known to the Company and not yet disclosed to the public, each person is individually responsible at all times for compliance with the prohibitions against insider trading. Trading in the Company’s securities during the Trading Window should not be considered a “safe harbor,” and all directors, officers and other persons should use good judgment at all times.
Notwithstanding these general rules, Insiders may trade outside of the Trading Window provided that such trades are made pursuant to a legally compliant, pre-established plan or by delegation established at a time that the Insider is not in possession of material nonpublic information. These alternatives are discussed in the next section.
| 2. | Trading According to a Pre-established Plan (10b5-1) or by Delegation. |
The SEC has adopted Rule 10b5-1 (which was amended in December 2022) under which insider trading liability can be avoided if Insiders follow very specific procedures. In general, such procedures involve trading according to pre-established instructions, plans or programs (a “10b5-1 Plan”) after a required “cooling off” period described below.
10b5-1 Plans must:
(a) Be documented by a contract, written plan, or formal instruction which provides that the trade take place in the future. For example, an Insider can contract to sell his or her shares on a specific date, or simply delegate such decisions to an investment manager, 401(k) plan administrator or similar third party. This documentation must be provided to the Company’s Insider Trading Compliance Officer;
(b) Include in its documentation the specific amount, price and timing of the trade, or the formula for determining the amount, price and timing. For example, the Insider can buy or sell shares in a specific amount and on a specific date each month, or according to a pre-established percentage (of the Insider’s salary, for example) each time that the share price falls or rises to pre-established levels. In the case where trading decisions have been delegated (i.e., to a third party broker or money manager), the specific amount, price and timing need not be provided;
(c) Be implemented at a time when the Insider does not possess material non-public information. As a practical matter, this means that the Insider may set up 10b5-1 Plans, or delegate trading discretion, only during a “Trading Window” (discussed in Section 1, above), assuming the Insider is not in possession of material non-public information;
(d) Remain beyond the scope of the Insider’s influence after implementation. In general, the Insider must allow the 10b5-1 Plan to be executed without changes to the accompanying instructions, and the Insider cannot later execute a hedge transaction that modifies the effect of the 10b5-1 Plan. Insiders should be aware that the termination or modification of a 10b5-1 Plan after trades have been undertaken under such plan could negate the 10b5-1 affirmative defense afforded by such program for all such prior trades. As such, termination or modification of a 10b-5 Plan should only be undertaken in consultation with your legal counsel. If the Insider has delegated decision-making authority to a third party, the Insider cannot subsequently influence the third party in any way and such third party must not possess material non-public information at the time of any of the trades;
| INSIDER TRADING POLICY (U.S. ISSUER) | A-5 |
(e) Be subject to a “cooling off” period. Effective February 27, 2023, Rule 10b5-1 contains “cooling-off period” for directors and officers that prohibit such insiders from trading in a 10b5-1 Plan until the later of (i) 90 days following the plan’s adoption or modification or (ii) two business days following the Company’s disclosure (via a report filed with the SEC) of its financial results for the fiscal quarter in which the plan was adopted or modified; and
(f) Contain Insider certifications. Effective February 27, 2023, directors and officers are required to include a certification in their 10b5-1 Plans to certify that at the time the plan is adopted or modified: (i) they are not aware of Material Nonpublic Information about the Company or its securities and (ii) they are adopting the 10b5-1 Plan in good faith and not as part of a plan or scheme to evade the anti-fraud provisions of the Exchange Act.
Important: In addition, effective February 27, 2023: (i) Insiders are prohibited from having multiple overlapping 10b5-1 Plans or more than one plan in any given year, (ii) a modification relating to amount, price and timing of trades under a 10b5-1 Plan is deemed a plan termination which requires a new cooling off period, and (iii) whether a particular trade is undertaken pursuant to a 10b5-1 Plan will need to be disclosed (by checkoff box) on the applicable Forms 4 or 5 of the Insider.
Pre-Approval Required: Prior to implementing a 10b5-1 Plan, all officers and directors must receive the approval for such plan from (and provide the details of the plan to) the Company’s Insider Trading Compliance Officer.
3. Pre-Clearance of Trades.
Even during a Trading Window, all Insiders, must comply with the Company’s “pre-clearance” process prior to trading in the Company’s securities, implementing a pre-established plan for trading, or delegating decision-making authority over the Insider’s trades. To do so, each Insider must contact the Company’s Insider Trading Compliance Officer prior to initiating any of these actions. The Company may also find it necessary, from time to time, to require compliance with the pre-clearance process from others who may be in possession of Material Nonpublic Information.
4. Individual Responsibility.
Every person subject to this Policy has the individual responsibility to comply with this Policy against insider trading, regardless of whether the Company has established a Trading Window applicable to that Insider or any other Insiders of the Company. Each individual, and not necessarily the Company, is responsible for his or her own actions and will be individually responsible for the consequences of their actions. Therefore, appropriate judgment, diligence and caution should be exercised in connection with any trade in the Company’s securities. An Insider may, from time to time, have to forego a proposed transaction in the Company’s securities even if he or she planned to make the transaction before learning of the Material Nonpublic Information and even though the Insider believes he or she may suffer an economic loss or forego anticipated profit by waiting.
APPLICABILITY OF POLICY TO INSIDE INFORMATION
REGARDING OTHER COMPANIES
This Policy and the guidelines described herein also apply to Material Nonpublic Information relating to other companies, including the Company’s customers, vendors or suppliers (“business partners”), when that information is obtained in the course of employment with, or other services performed on behalf of the Company. Civil and criminal penalties, as well as termination of employment, may result from trading on Material Nonpublic Information regarding the Company’s business partners. All Insiders should treat Material Nonpublic Information about the Company’s business partners with the same care as is required with respect to information relating directly to the Company.
| INSIDER TRADING POLICY (U.S. ISSUER) | A-6 |
PROHIBITION AGAINST BUYING AND SELLING
COMPANY ORDINARY SHARES WITHIN A SIX-MONTH PERIOD
Directors, Officers and 10% Shareholders
Purchases and sales (or sales and purchases) of Company ordinary shares occurring within any six-month period in which a mathematical profit is realized result in illegal “short-swing profits.” The prohibition against short-swing profits is found in Section 16 of the Exchange Act. Section 16 was drafted as a rather arbitrary prohibition against profitable “insider trading” in a company’s securities within any six-month period regardless of the presence or absence of material nonpublic information that may affect the market price of those securities. Each executive officer, director and 10% shareholder of the Company is subject to the prohibition against short-swing profits under Section 16. Such persons are required to file Forms 3, 4 and 5 reports reporting his or her initial ownership of the Company’s ordinary shares and any subsequent changes in such ownership. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires executive officers and directors who must report transactions on Form 4 to do so by the end of the second business day following the transaction date, and amendments to Form 4 adopted effective February 2023 require the reporting person to check on the form if the purchase or sale was undertaken pursuant to a 10b5-1 Plan. Profit realized, for the purposes of Section 16, is calculated generally to provide maximum recovery by the Company. The measure of damages is the profit computed from any purchase and sale or any sale and purchase within the short-swing (i.e., six-month) period, without regard to any setoffs for losses, any first-in or first-out rules, or the identity of the ordinary shares. This approach sometimes has been called the “lowest price in, highest price out” rule.
The rules on recovery of short-swing profits are absolute and do not depend on whether a person has Material Nonpublic Information. In order to avoid trading activity that could inadvertently trigger a short-swing profit, it is the Company’s policy that no executive officer, director and 10% shareholder of the Company who has a 10b5-1 Plan in place may engage in voluntary purchases or sales of Company securities outside of and while such 10b5-1 Plan remains in place.
INQUIRIES
Please direct your questions as to any of the matters discussed in this Policy to the Company’s Insider Trading Compliance Officer.
| INSIDER TRADING POLICY (U.S. ISSUER) | A-7 |
Exhibit B
ANDRETTI ACQUISITION CORP. II
Insider Trading Compliance Program - Pre-Clearance Checklist
Individual Proposing to Trade:_________________________
Number of Shares covered by Proposed Trade:_________________________
Date:_________________________
| ☐ | Trading Window. Confirm that the trade will be made during the Company’s “trading window.” |
| ☐ | Section 16 Compliance. Confirm, if the individual is subject to Section 16, that the proposed trade will not give rise to any potential liability under Section 16 as a result of matched past (or intended future) transactions. Also, ensure that a Form 4 has been or will be completed and will be timely filed. |
| ☐ | Prohibited Trades. Confirm, if the individual is subject to Section 16, that the proposed transaction is not a “short sale,” put, call or other prohibited or strongly discouraged transaction. |
| ☐ | Rule 144 Compliance (as applicable). Confirm that: |
| ☐ | Current public information requirement has been met; |
| ☐ | Shares are not restricted or, if restricted, the one year holding period has been met; |
| ☐ | Volume limitations are not exceeded (confirm that the individual is not part of an aggregated group); |
| ☐ | The manner of sale requirements have been met; and |
| ☐ | The Notice of Form 144 Sale has been completed and filed. |
| ☐ | Rule 10b-5 Concerns. Confirm that (i) the individual has been reminded that trading is prohibited when in possession of any material information regarding the Company that has not been adequately disclosed to the public, and (ii) the Insider Trading Compliance Officer has discussed with the individual any information known to the individual or the Insider Trading Compliance Officer which might be considered material, so that the individual has made an informed judgment as to the presence of inside information. |
| ☐ | Rule 10b5-1 Matters. Confirm whether the individual has implemented, or proposes to implement, a pre-arranged trading plan under Rule 10b5-1. If so, obtain details of the plan. |
| Signature of Insider Trading Compliance Officer |
| INSIDER TRADING POLICY (U.S. ISSUER) | B-1 |
Exhibit 31
CERTIFICATION OF THE
PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE AND FINANCIAL OFFICER
PURSUANT TO
RULE 13a-14(a) AND RULE 15d-14(a)
UNDER THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934,
AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
I, William M. Brown , certify that:
| 1. | I have reviewed this Annual Report on Form 10-K of Andretti Acquisition Corp. II; |
| 2. | Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report; |
| 3. | Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report; |
| 4. | I am responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the registrant and have: |
| a) | Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared; |
| b) | (Paragraph omitted pursuant to Exchange Act Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-15(a)); |
| c) | Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and |
| d) | Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and |
| 5. | I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions): |
| a) | All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and |
| b) | Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting. |
| Date: March 25, 2025 | By: | /s/ William M. Brown |
| William M. Brown | ||
| Chief Executive Officer, Principal Financial and Accounting Officer | ||
| (Principal
Executive Officer and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
Exhibit 32
CERTIFICATION OF THE
PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE AND FINANCIAL OFFICER
PURSUANT TO
18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,
AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
In connection with the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Andretti Acquisition Corp. II (the “Company”) for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, William M. Brown, Chief Executive Officer, Principal Financial and Accounting Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that to my knowledge:
| 1. | The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; and |
| 2. | The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company as of and for the period covered by the Report. |
| Date: March 25, 2025 | By: | /s/ William M. Brown |
| William M. Brown | ||
| Chief Executive Officer, Principal Financial and Accounting Officer | ||
| (Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
Exhibit 97
ANDRETTI ACQUISITION CORP. II
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION CLAWBACK POLICY
Adopted as of September 5, 2024
The Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Andretti Acquisition Corp. II (the “Company”) has adopted the following executive compensation clawback policy (this “Policy”). This Policy shall supplement any other clawback or compensation recovery policy or policies adopted by the Company or included in any agreement between the Company, or any subsidiary of the Company, and a person covered by this Policy. If any such other policy or agreement provides that a greater amount of compensation shall be subject to clawback, such other policy or agreement shall apply to the amount in excess of the amount subject to clawback under this Policy.
This Policy shall be interpreted to comply with Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Rule 10D-1 and Listing Rule 5608 (the “Listing Rule”) of The Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (“Nasdaq”), as may be amended or supplemented and interpreted from time to time by Nasdaq. To the extent this Policy is in any manner deemed inconsistent with the Listing Rule, this Policy shall be treated as having been amended to be compliant with the Listing Rule.
1. Definitions. Unless the context indicates otherwise the following definitions apply for purposes of this Policy:
(a) Executive Officer. An executive officer is the Company’s chief executive officer and/or president, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer (or if there is no such accounting officer, the controller), any vice-president of the Company in charge of a principal business unit, division, or function (such as sales, administration, or finance), any other officer who performs a policy-making function, or any other person who performs similar policy-making functions for the Company. Executive officers of the Company’s parent(s) or subsidiaries are deemed executive officers of the Company if they perform such policy making functions for the Company. Policy-making function is not intended to include policy-making functions that are not significant. Identification of an executive officer for purposes of the Listing Rule would include at a minimum executive officers identified in the Listing Rule.
(b) Financial Reporting Measures. Financial reporting measures are measures that are determined and presented in accordance with the accounting principles used in preparing the Company’s financial statements, and any measures that are derived wholly or in part from such measures. Stock price and total shareholder return are also financial reporting measures. A financial reporting measure need not be presented within the financial statements or included in a filing with the SEC and may be such financial measures as may be determined by the Board or the Compensation Committee thereof (the “Compensation Committee”).
(c) Incentive-Based Compensation. Incentive-based compensation is any compensation that is granted, earned or vested based wholly or in part upon the attainment of a financial reporting measure.
(d) Received. Incentive-based compensation is deemed “received” in the Company’s fiscal period during which the financial reporting measure specified in the incentive-based compensation award is attained, even if the payment or grant of the incentive-based compensation occurs after the end of that period.
2. Application of this Policy. This recovery of Incentive-Based Compensation from an Executive Officer as provided for in this Policy shall apply only in the event that the Company is required to prepare an accounting restatement due to the material noncompliance of Company with any financial reporting requirement under the United States securities laws, including any required accounting restatement to correct an error in previously issued financial statements that is material to the previously issued financial statements, or that would result in a material misstatement if the error were corrected in the current period or left uncorrected in the current period.
3. Recovery Period.
(a) The Incentive-Based Compensation subject to recovery is the Incentive-Based Compensation Received during the three (3) completed fiscal years immediately preceding the date that the Company is required to prepare an accounting restatement as described in Section 2 above, provided that the person served as an Executive Officer at any time during the performance period applicable to the Incentive-Based Compensation in question. The date that the Company is required to prepare an accounting restatement shall be determined pursuant to the Listing Rule.
(b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Policy shall only apply if the Incentive-Based Compensation is Received (i) while the Company has a class of securities listed on Nasdaq and (ii) on or after October 2, 2023.
(c) The provisions of the Listing Rule shall apply with respect to Incentive-Based Compensation received during a transition period arising due to a change in the Company’s fiscal year.
4. Erroneously Awarded Compensation. The amount of Incentive-Based Compensation subject to recovery from the applicable Executive Officers under this Policy (“Erroneously Awarded Compensation”) shall be equal to the amount of Incentive-Based Compensation Received that exceeds the amount of Incentive Based-Compensation that otherwise would have been Received had it been determined based on the restated amounts and shall be computed without regard to any taxes paid. For Incentive-Based Compensation based on stock price or total shareholder return, where the amount of Erroneously Awarded Compensation is not subject to mathematical recalculation directly from the information in an accounting restatement: (a) the amount shall be based on a reasonable estimate by the Company’s Chief Financial Officer (or principal accounting officer, if the office of Chief Financial Officer is not then filled) of the effect of the accounting restatement on the stock price or total shareholder return upon which the Incentive-Based Compensation was received, which estimate shall be subject to the review and approval of the Compensation Committee; and (b) the Company must maintain reasonable documentation of the determination of that reasonable estimate and provide such documentation to Nasdaq if requested. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the proposed Incentive-Based Compensation recovery would affect compensation paid to the Company’s Chief Financial Officer, the determination shall be made by the Compensation Committee.
2
5. Timing of Recovery. The Company shall recover any Erroneously Awarded Compensation reasonably promptly except to the extent that the conditions of paragraphs (a), (b), or (c) below apply. The Compensation Committee shall determine the repayment schedule for each amount of Erroneously Awarded Compensation in a manner that complies with this “reasonably promptly” requirement. Such determination shall be consistent with any applicable legal guidance by the SEC, Nasdaq, judicial opinion, or otherwise. The determination of “reasonably promptly” may vary from case to case and the Compensation Committee is authorized to adopt additional rules or policies to further describe what repayment schedules satisfy this requirement.
(a) Erroneously Awarded Compensation need not be recovered if the direct expense paid to a third party to assist in enforcing (or making determinations in connection with the enforcement of) this Policy would exceed the amount to be recovered and the Compensation Committee has made a determination that recovery would be impracticable. Before concluding that it would be impracticable to recover any amount of Erroneously Awarded Compensation based on expense of enforcement, the Company shall (i) make a reasonable attempt to recover such Erroneously Awarded Compensation, (ii) document such reasonable attempt or attempts to recover, and (iii) provide appropriate documentation to the Compensation Committee or Nasdaq, if requested.
(b) Erroneously Awarded Compensation need not be recovered if recovery would violate home country law where that law was adopted prior to November 28, 2022. Before concluding that it would be impracticable to recover any amount of Erroneously Awarded Compensation based on a violation of home country law, the Company shall obtain an opinion of home country counsel, in form and substance that would be reasonably acceptable to Nasdaq, that recovery would result in such a violation and shall provide such opinion to Nasdaq, if requested.
(c) Erroneously Awarded Compensation need not be recovered if recovery would likely cause an otherwise tax-qualified retirement plan, under which benefits are broadly available to employees of the Company, to fail to meet the requirements of 26 U.S.C. 401(a)(13) or 26 U.S.C. 411(a) and the regulations thereunder (as such provision may be amended, modified or supplemented).
6. Compensation Committee Decisions. Decisions of the Compensation Committee with respect to this Policy shall be final, conclusive and binding on all Executive Officers subject to this Policy.
7. No Indemnification. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in any other policy of the Company or any agreement between the Company and an Executive Officer, no Executive Officer shall be indemnified by the Company against the loss arising from the recovery of any Erroneously Awarded Compensation.
8. Agreement to Policy by Executive Officers. The Company shall take reasonable steps to inform Executive Officers of this Policy and obtain their express agreement to this Policy, which steps may constitute the inclusion of this Policy as an attachment to any award that is accepted by an Executive Officer. This Policy shall be deemed to apply to each employment or grant agreement between the Company or any of its subsidiaries and any Executive Officer subject to this Policy.
# # #
3
Exhibit 99.1
Andretti Acquisition Corp. II
AUDIT COMMITTEE CHARTER
I. Purpose
The Audit Committee (the “Committee”) of the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Andretti Acquisition Corp. II, a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), shall provide assistance to the Board in fulfilling its legal and fiduciary obligations to oversee:
| (a) | the integrity of the financial statements and other financial information provided by the Company to its shareholders, the public, any stock exchange and others; |
| (b) | the Company’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements; |
| (c) | the qualifications and independence of the Company’s independent auditor; |
| (d) | the performance of the Company’s internal audit function and its system of internal controls and independent auditor, |
| (e) | the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent auditors and any other independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us; and |
| (f) | such other matters as are assigned to the Committee by the Board pursuant to this Charter or as mandated under applicable laws, rules and regulations (including the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) as well as listing standards of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (together, the “Applicable Requirements”). |
Although the Committee has the powers and responsibilities set forth in this Charter, the role of the Committee is oversight. The members of the Committee are not full-time employees of the Company and may or may not be accountants or auditors by profession or experts in the fields of accounting or auditing and, in any event, do not serve in such capacity. Consequently, it is not the duty of the Committee to conduct audits or to determine that the Company’s financial statements and disclosures are complete and accurate and are in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) and other Applicable Requirements. These are the responsibilities of management and the Company’s independent auditor.
II. Organization
The Committee shall consist of three or more directors, each of whom shall satisfy the independence, financial literacy, and other qualifications required by the Company’s corporate governance guidelines, Section 10A-3 of the Exchange Act and any other Applicable Requirements, subject to any phase-in periods or cure periods permitted by Rule 10A-3(b)(1)(iv)(A) under the Exchange Act and other Applicable Requirements. At least one member of the Committee shall be an “audit committee financial expert” (as defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”)). Determinations of independence, financial literacy, experience and expertise shall be made by the Board as the Board interprets such qualifications in its business judgment.
No Committee member shall simultaneously serve on the audit committees of more than two other public companies unless the Board determines that such simultaneous service does not impair the ability of such member to effectively serve on the Committee and such determination is disclosed in accordance with the Applicable Requirements.
Members of the Committee shall be appointed by the Board on the recommendation of a majority of the independent directors of the Board. Members of the Committee may be removed at any time by action of the Board; provided, however, that if removing a member or members of the Committee would cause the Committee to have fewer than three members, then the Board must, based upon the recommendation of a majority of the independent directors of the Board, at the same time appoint enough additional members to the Committee so that the Committee will have at least three qualified members. The Committee’s chairperson shall be designated by the Board on the recommendation of a majority of the independent directors of the Board or, if not so designated, the members of the Committee shall elect a chairperson by a vote of the majority of the full Committee.
The Committee may form and delegate authority to subcommittees from time to time as it sees fit, provided that the subcommittees are composed entirely of directors who satisfy the applicable independence requirements of the Company’s corporate governance guidelines and the Applicable Requirements.
III. Meetings
The Committee shall meet at least four times per year on a quarterly basis, or more frequently as required. Meetings shall be called by the chairperson of the Committee or, if there is no chairperson, by a majority of the members of the Committee. Meetings may be held telephonically or by other electronic means to the extent permitted by the Company’s organizational documents and applicable law. Committee actions may be taken by unanimous written consent.
The Committee shall also meet periodically with management, the chief internal auditor and the Company’s independent auditor in separate executive sessions to discuss any matters that the Committee or each of these groups believe should be discussed privately.
The Committee shall maintain minutes of its meetings and records relating to those meetings.
IV. Authority and Responsibilities
In fulfilling its duties and responsibilities hereunder, the Committee will be entitled to rely reasonably on (a) the integrity of those persons within the Company and the professionals and experts (such as the Company’s independent auditor) from whom it receives information, (b) the accuracy of the financial and other information provided to the Committee by such persons and (c) representations made by the Company’s independent auditor as to any services provided by such firm to the Company.
To fulfill its responsibilities, the Committee shall:
With respect to the engagement of the Company’s independent and other auditors:
| 1. | Be directly responsible for (a) the appointment, compensation, retention, (including termination), scope and oversight of the work of any independent registered public accounting firm engaged by the Company (including for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit report or performing other audit, review or attestation services or other work for the Company), and (b) the resolution of any disagreements between management and any such firm regarding financial reporting. |
| 2. | Have the sole authority to review in advance, and pre-approve (which may be pursuant to pre-approval policies and procedures) all audit or non-audit services to be provided by the Company’s independent or other auditors as permitted by Section 10A of the Exchange Act and to approve all related fees and other terms of engagement. The Committee shall also review and approve disclosures required to be included by the Company in periodic reports filed with the SEC under Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act with respect to audit and non-audit services. |
| 3. | At least annually, obtain and review a formal written report from the Company’s independent auditor (a) describing such firm’s internal quality control procedures, (b) describing any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality control review, peer review or Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) review or inspection of such firm, or by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities, within the preceding five years, respecting one or more independent audits carried out by such firm, and any steps taken to deal with any such issues, and (c) assessing such firm’s independence, including delineating all relationships and engagements that may reasonably be thought to bear on the independence of the auditor, including those between the auditor and the Company. The Committee shall discuss this report with the Company’s independent auditor and shall take appropriate action to ensure the independence of the independent auditor and to address any other matters based on such report. |
2
| 4. | Confirm that the “lead partner,” the “concurring partner” and the other “audit partner” rotation requirements under the Applicable Requirements, including Regulation S-X have been complied with and set clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. |
| 5. | Review all reports and communications required to be submitted by the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm to the Committee under Section 10A of the Securities Exchange Act and other Applicable Requirements. |
| 6. | At least annually, evaluate the performance of the Company’s independent auditor, including the lead audit partner. In making its evaluation, the Committee should take into account the opinions of management and the internal audit group. |
| 7. | Review and discuss with the Company’s independent auditor all relationships the auditor has with the Company and evaluate the auditor’s continued independence. |
| 8. | Review and approve the Company’s hiring policies regarding partners, employees and former partners and employees of the Company’s independent auditor. |
With respect to the Company’s financial statements and other financial reporting:
| 9. | Review and discuss the Company’s annual audited and quarterly unaudited financial statements with management (including the Company’s internal audit group) and the Company’s independent auditor, including disclosures made in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” to be included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K or quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. |
| 10. | Recommend to the Board whether the Company’s annual audited financial statements should be included in the Company’s annual report for filing with the SEC and timely prepare the report required by the SEC to be included in the Company’s annual proxy statement, if applicable, and any other reports of the Committee required by any Applicable Requirement. |
| 11. | Review and discuss with management and the Company’s independent auditor (a) major issues regarding, or significant changes in, the Company’s accounting principles and financial statement presentations, (b) analyses prepared by management or the Company’s independent auditor concerning significant financial reporting issues and judgments made in connection with the preparation of the financial statements, (c) the effect of regulatory and accounting initiatives, as well as off-balance sheet structures, on the financial statements of the Company, and (d) the type and presentation of information to be included in earnings press releases and any financial information and earnings guidance provided to analysts and rating agencies. |
| 12. | Prior to the filing of any audited financial statements with the SEC, review with management and the Company’s independent auditor (a) all critical accounting policies and practices used by the Company, (b) all alternative accounting treatments of financial information reported in GAAP related to material items that have been discussed with management, including the ramifications of the use of such alternative treatments and disclosures and the treatment preferred by the Company’s independent auditor, (c) any reports or communications (and management’s responses thereto) submitted to the Committee by the Company’s independent auditor in accordance with PCAOB Auditing Standard No. 16, Communications with Audit Committees, as amended or supplemented, and (d) any other material written communications between the Company’s independent auditor and management. |
| 13. | Periodically review separately with each of management, the Company’s independent auditor and the internal audit group (a) any significant disagreement between management and the Company’s independent auditor or the internal audit group in connection with the preparation of the financial statements, (b) any audit problems or difficulties encountered during the course of the audit, including any restrictions on the scope of work or access to required information, and (c) management’s response to each. The Committee shall discuss with the independent auditor material issues on which the national office of the independent auditor was consulted by the Company’s audit team. |
3
| 14. | Periodically discuss with the Company’s independent auditor, without management being present, (a) their judgment about the quality, integrity and appropriateness of the Company’s accounting principles and financial disclosure practices as applied in its financial reporting and (b) the completeness and accuracy of the Company’s financial statements. |
| 15. | Review and discuss with management the Company’s earnings press releases, including the use of non-GAAP financial measures and other “pro forma” or “adjusted” presentations, as well as financial information and earnings guidance provided to analysts and rating agencies. Such discussions may be general (consisting of discussing the types of information to be disclosed and the types of presentations to be made), and each earnings release or each instance in which the Company provides earnings guidance need not be discussed in advance. |
| 16. | Review and discuss with management all material off-balance sheet transactions, arrangements, obligations (including contingent obligations) and other relationships of the Company with unconsolidated entities or other persons. |
| 17. | Review and approve the Company’s decision to enter into swaps and other derivatives transactions that are exempt from exchange-execution and clearing under “end-user exception” regulations established by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission; and review and approve the Company’s policies governing the Company’s use of swaps and other derivatives transactions subject to the end- user exception. |
| 18. | Review and discuss with management and the internal audit group the Company’s major financial risk exposures and management’s risk assessment and risk management policies. |
With respect to the internal audit function and internal controls:
| 19. | Review, based on the recommendation of the Company’s independent auditor and the person responsible for the Company’s internal audit group, the scope and plan of the work to be done by the internal audit group and the responsibilities, budget, audit plan, activities, organizational structure and staffing of the internal audit group as needed. |
| 20. | Receive reports from the internal audit group on the status of significant findings and recommendations, and management’s responses. |
| 21. | Review on an annual basis the performance of the internal audit group. |
| 22. | In consultation with the Company’s management, independent auditor and the internal audit group, review the adequacy of the Company’s internal controls, disclosure processes and its procedures designed to ensure compliance with laws and regulations, and any special audit steps adopted in light of material control deficiencies. |
| 23. | Review, at least annually, (a) the internal control report prepared by management, including management’s assessment of the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting and (b) the Company’s independent auditor’s attestation, and report, on the assessment made by management, in each case, as and when required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Discuss with management, the internal audit group and the independent auditor any changes in internal control over financial reporting disclosed or considered for disclosure in the Company’s periodic filings with the SEC. |
| 24. | Review with management and the Company’s independent auditor any reports or disclosure submitted by management to the Committee as contemplated by the certifications required under Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
| 25. | Review with management any management letters and the steps management intends to take to address the issues raised by those letters. |
4
With respect to the Company’s compliance programs:
| 26. | Monitor compliance with the Company’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, and oversee, review and discuss with management, at least annually, the implementation and effectiveness of the Company’s compliance and ethics programs. Review and take appropriate action with respect to any reports to the Committee from legal counsel for the Company concerning any material violation of securities law or breach of fiduciary duty or similar violation by the Company, its subsidiaries or any person acting on their behalf. As appropriate, the Committee shall report and make recommendations to the Board with respect to these matters. |
| 27. | Establish procedures for (a) the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by the Company regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters and (b) the confidential, anonymous submission by employees of the Company or any subsidiary or affiliate of the Company whose financial information is included in the Company’s financial statements of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters. |
| 28. | Review and approve (a) any amendment to or waiver from the Company’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics for the chief executive officer and senior financial officers and (b) any public disclosure made regarding such change or waiver and advise the Board with respect to the Company’s policies and procedures regarding compliance with the Company’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. |
| 29. | Develop and recommend to the Board for approval policies and procedures for the review, approval or ratification of related person transactions required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K, as may be amended from time to time, and any other applicable requirements (the “Related Person Transactions Policy”). Review the Related Person Transactions Policy at least annually and recommend to the Board for approval any changes to the Policy. Oversee the implementation of and compliance with the Related Person Transactions Policy, including reviewing, approving or ratifying related person transactions, as appropriate pursuant to the Related Person Transaction Policy. |
| 30. | Review with management, the independent registered public accounting firm, and 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 the Company’s financial statements or accounting policies and any significant changes in accounting standards or rules promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. |
| 31. | To the extent that the Company’s securities continue to be listed on an exchange and subject to Rule 10D-1 under the Exchange Act, the Committee shall, with the assistance of management, advise the Board and any other Board committees if the clawback provisions of the Rule are triggered based upon a financial statement restatement or other financial statement change. |
| 32. | Implement and oversee the Company’s cybersecurity and information security policies, and periodically review the policies and managing potential cybersecurity incidents. |
5
With respect to the Committee’s other authorities and responsibilities:
| 33. | Review and assess annually its own performance and the adequacy of this Charter and recommend to the Board any changes to this Charter deemed appropriate by the Committee. |
| 34. | Report regularly to the Board. |
| 35. | Perform any other activities consistent with this Charter, the Company’s organizational documents, as required under the Applicable Requirements or as the Committee or the Board otherwise deems necessary or appropriate. |
| 36. | Review on a quarterly basis all payments the Company makes to Andretti Sponsor II LLC, officers or directors, or affiliates. |
V. Resources
The Committee shall have the authority to retain or terminate, at its sole discretion, independent legal, accounting and other advisors, consultants or professionals (collectively, “Advisors”) to assist the Committee in its responsibilities and shall be directly responsible for overseeing the work of such Advisors. The chairperson of the Committee, at the request of any member of the Committee, may request any officer, employee or advisor of the Company or the Company’s independent auditor to attend a meeting of the Committee or otherwise respond to Committee requests.
The Committee shall have the sole authority to determine the terms of engagement and the extent of funding necessary (and to be provided by the Company) for payment of (a) compensation to the Company’s independent auditor engaged for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit report or performing other audit, review or attest services for the Company, (b) any compensation to any Advisors retained to advise the Committee and (c) ordinary administrative expenses of the Committee that are necessary or appropriate in carrying out its duties.
6
Exhibit 99.2
Andretti Acquisition Corp. II
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE CHARTER
| I. | Purpose |
The Compensation Committee (the “Committee”) of the Board of Directors of Andretti Acquisition Corp. II, a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), shall have responsibility for the compensation of the Company’s executive officers, including the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (the “CEO”), and for incentive compensation, equity-based and pension plans as further provided in this Charter.
| II. | Organization |
The Committee shall consist of two or more directors, each of whom shall satisfy the applicable independence and other compensation committee membership requirements of the Company’s corporate governance guidelines, The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) and any other applicable regulatory requirements subject to any exceptions or cure periods that are applicable pursuant to the foregoing requirements and the phase-in periods permitted under the Nasdaq rules under which the Committee is required to have only one independent member at the time of listing, a majority of independent members within 90 days of listing and all independent members within one year of listing.
At least one member of the Committee shall have experience in matters relating to executive compensation either as a professional or as a business executive. At least two members shall qualify as (a) “outside directors” within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, including Treasury Regulations Section 1.162-27 (“Outside Directors”), and (b) “non-employee directors” within the meaning of Section 16 of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (“Non-Employee Directors”).
Members of the Committee shall be appointed by the Board on the recommendation of a majority of the independent directors of the Board and may be removed by the Board at any time; provided, however, that if removing a member or members of the Committee would cause the Committee to have fewer than two members, then the Board must, based upon the recommendation of a majority of the independent directors of the Board, at the same time appoint an additional member to the Committee so that the Committee will have at least two members who qualifies as an (a) Outside Directors and (b) Non-Employee Directors. The Committee’s chairperson shall be designated by the Board on the recommendation of a majority of the independent directors of the Board or, if not so designated, the members of the Committee shall elect a chairperson by a vote of the majority of the full Committee.
The Committee may form and delegate authority to subcommittees from time to time as it sees fit, provided that the subcommittees are composed entirely of directors who satisfy the applicable independence requirements of the Company’s corporate governance guidelines and Nasdaq.
| III. | Meetings |
The Committee shall meet as often as necessary to carry out its responsibilities. Meetings shall be called by the chairperson of the Committee or, if there is no chairperson, by a majority of the members of the Committee. Meetings may be held telephonically or by other electronic means to the extent permitted by the Company’s organizational documents and applicable law. Committee actions may be taken by unanimous written consent.
| IV. | Authority and Responsibilities |
To fulfill its responsibilities, the Committee shall:
| 1. | Review and make recommendations to the Board with respect to the Company’s compensation strategy to ensure it is appropriate to attract, retain and motivate senior management and other key employees. |
| 2. | Review and make recommendations to the Board with respect to the executive compensation philosophy, policies and programs that in the Committee’s judgment support the Company’s overall business strategy and review and discuss, at least annually, the material risks associated with executive compensation structure, policies and programs to determine whether such structure, policies and programs encourage excessive risk-taking and to evaluate compensation policies and practices that could mitigate any such risk. |
| 3. | On an annual basis, review and approve corporate goals and objectives relevant to the compensation of the Company’s CEO, evaluate the CEO’s performance in light of those goals and objectives and determine and approve CEO compensation based on this evaluation. In evaluating, determining and approving the long-term incentive component of CEO compensation, the Committee may consider, among such other factors as it may deem relevant, the Company’s performance, shareholder returns, the value of similar incentive awards to executive officers at comparable companies, the value of similar awards given to other executive officers of the Company, the results of the most recent shareholder advisory vote on executive compensation required by Section 14A of the Exchange Act (the “Say-on-Pay Vote”) and the awards given to the executive officer in past years. The CEO shall not be present during voting or deliberations relating to his or her compensation. |
| 4. | On an annual basis, review and make recommendations to the Board with respect to corporate goals and objectives relevant to the compensation of the Company’s other executive officers, evaluate the executive officers’ performance in light of those goals and objectives and determine and make recommendations to the Board with respect to executive officer compensation based on this evaluation. In evaluating and making recommendations with respect to the long-term incentive component of executive officer compensation, the Committee may consider, among such other factors as it may deem relevant, the Company’s performance, shareholder returns, the value of similar incentive awards to executive officers at comparable companies, the value of similar awards given to other executive officers of the Company, the results of the most recent Say-on-Pay Vote and the awards given to the executive officer in past years. No executive officer may be present during voting or deliberations relating to his or her compensation. |
| 5. | Review on an annual basis and make recommendations to the Board with respect to the Company’s incentive compensation, equity-based and pension plans, if any. With respect to each such plan, the Committee shall have responsibility for: |
| (a) | implementing and administering the plan; |
| (b) | setting performance targets under all annual bonus and long-term incentive compensation plans as appropriate and committing to writing any and all performance targets for executive officers who may be “covered employees” under applicable laws and regulations; |
| (c) | if called for by the plan, certifying that any and all performance targets used for any performance-based equity compensation plans have been met before payment of any executive bonus or compensation or exercise of any executive award granted under any such plans; |
| (d) | approving all amendments to, and terminations of, all compensation plans and any awards under such plans; |
| (e) | granting any awards under any performance-based annual bonus, long- term incentive compensation and equity compensation plans to executive officers or current employees with the potential to become the CEO or an executive officer, including share options and other equity rights (e.g., restricted shares and share purchase rights); |
| (f) | approving which executive officers are entitled to awards under the Company’s stock option plans; and |
| (g) | approving repurchases of securities from terminated employees. | |
| (h) |
In reviewing the Company’s incentive compensation, equity-based and pension plans, the Committee may consider the plan’s administrative costs, current plan features relative to any proposed new features, the results of the most recent Say- on-Pay Vote and the performance of the plan’s internal and external administrators if any duties have been delegated. |
2
| 6. | Review and recommend to the Board for approval any employment agreement or compensatory transaction with an executive officer of the Company involving compensation in excess of $120,000 per year. |
| 7. | Establish and periodically review policies concerning perquisite benefits and approve all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefits arrangements for officers and employees of the Company and approve all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for officers and employees of the Company. |
| 8. | Determine and recommend to the Board for approval the Company’s policy with respect to change-of-control or “parachute” payments. In reviewing the Company’s policy with respect to change of control or “parachute” payments, the Committee may consider, among such other factors as it may deem relevant, the results of the most recent Say-on-Pay Vote on “parachute” payments, if any. |
| 9. | Review and make recommendations to the Board with respect to executive officer and director indemnification and insurance matters. |
| 10. | Review and recommend to the Board for approval the compensation of directors for their service to the Board. Review, evaluate and recommend changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration of directors. |
| 11. | Approve compensation awards, including individual awards, as may be required to comply with applicable tax and state corporate laws. |
| 12. | Review the Company’s compensation disclosures in its annual proxy statement and its Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC and assist management in complying with proxy statement and annual report requirements. Review and discuss the Company’s Compensation Discussion and Analysis (“CD&A”) with management and based on such review and discussion, determine whether to recommend to the Board that such compensation disclosures and CD&A be disclosed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K or annual proxy statement filed with the SEC, as applicable. |
| 13. | Review and recommend to the Board for approval the frequency with which the Company will conduct Say-on-Pay Votes, taking into account the results of the most recent shareholder advisory vote on frequency of Say-on-Pay Votes required by Section 14A of the Exchange Act, and review and recommend to the Board for approval the proposals regarding the Say-on-Pay Vote and the frequency of the Say-on-Pay Vote to be included in the Company’s proxy statement filed with the SEC. |
| 14. | Prepare any report required by applicable rules and regulations or listing standards, including reports on executive compensation required by the SEC to be included in the Company’s annual proxy statement, or, if the Company does not file a proxy statement, in the Company’s Annual Report filed on Form 10-K with the SEC. |
| 15. | To the extent that the Company’s securities continue to be listed on an exchange and subject to Rule 10D-1 under the Exchange Act, the Committee shall, with the assistance of management, advise the Board and any other Board committee if the clawback provisions of the Rule are triggered based upon a financial statement restatement or other financial statement change, and perform any other tasks required of it by the Company’s clawback policy. |
| 16. | Review and assess the adequacy of this Charter annually and recommend to the Board any changes deemed appropriate by the Committee. |
| 17. | Review its own performance annually. |
| 18. | Report regularly to the Board. |
| 19. | Perform any other activities consistent with this Charter, the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and governing law, as the Committee or the Board deems necessary or appropriate. |
3
| V. | Resources |
The Committee shall have the authority to retain or terminate, at its sole discretion, compensation consultants, independent legal counsel or other advisors (collectively, “Advisors”) to assist the Committee in its responsibilities and shall be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of such Advisors. Before retaining an Advisor (other than in-house legal counsel and any Advisor whose role is limited to consulting on broad-based, non-discriminatory plans or providing information that is not customized in particular for the Company (as described in Item 407(e)(3)(iii) of Regulation S-K), the Committee shall consider the independence of such Advisor, including any independence factors that it is required to consider by law or Nasdaq rules.
The chairperson of the Committee, at the request of any member of the Committee, may request that any officer, employee or advisor of the Company attend a meeting of the Committee or otherwise respond to Committee requests.
The Committee shall have the sole authority to determine the terms of engagement and the extent of funding necessary (and to be provided by the Company) for payment of compensation to any Advisors or other professionals retained to advise the Committee and ordinary administrative expenses of the Committee that are necessary or appropriate in carrying out its duties.
| VI. | Amendments |
Any amendment or other modification of this Charter shall be made and approved by the full Board.
4