As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 6, 2025.
Registration No. 333-286534
Vendome Acquisition Corp I S-1/A, filed Jun 6, 2025
Vendome Acquisition Corp I (VNME)
S-1/A
2025-06-06
View Original
Added on
October 27, 2026
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Amendment No. 1 to
FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
Vendome Acquisition Corporation I
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Cayman Islands (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | 6770 (Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number) | N/A (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) | ||||
1090 Center Drive
Park City, UT 84098
(435) 714-7973
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
Scott LaPorta
Chief Executive Officer
c/o Vendome Acquisition Corporation I
1090 Center Drive
Park City, UT 84098
(435) 714-7973
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
Gil Savir, Esq. Paul Hastings LLP 200 Park Avenue New York, NY 10166 (212) 318-6000 | Brandon J. Bortner, Esq. Ryan S. Brewer Paul Hastings LLP 2050 M Street NW Washington, DC 20036 (202) 551-1700 | Jeffrey C. Selman, Esq. Elena Nrtina, Esq. DLA Piper LLP (US) 555 Mission Street Suite 2400 San Francisco, CA 94105-2933 Tel: (415) 615 6095 | ||||
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public:
As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 check the following box. ☐
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | ||||||
Non-accelerated filer | ☒ | Smaller reporting company | ☒ | ||||||
Emerging growth company | ☒ | ||||||||
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
The Registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
The information contained in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. No securities may be sold until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities, and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities, in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED JUNE 6, 2025 PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
Vendome Acquisition Corporation I
20,000,000 Units
Vendome Acquisition Corporation I is a newly incorporated blank check company for the purpose of effecting a merger, amalgamation, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us.
This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. Only whole warrants are exercisable. The warrants will become exercisable on the later of the completion of our initial business combination (the “warrant exercise date”) or 12 months after this registration statement is declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission and will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation (the “warrant expiration date”), as described in this prospectus. This prospectus also relates to the issuance of an aggregate of 11,500,000 Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of such warrants. We have also granted the underwriter a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 3,000,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem, regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or vote against, our initial business combination, all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account described below calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. Notwithstanding the foregoing redemption rights, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended), is restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, without our prior consent. We will have 24 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination. Our shareholders can also vote at any time to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the amount of time we will have to complete an initial business combination, in each case as further described herein. There is no limit on the number of times our shareholders can vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the amount of time we will have to complete an initial business combination and any such extension may be for any amount of time. We refer to the time period we have to complete an initial business combination, as it may be extended as described above, as the “completion window”. If our completion window is extended by an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, our shareholders will be entitled to vote on such amendment and to redeem their shares in connection with any such extension. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the completion window or we do not otherwise seek shareholder approval to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to further extend the time to complete our initial business combination, we will redeem 100% of the public shares at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (less any permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and certain conditions as further described herein. Please see “Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation if no Initial Business Combination” on page 128 for more information.
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants. We intend to apply to list our units on the Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”) under the symbol “VNMEU” on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants constituting the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day), subject to certain conditions. Once the securities constituting the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed on the Nasdaq under the symbols “VNME” and “VNMEW,” respectively.
We are an “emerging growth company” and a “smaller reporting company” under applicable federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. Investing in our securities involves risks. Please see “Risk Factors” on page 47. Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings.
Per Unit | Total | |||||
Price to Public | $10.00 | $200,000,000 | ||||
Underwriting Discounts and Commissions(1) | $0.05 | $1,000,000 | ||||
Proceeds, before expenses, to us | $9.95 | $199,000,000 | ||||
(1) | See “Underwriting” for a description of underwriting compensation payable to the underwriter. |
Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, $200,000,000, or $230,000,000 if the underwriter’s option to purchase additional units is exercised in full ($10.00 per unit in either case), will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account with Odyssey Trust Company acting as trustee. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us as described below, the funds held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of: (1) the completion of our initial business combination; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within the completion window or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, subject to applicable law. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could become subject to the claims of our creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of our public shareholders. We are permitted to withdraw 5% of the interest earned on the trust account to fund our working capital requirements and/or to pay our taxes, and such withdrawals can only be made (x) from interest and not from the principal held in the trust account and (y) only to the extent such interest is in amount sufficient to cover the permitted withdrawal amount (“permitted withdrawals”).
Our sponsor, Vendome Acquisition Sponsor I LLC, and certain of our officers and directors currently hold an aggregate of 5,750,000 founder shares (up to 750,000 of which are subject to forfeiture by the sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised) for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.0043 per share. On May 24, 2025, our sponsor transferred an aggregate of 75,000 of its founder shares to our independent director nominees, Jonathan Gray, Brett Wyard, and Brian Webber, in each case for no cash consideration. The founder shares held by our independent directors will not be subject to forfeiture in the event the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised. The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination, or at any time prior thereto at the option of the holder thereof, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities (as described herein), are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts issued in this offering and related to the closing of our initial business combination, the ratio at which the Class B ordinary shares will convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the issued and outstanding Class B ordinary shares agree to waive such anti-dilution 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, 20% of the sum of all Class A ordinary shares issued and outstanding upon the completion of this offering, plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination, excluding any Class A ordinary shares, subject to vesting and any other restrictions, issued or deemed issued to (i) our sponsor (or its members or affiliates) in connection with the consummation of this offering, (ii) any seller in the initial business combination, (iii) the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants and (iv) any Class A ordinary shares issued to our sponsor (or its members or affiliates) upon conversion of working capital loans. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering we will effect a capitalization or share repurchase or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders at 20% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering. Our public shareholders may incur material dilution due to such anti-dilution adjustments that result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion. Prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares (i) will have the right to vote to appoint and remove directors prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) will be entitled to vote on continuing our company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to adopt new constitutional documents as a result of our approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). On any other matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, holders of the Class B ordinary shares and holders of the Class A ordinary shares will vote together as a single class, except as required by law. See “Summary — Our Sponsor” on page 3, “Summary — The Offering — Founder shares” on page 22, “Summary — The Offering — Transfer restrictions on founder shares” on page 23, “Summary — The Offering — Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights” on page 24, “Summary — The Offering — Appointment and removal of directors and continuing the company outside of the Cayman Islands; voting rights” on page 25, “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to our Sponsor and Management Team — The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may significantly dilute the implied value of your public shares in the event we consummate an initial business combination, and our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to decline materially” on page 69, “— Risks Relating to our Securities — We may issue additional ordinary shares or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon the conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our shareholders and likely present other risks” on page 78, “— Our sponsor and certain director, and officers, either directly or indirectly, paid an aggregate of $25,000, or approximately $0.0043 per founder share, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our Class B ordinary shares” on page 79, and “— Unlike many other similarly structured blank check companies, our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees will receive additional Class A ordinary shares if we issue shares to consummate an initial business combination” on page 79 and “Proposed Business — Our Sponsor” on page 105 for more information.
In addition, our sponsor will subscribe to purchase an aggregate of 2,648,000 private placement warrants (whether or not the over-allotment option is exercised) each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, at a price of $1.00 per warrant, in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Each private placement warrant is exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share. Further, our sponsor will loan us up to $840,000 which we may draw down in our sole discretion, pursuant to the terms of a convertible promissory note, the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part (the “Working Capital Convertible Note”) which will be issued to the Sponsor simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Any principal amounts outstanding under the Working Capital Convertible Note may be converted into Class A ordinary shares on the terms and subject to the conditions described in this prospectus. Shares and warrants held by the sponsor, including the founder shares and private placement warrants, are subject to the restrictions set forth in the insider letter agreement between the sponsor and its affiliates (the “Insider Letter Agreement”). Following the closing of this offering, the sponsor may, at its discretion, grant non-managing membership interests in the sponsor to certain non-sponsor investors, reflecting an indirect interest in the founder shares or private placement warrants. If any such interests are granted and subsequently result in the direct or indirect transfer of shares or warrants to these non-sponsor investors, such investors may be required to execute the Insider Letter Agreement or, if they are not affiliated with sponsor, a modified version of the insider letter agreement containing similar transfer and voting restrictions applicable to their indirect interests (the “Non-Sponsor Investors Letter Agreement”).
Commencing on the date on which our securities are listed on the Nasdaq, we may pay an affiliate of our sponsor up to $10,000 per month for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services. See “Summary — Our Sponsor” on page 3 for more information. In the event that following this offering we obtain working capital loans from our sponsor to finance transaction costs related to our initial business combination, up to $2,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of our sponsor. In addition, after the completion of this offering, our board of directors may approve Additional Working Capital Loans for the purpose of funding working capital, which loans may be converted into our private units, shares, or warrants.
Because our sponsor and certain director and officers, either directly or indirectly, acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, our public shareholders will incur immediate and substantial dilution upon the closing of this offering, assuming no value is ascribed to the warrants included in the units. Additionally, the Class A ordinary shares issuable in connection with the conversion of the founder shares may result in material dilution to our public shareholders due to the anti-dilution rights of our founder shares that may result in an issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion. Further, the Class A ordinary shares issuable in connection with the exercise of the private placement warrants, including those private placement warrants converted from working capital loans (as described in this prospectus), may result in material dilution to our public shareholders if the $11.50 exercise price of the private placement warrants is significantly less than the market price of our shares at the time such private placement warrants are exercised or if the private placement warrants are exercised on a cashless basis given that the cashless exercise of the warrants will not result in any cash proceeds to us. Further, upon the completion of this offering, we will issue our sponsor a Working Capital Convertible Note in the principal amount of up to $840,000, which we may draw down in our sole discretion, from time to time. Any principal amounts outstanding under the Working Capital Convertible Note may be converted into Class A ordinary shares at the option of our Sponsor, at a conversion price per share equal to the lower of (i) $8.00 and (ii) the volume weighted average price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 20 trading days ending on the trading day prior to the date on which the loans are converted (the “Note Conversion VWAP”). See “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to our Sponsor and Management Team — The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may significantly dilute the implied value of your public shares in the event we consummate an initial business combination, and our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to decline materially” on page 69, “— Risks Relating to our Securities — We may issue additional ordinary shares or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon the conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our shareholders and likely present other risks” on page 78, “— Our sponsor and certain director, and officers, either directly or indirectly, paid an aggregate of $25,000, or approximately $0.0043 per founder share, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our Class B ordinary shares” on page 79 and “— Unlike many other similarly structured blank check companies, our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees will receive additional Class A ordinary shares if we issue shares to consummate an initial business combination” on page 79; See also “Description of Securities — Warrants — Private Placement Warrants” on page 168.
The following table illustrates the difference between the public offering price and our net tangible book value (NTBV), as adjusted to give effect to this offering and to redemptions of our public shares at varying levels, assuming the full exercise and no exercise of the over-allotment option. See “Summary — Dilution” on page 43 and “Dilution” on page 97 for more information.
As of February 28, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As of February 28, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offering Price of $10.00 per Unit | 25% of Maximum Redemptions | 50% of Maximum Redemptions | 75% of Maximum Redemptions | Maximum Redemptions | |||||||||||||||||||||||
NTBV | Difference Between NTBV and Offering Price | Difference Between NTBV and Offering Price | Difference Between NTBV and Offering Price | NTBV | Difference Between NTBV and Offering Price | NTBV | Difference Between NTBV and Offering Price | NTBV | Difference Between NTBV and Offering Price | ||||||||||||||||||
Assuming Full Exercise of Over Allotment Option | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8.03 | 1.97 | 7.54 | 2.46 | 6.70 | 3.30 | 5.08 | 4.92 | 0.11 | 9.89 | ||||||||||||||||||
Assuming No Exercise of Over Allotment Option | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8.02 | 1.94 | 7.53 | 2.47 | 6.72 | 3.28 | 5.06 | 4.94 | 0.15 | 9.85 | ||||||||||||||||||
Our sponsor and members of our management team will directly or indirectly own our securities following this offering, and accordingly, they may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination. Additionally, each of our officers and directors 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 will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. As a result, there may be actual or potential material conflicts of interest between our sponsor and members of our management team on one hand, and purchasers in this offering on the other. See “Summary — The Offering — Conflicts of interest” on page 40, “Proposed Business — Our Sponsor” on page 105, “Proposed Business — Sourcing of Potential Business Combination Targets” on page 118 and “Management — Conflicts of Interest” on page 147.
The underwriter is offering the units for sale on a firm commitment basis. The underwriter expects to deliver the units to the purchasers on or about , 2025.
Neither the SEC nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
No offer or invitation, whether directly or indirectly, is being or may be made to the public in the Cayman Islands to subscribe for any of our securities.
Sole Book-Running Manager
D. Boral Capital
The date of this prospectus is , 2025.
We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus. We and the underwriter take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the units offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this prospectus is current only as of its date.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Trademarks
This prospectus contains references to trademarks and service marks belonging to other entities. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus may appear without the ® or ™ symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that the applicable licensor will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, its rights to these trademarks and trade names. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trade names, trademarks or service marks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other companies.
i
This summary only highlights the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. As this is a summary, it does not contain all of the information that you should consider in making an investment decision. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the information under “Risk Factors” and our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus, before investing.
Unless otherwise stated in this prospectus or the context otherwise requires, references to:
• | “Additional Working Capital Loans” are to the working capital loans our board of directors may approve for the purpose of funding working capital, which may be converted into our private units, shares, or warrants, after the completion of this offering; |
• | “amended and restated memorandum and articles of association” are to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to be in effect upon the completion of this offering; |
• | “Companies Act” are to the Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands as the same may be amended from time to time; |
• | “completion window” is the period following the completion of this offering at the end of which, if we have not completed our initial business combination, we will redeem 100% of the public shares at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (less any permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and certain conditions and as further described herein. The completion window ends 24 months from the closing of this offering. In addition, our shareholders can also vote at any time to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to modify the amount of time we will have to complete an initial business combination, in each case as further described herein; |
• | “directors” are to our directors (including our director nominees named in this prospectus); |
• | “equity-linked securities” are to any debt or equity securities that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for our Class A ordinary shares issued in a financing transaction in connection with our initial business combination, including but not limited to a private placement of such securities; |
• | “founders” are to Diana Derycz- Kessler, our President, Scott LaPorta, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, and Paul L. Kessler, our Executive Chairman; |
• | “founder shares” are to our Class B ordinary shares and the Class A ordinary shares issued upon the automatic conversion thereof at the time of our initial business combination or at any time prior thereto at the option of the holder thereof as provided herein; |
• | “initial shareholders” are to our sponsor and the other holders of our founder shares, including our directors and officers, prior to this offering (or their permitted transferees); |
• | “Insider Letter Agreement” refers to the letter agreement to be entered into with our sponsor, officers and directors and any of their affiliates, the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, to be executed by our sponsor, directors and officers; |
• | “management” or our “management team” are to our officers and directors; |
• | “non-sponsor investors” are to certain investors who will purchase membership interests of the sponsor representing the sponsor’s ownership of the founder shares or private placement warrants held by it after the completion of this offering, if any, that are not affiliated with us or any member of our management or the sponsor; |
• | “Non-Sponsor Investors Letter Agreement” are to the letter agreement to be entered into with each of the non-sponsor investors that may hold founder shares or private placement warrants directly, the form of which will be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part; |
• | “ordinary resolution” are to a resolution of the company passed by the affirmative vote of 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 the company, or a resolution approved in writing by all of the holders of the issued shares entitled to vote on such matter; |
1
• | “ordinary shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares and our Class B ordinary shares; |
• | “permitted withdrawals” refers to amounts withdrawn from the trust account (i) to fund our working capital requirements, which amount shall not equal more than 5% of the interest earned on the trust account, and/or (ii) to pay our taxes, provided that all permitted withdrawals can only be made (x) from interest and not from the principal held in the trust account and (y) only to the extent such interest is in amount sufficient to cover the permitted withdrawal amount; |
• | “private placement warrants” are to the 2,648,000 warrants issued to our sponsor (whether or not the over-allotment option is exercised); |
• | “private shares” are to the Class A ordinary shares sold as part of the private placement warrants; |
• | “public shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market); |
• | “public shareholders” are to the holders of our public shares, including our sponsor, officers and directors to the extent our sponsor, officers, or directors purchase public shares, provided that each of their status as a “public shareholder” shall only exist with respect to such public shares; |
• | “public warrants” are to the warrants sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market); |
• | “special resolution” are to a resolution of the company passed by the affirmative vote of at least a two-thirds (2/3) majority (or such higher approval threshold as specified in the company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at a general meeting of the company of which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution has been duly given, or a resolution approved in writing by all of the holders of the issued shares entitled to vote on such matter; |
• | “sponsor” are to Vendome Acquisition Sponsor I LLC, a Cayman Islands limited liability company; Vendome Acquisition Holding I LLC is the managing member of our sponsor; Diana Derycz- Kessler, our President, Scott LaPorta, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, and Paul Kessler, our Executive Chairman, are the sole members of Vendome Acquisition Holding I LLC; |
• | “underwriter’s option to purchase additional units” are to the underwriter’s 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 3,000,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any; |
• | “warrants” are to our public warrants and private placement warrants; |
• | “warrant exercise date” are to the date on which the warrants will become exercisable, which is the later of the completion of our initial business combination or 12 months after this registration statement is declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission; |
• | “warrant expiration date” are to the date on which the warrants expire, which is five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation; |
• | “we,” “us,” “company” or “our company” are to Vendome Acquisition Corporation I, a Cayman Islands exempted company; and |
• | “Working Capital Convertible Note” are to the convertible promissory note, the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, to be issued to our sponsor simultaneously with the closing of this offering in the principal amount of up to $840,000, all of which may be converted into Class A, ordinary shares at the option of our sponsor. |
Unless we tell you otherwise, the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriter’s will not exercise their option to purchase additional units and the forfeiture by our sponsor of 750,000 founder shares.
Any forfeiture of shares described in this prospectus will take effect as a surrender of shares for no consideration of such shares as a matter of Cayman Islands law. Any conversion of the Class B ordinary shares described in this prospectus will take effect as a compulsory redemption of Class B ordinary shares and an issuance of Class A ordinary shares as a matter of Cayman Islands law. Any share dividends described in this prospectus will take effect as share capitalizations as a matter of Cayman Islands law.
2
Overview
We are a newly incorporated blank check company incorporated as Cayman Islands exempted company on January 28, 2025 for the purpose of effecting a merger, amalgamation, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us.
As discussed further below, we seek to leverage and capitalize on our collective multi-faceted expertise, investing and operating experience, and broad network of relationships to source and evaluate potential transactions and create value for our stakeholders. We believe we have a deep and broad network of relationships and sector expertise to source and evaluate potential transactions, enhancing our ability to position us as a partner of choice with potential target companies. The extensive investing track record and operational experience of the management team, including significant public company executive and board experience are expected to enhance our credibility with prospective investors, and will allow us to be a value-added partner to the management team and stakeholders following an initial business combination. We believe our extensive M&A and capital markets experience will enable us to successfully execute an initial business combination transaction.
We may pursue an initial business combination in any business or industry but intend to focus our search on a target business in an industry where we believe the expertise of our management team will provide us with a competitive advantage in completing a successful initial business combination. We intend to seek to acquire one or more businesses with an aggregate enterprise value in excess of $500 million, determined in the sole discretion of our officers and directors according to reasonably acceptable valuation standards and methodologies, although a target entity with a smaller or larger enterprise value may be considered.
Our sponsor is a Cayman Islands limited liability company, which was formed and registered to invest in us. Although our sponsor is permitted to undertake any activities permitted under the Limited Liability Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands and other applicable law, our sponsor’s business is focused on investing in our company. The managing member of the sponsor is Vendome Acquisition Holding I LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, of which our founders are the sole members. Our founders control the management of our sponsor, including the exercise of voting and investment discretion over the securities of our company held by our sponsor. As of the date hereof, other than our founders, no other person or affiliated groups have a direct or indirect material interest in our sponsor. See “Summary — The Offering — Private Placement Warrants.” On May 24, 2025 our sponsor transferred an aggregate of 75,000 of its founder shares to our independent director nominees for their services, in each case for no cash consideration.
The following table sets forth the payments to be received by our sponsor and its affiliates from us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and the securities issued and to be issued by us to our sponsor or its affiliates:
Entity / Individual | Amount of Compensation to be Received or Securities Issued or to be Issued | Paid or to be Paid | ||||
$10,000 per month, commencing on the first date on which our securities are listed on the Nasdaq | Office space, administrative and shared personnel support services | |||||
Vendome Acquisition Sponsor I LLC | 5,750,000(1)(3)(4) Class B Ordinary Shares | $25,000 | ||||
2,648,000 private placement warrants (whether or not the over-allotment option is exercised) | $2,648,000 (whether or not the over-allotment option is exercised) | |||||
Up to $300,000 | Repayment of loans made to us to cover offering related and organizational expenses | |||||
3
Entity / Individual | Amount of Compensation to be Received or Securities Issued or to be Issued | Paid or to be Paid | ||||
Up to $840,000 in principal amount under a Working Capital Convertible Note may be convertible into Class A ordinary shares at a conversion price per share equal to the lower of (i) $8.00 per share and (ii) the Note Conversion VWAP(2) | Working capital loans to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination | |||||
Reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination | Expenses incurred in connection with identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination | |||||
Up to $2,500,000 in working capital loans, which loans may be convertible into warrants of the post-business combination entity at the price of $1.00 per warrant(2) | Working capital loans to finance transaction costs in connection with an initial business combination | |||||
Jonathan Gray | 25,000 Class B Ordinary Shares(5) | Service as independent director | ||||
Brian Webber | 25,000 Class B Ordinary Shares(5) | Service as independent director | ||||
Brett Wyard | 25,000 Class B Ordinary Shares(5) | Service as independent director | ||||
(1) | The Class B ordinary shares and the Class A ordinary shares issuable in connection with the conversion of the Class B ordinary shares may result in material dilution to our public shareholders due to the nominal price of $0.0043 per share at which our sponsor purchased the Class B ordinary shares and/or the anti-dilution rights of our Class B ordinary shares that may result in an issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion. Our sponsor, directors and officers and their affiliates may receive additional compensation and/or may be issued additional securities in connection with an initial business combination, including securities that may result in material dilution to public shareholders. See “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to our Sponsor and Management Team — The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may significantly dilute the implied value of your public shares in the event we consummate an initial business combination, and our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to decline materially” on page 69, “— Risks Relating to our Securities — We may issue additional ordinary shares or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon the conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our shareholders and likely present other risks” on page 78, “— Our initial shareholders, either directly or indirectly, paid an aggregate of $25,000, or approximately $0.0043 per founder share, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our Class B ordinary shares” on page 79 and “— Unlike many other similarly structured blank check companies, our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees will receive additional Class A ordinary shares if we issue shares to consummate an initial business combination” on page 79. |
(2) | After the completion of this offering, our board of directors may approve Additional Working Capital Loans for the purpose of funding working capital, which loans may be converted into our private units, shares, or warrants. The $11.50 exercise price of the private placement warrants issuable upon conversion of working capital loans may be significantly less than the market price of our shares at the time such private placement warrants are exercised. Upon the completion of this offering, we will issue our sponsor a Working Capital Convertible Note in the principal amount of up to $840,000, which we may draw down in our sole discretion, from time to time, to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. Any principal amount outstanding under the Working Capital Convertible Note may be converted into Class A ordinary shares, at a conversion price per share equal to the lower of (i) $8.00 per share and (ii) the Note Conversion VWAP. See “Description of Securities — Ordinary Shares” on page 159. The conversion price of the Working Capital Convertible Note may be significantly less than the market price of our shares at the time such loan is converted. Any amount that is not converted into Class A ordinary shares will be repaid in cash on the maturity date. The maturity date of the Working Capital Convertible Note will be the earlier of (i) Lock-up Expiration Date and (ii) the date that our winding up becomes effective. Similarly, depending on the market price of our shares at the time our private placement warrants are exercised, the cashless exercise feature of our private placement warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable in connection with the conversion of the Working Capital Convertible Note may also result in material dilution to our public shareholders given that the cashless exercise of the warrants will not result in any cash proceeds to us. See “Description of Securities — Warrants — Private Placement Warrants” on page 168; see also “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to our Sponsor and Management Team — The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may significantly dilute the implied value of your public shares in the event we consummate an initial business combination, and our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to decline materially” on page 69, “— Risks Relating to our Securities — We may issue additional ordinary shares or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after |
4
completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon the conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our shareholders and likely present other risks” on page 78, “— Our initial shareholders, either directly or indirectly, paid an aggregate of $25,000, or approximately $0.0043 per founder share, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our Class B ordinary shares” on page 79 and “— Unlike many other similarly structured blank check companies, our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees will receive additional Class A ordinary shares if we issue shares to consummate an initial business combination” on page 79.
(3) | On May 24, 2025, our sponsor transferred an aggregate of 75,000 of its founder shares to our independent director nominees in each case for no cash consideration. See “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to our Sponsor and Management Team — The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may significantly dilute the implied value of your public shares in the event we consummate an initial business combination, and our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to decline materially” on page 65; see also “ - Risks Relating to our Sponsor and Management Team - Since our sponsor, officers and directors, and any other holders of our founder shares will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed, and because our sponsors, officers and directors and any other holder of our founder shares directly or indirectly may profit substantially from a business combination as a result of their ownership of founder shares even under circumstances where 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, including in connection with the shareholder vote in respect thereto” on page 67. |
(4) | If we increase or decrease the size of this offering we will effect a capitalization or share repurchase or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares held by our Sponsor immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering. Our public shareholders may incur material dilution due to such anti-dilution adjustments that result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion or additional Class B ordinary shares. |
(5) | These shares are held directly by certain of our directors. The directors will have the ability to vote and dispose of the shares, subject to applicable transfer restrictions. The founder shares transferred to our independent director nominees will not be subject to forfeiture in the event the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised. |
Because our sponsor acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, our public shareholders will incur immediate and substantial dilution upon the closing of this offering, assuming no value is ascribed to the warrants included in the units. See the section titled “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to our Sponsor and Management Team — The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may result in significant dilution to the implied value of your public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination.”
The founder shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination, or at any time prior thereto at the option of the holder thereof, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts sold in this offering and related to the closing of our initial business combination, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares shall 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 anti-dilution 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, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the total number of all ordinary shares outstanding upon completion of this offering plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination, excluding any Class A ordinary shares, subject to vesting and any other restrictions, issued or deemed issued to (i) our sponsor (or its members or affiliates) in connection with the consummation of this offering, (ii) any seller in the initial business combination, (iii) the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants and (iv) any Class A ordinary shares issued to our sponsor (or its members or affiliates) upon conversion of working capital loans. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering we will effect a capitalization or share repurchase or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders at 20% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering. Our public shareholders may incur material dilution due to such anti-dilution adjustments that result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion.
In addition, in order to facilitate our initial business combination, our sponsor may surrender or forfeit, transfer or exchange our founder shares, private placement warrants or any of our other securities, including for no consideration, as well as subject any such securities to earn-outs or other restrictions, or otherwise amend the terms of any such securities or enter into any other arrangements with respect to any such securities.
While there is no current intention to do so, we may approve an amendment or waiver of the letter agreement that would allow the sponsor to directly, or members of our sponsor to indirectly, transfer founder shares and private placement warrants or membership interests in our sponsor in a transaction in which the sponsor removes itself as
5
our sponsor before identifying a business combination. As a result, there is a risk that our sponsor and our officers and directors may divest their ownership or economic interests in us or in our sponsor. There can be no assurance that any replacement sponsor or key personnel will successfully identify a business combination target for us, or, even if one is so identified, successfully complete such business combination.
If we raise additional funds through equity or convertible debt issuances, our public shareholders may suffer significant dilution. This dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provision of the founder shares result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the founder shares at the time of our initial business combination. In addition, the cashless exercise of the private placement warrants would further increase the dilution to our public shareholders.
Pursuant to the Insider Letter Agreement and the Non-Sponsor Investor Letter Agreement, each of our sponsor, directors and officers and the non-sponsor investors will agree to restrictions on its ability to transfer, assign, or sell the founder shares and private placement warrants (and the underlying shares), as summarized in the table below.
Subject Securities | Expiration Date | Persons Subject to Restrictions | Exceptions to Transfer Restrictions | ||||||
Founder Shares | Earlier of six months after completion of our initial business combination; or if the closing price of our ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and other similar transactions) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing 150 days after completion of our initial business combination | Vendome Acquisition Sponsor I LLC, non-sponsor investors, Paul L. Kessler, Diana Derycz-Kessler, Scott LaPorta, Brett Wyard, Brian Webber, and Jonathan Gray | Transfers permitted (i) to any officer, director, or employee of the Company, including to a family member or affiliate of such officer, director, or employee; (ii) by private sales or transfers, in each case, made in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the securities were originally purchased; (iii) in the event of our liquidation prior to the completion of our initial business combination; (iv) by virtue of the laws of the Cayman Islands or our sponsor’s limited liability company agreement upon dissolution of our sponsor; and (v) in the event of our completion of a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction which results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property subsequent to the completion of our initial business combination; provided further that the sponsor shall be permitted to sell membership interests representing its ownership of the founder shares held by it to non-sponsor investors for purposes of working capital. If, in accordance with transfer restrictions contained herein, the non-sponsor investors request the sponsor to transfer | ||||||
6
Subject Securities | Expiration Date | Persons Subject to Restrictions | Exceptions to Transfer Restrictions | ||||||
founder shares or private placement warrants to them, those non-sponsor investors will be required to sign the Non-Sponsor Investor Letter Agreement, pursuant to which they will agree to the same transfer restrictions and redemption and voting covenants as our sponsor and directors and officers, except that (i) transfer permitted by virtue of the laws of the Cayman Islands or our sponsor’s limited liability company agreement upon dissolution of our sponsor is not available to those non-sponsor investors and (ii) waiver of redemption rights shall only be applicable to the founder shares held by the non-sponsor investors, and not applicable to any public shares held by them. | |||||||||
Private Placement Warrants | 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination | Same as above | Same as above | ||||||
Any units, warrants, ordinary shares or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, any units, ordinary shares, founder shares or warrants | 180 days | Same as above | The representative in its sole discretion may release any of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements at any time without notice, other than in the case of the officers and directors, which shall be with notice. Our sponsor, officers and directors are also subject to separate transfer restrictions on their founder shares and private placement warrants pursuant to the letter agreement described in the immediately preceding paragraphs. | ||||||
In addition, pursuant to the Insider Letter Agreement and Non-Sponsor Investor Letter Agreement, for the benefit of D. Boral, we, our sponsor, officers and directors and any non-sponsor investors who hold founder shares and/or private placement warrants have agreed that we will not offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, charge or grant any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, without the prior written consent of D. Boral for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus, any units, warrants, ordinary shares, Working Capital Convertible Notes, or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, ordinary shares or enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of any units, ordinary shares, warrants or any securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, ordinary shares owned, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of such securities, in cash or otherwise; provided, however, that we may (1) issue and sell the private placement warrants; (2) issue and sell the additional units to cover our underwriter’s over-allotment option (if any); (3) register with the
7
SEC pursuant to an agreement to be entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in this offering, the resale of the private placement warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and the founder shares; and (4) issue securities in connection with our initial business combination. However, the foregoing shall not apply to the forfeiture of any founder shares pursuant to their terms or any transfer of founder shares to any current or future independent director of the company (as long as such current or future independent director is subject to the terms of the letter agreement, filed herewith, at the time of such transfer; and as long as, to the extent any Section 16 reporting obligation is triggered as a result of such transfer, any related Section 16 filing includes a practical explanation as to the nature of the transfer). D. Boral in their sole discretion may release any of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements at any time without notice.
The founder shares and the private placement warrants held by the sponsor will only be distributed to the members of the sponsor after consummation of our initial business combination, at which time such members would become subject to the applicable transfer restrictions with respect to such securities.
Our Management Team
Our management team has extensive experience in M&A, capital raising, investing capital and operating businesses in a variety of sectors and we believe the depth of our management team’s experience and relationships serves as a key competitive advantage. Our board of directors and management have years of combined experience investing and operating in dozens of companies, which has provided us with a robust network of companies in a broad spectrum of sectors through the trusted relationships we have developed over the years. Our broad experience includes senior leadership positions at operating companies, investment and financial advisory firms and venture capital funds. Our directors also bring significant executive management and public company experience to us together with additional industry relationships that are expected to further broaden our industry network.
We believe this network has provided our management team with numerous referral opportunities that have resulted in numerous investment opportunities. In addition, we believe that this network of contacts and relationships will provide us with an important source of acquisition opportunities. We anticipate that target business candidates will come to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment market participants, private equity groups, investment banks, consultants, accounting firms and large business enterprises.
Mr. Paul L. Kessler has served as our Executive Chairman since January 2025. He is the Co-Founder and has been Co-Manager of Bristol Capital Advisors, LLC (“BCA”), the investment advisor to Bristol Investment Fund, Ltd., since BCA’s inception in March 2000. Mr. Kessler has extensive experience as a deep value investor, financier, and venture capitalist, working with both public and private growth companies across various industries, including biotechnology, technology, energy, education, and consumer products. From November 2021 to March 2024, Mr. Kessler was a member of “The CEO Council,” an advisory group of business leaders formed by the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce to support regional economic recovery. In February 2019, Mr. Kessler became a founding member and director of LK Advisors, Inc. (formerly PiMac Advisors Inc.) a mortgage lending advisory company. Since October 2019, Mr. Kessler has been a member of the board of managers of Bristol Luxury Group LLC and Sugarfina Corporation (formerly Sugarfina Holdings LLC), the parent companies to Sugarfina USA LLC, a luxury candy retailer. He also serves as an advisor to MedTech Innovator, a nonprofit accelerator for medical technology companies, and is a lead investor and advisor to RX3 Ventures and Act One Ventures. Additionally, Mr. Kessler co-founded Start Engine, LLC in October 2011, a Los Angeles-based technology incubator that has launched over 50 technology companies and has since evolved into an equity-based crowdfunding platform. Mr. Kessler has been a guest speaker on the subject of financing emerging growth public companies at a variety of forums, including The Pipe’s Conference, Los Angeles Venture Association (LAVA), Wall Street Reporter’s Pipe Conference, and UCLA Anderson School of Management, Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management. He has also attended courses at Harvard Business School’s Executive Education Program and UCLA Extension.
Ms. Diana Derycz-Kessler has served as our President since January 2025. She is an investor with a background in law, business and finance. Her investments have included companies in the energy, biotechnology, technology, education, real estate and consumer products sectors. As part of these investments, she has assumed active operational roles. She co-founded Bristol Capital Advisors, LLC in March 2000 and has served as its Co-Manager and/or active principal since that time. She served as a director of Tellurian, Inc. since February 2017 through November 2024, and served as a director of Tellurian Investments from December 2016 to February 2017. She had a 17-year tenure as Chief Executive Officer of the media arts college of The Los Angeles Film School and
8
is a manager of commercial property partnerships located in Hollywood, California. In February 2019, Ms. Derycz-Kessler became a founding member and director of LK Advisors, Inc. (formerly PiMac Advisors Inc.) a mortgage lending advisory company. Since October 2019, Ms. Derycz-Kessler has been a member of the board of managers of Bristol Luxury Group LLC and Sugarfina Corporation (formerly Sugarfina Holdings LLC), the parent companies to Sugarfina USA LLC, a luxury candy retailer. Ms. Derycz-Kessler’s early career began as a lawyer in the international oil and gas sector, working at the law firm of Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP in New York. Subsequently, she joined Occidental Petroleum Corporation, overseeing legal for its Latin American exploration and production operations. From 2016 to 2018, Ms. Derycz-Kessler was a partner in UNESCO’s TeachHer program, a private–public sector partnership bridging the global gender gap in education. Ms. Derycz-Kessler holds a law degree from Harvard Law School and a master’s degree from Stanford University in Latin American Studies. She obtained her undergraduate “double” degree in History and Latin American Studies from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and is also a member of the State Bar of California and the New York Bar.
Mr. Scott LaPorta has served as our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer since January 2025. He has also been the Chief Executive Officer of Sugarfina USA LLC since November 2019. From September 2018 to November 2019, he was the Chief Commercial and Strategy Officer of GT’s Living Foods. He has also served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Neurobrands LLC from January 2017 to August 2018. Additionally, from September 2009 to July 2016, he served as the President, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Financial Officer of Bolthouse Farms. Earlier in his career, Scott LaPorta functioned as the president of Levi Strauss Mexico and Canada and the Levi Strauss Signature brand in the United States. Additionally, he has served in executive capacities at Park Place Entertainment Corp., Hilton Hotels Corp., and both the Marriott Corporation and Host Marriott Corporation. Mr. LaPorta received his bachelor of science in accounting from the University of Virginia and master of business administration in finance from Vanderbilt University.
Mr. Brett Wyard, who will serve as a director upon completion of this offering, has over 30 years of experience as a private equity and distressed debt investor, as well as a financial advisor specializing in financial restructurings, mergers and acquisitions, and investment banking. Since co-founding Solace in July of 2014, Mr. Wyard has overseen investments and served on multiple corporate boards. From September of 2005 to September of 2012, he was a Global Partner, Managing Director, and Co-Head of Carlyle Strategic Partners at The Carlyle Group, where he was involved in the raising and investing of $2 billion. Prior to that, from May of 1999 to August of 2005, he was a Managing Director at Oaktree Capital Management, where he was a senior member of the firm’s flagship Opportunities Funds, focusing on special situations, distressed debt, and private equity investments. He previously held positions at Merrill Lynch in the Global Special Situations Group, Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin in the Financial Restructuring Group, and Voyageur Asset Management. Mr. Wyard currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Sun Mountain Sports and previously served as Chairman of the Board of Select Interior Concepts, Inc. He has also served on the boards of Forbes Energy Services, Pinnacle Foods, and NTL Communications (now Virgin Media). Mr. Wyard received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Boston College.
Mr. Brian Webber, who will serve as a director upon completion of this offering, has over 30 years of experience as an investment banker and investor. Mr. Webber co-founded American Discovery Capital in 2017, where he has overseen the firm’s growth in private equity and investment banking. From July of 2010 to January of 2016, he was a Partner at Moelis & Company, where he focused on mergers and acquisitions and merchant banking transactions in the technology and business services sectors. From January of 2001 to July of 2010, he served as Global Head of Technology Investment Banking at UBS Investment Bank. Prior to that, he was with Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette from May of 1993 to January of 2001 where he co-founded the firm’s technology group. Mr. Webber received a Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from the University of Utah and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
Mr. Jonathan Gray, who will serve as a director upon completion of this offering, has over 20 years of experience as an investor and strategic advisor. Mr. Gray has served as a director of Prairie Operating Company (Nasdaq: PROP) since May 2023. Mr. Gray has also served as the Chief Executive Officer of First Idea International Ltd., a strategic advisory boutique from its founding in 2008. Mr. Gray has also served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Intelligent Design Agency, a design firm, from its founding to 2018. In 2016, Mr. Gray established The Hideaway Entertainment, LLC, a financing and production entertainment media company focused on motion picture, television, digital media, and technology, and has served as Chief Executive Officer since the company’s founding. In addition, Mr. Gray is the co-owner of Beauchamp Estates France, a division of Beauchamp Estates International,
9
which he founded in March 2005. Mr. Gray served as the founder and Chief Executive Officer of JG Events, an international event management company, from its founding in 2003 until closing it in 2019. Mr. Gray earned his Baccalauréat Littéraire in Litteréture from Lycée Carnot, Cannes in 1999.
With respect to the experiences of our management team, and their respective affiliates, past performance is not a guarantee (i) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (ii) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical performance of any member of our management team and their respective affiliates (either individually or collectively) as indicative of our future performance. For more information on the experience and background of our management team, see the sections entitled “Management” and “Proposed Business.”
Business Strategy
Our objectives are to generate attractive returns for shareholders and enhance value through (1) completing an initial business combination with a high-quality merger target at an attractive valuation with favorable terms for our shareholders and (2) enhancing operational performance through our team’s experience and by leveraging our expertise and the expertise of our network in the private equity space. We expect to favor potential target companies with certain industry and business characteristics. Key favorable industry characteristics we look for include, but are not limited to, compelling long-term growth prospects, strong secular tailwinds, and highly fragmented markets ripe for consolidation opportunities. We expect our target to possess certain business characteristics such as a leading market position, significant recurring revenue with a diversified customer base, opportunity for operational improvement, and a healthy margin profile with attractive free cash flow characteristics.
We may pursue an initial business combination in any business or industry. However, we intend to focus our search on target businesses primarily in the consumer sector. Our geographic focus will be North America, Southeast Asia, and Europe where we believe the expertise of our management team will provide us with a competitive advantage in completing a successful initial business combination.
Our selection process will leverage our network of industry, private equity, venture capital, credit fund and lending community relationships, as well as relationships with management teams of public and private companies, investment bankers, restructuring advisers, attorneys and accountants in US and Europe which we believe should provide us with a number of high-quality business combination opportunities.
We intend to seek to acquire one or more businesses with an aggregate enterprise value between $500 million and $1 billion, to be determined in the sole discretion of our officers and directors according to reasonably acceptable valuation standards and methodologies, although a target entity with a smaller or larger enterprise value may be considered.
We expect our strategy to draw heavily from the equity and debt capital markets, venture capital and private equity world, focusing on creating long-term value through a combination of disciplined investment practices, operational improvements, and strategic growth initiatives. Leveraging our team’s deep experience in private equity and venture capital, we emphasize identifying high-quality businesses with strong fundamentals, scalability, and alignment with our vertical integration strategy. We aim to employ a rigorous due diligence process to evaluate targets, ensuring that they meet key criteria such as robust financial performance, competitive positioning, and alignment with certain principles that we may pre-define. Once a business combination is completed, we intend to apply private equity-style operational enhancements, fostering revenue growth and operational efficiency. By leveraging our network of private equity professionals, institutional investors, and strategic partners, we aim to bring transformative value to the target businesses, aligning our shareholders’ interests with those of management teams to drive sustainable growth and superior returns. This approach reflects our commitment to unlocking value beyond the transaction, ensuring that we position our targets for long-term success.
10
Competitive Advantages
We believe our competitive strengths include the following:
• | Depth of Team and Access to Resources. We have a dedicated management team with a track record of executing on transactions, and the resources to source and evaluate a larger number of potential transactions relative to other SPACs. |
• | Sourcing Channels and Leading Industry Relationships. We believe our capabilities, reputation and deep industry relationships will provide us with a differentiated pipeline of acquisition opportunities that would be difficult for other participants in the market to replicate. |
• | Execution and Structuring Capability. We believe our management team’s expertise and reputation will allow us to source and complete transactions possessing structural attributes that create an attractive investment thesis. These types of transactions are typically complex and require creativity, industry knowledge and expertise, rigorous due diligence, and extensive negotiations and documentation. We believe that by focusing our investment activities on these types of transactions, we can generate investment opportunities that have attractive risk/reward profiles based on their valuations and structural characteristics. |
• | Operating Company Experience. Certain members of our management team have extensive experience as operating company executives and/or board members. This experience will serve as a key competitive advantage in selecting companies that will benefit from going public, positioning us as an attractive partner to management teams of potential target companies, and help to create long-term value post-closing of the initial business combination. |
Investment Criteria
We will use the following investment criteria to screen for and evaluate target businesses although we may pursue opportunities outside of this scope.
• | Business Fundamentals: Ideal targets will have an enterprise value exceeding three times the size of ours and display year-over-year revenue growth, with EBITDA and cash-flow positivity. These companies could operate in multiple countries, enabling expansion and operational synergies through vertical integration. We also seek founders who are willing to retain a meaningful stake in the public company, ensuring alignment with long-term value creation. Additional factors include attractive valuations, a large total addressable market, and a competitive industry position. |
• | Public Company Ready: We will seek to acquire a company that is well-positioned to be a public company in terms of scale and size, and a company that public equity market investors will understand and value. While we believe our public company experience will be a significant asset as a transaction partner to private companies, we intend to avoid companies that have significant deficiencies in financial reporting or general public company readiness. |
• | Would Benefit Distinctly from our Capabilities: We will seek to acquire a business where we can tangibly improve the operations and create long term value for our shareholders. In particular, we believe our experience in operating emerging growth companies, identifying productivity gains, and restructuring businesses would be a value-add to the management teams and boards of potential target companies. We expect our strategy to draw heavily from the venture capital world, focusing on creating long-term value through a combination of disciplined investment practices, operational improvements, and strategic growth initiatives. Leveraging our team’s deep experience in the public markets and private equity, we emphasize identifying high-quality businesses with strong fundamentals, scalability, and alignment with our vertical integration strategy. We aim to employ a rigorous due diligence process to evaluate targets, ensuring that they meet key criteria such as robust financial performance, competitive positioning, and alignment with certain principles that we may pre-define. Once a business combination is completed, we intend to apply private equity-style operational enhancements, fostering revenue growth and operational efficiency. By leveraging our network of private equity professionals, institutional investors, and strategic partners, we aim to bring transformative value to the target businesses, aligning our shareholders’ interests with those of management teams to drive sustainable growth and superior returns. This approach reflects our commitment to unlocking value beyond the transaction, ensuring that we position our targets for long-term success. |
11
• | Innovators within an existing market. We will seek a company which embraces technology and the innovation of its products and/or processes to expand market share and competitive advantage. |
• | Has a Dedicated and Proven Management Team: We will seek to acquire a business with a professional management team whose interests are aligned with those of our investors. Where necessary, we may also look to complement and enhance the capabilities of the target business’s management team by recruiting additional talent through our network of contacts. |
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as on other considerations, factors and criteria that our management may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our shareholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials that we would file with the SEC.
Our Acquisition Process
While we have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us, we have engaged in an extensive research effort to identify a large number of potential targets.
We intend to leverage our resources and network for efficient outreach to commence immediately after the date of this prospectus. Our effort will be focused on creating proprietary transaction opportunities. We believe personal relationships built over time are critical not just in generating transaction opportunities, but also in consummating a business combination.
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review which will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with members of our management team. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with members of our management team, we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, or from an independent registered public accounting firm, that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Our sponsor and members of our management team will directly or indirectly own our securities following this offering, and accordingly, they may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination. There is no agreement, arrangement, or understanding between our Sponsor and us or any of our officers and directors with respect to determining whether to proceed with a business combination.
The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may significantly dilute the implied value of your public shares in the event we consummate an initial business combination, and our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to decline materially.
Members of our management team may from time to time become aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue, for a business combination, but we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf) engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to a business combination transaction with us.
As described in “Proposed Business - Sourcing of Potential Business Combination Targets” and “Management - Conflicts of Interest,” each of our officers and directors in the future may have additional, fiduciary,
12
contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities pursuant to which such officer or director will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. As a result, there may be actual or potential material conflicts of interest between our sponsor and members of our management team on one hand, and purchasers in this offering on the other.
While no member of the management team will have any duty to offer acquisition opportunities to us, they may become aware of a potential transaction that is an attractive opportunity for us, which they may decide to share with us. Conflicts may arise from their affiliation with our company, their provision of services both to us and to third-party clients, as well as from actions undertaken by them for their own account. In performing services for other clients and also when acting for their own account, they may take commercial steps which may have an adverse effect on us. Such services include investment management activities on behalf of themselves and other investment advisory clients in companies that may be an attractive opportunity for us or that may be competitive to a potential business opportunity to us. Please see “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” for additional information regarding certain potential conflicts of interest relating to the Founder Group.
Members of our management team may participate in the formation of, invest in (on behalf of themselves, their affiliates or its and their clients), or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, members of our management team could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved.
Because there are numerous special purpose acquisition companies seeking to enter into an initial business combination with available targets, the competition for available targets with attractive fundamentals or business models may increase, which could cause target companies to demand improved financial terms. Attractive deals could also become scarcer for other reasons, such as economic or industry sector downturns (including a negative public perception of mergers involving SPACs), geopolitical tensions, or increases in the cost of additional capital needed to close business combinations or operate targets post-business combination. Thus, our ability to identify and evaluate a target company may be impacted by significant competition among other special purpose acquisition companies in pursuing business combination transaction candidates and significant competition may impact the attractiveness of the acquisition terms that we will be able to negotiate.
Initial Business Combination
We will have up to 24 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination.
We may hold a shareholder meeting at any time to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to seek shareholder approval to extend the amount of time we will have to consummate an initial business combination (as well as to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within the time periods described herein or with respect to any other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity). There is no limit on the number of times our shareholders can vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the amount of time we will have to complete an initial business combination and any such extension may be for any amount of time. As described herein, our sponsor, executive officers, directors and director nominees have agreed that they will not propose any such amendment 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, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. Our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed within 24 months from the closing of this offering unless we extend the amount of time we have to consummate an initial business combination by obtaining shareholder approval to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. While we do not currently intend to seek such shareholder approval, we may elect to do so in the future. There is no limit on the number of extensions that we may seek. If we do not or are unable to extend the time period to consummate our initial business combination, our sponsor’s investment in our founder shares and our private placement warrants will be worthless.
If we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window and do not hold a shareholder meeting to seek shareholder approval to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the amount of time we will have to consummate an initial business combination, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more
13
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 any permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining 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. Because we may make permitted withdrawals, including of up to 5% of the interest earned on the trust account to fund our working capital requirements, the potential value of the trust account may be negatively impacted. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination.
Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the trust account (excluding any taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of our agreement to enter into our initial business combination. If our securities are no longer listed on the Nasdaq, we will not be obligated to satisfy such 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 the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent registered public accounting firm, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination, although there is no assurance that will be the case. 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 outstanding equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). Even if the post- transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock, 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 shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be taken into account for purposes of the Nasdaq’s 80% of net assets test. If the initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the transactions and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking shareholder approval, as applicable.
We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds following this offering in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, if our estimates of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating an initial business combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our initial business combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to complete our initial business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon completion of our initial business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination. If we raise additional funds through equity or convertible debt issuances, our public shareholders may suffer significant dilution, and these securities could have rights that rank senior to our public shares. If we raise additional funds through the incurrence of indebtedness, such indebtedness would have rights that
14
are senior to our equity securities and could contain covenants that restrict our operations. Further, as described above, due to the anti-dilution rights of our founder shares, our public shareholders may incur material dilution. In addition, we intend to target businesses with enterprise values that are greater than we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, and, as a result, if the cash portion of the purchase price exceeds the amount available from the trust account, net of amounts needed to satisfy redemptions by public shareholders, we may be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. We may also obtain financing prior to the closing of our initial business combination to fund our working capital needs and transaction costs in connection with our search for and completion of our initial business combination. There is no limitation on our ability to 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, including pursuant to any forward purchase agreements, backstop or similar agreements we may enter into following the consummation of this offering or otherwise. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only complete such financing simultaneously with the completion of our business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. In addition, following our initial business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations.
Prior to the date of this prospectus, we will file a registration statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
Corporate Information
Our website and the information contained on, or that can be accessed through, the website is not deemed to be incorporated by reference in, and is not considered part of, this prospectus. You should not rely on any such information in making your decision whether to invest in our securities.
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 (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, for a period of 30 years from the date of the undertaking, no law which 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 of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
15
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of: (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the aggregate worldwide market value of our Class A ordinary shares that is held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700.0 million as of the end of the prior June 30th; and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” will have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the aggregate worldwide market value of our Class A ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equaled or exceeded $250.0 million as of the end of the prior June 30th, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100.0 million during such completed fiscal year or the aggregate worldwide market value of our Class A ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equaled or exceeded $700.0 million as of the prior June 30th.
In addition, after completion of this offering and prior to the consummation of a business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment or removal of directors. As a result, Nasdaq will consider 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, you will not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of the Nasdaq corporate governance requirements.
16
The Offering
In making your decision whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the backgrounds of the members of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company and the fact that this offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section below entitled “Risk Factors.”
Securities Offered
20,000,000 units (or 23,000,000 units if the underwriter’s option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of:
• | one Class A ordinary share; and |
• | one-half of one redeemable warrant to purchase one Class A ordinary share. |
Proposed Nasdaq symbols
Units: “VNMEU”
Class A ordinary shares: “VNME”
Warrants: “VNMEW”
Trading commencement and separation of Class A ordinary shares and warrants
The units are expected to begin trading promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants constituting the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day) unless D. Boral Capital LLC (“D. Boral”) informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the Class A ordinary shares and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into Class A ordinary shares and warrants. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least two units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant.
Additionally, the units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination.
In no event will the Class A ordinary shares and warrants be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet of our company reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering. If the underwriter’s option to purchase additional units is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriter’s option to purchase additional units.
17
Units:
Number outstanding before this offering:
None
Number outstanding after this offering:
20,000,000(1)
Ordinary Shares:
Number outstanding before this offering:
5,750,000(2)(4)
Number outstanding after this offering:
25,000,000(1)(3)(4)
Warrants:
Number of warrants to be sold as part of private placement warrants in the private placement:
2,648,000(1)
Number of warrants to be outstanding after this offering and the private placement:
12,648,000(1)(5)
(1) | Assumes no exercise of the underwriter’s option to purchase additional units. |
(2) | Consists solely of founder shares and includes up to 750,000 shares that are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s option to purchase additional units is exercised. |
(3) | Includes 20,000,000 public shares and 5,000,000 founder shares. |
(4) | Founder shares are classified as Class B ordinary shares, which shares automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination or at any time prior thereto at the option of the holder thereof, in each case, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described below adjacent to the caption “Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights.” |
(5) | Includes 10,000,000 public warrants and 2,648,000 private placement warrants. |
Exercisability
Each whole warrant offered in this offering is exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share, subject to adjustment as provided herein, and only whole warrants are exercisable. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade.
We structured each unit to contain one-half of one warrant, with each whole warrant exercisable for one Class A ordinary share, as compared to units issued by some other similar blank check companies which contain whole warrants exercisable for one whole share, in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of our initial business combination as compared to units that each contain a warrant to purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive business combination partner for target businesses.
Exercise price
$11.50 per Class A ordinary share, subject to adjustment as described herein. In addition, if (x) we issue additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per Class A ordinary share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors (including consideration of the market price) and, in the case of any such issuance to our sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by our sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “New Issuance Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from
18
such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of our Class A ordinary shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day following the effective date of the registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the New Issuance Price and “Redemption of Public Warrants” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the New Issuance Price.
Exercise period
The warrants will become exercisable on the warrant exercise date, which is the later of the completion of our initial business combination or 12 months after this registration statement is declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission, provided that we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available (or we permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the warrant agreement), including as a result of a notice of redemption described below under “Redemption of Public Warrants.”
The registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part registers 11,500,000 Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the public warrants.
We will agree that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or a new registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, and we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause such registration statement to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of our initial business combination and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement; provided that if a registration statement on Form S-4 or Form F-4 is filed in connection with our initial business combination that registers our warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of such warrants, such registration statement will not satisfy our obligation to register the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of our warrants, which will only be satisfied with the filing of a registration statement on Form S-1 or Form F-1 (or, if applicable, a registration statement on Form S-3 or Form F-3) registering the issuance of such Class A ordinary shares from time to time. Because the warrants are not exercisable until the later of the completion of our initial business combination or 12 months after this registration statement is declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission, we do not currently intend to update the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or file a
19
new registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants until after the initial business combination has been consummated. If a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 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 it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, and in the event we do not so elect, we will use our best efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time on the warrant expiration date, which is five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. On the exercise of any warrant, the warrant exercise price will be paid directly to us and not placed in the trust account.
Redemption of public warrants
Once the public warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants:
• | in whole and not in part; |
• | at a price of $0.01 per public warrant; |
• | upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, which we refer to as the 30-day redemption period; and |
• | if, and only if, the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “Description of Securities — Warrants — Anti-Dilution Adjustments”) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders (the “Reference Value”), provided that a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares is available throughout the 30-trading day measurement period. |
We will not redeem the public 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
20
is then effective and a current prospectus relating to the Class A ordinary shares is available throughout the 30-day redemption period. If a registration statement on Form S-4 or Form F-4 is filed in connection with our initial business combination that registers our warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of such warrants, such registration statement will not satisfy our obligation to register the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of our warrants, which will only be satisfied with the filing of a registration statement on Form S-1 or Form F-1 (or, if applicable, a registration statement on Form S-3 or Form F-3) registering the issuance of such Class A ordinary shares from time to time. If and when the public warrants become redeemable by us pursuant to the foregoing redemption method, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
If we call the public warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise public warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their public warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of public warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our shareholders of issuing the maximum number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the public warrants. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the public 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 underlying the public warrants, multiplied by the “fair market value” of our Class A ordinary shares less the exercise price of the public warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” of our Class A ordinary shares as used in this section and in “— Redemption of public warrants” above shall mean the average last reported sale price of our Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of public warrants. See “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Shareholders’ Warrants” for additional information.
None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us.
Appointment of directors; voting rights
Prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment or removal of directors. Holders of the Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment or removal of directors during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended if approved by a majority of at least 90% of our ordinary shares voting at a general meeting. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rule, holders of our Class A ordinary shares and holders of our Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote.
21
Our sponsor and certain director and officers, either directly or indirectly, currently hold an aggregate of 5,750,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.0043 per share. On May 24, 2025, our sponsor transferred an aggregate of 75,000 of its founder shares to our independent director nominees, in each case for no cash consideration, resulting in our sponsor holding 4,237,500 founder shares. The founder shares transferred to our independent directors will not be subject to forfeiture in the event the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised.
The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding ordinary shares upon the completion of this offering. The purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to us by the number of founder shares issued. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering we will effect a capitalization or share repurchase or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders at 20% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering. Our public shareholders may incur immediate and substantial dilution upon such adjustment. Up to 750,000 founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s option to purchase additional units is exercised.
As described below under “Transfer restrictions on founder shares,” following consummation of our initial business combination, the founder shares will be subject to a lock-up agreement that will release such shares at specified times and share prices. The founder shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, except that:
• | prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares have the right to vote on the appointment or removal of directors and on continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (as further described herein); |
• | the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions contained in (1) the Insider Letter Agreement that our sponsor, directors and officers will enter into with us and (2) the Non-Sponsor Investors Letter Agreement that the non-sponsor investors will enter with us, as described in more detail below; |
• | pursuant to the Insider Letter Agreement and the Non-Sponsor Investors Letter Agreement, our sponsor, directors and officers and the non-sponsor investors will agree to waive: (1) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them, as applicable, in connection with the completion of our initial business combination; (2) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our |
22
obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window); provided that, pursuant to the Non-Sponsor Investor Letter Agreement, such waiver of redemption rights shall only be applicable to the founder shares held by the non-sponsor investors, and not applicable to any public shares held by them.
If we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, we will complete our initial business combination only if we receive approval pursuant to an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. In such case, our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees will agree to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination (except that any public shares such parties may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction). As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ and their permitted transferees’ founder shares, we would need 37.5%, or 7,500,001, of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted, the underwriter’s option to purchase additional units is not exercised and the parties to the letter agreement do not acquire any Class A ordinary shares) in order to have such initial business combination approved;
• | the founder shares are automatically convertible into our Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination or at any time prior thereto at the option of the holder thereof, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described in more detail below; and |
• | the holders of the founder shares are entitled to registration rights. |
Except as described herein, pursuant to the Insider Letter Agreement and the Non-Sponsor Investor Letter Agreement, our sponsor, officers and directors and non-sponsor investors will agree not to assign or sell any founder shares held by them until the earlier to occur of: (x) six months after completion of our initial business combination; or (y) subsequent to our initial business combination,
23
(A) if the last reported sale price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and other similar transactions) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing any time 150 days after completion of our initial business combination or (B) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property (except with respect to permitted transferees as described here in “Principal Shareholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants.” Any permitted transferees will be required to execute the Insider Letter Agreement or, if such permitted transferee is a non-sponsor investor, the Non-Sponsor Investor Letter Agreement containing similar transfer restrictions and voting covenants, provided that the non-sponsor investors will only waive their redemption rights with respect to founder shares and not public shares. We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the lock-up.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction after our initial business combination that results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property, the founder shares will be released from the lock-up.
Except in certain limited circumstances, no member of the sponsor may sell, transfer, assign, pledge, mortgage, charge, hypothecate, exchange or otherwise dispose, directly or indirectly, (a “Transfer”) all or any portion of its membership interests in the sponsor. For more information, see “Principal Shareholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants.”
The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination, or at any time prior thereto at the option of the holder thereof, in each case, on a one-for-one, basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts sold in this offering and related to the closing of our initial business combination, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares shall 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 anti- dilution 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, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the total number of all ordinary shares outstanding upon completion of this offering plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination, excluding any Class A ordinary shares, subject to vesting and any other restrictions, issued or deemed issued to (i) our sponsor (or its members or affiliates) in connection with the consummation of this offering, (ii) any seller in the initial business combination, (iii) the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants
24
and (iv) any Class A ordinary shares issued to our sponsor (or its members or affiliates) upon conversion of working capital loans. Any conversion of Class B ordinary shares described herein will take effect as a compulsory redemption of Class B ordinary shares and an issuance of Class A ordinary shares as a matter of Cayman Islands law. In no event will the Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A ordinary shares at a rate of less than one-to-one.
Appointment and removal of directors and continuing the company outside of the Cayman Islands; voting rights
Except as set forth below, holders of record of our Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by shareholders. Unless specified in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or as required by the Companies Act or stock exchange rules, an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law and our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, which requires the affirmative vote of at least a 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 the applicable general meeting of the company is generally required to approve any matter voted on by our shareholders. Certain actions require approval by a special resolution under Cayman Islands law, which (except as specified below) requires the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting, and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, such actions include amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approving a statutory merger or consolidation with another company. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the appointment of directors, meaning, following our initial business combination, the holders of more than 50% of our ordinary shares entitled to vote and voting on the appointment of directors can appoint all of the directors. Prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will (i) have the right to vote on the appointment and removal of directors and (ii) be entitled to vote on continuing our company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to adopt new constitutional documents as a result of our approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). Holders of our Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on these matters during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended if approved by a special resolution passed by the affirmative vote of at least 90% (or, where such amendment is proposed in respect of the consummation of our initial business combination, two-thirds) of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company.
With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, including any vote in connection with
25
our initial business combination, except as required by law, holders of the founder shares and holders of our public shares will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote. If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, we will complete our initial business combination only if we receive the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law and our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, which requires the affirmative vote of at least a 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 the applicable general meeting of the company. In such case, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately-negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination (except that any public shares such parties may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction). As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ and their permitted transferees’ founder shares, we would need 7,500,001, or 37.5%, of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved, assuming all outstanding shares are voted, the over-allotment option is not exercised 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 memorandum and articles of association, vote their 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.
Private placement warrants
Our sponsor will subscribe to purchase an aggregate of 2,648,000 private placement warrants (whether or not the over-allotment option is exercised), at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($2,648,000 in the aggregate) in the private placement. The private placement warrants are identical to the public warrants sold in this offering, except that the private placement warrants (including the underlying shares) are subject to certain transfer restrictions and the holders thereof are entitled to certain registration rights, as described herein, and: (1) will not be redeemable by us and (2) may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis. A portion of the purchase price of the private placement warrants will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account such that at the time of closing $200 million (or $230 million if the underwriter exercises its overallotment option in full) will be held in the trust account. If we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, the private placement warrants (and the underlying securities) will expire worthless.
Except in certain limited circumstances, no member of the sponsor may transfer all or any portion of its membership interests in the sponsor. For more information, see “Principal Shareholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants.”
26
Transfer restrictions on private placement warrants
Subject to certain exceptions, pursuant to the Insider Letter Agreement and the Non-Sponsor Investor Letter Agreement, our sponsor, officers and directors and non-sponsor investors will agree not to transfer, assign or sell the private placement warrants (including the underlying Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except as described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Shareholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”).
Proceeds to be held in trust account
The rules of Nasdaq provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants be deposited in a trust account. Of the net proceeds we will receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, $200 million ($10.00 per unit), or $230 million if the underwriter’s option to purchase additional units is exercised in full, will be deposited into a segregated trust account located in the United States with Odyssey Trust Company acting as trustee and an aggregate of $1,680,000 will be used to pay expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and for working capital following this offering. The funds in the trust account will be (i) invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds that meet certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act and that invest only in direct U.S. government obligations and/or (ii) deposited in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a U.S. - chartered commercial bank with consolidated assets of $100 billion or more.
Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us as described below, the funds held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of: (1) the completion of our initial business combination; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within the completion window or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, subject to applicable law. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could become subject to the claims of our creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of our public shareholders.
Withdrawal from Trust Account
We are permitted to withdraw 5% of the interest earned on the trust account to fund our working capital requirements and/or to pay our taxes, and such withdrawals can only be made (x) from interest and not from the principal held in the trust account and (y) only to the extent such interest is in the amount sufficient to cover the permitted withdrawal amount.
27
Anticipated expenses and funding sources
Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, no proceeds held in the trust account will be available for our use. The funds in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds that meet certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act and that invest only in direct U.S. government obligations and/or deposited in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a U.S.-chartered commercial bank with consolidated assets of $100 billion or more. Based upon current interest rates, we expect the trust account to generate approximately $10,500,000 of interest annually (assuming an interest rate of 5.25% per year); however, we can provide no assurances regarding this amount. Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, we may pay our expenses only from loans or additional investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or any of their respective affiliates or other third parties, although they are under no obligation or other duty to loan funds to, or invest in, us, and provided that any such loans will not have any claim on the proceeds held in the trust account unless such proceeds are released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. If we complete our initial business combination, we expect to repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $2,500,000 of all loans made to us by our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender at the time of the business combination. Further, the Working Capital Convertible Note in the principal amount of up to $840,000 , which we may draw down in our sole discretion, from time to time and such loan will not have any claim on the proceeds held in the trust account unless such proceeds are released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. In addition, after the completion of this offering, our board of directors may approve Additional Working Capital Loans for the purpose of funding working capital, which loans may be converted into our private units, shares, or warrants. The warrants and the underlying securities would be identical to the private placement warrants. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans.
Conditions to completing our initial business combination
We will have up to 24 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination. We may also hold a shareholder meeting at any time to seek shareholder approval to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the amount of time we will have to consummate an initial business combination (as well as to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within the time periods described herein or with respect to any other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity). There is no limit on the number of times our shareholders
28
can vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the amount of time we will have to complete an initial business combination and any such extension may be for any amount of time. As described herein, our sponsor, executive officers, directors and director nominees have agreed that they will not propose any such amendment 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, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein.
If we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (less any permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining 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. Because we may make permitted withdrawals, including of up to 5% of the interest earned on the trust account to fund our working capital requirements, the potential value of the trust account may be negatively impacted.
There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the trust account (excluding any taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of our agreement to enter into our initial business combination. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent registered public accounting firm. We will complete our initial business combination only if the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial business combination transaction. If less than
29
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% of net assets test.
Permitted purchases of public shares and public warrants by our affiliates
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates may purchase public shares or warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. 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 management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire public shares, vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination or not redeem their public shares. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds held in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or warrants in such transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will be restricted from making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material nonpublic information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules. 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 management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates were to purchase shares or warrants 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 management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates may purchase shares, rights or warrants from public shareholders outside the redemption process, along with the purpose of such purchases; |
• | if our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates were to purchase shares or warrants from public shareholders, they would do so at a price no higher than the price offered through our redemption process; |
30
• | our registration statement/proxy statement filed for our business combination transaction would include a representation that any of our securities purchased by our management team, sponsor, or any of their respective affiliates would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction; |
• | our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates would not possess any redemption rights with respect to our securities or, if they do acquire and possess redemption rights, they would waive such rights; and |
• | we would disclose in a Form 8-K, before our security holder meeting to approve the business combination transaction, the following material items: |
• | the amount of our securities purchased outside of the redemption offer by our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates, along with the purchase price; |
• | the purpose of the purchases by our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates; |
• | the impact, if any, of the purchases by our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates on the likelihood that the business combination transaction will be approved; |
• | the identities of our security holders who sold to our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates (if not purchased on the open market) or the nature of our security holders (e.g., 5% security holders) who sold to our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates; and |
• | the number of our securities for which we have received redemption requests pursuant to our redemption offer. |
Please see “Proposed Business — Permitted Purchases of Our Securities” for a description of how such persons will determine from which shareholders to seek to acquire securities.
The purpose of any such transaction 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. 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. Please see
31
“Risk Factors — If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates may elect to purchase public shares or warrants, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our securities.”
Redemption rights for public shareholders upon completion of our initial business combination
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem, regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or vote against, our initial business combination, all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share. The redemption right will include the requirement that any beneficial owner on whose behalf a redemption right is being exercised must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against, or vote at all in connection with, the proposed transaction. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Our sponsor, officers and directors and the non-sponsor investors will enter into the Insider Letter Agreement and the Non-sponsor Investor Letter Agreement with us, as applicable, pursuant to which our sponsor, officers and directors will agree to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them and the non-sponsor investors will agree to waive their redemption rights with respect only to the founder shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination.
Manner of conducting redemptions
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem, regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or vote against, our initial business combination, all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either: (1) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the business combination; or (2) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement. Under Nasdaq rules, asset acquisitions and share purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would require shareholder approval. We may conduct redemptions without a shareholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless shareholder approval is required by law or stock exchange
32
listing requirements or we choose to seek shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons. So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on the Nasdaq, we will be required to comply with such rules.
If a shareholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association:
• | conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers; and |
• | file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies. Whether or not we maintain our registration under the Exchange Act or our listing on the Nasdaq, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares by one of the two methods listed above. Upon the public announcement of our initial business combination, if we elect to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, we and our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase our Class A ordinary shares in the open market, in order to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act. In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public shareholders not tendering more than a specified number of public shares, which number may be based on a net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. If public shareholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete such initial business combination. If, however, shareholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other reasons, we will: |
• | conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules; and |
• | file proxy materials with the SEC. |
We expect that a final proxy statement would be mailed to public shareholders at least 20 days prior to the shareholder vote. However,
33
we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such shareholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation.
Although we are not required to do so, we currently intend to comply with the substantive and procedural requirements of Regulation 14A in connection with any shareholder vote even if we are not able to maintain our Nasdaq listing or Exchange Act registration.
If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we receive approval pursuant to an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of at least 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 the applicable general meeting of the company. A quorum for such meeting will be present if the holders of at least one-third of issued and outstanding shares entitled to vote at the meeting are represented in person or by proxy. Our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees will count toward this quorum and, pursuant to the Insider Letter Agreement and Non-Sponsor Investor Letter Agreement, our sponsor, officers and directors and the non-sponsor investors have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately-negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination (except that any public shares such parties may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction). 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 initial shareholders’ and their permitted transferees’ founder shares, we would need 7,000,001, or 37.5%, of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved, assuming all outstanding shares are voted, the over-allotment option is not exercised 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 memorandum and articles of association, vote their 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 the approval of a special resolution, which requires the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company. In addition, prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares (i) will have the right to appoint and remove directors prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business
34
combination and (ii) will be entitled to vote on continuing our company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to adopt new constitutional documents 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 agreements of our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees, 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 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.
Redemptions of our public shares may also be subject to a higher net tangible asset test or cash requirement pursuant to an agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed business combination may require: (1) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners; (2) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes; or (3) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, and all ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof.
Tendering share certificates in connection with a tender offer or redemption rights
We may require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve our initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, rather than simply voting against the initial business combination. The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public shareholders to satisfy such delivery requirements, which will include the requirement that any beneficial owner on whose behalf a redemption right is being exercised must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares.
35
Limitation on redemption rights of shareholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold a shareholder vote
Notwithstanding the foregoing redemption rights, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), is restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, without our prior consent. We believe the restriction described above will discourage shareholders from accumulating large blocks of shares and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to redeem their shares as a means to force us or our affiliates to purchase their shares at a significant premium to then-current market price or on other undesirable terms.
Absent this provision, a public shareholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights against a business combination if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our affiliates at a premium to then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’ ability to redeem to no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including all shares held by those shareholders that hold more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering) for or against our initial business combination.
Redemption rights in connection with proposed amendments to our memorandum and articles of association
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that any of its provisions related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to fund the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances and to provide redemption rights to public shareholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by special resolution, which requires approval by holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of a majority of our ordinary shares. In all other instances (other than the appointment of directors and the continuation of our company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands prior to our initial business combination), our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that it may be amended by special resolution, which requires
36
approval by holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote thereon at a general meeting of the company, subject to applicable provisions of Cayman Islands law, or applicable stock exchange rules. Prior to an initial business combination, we may not issue additional securities that can vote on amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or on our initial business combination or that would entitle holders thereof to receive funds from the trust account. Our initial shareholders, who will beneficially own 20% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), may participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they may choose. Our sponsor, officers and directors and the non-sponsor investors will agree, pursuant to the Insider Letter Agreement and the Non-sponsor Investor Letter Agreement with us, as applicable, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (less any permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. Our sponsor, officers and directors will enter into the Insider Letter Agreement with us, pursuant to which they will agree to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Any permitted transferees will be required to execute the Insider Letter Agreement or, if such permitted transferee is a non-sponsor investor, the Non-Sponsor Investor Letter Agreement containing similar transfer restrictions and voting covenants, provided that the non-sponsor investors will only waive their redemption rights with respect to founder shares and not public shares.
Release of funds in trust account on closing of our initial business combination
On the completion of our initial business combination, the funds held in the trust account will be used to pay amounts due to any public shareholders who exercise their redemption rights as described above under “Proposed Business — Redemption rights for public shareholders upon completion of our initial business combination,” to pay all or a portion of the consideration payable to the target or owners of the target of our initial business combination and to pay other expenses associated with our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemption of our public shares, we
37
may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.
Redemption of public shares and distribution and liquidation if no initial business combination
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we will have only the completion window to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (less any permitted withdrawals, taxes payable and up to $100,000 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 (3) 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 such completion window.
Our sponsor, officers and directors and the non-sponsor investors will enter into the Insider Letter Agreement and the Non-Sponsor Investor Letter Agreement with us, pursuant to which they will waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window. However, if our sponsor or any of our officers, directors, non-sponsor investors or any of their respective affiliates acquires public shares after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window.
Our sponsor, officers and directors will agree, pursuant to the Insider Letter Agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the
38
aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (less any permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares.
Limited payments to insiders
There will be no finder’s fees, reimbursement, consulting fee, monies in respect of any payment of a loan or other compensation paid by us to our sponsor, officers or directors or our or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, the following payments may be made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates, and, if made prior to our initial business combination will be made from funds held outside the trust account:
• | payment to our sponsor for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services, in an amount equal to $10,000 per month, commencing on the first date on which our securities are listed on the Nasdaq; |
• | reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination; |
• | repayment of the Working Capital Convertible Note made by our sponsor to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, in the principal amount of up to $840,000, which we may draw down in our sole discretion, from time to time. Any principal amount outstanding under the Working Capital Convertible Note may be convertible into Class A ordinary shares of the post-business combination entity, at a conversion price per share equal to the lower of (i) $8.00 per share and (ii) the Note Conversion VWAP, at the option of our sponsor. Any Class A ordinary shares issued upon conversion of the Working Capital Convertible Note would be identical to the Class A ordinary shares that are sold as a part of the units of this offering; |
• | repayment of loans which may be made by our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. Up to $2,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender; and |
• | The warrants will be identical to the private placement warrants. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto. |
Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, officers or directors or our or any of their respective affiliates. Furthermore, 5% of the interest earned on the trust account will be distributed to the company on a monthly basis for payment of working capital expenses.
39
Audit committee
We have established and will maintain an audit committee to, among other things, monitor compliance with the terms described above and the other terms relating to this offering. If any noncompliance is identified, then the audit committee will be charged with the responsibility to immediately take all action necessary to rectify such noncompliance or otherwise to cause compliance with the terms of this offering. Please see “Management — Committees of the Board of Directors — Audit Committee” for additional information.
Members of our management team may participate in the formation of, invest in (on behalf of themselves, their affiliates or its and their clients), or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, members of our management team could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved.
As described in “Proposed Business — Sourcing of Potential Business Combination Targets” and “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” each of our officers and directors 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 will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. As a result, there may be actual or potential material conflicts of interest between our sponsor and members of our management team on one hand, and purchasers in this offering on the other.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, directors or members of our management team; accordingly, such affiliated person(s) 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 as such affiliated person(s) would have interests different from our public shareholders and would likely not receive any financial benefit unless we consummated such business combination.
Our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees, either directly or indirectly, paid only a nominal aggregate purchase price of $25,000 for the founder shares, or approximately $0.0043 per share. Accordingly, our management team, which owns interests in our sponsor, may be more willing to pursue a business combination with a riskier or less-established target business than would be the case if our initial shareholders had paid the same per share price for the founder shares as our public shareholders paid for their public shares.
Upon the completion of this offering, we will issue our sponsor a Working Capital Convertible Note in the principal amount of up to $840,000, which we may draw down in our sole discretion, from time to time, to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination (as further described in this prospectus). Any principal amount outstanding under the Working Capital Convertible Note may be converted into Class A ordinary shares, at a conversion price per share equal to the lower of
40
(i) $8.00 per share and (ii) the Note Conversion VWAP, at the option of our Sponsor, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination.
In the event our sponsor or members of our management team provide loans to us to finance transaction costs and/or incur expenses on our behalf in connection with an initial business combination, such persons 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 as such loans may not be repaid and/or such expenses may not be reimbursed unless we consummate such business combination.
The potential conflicts described above may limit our ability to enter into a business combination or other transactions. These circumstances could give rise to numerous situations where interests may conflict. There can be no assurance that these or other conflicts of interest with the potential for adverse effects on the company and investors will not arise.
Indemnity
Our sponsor will agree that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent registered public accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below: (1) $10.00 per public share; or (2) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, except as to any claims by a third party that executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether any such waiver is enforceable) and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriter of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company and, therefore, our sponsor may not be able to satisfy those obligations. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such obligations.
41
Risks
We are a newly incorporated Cayman Islands exempted company that has conducted no operations and has generated no revenues. Until we complete our initial business combination, we will have no operations and will generate no operating revenues. In making your decision whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the background of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company. This offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. Accordingly, you will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. Please see “Proposed Business — Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419” for additional information concerning how Rule 419 blank check offerings differ from this offering. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in this prospectus.
An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this prospectus, before making a decision to invest in our units. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment:
• | We are a recently incorporated Cayman Islands exempted company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective. |
• | Past performance by our management team and their respective affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us. |
• | Our shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our shareholders do not support such a combination. |
• | Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash. |
• | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees will agree to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public shareholders vote. |
• | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates may elect to purchase public shares or warrants, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares or public warrants. |
• | You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies. |
• | You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. Therefore, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss. |
• | If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for the 24 months following the closing of this offering, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and our ability to complete our initial business combination, and we will depend on loans from our sponsor, its affiliates or members of our management team to fund our search and to complete our initial business combination. |
• | Our Working Capital Convertible Note exposes us to counterparty risk. |
• | The ability of our public shareholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target. |
• | We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent registered public accounting or investment banking firm, and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our shareholders from a financial point of view. |
42
• | We may not be able to consummate an initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate. |
• | We may engage in a business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with, managed by or otherwise associated with, members of our management group, sponsor or initial shareholders. |
• | Since our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed (other than with respect to public shares they may acquire during or after this offering), a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination. |
• | Our sponsor controls a substantial interest in us and thus may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support. |
• | Our management team, sponsor, initial shareholders and their respective affiliates allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination. |
• | Our management team, sponsor, initial shareholders and their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests. |
• | The other risks and uncertainties discussed in “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus. |
The following table illustrates the difference between the public offering price and our net tangible book value (NTBV), as adjusted to give effect to this offering and to redemptions of our public shares at varying levels, assuming the full exercise and no exercise of the over-allotment option. See the section “Dilution.”
The below calculations (A) assume that (i) no ordinary shares are issued to shareholders of a potential business combination target as consideration or issuable by a post-business combination company, for instance under an equity or employee share purchase plan, (ii) no ordinary shares and convertible equity or debt securities are issued in connection with additional financing that we may seek in connection with an initial business combination, and (iii) no working capital loans are converted into private placement warrants, as further described in this prospectus, and (B) assumes the issuance of 20,000,000 Class A ordinary shares (or 23,000,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), 2,648,000 private placement warrants (whether or not the over-allotment option is exercised) and 5,750,000 founder shares (up to 750,000 of which are assumed to be forfeited in the scenario in which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised in full). The issuance of additional ordinary or preference shares may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would even further increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B ordinary shares resulted in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares.
43
At February 28, 2025, our net tangible book value was a deficit of $175,371, or approximately $(0.03) per Class B ordinary share. Assuming various redemption scenarios and after giving effect to the sale of 20,000,000 Class A ordinary shares included in the units we are offering by this prospectus, the sale of the private placement warrants and the deduction of underwriting commissions and estimated expenses of this offering, our pro forma net tangible book value at February 28, 2025 would have been the following to the public shareholders on a per-share basis immediately after this offering:
As of February 28, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offering Price of $10.00 per Unit | 25% of Maximum Redemptions | 50% of Maximum Redemptions | 75% of Maximum Redemptions | Maximum Redemptions | |||||||||||||||||||||||
NTBV | Difference Between NTBV and Offering Price | Difference Between NTBV and Offering Price | Difference Between NTBV and Offering Price | NTBV | Difference Between NTBV and Offering Price | NTBV | Difference Between NTBV and Offering Price | NTBV | Difference Between NTBV and Offering Price | ||||||||||||||||||
Assuming Full Exercise of Over Allotment Option | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8.03 | 1.97 | 7.54 | 2.46 | 6.72 | 3.28 | 5.08 | 4.92 | 0.15 | 9.85 | ||||||||||||||||||
Assuming No Exercise of Over Allotment Option | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8.02 | 1.98 | 7.53 | 2.47 | 6.70 | 3.30 | 5.06 | 4.94 | 0.11 | 9.89 | ||||||||||||||||||
For purposes of presenting the Maximum Redemption scenario, we have reduced our NTBV after this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s option to purchase additional units) by $10.00 because holders of up to approximately 100% of our public shares may redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account at a per share redemption price equal to the amount in the trust account as set forth in our tender offer or proxy materials (initially anticipated to be the aggregate amount held in trust two business days prior to the commencement of our tender offer or shareholders meeting, including interest(less any permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of Class A ordinary shares sold in this offering).
For each of the redemption scenarios above, the NTBV was calculated as follows:
W/O Over- Allotment | With Over- Allotment | W/O Over- Allotment | With Over- Allotment | W/O Over- Allotment | With Over- Allotment | W/O Over- Allotment | With Over- Allotment | W/O Over- Allotment | With Over- Allotment | |||||||||||||||||||||
Numerator | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net tangible book deficit before this offering | (175,371) | (175,371) | (175,371) | (175,371) | (175,371) | (175,371) | (175,371) | (175,371) | (175,371) | (175,371) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Net proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement shares | 200,840,000 | 230.840,000 | 200,840,000 | 230.840,000 | 200.84,000 | 230.840,000 | 200,840,000 | 230.840,000 | 200,840,000 | 230.840,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Plus: Offering costs accrued for or paid in advance, excluded from tangible book value | 200,371 | 200,371 | 200,371 | 200,371 | 200,371 | 200,371 | 200,371 | 200,371 | 200,371 | 200,371 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Less: Deferred underwriting commission | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||
Less: overallotment liability | (299,092) | — | (299,092) | — | (299,092) | — | (299,092) | — | (299,092) | — | ||||||||||||||||||||
Less: Amounts paid for redemptions | — | — | (50,000,000) | (57,500,000) | (100,000,000) | (115,000,000) | (150,000,000) | (172,500,000) | (200,000,000) | (230,000,000) | ||||||||||||||||||||
200,565,908 | 230,865,000 | 150,565,908 | 173,365,000 | 100,565,908 | 115,865,000 | 50,565,908 | 58,365,000 | 565,908 | 865,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||
44
W/O Over- Allotment | With Over- Allotment | W/O Over- Allotment | With Over- Allotment | W/O Over- Allotment | With Over- Allotment | W/O Over- Allotment | With Over- Allotment | W/O Over- Allotment | With Over- Allotment | |||||||||||||||||||||
Denominator: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ordinary shares outstanding prior to this offering | 5,750,000 | 5,750,000 | 5,750,000 | 5,750,000 | 5,750,000 | 5,750,000 | 5,750,000 | 5,750,000 | 5,750,000 | 5,750,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ordinary shares forfeited if over-allotment is not exercised | (750,000) | — | (750,000) | — | (750,000) | — | (750,000) | — | (750,000) | — | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ordinary shares offered | 20,000,000 | 23,000,000 | 20,000,000 | 23,000,000 | 20,000,000 | 23,000,000 | 20,000,000 | 23,000,000 | 20,000,000 | 23,000,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Less: Ordinary shares redeemed | — | — | (5,000,000) | (5,750,000) | (10,000,000) | (11,500,000) | (15,000,000) | (17,250,000) | (20,000,000) | (23,000,000) | ||||||||||||||||||||
25,000,000 | 28,750,000 | 20,000,000 | 23,000,000 | 15,000,000 | 17,250,000 | 10,000,000 | 11,500,000 | 5,000,000 | 5,750,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||
NTBV after | 8.02 | 8.03 | 7.53 | 7.54 | 6.70 | 6.72 | 5.06 | 5.08 | 0.21 | 0.15 | ||||||||||||||||||||
NTBV before | (0.03) | (0.03) | (0.03) | (0.03) | (0.03) | (0.03) | (0.03) | (0.03) | (0.03) | (0.03) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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, and directors, officers, or any of their affiliates may also purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. In the event of any such purchases of our shares prior to the completion of our initial business combination, the number of ordinary shares subject to redemption will be reduced by the amount of any such purchases, increasing the pro forma net tangible book value per share. See “Proposed Business — Permitted Purchases of Our Securities.”
Summary Financial Data
The following table summarizes the relevant financial data for our business and should be read with our financial statements, which are included in this prospectus. We have not had any significant operations to date, so only balance sheet data is presented.
February 28, 2025 | ||||||
Actual | As Adjusted | |||||
Balance Sheet Data: | ||||||
Working capital (deficit)(1) | $(175,371) | $565,908 | ||||
Total assets(2) | $213,273 | $200,865,000 | ||||
Total liabilities | $188,273 | $299,092 | ||||
Value of ordinary shares subject to possible conversion(3) | $— | $200,000,000 | ||||
Shareholders’ equity(4) | $25,000 | $565,908 | ||||
(1) | The “as adjusted” calculation includes $1,680,000 of cash held outside the trust account including $25,000 of actual shareholder’s equity on February 28, 2025 less the overallotment liability of $229,092. |
(2) | The “as adjusted” calculation equals $200,000,000 cash held in trust from the proceeds of this offering, plus $1,680,000 in cash held outside the trust account including plus $25,000 of actual shareholder’s equity at February 28, 2025. |
(3) | The “as adjusted” calculation equals the “as adjusted” total assets, less the “as adjusted” total liabilities, less the “as adjusted” shareholder’s deficit. |
(4) | Excludes 20,000,000 public shares which are subject to redemption in connection with our initial business combination. The “as adjusted” calculation equals the “as adjusted” total assets, less the “as adjusted” total liabilities, less the value of Class A ordinary shares that may be redeemed in connection with our initial business combination (initially $10.00 per share). |
45
Some of the statements contained in this prospectus may constitute “forward-looking statements” for purposes of the federal securities laws. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management team’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking.
The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following risks, uncertainties and other factors:
• | our being a company with no operating history and no revenues; |
• | our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses; |
• | our expectations around the performance of a prospective target business or businesses; |
• | our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination; |
• | our officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination; |
• | our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination; |
• | our pool of prospective target businesses; |
• | the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential business combination opportunities; |
• | our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading; |
• | the lack of a market for our securities; |
• | the use of proceeds not held in the trust account or otherwise available to us; |
• | the trust account not being subject to claims of third parties; |
• | our financial performance following this offering; and |
• | the other risks and uncertainties discussed in “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus. |
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.
46
An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this prospectus, before making a decision to invest in our units. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Relating to our Search for, Consummation of, or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination and Post-Business Combination Risks
Our independent registered public accounting firm’s report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern.”
As of February 28, 2025, we had no cash or working capital. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our financing and acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through this offering are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to consummate an initial business combination will be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements contained elsewhere in this prospectus do not include any adjustments that might result from our inability to consummate this offering or our inability to continue as a going concern.
Our public shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public shareholders do not support such a combination.
We may choose not to hold a shareholder vote to approve our initial business combination unless the initial business combination would require shareholder approval under applicable Cayman Islands law or stock exchange listing requirements or if we decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons. Except as required by law, the decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed initial business combination or will allow shareholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek shareholder approval. Accordingly, we may complete our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our public shares do not approve of the initial business combination we complete. Please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business — Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination” for additional information.
Changes in the market for directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate and complete an initial business combination.
In recent months, the market for directors and officers liability insurance for SPACs has changed in ways adverse to us and our management team. Fewer insurance companies are offering quotes for directors and officers liability coverage, the premiums charged for such policies have generally increased and the terms of such policies have generally become less favorable. These trends may continue into the future.
The increased cost and decreased availability of directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate an initial business combination. In order to obtain directors and officers liability insurance or modify its coverage as a result of becoming a public company, the post-business combination entity might need to incur greater expense, accept less favorable terms or both. However, any failure to obtain adequate directors and officers liability insurance could have an adverse impact on the post-business combination’s ability to attract and retain qualified officers and directors.
In addition, even after we were to complete an initial business combination, our directors and officers could still be subject to potential liability from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to the initial business combination. As a result, in order to protect our directors and officers, the post-business combination entity may need to purchase additional insurance with respect to any such claims (“run-off insurance”). The need for run-off insurance would be an added expense for the post-business combination entity, and could interfere with or frustrate our ability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors.
47
We may engage our underwriter or one of its respective affiliates to provide additional services to us after this offering, which may include acting as M&A advisor in connection with an initial business combination or as placement agent in connection with a related financing transaction. These financial incentives may cause the underwriter to have potential conflicts of interest in rendering any such additional services to us after this offering, including, for example, in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.
We may engage our underwriter or one of its respective affiliates to provide additional services to us after this offering, including, for example, identifying potential targets, providing M&A advisory services, acting as a placement agent in a private offering or arranging debt financing transactions. We may pay such underwriter or its affiliate fair and reasonable fees or other compensation that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with the underwriter or its respective affiliates and no fees or other compensation for such services will be paid to the underwriter or its respective affiliates prior to the date that is 60 days from the date of this prospectus, unless such payment would not be deemed underwriter’s compensation in connection with this offering. The underwriter’s or its respective affiliates’ financial interests tied to the consummation of an initial business combination transaction may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in providing any such additional services to us, including potential conflicts of interest in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial shareholders will agree to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public shareholders vote.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, if we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we receive approval pursuant to an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. Pursuant to the Insider Letter Agreement and the Non-Sponsor Investor Letter Agreement, as applicable, our sponsor, officers and directors and the non-sponsor investors will agree to vote their founder shares and placement shares, as well as any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our sponsor’s founder shares and placement shares, we would need only 37.5%, or 7,500,001, of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised). Our sponsor will own shares representing approximately 20% of our outstanding ordinary shares immediately following the completion of this offering and the private placement. Accordingly, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, the agreement by our sponsor, directors and officers and the non-sponsor investors to vote in favor of our initial business combination will increase the likelihood that we will receive the requisite shareholder approval for such initial business combination.
Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination will be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash, unless we seek shareholder approval of the initial business combination.
At the time of your investment in us, you will not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of our initial business combination. Since our board of directors may complete an initial business combination without seeking shareholder approval, public shareholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the initial business combination, unless we seek such shareholder vote. Accordingly, if we do not seek shareholder approval, your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to exercising your redemption rights within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our public shareholders in which we describe our initial business combination.
We do not have a minimum net tangible asset requirement.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association does not contain a minimum net tangible asset requirement. Such a requirement can serve to ensure that our securities are not determined to be “penny stock” under Rule 3a-51 of the Exchange Act. Whether or not our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association contains a net tangible assets requirement, if our securities are deemed to be “penny stock,” we will become subject to Rule 419 of the Securities Act. In the event that our securities are delisted from Nasdaq, our securities could be determined to be “penny stock” under Rule 3a-51 of the Exchange Act and we would be required
48
to comply with the requirements of Rule 419 of the Securities Act. Being subject to the requirements of Rule 419 would make us less attractive to potential business combination targets and thereby adversely affect our ability to complete an initial business combination. See — “You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies”, “Nasdaq may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions”, “The ability of our public shareholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target”, and “The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares and the amount of deferred underwriting commissions may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.”
The ability of our public shareholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.
We may seek to enter into an initial business combination agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public shareholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the initial business combination. Furthermore, we will only redeem our public shares in accordance with any net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than the amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition, as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into an initial business combination with us.
The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
At the time we enter into an agreement for our initial business combination, we will not know how many shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, and therefore will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted for redemption. If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, we will need to reserve a portion of the cash in the trust account to meet such requirements, or arrange for third party financing. In addition, if a larger number of shares are submitted for redemption than we initially expected, we may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater portion of the cash in the trust account or arrange for third party financing. Raising additional third-party financing may involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. Furthermore, this dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provision of the Class B ordinary shares result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at the time of our business combination. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure.
The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your ordinary shares.
If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful is increased. If our initial business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the trust account until we liquidate the trust account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your ordinary shares in the open market; however, at such time our ordinary shares may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in the trust account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with our redemption until we liquidate or you are able to sell your ordinary shares in the open market.
49
The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating an initial business combination and may decrease our ability to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our shareholders.
Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning an initial business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business combination within the completion window. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating an initial business combination, knowing that if we do not complete our initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the timeframe described above. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.
We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we must complete our initial business combination within the completion window. We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within such time period. An increasing number of SPACs have liquidated in 2022 through 2024 due to an inability to complete an initial business combination within the allotted completion window. Furthermore, our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein, including the impact of events such as the war between Russia and the Ukraine and the armed conflict between Israel and Hamas.
If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (less any permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public 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 the each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Because we may make permitted withdrawals, including of up to 5% of the interest earned on the trust account to fund our working capital requirements, the potential value of the trust account may be negatively impacted. In such case, our public shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We may decide not to extend the term we have to consummate our initial business combination, in which case we would redeem our public shares, and the warrants will be worthless.
We have until the date that is 24 months from the closing of this offering to consummate our initial business combination.
If we do not consummate an initial business combination by such deadline, we may decide not to seek to extend the date by which we must consummate our initial business combination. If we do not seek to extend the date by which we must consummate our initial business combination, and we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within the applicable time period, we will, as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account, subject to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such event, the warrants will be worthless.
50
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates may elect to purchase public shares or warrants from public shareholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed initial business combination and reduce the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates may purchase public shares or warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation or duty to do so. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgment that such shareholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. It is intended that, if Rule 10b-18 would apply to purchases by our management team, sponsor or any of their respective 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 management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire public shares, vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination or not redeem their public shares. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares, rights or 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.
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. 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 management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates were to purchase public shares or warrants 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 management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates may purchase public shares or warrants from public shareholders outside the redemption process, along with the purpose of such purchases; |
• | if our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates were to purchase public shares or warrants 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 management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction; |
• | our management team, sponsor or any of their respective 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 |
51
• | we would disclose in a Form 8-K, before our security holder meeting to approve the business combination transaction, the following material items: |
• | the amount of our securities purchased outside of the redemption offer by our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates, along with the purchase price; |
• | the purpose of the purchases by our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates; |
• | the impact, if any, of the purchases by our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates on the likelihood that the business combination transaction will be approved; |
• | the identities of our security holders who sold to our sponsor, directors, executive officers or any of 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 management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates; and |
• | the number of our securities for which we have received redemption requests pursuant to our redemption offer. |
Please see “Proposed Business - Permitted Purchases of Our Securities” for a description of how such persons will determine from which shareholders to seek to acquire securities.
If a shareholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our initial business combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.
We will comply with the tender offer rules or proxy rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our initial business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a shareholder fails to receive our tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, such shareholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, 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 describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or redeem public shares. For example, we may require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. In the event that a shareholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures, its shares may not be redeemed. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business — Redemption Rights for Public Shareholders upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination — Tendering Share Certificates in Connection with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights.”
If we do not consummate an initial business combination within the completion window, our public shareholders may be forced to wait beyond such time before redemption from our trust account.
If we do not consummate an initial business combination within the completion window, the proceeds then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account, if any (less any permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, as further described herein. Any redemption of public shareholders from the trust account will be effected automatically by function of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association prior to any voluntary winding up. If we are required to wind up, liquidate the trust account and distribute such amount therein, pro rata, to our public shareholders, as part of any liquidation process, such winding up, liquidation and distribution must comply with the applicable provisions of the Companies Act. In that case, investors may be forced to wait beyond such time from the closing of this offering, before the redemption proceeds of our trust account become available to them, and they receive the return of their pro rata portion of the proceeds from our trust account. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to the date of our redemption or liquidation unless, prior thereto, we consummate our initial business combination or amend certain provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, and only then in cases where investors have sought to redeem their Class A ordinary shares. Only upon our redemption or any liquidation will public shareholders be entitled to distributions if we do not complete our initial business combination and do not amend certain provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, if we wind up for any other reason prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we will follow the foregoing procedures with respect to the liquidation of the trust account as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, subject to applicable Cayman Islands law.
52
You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. To liquidate your investment, therefore, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Our public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (i) our completion of an initial business combination, and then only in connection with those Class A ordinary shares that such shareholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the completion window, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In no other circumstances will a public shareholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Holders of warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
Since the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants are intended to be used to complete an initial business combination with a target business that has not been identified, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However, because we will not be offering a “penny stock,” we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means our units will be immediately tradable and we will have a longer period of time to complete our business combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, if this offering were subject to Rule 419, that rule would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us unless and until the funds in the trust account were released to us in connection with our completion of an initial business combination. For a more detailed comparison of our offering to offerings that comply with Rule 419, please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business — Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.”
We may not be able to complete an initial business combination since such initial business combination may be subject to regulatory review and approval requirement, including foreign investment regulations and review by government entities such as the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”), or may be ultimately prohibited.
Our initial business combination may be subject to regulatory review and approval requirements by governmental entities, or ultimately prohibited. For example, CFIUS has authority to review direct or indirect foreign investments in U.S. companies. Among other things, CFIUS is empowered to require certain foreign investors to make mandatory filings, to charge filing fees related to such filings, and to self-initiate national security reviews of foreign direct and indirect investments in U.S. companies if the parties to that investment choose not to file voluntarily. In the case that CFIUS determines an investment to be a threat to national security, CFIUS has the power to unwind or place restrictions on the investment. Whether CFIUS has jurisdiction to review an acquisition or investment transaction depends on — among other factors — the nature and structure of the transaction, including the level of beneficial ownership interest and the nature of any information or governance rights involved. For example, investments that result in “control” of a U.S. business by foreign person always are subject to CFIUS jurisdiction. CFIUS’s expanded jurisdiction under the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 and implementing regulations that became effective on February 13, 2020 further includes investments that do not result in control of a U.S. business by a foreign person but afford certain foreign investors certain information or governance rights in a U.S. business that has a nexus to “critical technologies,” “critical infrastructure” and/or “sensitive personal data.”
If a particular proposed initial business combination with a U.S. business falls within CFIUS’s jurisdiction, we may determine that we are required to make a mandatory filing or that we will submit to CFIUS review on a voluntary basis, or to proceed with the transaction without submitting to CFIUS and risk CFIUS intervention, before or after closing the transaction. CFIUS may decide to block or delay our proposed initial business combination, impose
53
conditions with respect to such initial business combination or request the President of the United States to order us to divest all or a portion of the U.S. target business of our initial business combination that we acquired without first obtaining CFIUS approval, which may limit the attractiveness of, delay or prevent us from pursuing certain target companies that we believe would otherwise be beneficial to us and our shareholders. As a result, the pool of potential targets with which we could complete an initial business combination may be limited and we may be adversely affected in terms of competing with other special purpose acquisition companies which do not have similar foreign ownership issues. In addition, certain federally licensed businesses may be subject to rules or regulations that limit foreign ownership.
The process of government review, whether by CFIUS or otherwise, could be lengthy. Because we have only a limited time to complete our initial business combination, our failure to obtain any required approvals within the requisite time period may require us to liquidate. If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within the applicable time period required under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, including as a result of extended regulatory review of a potential initial business combination, we will, as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account and as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such event, our shareholders will miss the opportunity to benefit from an investment in a target company and the appreciation in value of such investment. Additionally, our warrants will be worthless.
Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on our redemption of our public shares, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more industry knowledge than we do, and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, because we are obligated to pay cash for the Class A ordinary shares which our public shareholders redeem in connection with our initial business combination, target companies will be aware that this may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. This may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
The requirement that the target business or businesses that we acquire must collectively have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance of the funds in the trust account (less any taxes payable on interest earned and less any interest earned thereon that is released to us) at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination may limit the type and number of companies that we may complete such an initial business combination with.
Pursuant to Nasdaq listing rules, the target business or businesses that we acquire must collectively have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance of the funds in the trust account (excluding any taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account and less any interest earned thereon that is released to us to pay our tax obligations (excluding U.S. federal excise tax) at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination. This restriction may limit the type and number of companies with which we may complete an initial business combination. Although we intend to consummate our business combination with a target with an aggregate enterprise value in excess of $500 million, there is no guarantee that we will do so. If we are unable to locate a target business or businesses that satisfy this fair market value test, we may be forced to liquidate, and you will only be
54
entitled to receive your pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account. If Nasdaq delists our securities from trading on its exchange after this offering, we would not be required to satisfy the fair market value requirement described above and could complete an initial business combination with a target business having a fair market value substantially below 80% of the balance in the trust account. If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the completion window, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination, in which case our public shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
The funds available to us outside of the trust account may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the completion window, assuming that our initial business combination is not completed during that time. We believe that, upon the closing of this offering, the funds available to us outside of the trust account will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the completion window; however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate.
Of the funds available to us, we could use a portion of the funds available to us to pay fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. We could also use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision in letters of intent or merger agreements designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed initial business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into a letter of intent or merger agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account and the loans made available to us under the Working Capital Convertible Notes are insufficient, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination and we will depend on loans from our sponsor or management team to fund our search for an initial business combination, to pay our taxes and to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.
Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, only approximately $1,680,000 will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. In addition, upon the completion of this offering, we will issue our Sponsor a Working Capital Convertible Note in the principal amount of up to $840,000, which we may draw down in our sole discretion, from time to time, to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. We believe that, upon closing of this offering, the funds available to us outside of the trust account will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the completion window; however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. We expect to fund our working capital requirements prior to the time of our initial business combination in part with funds provided by our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors who may, but none of them is obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $808,000, we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. The amount held in the trust account will not be impacted as a result of such increase or decrease. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $808,000 the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount. If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, management team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate. Other than the loan made available to us under the Working Capital Convertible Note, none of our sponsor, members of our management team nor any of their affiliates is under any obligation to advance funds to us in such circumstances. Any such advances would be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. Up to $2,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $10.00 per warrant at the option of the lender, upon consummation of our initial business combination. In addition, after the completion of this offering, our board of directors may approve Additional Working Capital Loans for the purpose of funding working capital, which loans may be converted into our private units, shares, or warrants. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. 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
55
account. If we are unable to obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. Consequently, our public shareholders may only receive approximately $10.00 per share on our redemption of our public shares, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our Working Capital Convertible Note exposes us to counterparty risk.
Our Working Capital Convertible Note exposes us to counterparty risk, which is the uncertainty of whether a counterparty will honor its obligation under the terms of a loan or contract. While we believe our Sponsor will honor its obligation to provide us loans under the Working Capital Convertible Note were we to request a draw down, we are exposed to the risk that our Sponsor may not have sufficient funds available to draw down upon receiving our request. Although we may seek to enforce our Sponsor’s obligations under the Working Capital Convertible Note, we may ultimately be unable to do so.
If such funds are not available and we are not otherwise able to obtain additional funding, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. In such case, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.
Subsequent to the completion of our initial business combination, we may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and the price of our ordinary shares, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will surface all material issues that may be present inside a particular target business, that it would be possible to uncover all material issues through a customary amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. As a result of these factors, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining debt financing to partially finance the initial business combination. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following the initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares.
If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share.
Our placing of funds in the trust account may not protect those funds from third-party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers, 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, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Adeptus Partners, LLC (“Adeptus”), our independent registered public accounting firm, and the underwriter of the offering, will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account.
56
Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders could be less than the $10.00 per share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors. Pursuant to the letter agreement, the form of which is to be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, our sponsor will agree that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, 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 underwriter of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
Our directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per share and (ii) the actual amount per share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations.
While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment and subject to their fiduciary duties 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. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders may be reduced below $10.00 per share.
We may not have sufficient funds to satisfy indemnification claims of our directors and executive officers.
We will agree to indemnify our officers and directors to the fullest extent permitted by law. However, our officers and directors will agree to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account and to not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will be able to be satisfied by us only if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination. Our obligation to indemnify our officers and directors may discourage shareholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our shareholders. Furthermore, a shareholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
57
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy or insolvency court may seek to recover such proceeds, and we and our board may be exposed to claims of punitive damages.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy and/or insolvency laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy or insolvency court could seek to recover all amounts received by our shareholders. In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over the claims of our shareholders and the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy insolvency law, and may be included in our bankruptcy or insolvency estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy or insolvency claims deplete the trust account, the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
Our shareholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.
If we are forced to enter into an insolvent liquidation, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed as an unlawful payment if it was proved that immediately following the date on which the distribution was made, we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business.
As a result, a liquidator could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to us or our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, thereby exposing themselves and our company to claims, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors.
Claims may be brought against us for these reasons. We and our directors and officers who knowingly and willfully authorized or permitted any distribution to be paid out of our share premium account while we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business would be guilty of an offence and may be liable for a fine of $18,292.68 and imprisonment for five years in the Cayman Islands.
We may not hold an annual general meeting until after the consummation of our initial business combination, which could delay the opportunity for our shareholders to elect directors.
In accordance with the Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general meeting until no later than one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on the Nasdaq. As an exempted company, there is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual or extraordinary general meetings to appoint directors. Prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment or removal of directors.
After our initial business combination, it is possible that a majority of our directors and officers will live outside the United States and all of our assets will be located outside the United States; therefore investors may not be able to enforce federal securities laws or their other legal rights.
It is possible that after our initial business combination, a majority of our directors and officers will reside outside of the United States and all of our assets will be located outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult, or in some cases not possible, for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights, to effect service of process upon all of our directors or officers or to enforce judgments of United States courts predicated upon civil liabilities and criminal penalties on our directors and officers under United States laws.
58
In particular, there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Cayman Islands or any other applicable jurisdictions would recognize and enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained against us or our directors or officers predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States or entertain original actions brought in the Cayman Islands or any other applicable jurisdiction’s courts against us or our directors or officers predicated upon the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States.
For a more detailed discussion, see the section of this prospectus captioned “Description of Securities — Certain Differences in Corporate Law.”
We may seek business combination opportunities in industries or sectors which may or may not be outside of our management’s area of expertise.
We may consider an initial business combination outside of our management’s area of expertise if an initial business combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive business combination opportunity for our company or we are unable to identify a suitable candidate in other sectors after having expanded a reasonable amount of time and effort in an attempt to do so. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in any particular business combination candidate, we cannot assure you that we will adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors in this offering than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in an initial business combination candidate. In the event we elect to pursue a business combination outside of the areas of our management’s expertise, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained in this prospectus regarding the areas of our management’s expertise would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire. As a result, our management may not be able to adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain shareholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We may seek business combination opportunities with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue, cash flow or earnings, which could subject us to volatile revenues, cash flows or earnings or difficulty in retaining key personnel.
To the extent we complete our initial business combination with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenues or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include volatile revenues or earnings and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. In recent years, a number of target businesses have underperformed financially post-business combination. There are no assurances that the target business with which we consummate our initial business combination will perform as anticipated. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to
59
evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors and we may not have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.
We are not required to obtain a fairness opinion and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Unless we complete our initial business combination with an affiliated entity or our board cannot independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that the price we are paying is fair to our company from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our shareholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
Because we must furnish our shareholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective target businesses.
The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on an initial business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP, or international financial reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.
Compliance obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may make it more difficult for us to effectuate our initial business combination, require substantial financial and management resources, and increase the time and costs of completing an initial business combination.
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2025. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company, we will not be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because a target company with which we seek to complete our initial business combination may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal control of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes- Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such business combination.
We do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete an initial business combination with which a substantial majority of our shareholders do not agree.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold, except that we will only redeem our public shares in accordance with any net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. As a result, we may be able to complete our initial business combination even though a substantial majority of our public shareholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek shareholder approval
60
of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our sponsor, officers, directors, or their affiliates. 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 shares, all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.
In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and other governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or governing instruments in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination that our shareholders may not support.
In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds and extended the time to consummate an initial business combination and, with respect to their warrants, amended their warrant agreements to require the warrants to be exchanged for cash and/or other securities. Amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will require the approval of a special resolution of our shareholders as a matter of Cayman Islands law, which requires the approval of holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company, and amending our warrant agreement will require a vote of holders of at least 65% of the public warrants and, solely with respect to any amendment to the terms of the private placement warrants or any provision of the warrant agreement with respect to the private placement warrants, 50% of the number of the then outstanding private placement warrants. In addition, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will require us to provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash if we propose an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. Many SPACs have faced delisting of their securities following redemptions of shares by public shareholders in connection with proposed amendments to their corporate charters since, after redeeming a large number of publicly held shares, they no longer meet the continued listing requirements of the stock exchange.
To the extent any such amendments would be deemed to fundamentally change the nature of any securities offered through this registration statement, we would register, or seek an exemption from registration for, the affected securities. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our charter or governing instruments or extend the time to consummate an initial business combination in order to effectuate our initial business combination.
Certain agreements related to this offering may be amended or waived without shareholder approval.
Each of the agreements related to this offering to which we are a party, other than the warrant agreement and the investment management trust agreement, may be amended or waived without shareholder approval. Such agreements are: the underwriting agreement; the Insider Letter Agreement among us and our sponsor, officers and directors; the Non-sponsor Investor Letter Agreement among us and the non-sponsor investors; the registration rights agreement among us and our initial shareholders; the private placement warrants purchase agreement between us and our sponsor; and the administrative services agreement among us, our sponsor and an affiliate of our sponsor. 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, private placement warrants and other securities held by our sponsor, officers and directors and the non-sponsor investors. Amendments to or waivers of such agreements would require the consent of the applicable parties thereto and would need to be approved by our board of directors, which may do so for a variety of reasons, including to facilitate our initial business combination. While we do not expect our board of directors to approve any amendment to or waiver of any of these agreements prior to our initial business combination, it may be possible that our board of directors, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more
61
amendments to or waivers of any such agreement in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Any amendment or waiver entered into in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination will be disclosed in our proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, related to such initial business combination, and any other material amendment to or waiver of any of our material agreements will be disclosed in a filing with the SEC. Any such amendments or waivers 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, amendments to or waivers of the lock-up provision discussed above may result in our sponsor, officers and directors and the non-sponsor investors selling their securities earlier than they would otherwise be permitted, which may have an adverse effect on the price of our securities.
The provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that relate to our pre-business combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account), may be amended with the approval of a special resolution which requires the approval of the holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other blank check companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our shareholders may not support.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that any of its provisions related to pre-initial business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the private placement of units into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public shareholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by special resolution, which requires the approval of the holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company; provided that the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association governing the appointment or removal of directors and continuing our company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands prior to our initial business combination may only be amended by a special resolution passed by holders representing at least 90% of our issued and outstanding Class B ordinary shares. Our initial shareholders, who will collectively beneficially own approximately 20% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (including the private shares and assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association which govern our pre-initial business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete an initial business combination with which you do not agree. Our shareholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
Pursuant to the Insider Letter Agreement and the Non-sponsor Investor Letter Agreement, our sponsor, officers and directors and non-sponsor investors will agree that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within the completion window or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. These agreements are contained in the Insider Letter Agreement that we will enter into with our sponsor, officers and directors and in the Non-Sponsor Investor Letter Agreement that we will enter into with the non-sponsor investors. Our shareholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our sponsor, officers or directors for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our shareholders would need to pursue a shareholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.
62
We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination.
We have not selected any specific business combination target, but intend to target businesses larger than we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the placement warrants. As a result, we may be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. Further, the amount of additional financing we may be required to obtain could increase as a result of future growth capital needs for any particular transaction, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to repurchase for cash a significant number of shares from shareholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination and/or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay taxes on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or shareholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless. Furthermore, as described in the risk factor entitled “If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share,” under certain circumstances our public shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon the liquidation of the trust account.
Our initial shareholders may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Upon the closing of this offering, our initial shareholders will own shares representing approximately 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). Accordingly, they may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approval of major corporate transactions. If our initial shareholders purchase any units in this offering or if our initial shareholders purchase any additional ordinary shares in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their control. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, we may not hold an annual general meeting to elect new directors prior to the completion of our initial business combination, in which case all of the current directors, who were elected by our initial shareholders, will continue in office until at least the completion of the initial business combination. Prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment or removal of directors. Holders of our public shares will have no right to vote on the appointment or removal of directors during such time. Further, prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to vote on continuing our company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to adopt new constitutional documents as a result of our approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended if approved by a special resolution passed by the affirmative vote of at least 90% (or, where such amendment is proposed in respect of the consummation of our initial business combination, two-thirds) of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company. As a result, you will not have any influence over the appointment or removal of directors prior to our initial business combination or any influence over our continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands prior to our initial business combination. Accordingly, our initial shareholders will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our initial business combination.
63
Resources could be wasted in researching business combinations that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys, consultants and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our initial business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular business combination is the most advantageous.
Our key personnel may be able to remain with the company after the completion of our initial business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the initial business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the initial business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to us after the completion of the initial business combination. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business. However, we believe the ability of such individuals to remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination. There is no certainty, however, that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with us. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with us will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may effect our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company, which could, in turn, negatively impact the value of our shareholders’ investment in us.
When evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’s management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following the initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
We may be treated as a passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”), which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors.
If we are treated as a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) in which a U.S. Holder holds our Class A ordinary shares or warrants (regardless of whether we remain a PFIC for subsequent taxable years), such U.S. Holder may be subject to certain adverse U.S. income tax consequences and may be subject to additional reporting requirements. Our PFIC status for our current and subsequent taxable years may depend on, for example, the timing of our business combination, the amount of our passive income and assets in the year of the business combination, whether we combine with a U.S. or non-U.S. target company, the amount of passive income and assets of the acquired business, and whether we qualify for the PFIC start-up exception. Depending on the particular circumstances, the
64
application of the start-up exception may be subject to uncertainty, and there cannot be any assurance that we will qualify for the start-up exception. Accordingly, there can be no assurances with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year. Our actual PFIC status for any taxable year will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year (or later).
If we determine we are a PFIC for any taxable year, upon written request by a U.S. Holder, we may endeavor to provide to such U.S. Holder such information as the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) may require, including a PFIC Annual Information Statement, in order to enable such U.S. Holder to make and maintain a “qualified electing fund” (“QEF”) election with respect to its Class A ordinary shares, but there is no assurance that we will provide such required information or, if we elect to provide it, that we provide it timely. Note that the IRS takes the position that such election is in any event unavailable with respect to our warrants to acquire our Class A ordinary shares. The rules dealing with PFICs and with the QEF election are very complex and are a function of various factors in addition to those described in this prospectus. Accordingly, U.S. investors are strongly urged to consult with and rely solely upon their own tax advisors regarding the possible application of the PFIC rules to them in their particular circumstances.
For a more detailed discussion of the PFIC rules and the related tax considerations for U.S. Holders, see the section of this prospectus captioned “Certain Income Tax Considerations — U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — Considerations for U.S. Holders — Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.”
If our initial business combination involves a company organized under the laws of the United States (or any subdivision thereof), a U.S. federal excise tax could be imposed on us in connection with any redemptions of our Class A ordinary shares after or in connection with such initial business combination.
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 provides for, among other things, a 1% U.S. federal excise tax on certain repurchases (including redemptions) of stock by publicly traded U.S. corporations (the “stock buyback tax”), subject to certain exceptions. If applicable, the amount of the stock buyback tax is generally 1% of the aggregate fair market value of any stock repurchased by the corporation during a taxable year, net of the aggregate fair market value of certain new stock issuances by the repurchasing corporation during the same taxable year. In addition, the U.S. Treasury Department (the “Treasury”) and IRS have released preliminary guidance and proposed regulations on the stock buyback tax that would potentially cause a non-U.S. corporation’s U.S. subsidiaries to be subject to the stock buyback tax with respect to any share repurchases made by the non-U.S. corporation under certain circumstances. On June 28, 2024, the Treasury finalized certain of the proposed regulations (those relating to procedures for reporting and paying the stock buyback tax). The remaining regulations (largely relating to the computation of the stock buyback tax) remain in proposed form. The Treasury intends to finalize these proposed regulations at a later date and, until such time, taxpayers may continue to rely on the proposed regulations.
As an entity incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company, the excise tax is currently not expected to apply to redemptions of our Class A ordinary shares (absent regulations or other additional guidance that may be issued in the future). However, in connection with an initial business combination involving a company organized under the laws of the United States (or any subdivision thereof), it is possible that we domesticate and continue as a Delaware corporation prior to certain redemptions. Because we expect that, following such a domestication, our securities would continue to trade on Nasdaq, in such a case we could be subject to the stock buyback tax with respect to any subsequent redemptions (potentially including redemptions in connection with the initial business combination) that are treated as repurchases for this purpose. In all cases, whether and to what extent we would be subject to the stock buyback tax will depend on a number of factors, including (i) the structure of the initial business combination, including the extent to which the initial business combination involves a U.S. corporation and the extent to which we issue shares in the initial business combination or otherwise during the same taxable year that are eligible to offset any redemptions or other repurchases, (ii) the fair market value of the shares redeemed and (iii) the extent such redemptions could be treated as dividends and not as repurchases. The applicability of the stock buyback tax to us could be further affected by the content of any final regulations, clarifications or other additional guidance from the Treasury that may be issued and applicable to the redemptions.
Any excise tax that becomes payable as a result of any redemptions of our Class A ordinary shares (or other shares into which such Class A ordinary shares may be converted) in connection with our initial business combination or otherwise would be payable by us and not by the redeeming holder. Any stock buyback tax that becomes payable as a result of any redemptions of our Class A ordinary shares (or other shares into which such Class A ordinary shares may be converted) would be payable by us and not by the redeeming holder. To the extent the excise tax is applicable, the amount of cash available to pay redemptions or to transfer to the target business in connection with our initial
65
business combination may be reduced, which could result in our inability to meet conditions in the agreement relating to our initial business combination related to a minimum cash requirement, if any, or otherwise result in the shareholders of the combined company (including any of our shareholders who do not exercise their redemption rights in connection with the initial business combination) to economically bear the impact of the excise tax.
If we effect our initial business combination with a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
If we effect our initial business combination with a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international setting, including any of the following:
• | higher costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations and complying with different commercial and legal requirements of overseas markets; |
• | rules and regulations regarding currency redemption; |
• | complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals; |
• | laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected; |
• | tariffs and trade barriers; |
• | regulations related to customs and import/export matters; |
• | longer payment cycles and challenges in collecting accounts receivable; |
• | tax issues, including but not limited to tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States; |
• | currency fluctuations and exchange controls; |
• | rates of inflation; |
• | cultural and language differences; |
• | employment regulations; |
• | crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks, natural disasters and wars; |
• | deterioration of political relations with the United States; and |
• | government appropriations of assets. |
We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, our operations might suffer, which may adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.
Changes in international trade policies, tariffs and treaties may have a material adverse effect on our search for an initial business combination target, our ability to complete an initial business combination, and/or our business, financial condition and results of operations following completion of an initial business combination.
There have recently been significant changes to international trade policies and tariffs affecting imports and exports. Any significant increases in tariffs on goods or materials or other changes in trade policy could negatively affect our search for a target and/or our ability to complete our initial business combination. Recently, the U.S. has implemented a range of new tariffs and increases to existing tariffs. In response to the tariffs announced by the U.S., other countries have imposed, are considering imposing, and may in the future impose new or increased tariffs on certain exports from the U.S. There is currently significant uncertainty about the future relationship between the U.S. and other countries with respect to trade policies, taxes, government regulations and tariffs, and we cannot predict whether, and to what extent, current tariffs will continue or trade policies will change in the future.
Tariffs, or the threat of tariffs or increased tariffs, could have a significant negative impact on certain businesses (either due to domestic businesses’ reliance on imported goods or dependence on access to foreign markets, or foreign businesses’ reliance on sales into the U.S.). In addition, retaliatory tariffs could have a significant negative impact on foreign businesses that rely on imports from the U.S., and domestic businesses that rely on exporting goods internationally. These tariffs and threats of tariffs and other potential trade policy changes could negatively affect the
66
attractiveness of certain initial business combination targets, or lead to material adverse effects on a post-business combination company. Among other things, historical financial performance of companies affected by trade policies and/or tariffs may not provide useful guidance as to the future performance of such companies, because future financial performance of those companies may be materially affected by new U.S. tariffs or foreign retaliatory tariffs, or other changes to trade policies. The business prospects of a particular target for a business combination could change even after we enter into a business combination agreement, as a result of tariffs or the threat of tariffs that may have a material impact on that target’s business, and it may be costly or impractical for us to terminate that business combination agreement. These factors could affect our selection of a business combination target.
We may not be able to adequately address the risks presented by these tariffs or other potential changes in trade policy. As a result, we may deem it costly, impractical or risky to complete an initial business combination with a particular target or with a target in a particular industry or from a particular country. Consequently, the pool of potential target companies may be reduced, which could impair our ability to identify a suitable target and to complete an initial business combination. If we complete an initial business combination with such a target, the post-business combination company’s operations and financial results could be adversely affected as a result of tariffs or changes to trade policies, which may cause the market value of the securities of the post-business combination company to decline.
We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete an initial business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our shareholders’ investment in us.
Although we have no commitments as of the date of this prospectus to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt following this offering, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our initial business combination. We will agree that we will not incur any indebtedness unless we have obtained from the lender a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to the monies held in the trust account. As such, no issuance of debt will affect the per-share amount available for redemption from the trust account. Nevertheless, the incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:
• | default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations; |
• | acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant; |
• | our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand; |
• | our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding; |
• | our inability to pay dividends on our ordinary shares; |
• | using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our ordinary shares, our ability to pay expenses, make capital expenditures and acquisitions, and fund other general corporate purposes; |
• | limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate; |
• | increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; |
• | limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, and execution of our strategy; and |
• | other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt. |
67
We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of services and limited operating activities. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operating results and profitability.
Of the net proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, $2,648,000 (whether or not the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised) will be available to complete our initial business combination being and pay related fees and expenses.
We may effectuate our initial business combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously or within a short period of time. However, we may not be able to effectuate our initial business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. In addition, we intend to focus our search for an initial business combination in a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:
• | solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset, or |
• | dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services. |
This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our initial business combination.
We may attempt to simultaneously complete business combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to complete our initial business combination and give rise to increased costs and risks that could negatively impact our operations and profitability.
If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses that are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete our initial business combination. We do not, however, intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.
We may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in an initial business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In pursuing our initial business combination strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. Very little public information generally exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in an initial business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
68
Risks Relating to our Sponsor and Management Team
The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may significantly dilute the implied value of your public shares in the event we consummate an initial business combination, and our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to decline materially.
While we are offering our units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit and the amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share, implying an initial value of $10.00 per public share, our sponsor and certain directors and officers, either directly or indirectly, paid only a nominal aggregate purchase price of $25,000 for the founder shares, or approximately $0.0043 per share. As a result, the value of your public shares may be significantly diluted in the event we consummate an initial business combination. Our sponsor has committed to invest an aggregate of $3,513,000 in us in connection with this offering, comprised of the $25,000 purchase price for the founder shares, the $2,648,000 purchase price for the private placement warrants and $840,000 for the Working Capital Convertible Note. As a result, even if the trading price of our ordinary shares significantly declines, our sponsor will stand to make significant profit on its investment in us. In addition, our sponsor could potentially recoup its entire investment in us if the trading price of our ordinary shares is $0.94 or more per share, even if our sponsor is required to forfeit all of the unvested founder shares and even if the private placement warrants are worthless. As a result, our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us even if we select and consummate an initial business combination that causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to decline, while our public shareholders who purchased their units in this offering could lose significant value in their public shares. Our sponsor may therefore be economically incentivized to consummate an initial business combination with a riskier, weaker performing or less established target business than would be the case if our sponsor had paid the same per share price for the founder shares as our public shareholders paid for their public shares.
The value of the founder shares following completion of our initial business combination is likely to be substantially higher than the nominal price paid for them, even if the trading price of our ordinary shares at such time is substantially less than $10.00 per public share.
Upon the closing of this offering and assuming no exercise of the over-allotment option, our sponsor will have invested in us an aggregate of $3,513,000 comprised of the $25,000 purchase price for the founder shares, the $2,648,000 purchase price for the private placement warrants and the Working Capital Convertible Note. Assuming a trading price of $10.00 per public share upon consummation of our initial business combination and no exercise of the over-allotment option, the 5,000,000 founder shares would have an aggregate implied value of $50,000,000. Even if the trading price of our ordinary shares were as low as $0.94 per share, and the private placement warrants are worthless, the value of the founder shares would be equal to our sponsor’s aggregate initial investment in us. As a result, our sponsor is likely to be able to make a substantial profit on its investment in us at a time when our public shares have lost significant value. Accordingly, members of our management team, who own interests in our sponsor, may be more willing to pursue a business combination with a riskier or less-established target business than would be the case if our sponsor had paid the same per share price for the founder shares as our public shareholders paid for their public shares.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be totally dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post- combination business.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. The role of our key personnel in the target business, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel may remain with the target business in senior management or advisory positions following our initial business combination, it is likely that some or all of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we employ after our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements. In addition, the officers and directors of an initial business combination candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of an initial business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an initial business combination candidate’s
69
key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an initial business combination candidate’s management team will remain associated with the initial business combination candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an initial business combination candidate will not wish to remain in place. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
We are dependent upon our executive officers and directors and their departure could adversely affect our ability to operate.
Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and, in particular, our executive officers and directors. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our executive officers and directors, at least until we have completed our initial business combination. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our directors or executive officers. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or executive officers could have a detrimental effect on us.
Our letter agreement with our sponsor, officers and directors may be amended without shareholder approval.
Our letter agreement with our sponsor, officers and directors, which contains provisions relating to transfer restrictions of our founder shares and private placement warrants, indemnification of the trust account, and waiver of redemption rights to participate in liquidating distributions from the trust account, may be amended without shareholder approval (although releasing the parties from the restriction not to transfer the founder shares for 185 days following the date of this prospectus will require the prior written consent of the underwriter). While we do not expect our board to approve any amendment to the letter agreement prior to our initial business combination, it may be possible that our board, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to the letter agreement. Any such amendments to the letter agreement would not require approval from our shareholders and may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities. As a result, there is a risk that our sponsor and our officers and directors may divest their ownership or economic interests in us or in our sponsor, which would likely result in our loss of certain key personnel. There can be no assurance that any replacement sponsor or key personnel will successfully identify a business combination target for us, or, even if one is so identified, successfully complete such business combination.
Since our sponsor, officers and directors, and any other holders of our founder shares will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed, and because our sponsors, officers and directors and any other holder of our founder shares directly or indirectly may profit substantially from a business combination as a result of their ownership of founder shares even under circumstances where 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, including in connection with the shareholder vote in respect thereto.
Our sponsor and certain directors and officers, either directly or indirectly, currently own 5,750,000 founder shares. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares after this offering (excluding the placement shares). If we increase or decrease the size of this offering we will effect a capitalization or share repurchase or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders at 20% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering. Our public shareholders may incur immediate and substantial dilution upon such adjustment. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. Our sponsor will agree to purchase an aggregate of 2,648,000 private placement warrants (whether or not the over-allotment option is exercised) at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($2,648,000 in the aggregate).
These securities will also be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. Holders of founder shares will agree (A) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed initial business combination and (B) not to redeem any founder shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination. In addition, we may obtain loans from our sponsor, affiliates of our sponsor or an officer or director. The personal and financial interests of our officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination.
Given the differential in the purchase price paid for the founder shares as compared to the initial public offering price of the public shares and the substantial number of Class A ordinary shares that holders of our founder shares
70
would receive upon conversion of the founder shares upon a business combination, the founder shares may have significant value after the business combination even if our Class A ordinary shares trade below the initial public offering price and holders of our public shares have a substantial loss on their investment. Our sponsor, directors and officers and the non-sponsor investors holding founder shares or private placement warrants have agreed (A) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination and (B) not to redeem any public shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination.
The personal and financial interests of our sponsor, directors and officers and any holders of our founder shares may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination and may result in a misalignment of interests between the holders of our founder shares and our officers and directors, on the one hand, and our public shareholders, on the other. These risks may become more acute as the deadline to complete our initial business combination nears. In particular, because the founder shares were purchased at a purchase price of approximately $0.0043 per share, the holders of our founder shares (including certain of our directors and officers that directly or indirectly own founder shares) could make a substantial profit after our initial business combination even if our public shareholders lose money on their investment as a result of a decrease in the post-combination value of their Class A ordinary shares (after accounting for any adjustments in connection with an exchange or other transaction contemplated by the business combination).
Our officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Our officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for an initial business combination and their other businesses. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our officers is engaged in other business endeavors for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation and our officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. Our independent directors may also serve as officers or board members for other entities. If our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination. For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs, please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Management — Directors, Director Nominees and Executive Officers.”
Certain of our officers and directors may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time and determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Following the completion of this offering and until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Our sponsor and its affiliates and our officers and directors may in the future become affiliated with entities (such as operating companies or investment vehicles) that are engaged in a similar business, including other SPACs before we have entered into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination.
Our officers and directors also may become aware of business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us and the other entities to which they owe certain fiduciary or contractual duties.
In addition, our management team and sponsor (including their managed funds and accounts, as the case may be) may in the future become affiliated with other SPACs or other entities that may have acquisition objectives that are similar to ours. Our management team and sponsor (including their managed funds and accounts, as the case may be) are also not prohibited from sponsoring, investing or otherwise becoming involved with, any other blank check companies, including in connection with their initial business combinations, prior to us completing our initial business combination. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from
71
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 may be a corporate opportunity for to any director or officer on the one hand, and us, on the other.
For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest that you should be aware of, please see the sections of this prospectus entitled “Management — Directors, Director Nominees and Executive Officers,” “Management — Conflicts of Interest” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”
Our officers, directors, security holders and their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests.
We have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, officers, security holders or affiliates from having a direct or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. In fact, we may enter into an initial business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor or its affiliates, our directors or officers, although we do not intend to do so. We do not have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.
We may engage in an initial business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with members of our management team, our sponsor or existing holders which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In light of the involvement of our sponsor and its affiliates and our management team, on the one hand, with other entities, on the other hand, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor and its affiliates and our management team. Our directors and officers also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Management - Conflicts of Interest.” Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. Although we will not be specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria for an initial business combination as set forth in the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business — Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of our Initial Business Combination” and such transaction was approved by a majority of our disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, regarding the fairness to our shareholders from a financial point of view of an initial business combination with one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, management team, or existing holders, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the initial business combination may not be as advantageous to our public shareholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.
Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination.
We may structure an initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for us not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. We will not consider any transaction that does not meet such criteria. Even if the post- transaction company owns 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the initial business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new Class A 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% interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new ordinary shares, our shareholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our outstanding ordinary shares subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority shareholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger share
72
of the company’s stock, shares or other equity interests than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that our management will not be able to maintain our control of the target business. We cannot provide assurance that, upon loss of control of a target business, new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.
Members of our management team and companies affiliated thereof have been, and may from time to time be, involved in legal proceedings or governmental investigations unrelated to our business.
Members of our management team have been involved in a wide variety of businesses. Such involvement has, and may lead to, media coverage and public awareness. As a result of such involvement, members of our management team and companies affiliated thereof have been, and may from time to time be, involved in legal proceedings or governmental investigations unrelated to our business. Any such proceedings or investigations may be detrimental to our or their reputation or result in other negative consequences or damages, which could negatively affect our ability to identify and complete an initial business combination and may have an adverse effect on the price of our securities.
A conflict of interest may arise from the need to obtain the consent of our sponsor to our business combination.
Our sponsor will not cause us to enter into any agreements with respect to our initial business combination without its approval. Interests of our sponsor, or its respective affiliates may conflict with those of the rest of the shareholders, and our sponsor can prevent us from consummating a business combination if they do not wish to proceed with such business combination, even if such business combination might be in the best interest of our public shareholders.
Risks Relating to Our Securities
The securities in which we invest the funds held in the trust account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share.
The proceeds held in the trust account will be (i) invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act, which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations, and/or (ii) deposited in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a U.S. - chartered commercial bank with consolidated assets of $100 billion or more. While short-term U.S. government treasury obligations currently yield a positive rate of interest, they have briefly yielded negative interest rates in recent years. Central banks in Europe and Japan pursued interest rates below zero in recent years, and the Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve has not ruled out the possibility that it may in the future adopt similar policies in the United States. In the event that we are unable to complete our initial business combination or make certain amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, our public shareholders are entitled to receive their pro-rata share of the proceeds held in the trust account, plus any interest income (less, in the case we are unable to complete our initial business combination, taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest to fund dissolution expenses). Negative interest rates could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including:
• | restrictions on the nature of our investments; and |
• | restrictions on the issuance of securities, each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. |
In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including:
• | registration as an investment company; |
• | adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and |
• | reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations. |
73
In order not to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, unless we can qualify for an exclusion, we must ensure that we are engaged primarily in a business other than investing, reinvesting or trading in securities and that our activities do not include investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading “investment securities” constituting more than 40% of our total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Our business will be to identify and complete an initial business combination and thereafter to operate the post-transaction business or assets for the long term. We do not plan to buy businesses or assets with a view to resale or profit from their resale. We do not plan to buy unrelated businesses or assets or to be a passive investor.
We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee is not permitted to invest in other securities or assets. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, and by having a business plan targeted at acquiring and growing businesses for the long term (rather than on buying and selling businesses in the manner of a merchant bank or private equity fund), we intend to avoid being deemed an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. This offering is not intended for persons who are seeking a return on investments in government securities or investment securities. The trust account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of our initial business combination; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; or (iii) absent an initial business combination within the completion window, our return of the funds held in the trust account to our public shareholders as part of our redemption of the public shares.
Further, under the subjective test of a “investment company” pursuant to Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act, even if the funds deposited in the trust account were invested in the assets discussed above, there is a risk that we could be deemed an investment company and subject to the Investment Company Act based on the length of time such funds are invested in such assets.
If we were deemed to be an unregistered investment company and subject to compliance with and regulation under the Investment Company Act, we would be subject to additional regulatory burdens and expenses for which we have not allotted funds. Unless we are able to modify our activities so that we would not be deemed an investment company, we would either register as an investment company or wind down and abandon our efforts to complete an initial business combination and instead liquidate the company. As a result, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account, would lose the investment opportunity in a target company with which we may decide to consummate an initial business combination and would be unable to realize the potential benefits of an initial business combination, including the possible appreciation of the combined company’s securities, and our warrants would expire worthless.
If our circumstances change over time, we will update our disclosure to reflect how such changes impact the risk that we may be considered to be operating as an unregistered investment company.
To mitigate the risk that we might be deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, we may, at any time, instruct the trustee to liquidate the securities held in the trust account and instead to hold the funds in the trust account in cash or an interest bearing account until the earlier of the consummation of our initial business combination or our liquidation. As a result, following the liquidation of securities in the trust account, we would likely receive minimal interest, if any, on the funds held in the trust account, which would reduce the dollar amount our public shareholders would receive upon any redemption or liquidation of the company.
The funds in the trust account will be (i) invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act, which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations, and/or (ii) deposited in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a U.S.-chartered commercial bank with consolidated assets of $100 billion or more. However, to mitigate the risk of us being deemed to be an unregistered investment company (including under
74
the subjective test of Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act) and thus subject to regulation under the Investment Company Act, we may, at any time, and we expect that we will, on or prior to the 24-month anniversary of the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, instruct Odyssey Trust Company, the trustee with respect to the trust account, to liquidate the U.S. government treasury obligations or money market funds held in the trust account and thereafter to hold all funds in the trust account in cash or an interest bearing account until the earlier of consummation of our initial business combination or liquidation of the company. Following such liquidation, we would likely receive minimal interest, if any, on the funds held in the trust account. However, interest previously earned on the funds held in the trust account still may be released to us for certain expenses as permitted. As a result, any decision to liquidate the securities held in the trust account and thereafter to hold all funds in the trust account in cash or an interest bearing account would reduce the dollar amount our public shareholders would receive upon any redemption or liquidation of the company.
In addition, even prior to the 18-month anniversary of the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we may be deemed to be an investment company. The longer that the funds in the trust account are held in short-term U.S. government treasury obligations or in money market funds invested exclusively in such securities, even prior to the 18-month anniversary, the greater the risk that we may be considered an unregistered investment company, in which case we may be required to liquidate the company. Our investors may face adverse consequences if we are required to wind down our operations as a result of our status as an unregistered investment company, such as the losses of the investment opportunity in a target company, any price appreciation in the combined company and the fact that our warrants would expire worthless. If facts and circumstances change over time, we will update our disclosure to reflect how these changes impact the risks that we may be considered to be operating as an unregistered investment company. We may determine, in our discretion, to liquidate the securities held in the trust account at any time, even prior to the 18-month anniversary, and instead hold all funds in the trust account in cash or an interest bearing account, which would further reduce the dollar amount our public shareholders would receive upon any redemption or liquidation of the company.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of shareholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), is restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering without our prior consent, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. And as a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your ordinary shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
Nasdaq may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
We intend to apply to have our units listed on the Nasdaq. We expect that our units will be listed on the Nasdaq on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. Following the date our Class A ordinary shares and warrants are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that our Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be separately listed on the Nasdaq. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on the Nasdaq. Although after giving effect to this offering we expect to meet, on a pro forma basis, the minimum initial listing standards set forth in the Nasdaq listing standards, we cannot assure you that our securities will be, or will continue to be, listed on the Nasdaq in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on the Nasdaq prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and share price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum market capitalization (generally $50,000,000) and a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 400 public holders).
75
Additionally, our units will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination and, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with the Nasdaq initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than the Nasdaq continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on the Nasdaq.
For instance, in order for our shares to be listed upon the consummation of our business combination, at such time our share price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share, our total market capitalization would be required to be at least $200.0 million, the aggregate market value of publicly held shares would be required to be at least $100.0 million and we would be required to have at least 400 round lot shareholders. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those listing requirements at that time.
If the Nasdaq delists our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list our securities on another national securities exchange, we expect our securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:
• | a limited availability of market quotations for our securities; |
• | reduced liquidity for our securities; |
• | a determination that our Class A ordinary shares are “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A ordinary shares to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities; |
• | a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and |
• | a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future. |
The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because we expect that our units and eventually our Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed on the Nasdaq, our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be covered securities. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the State of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on the Nasdaq, our securities would not be covered securities and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities, including in connection with our initial business combination.
We have included the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the public warrants under the Securities Act in the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. However, this registration statement or another registration statement covering such Class A ordinary shares may not be in place when an investor desires to exercise public warrants, thus precluding such investor from being able to exercise its public warrants except on a cashless basis. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of public warrants is not registered, qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless.
We have included 11,500,000 Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the public warrants under the Securities Act in the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Because the public warrants are not exercisable until the later of the completion of our initial business combination or 12 months after this registration statement is declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission, we do not currently intend to update the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or file a new registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the public warrants until after the initial business combination has been consummated. Under the terms of the warrant agreement, we will agree that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement for the registration under the Securities Act of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the public warrants and thereafter will use our best 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 public warrants, until the expiration of the public warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement; provided that if a registration statement on
76
Form S-4 or Form F-4 is filed in connection with our initial business combination that registers our warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of such warrants, such registration statement will not satisfy our obligation to register the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of our warrants, which will only be satisfied with the filing of a registration statement on Form S-1 or Form F-1 (or, if applicable, a registration statement on Form S-3 or Form F-3) registering the issuance of such Class A ordinary shares from time to time. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current or correct or the SEC issues a stop order. If the shares issuable upon exercise of the public warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their public warrants on a cashless basis. However, no public warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their public warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration is available. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the public warrants is not effective within a specified period following the consummation of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise public warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to the exemption provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act, provided that such exemption is available. If that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their public warrants on a cashless basis. We will use our best efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any public warrant, or issue securities or other compensation in exchange for the public warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the public warrants under applicable state securities laws and there is no exemption available. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the public warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such public warrant will not be entitled to exercise such public warrant and such public warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their public warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the Class A ordinary shares included in the units. If and when the public warrants become redeemable by us, we may not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of ordinary shares upon exercise of the public 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 public warrants were offered by us in this offering. However, there may be instances in which holders of our public warrants may be unable to exercise such public warrants but holders of our private placement warrants may be able to exercise such private placement warrants.
If you exercise your public warrants on a “cashless basis,” you will receive fewer Class A ordinary shares from such exercise than if you were to exercise such warrants for cash.
There are circumstances in which the exercise of the public warrants may be required or permitted to be made on a cashless basis. First, if a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. Second, if a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective within a specified period following the consummation of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to the exemption provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act, provided that such exemption is available; if that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. Third, if we call the public warrants for redemption, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a cashless basis. In the event of an exercise on a cashless basis, a holder would pay the warrant exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the lesser of the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (as defined in the next sentence) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” for this purpose shall mean the average last reported last sale
77
price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent or on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants, as applicable. As a result, you would receive fewer Class A ordinary shares from such exercise than if you were to exercise such warrants for cash.
The grant of registration rights to our initial shareholders may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exercise of such rights may adversely affect the market price of our Class A ordinary shares.
Pursuant to an agreement to be entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in this offering, our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the private placement warrants, the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants, the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of the founder shares, warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans, and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of such warrants. In addition, after the completion of this offering, our board of directors may approve Additional Working Capital Loans for the purpose of funding working capital, which loans may be converted into our private units, shares, or warrants. We will bear the cost of registering these securities. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the shareholders of the target business may increase the equity stake they seek in the combined entity or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares that is expected when the securities owned by our initial shareholders or holders of working capital loans or their respective permitted transferees are registered.
We may issue additional ordinary shares or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon the conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our shareholders and likely present other risks.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will authorize the issuance of up to 200,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, 20,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 preference shares, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 180,000,000 and 15,000,000 (assuming, in each case, that the underwriter has not exercised its over-allotment option) authorized but unissued Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares, respectively, available for issuance, which amount does not take into account the Class A ordinary shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants or the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of Class B ordinary shares. Immediately after the consummation of this offering, there will be no preference shares issued and outstanding. Class B ordinary shares are convertible into Class A ordinary shares initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein, including in certain circumstances in which we issue Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities related to our initial business combination.
We may issue a substantial number of additional ordinary shares or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination (although our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we may not issue securities that can vote with ordinary shareholders on matters related to our pre-initial business combination activity). We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. However, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide, among other things, that prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional ordinary shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, like all provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, may be amended with the approval of our shareholders. However, pursuant to the Letter Agreement and the Non-Sponsor Investor Letter Agreement, our sponsor, officers, and directors and the non-sponsor investors will agree, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial
78
business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and permitted withdrawals), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares.
The issuance of additional ordinary shares or preference shares:
• | may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering; |
• | may subordinate the rights of holders of ordinary shares if preference shares is issued with rights senior to those afforded our ordinary shares; |
• | could cause a change of control if a substantial number of our ordinary shares are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; and |
• | may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A ordinary shares and/or warrants. |
Our sponsor and certain director and officers, either directly or indirectly, paid an aggregate of $0.0043, or approximately $25,000 per founder share, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our Class B ordinary shares.
The difference between the public offering price per share (allocating all of the unit purchase price to the Class A ordinary shares and none to the warrant included in the unit) and the pro forma net tangible book value per Class A ordinary share after this offering constitutes the dilution to you and the other investors in this offering. Our sponsor acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, significantly contributing to this dilution. Upon the closing of this offering, and assuming no value is ascribed to the warrants included in the units, you and the other public shareholders will incur immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 100.3% (or $10.03 per share, assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option), the difference between the pro forma net tangible book deficit per share of $(0.03) (assuming a maximum redemption scenario) and the initial offering price of $10.00 per unit. For more information on dilution, the assumptions underlying the expected dilution you will experience in connection with this offering and the dilutive impact of different redemption scenarios, please see the section entitled “Dilution” in this prospectus. This dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the founder shares result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the founder shares at the time of our initial business combination and would become exacerbated to the extent that public shareholders seek redemptions from the trust for their public shares. In addition, because of the anti-dilution rights of the founder shares, any equity or equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our Class A ordinary shares.
Unlike many other similarly structured blank check companies, our initial shareholders will receive additional Class A ordinary shares if we issue shares to consummate an initial business combination.
The founder shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination or at any time prior thereto at the option of the holder thereof on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts sold in this offering and related to the closing of our initial business combination, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares shall 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 anti- dilution 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, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the total number of all ordinary shares outstanding upon completion of this offering plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination, excluding any Class A ordinary shares, subject to vesting and any other restrictions, issued or deemed issued to (i) our sponsor (or its members or affiliates) in connection with the consummation of this offering, (ii) any seller in the initial business combination, (iii) the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants and (iv) any Class A ordinary shares issued to our sponsor (or its members or affiliates) upon conversion of working capital loans. Our public shareholders may incur immediate and substantial dilution upon such adjustment. Additionally, the
79
aforementioned adjustment will not take into account any Class A ordinary shares redeemed in connection with the business combination. Accordingly, the holders of the founder shares could receive additional Class A ordinary shares even if the additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities convertible or exercisable for Class A ordinary shares, are issued or deemed issued solely to replace those shares that were redeemed in connection with the business combination. The foregoing may make it more difficult and expensive for us to consummate an initial business combination.
We may make permitted withdrawals from the interest earned on the trust account to fund our working capital requirements and/or to pay our taxes, which may negatively impact the potential value of the trust account as well as the cash remaining for the combined company following the consummation of our initial business combination.
Unlike many other SPACs, we are permitted to withdraw 5% of the interest earned on the trust account to fund our working capital requirements and/or to pay our taxes. Such permitted withdrawals can only be made (x) from interest and not from the principal held in the trust account and (y) only to the extent such interest is in the amount sufficient to cover the permitted withdrawal amount.
Because we may make permitted withdrawals, the potential value of the trust account as well as the cash remaining for the combined company following the consummation of the business combination may be negatively impacted, and shareholders who choose to redeem their shares may receive less in connection with such redemptions than they would receive if we did not make such permitted withdrawals.
We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by the holders of at least a simple majority of then outstanding public warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of our Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.
Our warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Odyssey Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement will provide that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder for the purpose of (i) curing any ambiguity or correct any mistake, including to conform the provisions of the warrant agreement to the description of the terms of the warrants and the warrant agreement set forth in this prospectus, or defective provision (ii) amending the provisions relating to cash dividends on ordinary shares as contemplated by and in accordance with the warrant agreement or (iii) adding or changing any provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the warrant agreement as the parties to the warrant agreement may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the rights of the registered holders of the warrants, provided that the approval by the holders of at least a simple majority of then-outstanding public warrants is required to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least a simple majority of then-outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment and, solely with respect to any amendment to the terms of the private placement warrants or any provision of the warrant agreement with respect to the private placement warrants, a simple majority of the number of then outstanding private placement warrants. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least a majority of then outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, convert the warrants into cash or ordinary shares, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of our Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant. In addition, because we may make permitted withdrawals, including of up to 5% of the interest earned on the trust account to fund our working capital requirements, the potential value of the trust account as well as the cash remaining for the combined company following the consummation of the business combination, and therefore the value of the warrants, may be negatively impacted.
Our warrant agreement designates the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our warrant agreement will provide that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of
80
New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreement do not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our warrant agreement. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions of the warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”) in the name of any holder of our warrants, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.
This choice-of-forum provision may limit a warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our warrant agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.
We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.
We have the ability to redeem outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the last reported sales price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “Description of Securities - Warrants - Anti-Dilution Adjustments”) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period commencing once the warrants become exercisable and ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we give proper notice of such redemption and provided certain other conditions are met, provided that a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares is available throughout the 30-trading day measurement 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 this offering. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force you (i) to exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) to sell your warrants at then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your warrants. None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us.
Our warrants and founder shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.
We will be issuing warrants to purchase 10,000,000 our Class A ordinary shares (or up to 11,500,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) as part of the units offered by this prospectus and, simultaneously with the closing of this offering, we will be issuing an aggregate of 2,648,000 private placement warrants (whether or not the over-allotment option is exercised) , each warrant exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share.
Our sponsor currently own an aggregate of 5,750,000 founder shares. The founder shares are convertible into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as set forth herein. Further, upon the completion of this offering, we will issue our Sponsor a Working Capital Convertible Note in the principal amount of up to
81
$840.00, which we may draw down in our sole discretion, from time to time, to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. Any principal amount outstanding under the Working Capital Convertible Note may be converted into Class A ordinary shares, at a conversion price per share equal to the lower of (i) $8.00 and (ii) the Note Conversion VWAP, at the option of our Sponsor. In addition, if our sponsor makes any working capital loans, up to $2,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender, upon consummation of our initial business combination. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. In addition, after the completion of this offering, our board of directors may approve Additional Working Capital Loans for the purpose of funding working capital, which loans may be converted into our private units, shares, or warrants. To the extent we issue Class A ordinary shares to effectuate an initial business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of these warrants, conversion of Working Capital Convertible Note and conversion rights could make us a less attractive business combination vehicle to a target business. Any such issuance will increase the number of issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares and reduce the value of the Class A ordinary shares issued to complete the initial business combination.
Therefore, our warrants and founder shares may make it more difficult to effectuate an initial business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
The private placement warrants are identical to the warrants sold as part of the units in this offering except that, (i) they will not be redeemable by us, (ii) they (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of these warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by our sponsor until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and (iii) they may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis.
Because each unit contains one-half of one redeemable warrant and only a whole warrant may be exercised, the units may be worth less than units of other blank check companies.
Each unit contains one-half of one redeemable warrant. 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. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one ordinary share and one warrant to purchase one whole share. We have established the components of the units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of an initial business combination since the warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for one-half of the number of shares compared to units that each contain a warrant to purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive merger partner for target businesses. Nevertheless, this unit structure may cause our units to be worth less than if they included a warrant to purchase one whole share.
A provision of our warrant agreement may make it more difficult for use to consummate an initial business combination.
Unlike some blank check companies, if
(i) | we issue additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a New Issuance Price of less than $9.20 per share; |
(ii) | the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and |
(iii) | the Market Value is below $9.20 per share, |
then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the New Issuance Price and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described adjacent to “Description of Securities - Warrants - Public Shareholders’ Warrants - Redemption of Public Warrants” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the New Issuance Price. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.
82
The determination of the offering price of our units and the size of this offering is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities and size of an offering of an operating company in a particular industry. You may have less assurance, therefore, that the offering price of our units properly reflects the value of such units than you would have in a typical offering of an operating company.
Prior to this offering there has been no public market for any of our securities. The public offering price of the units and the terms of the warrants were determined through discussions between us and the underwriter. In determining the size of this offering, management held customary organizational meetings with representatives of the underwriter, both prior to our inception and thereafter, with respect to the state of capital markets, generally, and the amount the underwriter believes they reasonably could raise on our behalf. Factors considered in determining the size of this offering, prices and terms of the units, including the Class A ordinary shares and warrants underlying the units, include:
• | the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies; |
• | prior offerings of those companies; |
• | our prospects for acquiring an operating business; |
• | our capital structure; |
• | an assessment of our management and their experience in identifying operating companies; |
• | general conditions of the securities markets at the time of this offering; and |
• | other factors as were deemed relevant. |
Although these factors were considered, the determination of our offering price is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities of an operating company in a particular industry since we have no historical operations or financial results.
There is currently no market for our securities and a market for our securities may not develop, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.
There is currently no market for our securities. Shareholders therefore have no access to information about prior market history on which to base their investment decision. Following this offering, the price of our securities may vary significantly due to one or more potential business combinations and general market or economic conditions. Furthermore, an active trading market for our securities may never develop or, if developed, it may not be sustained. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market can be established and sustained.
Holders of Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside of the Cayman Islands prior to our initial business combination.
As holders of our Class A ordinary shares, our public shareholders will not have the right to vote on continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside of the Cayman Islands prior to our initial business combination (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 of the Cayman Islands).
You will not be permitted to exercise your warrants unless we register and qualify the underlying Class A ordinary shares or certain exemptions are available.
If the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of the warrants is not registered, qualified or exempt from registration or qualification under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, holders of warrants will not be entitled to exercise such warrants and such warrants may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the Class A ordinary shares included in the units.
We are registering 11,500,000 Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the public warrants in the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part because the warrants will become exercisable on the later of the completion of our initial business combination or 12 months after this registration statement is declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission. However, because the warrants will be exercisable until their expiration date of up to five years after the completion of our initial business combination, in order to comply with the requirements of Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act following the consummation of our initial business
83
combination, under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that, as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days, after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part 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. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current or correct or the SEC issues a stop order.
If the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, under the terms of the warrant agreement, holders of warrants who seek to exercise their warrants will not be permitted to do so for cash and, instead, will be required to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption.
In no event will warrants be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration or qualification is available.
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 “covered securities” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, not permit holders of warrants who seek to exercise their warrants to do so for cash and, instead, require them to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act; in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement or register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities laws.
In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities (other than upon a cashless exercise as described above) or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under the Securities Act or applicable state securities laws.
Provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our Class A ordinary shares and could entrench management.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that shareholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preference shares, and the fact that prior to the completion of our initial business combination only holders of our Class B ordinary shares, which have been issued to our sponsor, are entitled to vote on the appointment of directors, which may make the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities. These provisions may make the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
We are also subject to anti-takeover provisions under Cayman Islands law, which could delay or prevent a change of control. Together these provisions may make the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
However, under Cayman Islands law, our directors may only exercise the rights and powers granted to them under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association for a proper purpose and for what they believe in good faith to be in the best interests of our company.
84
Our search for an initial business combination, and any target business with which we may ultimately consummate an initial business combination, may be materially adversely affected by current global geopolitical conditions resulting from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and the recent escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
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 (SWIFT) 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 cyber-attacks 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 abovementioned 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 our search for an initial business combination and any target business with which we may ultimately consummate an initial business combination.
The extent and duration of the ongoing conflicts, resulting sanctions and any related market disruptions are impossible to predict, but could be substantial, particularly if current or new sanctions continue for an extended period of time or if geopolitical tensions result in expanded military operations on a global scale. Any such disruptions may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this section. If these disruptions or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate an initial business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we may ultimately consummate an initial business combination, may be materially adversely affected.
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.
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, and to other company or industry-specific, national, regional or international economic disruptions and economic uncertainty, any of which could make it more difficult for us to identify a business combination target and consummate an initial business combination on acceptable commercial terms, or at all.
Recent increases in inflation in the United States and elsewhere could make it more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
Recent increases in inflation in the United States and elsewhere may lead to increased price volatility for publicly traded securities, including ours, or other national, regional or international economic disruptions, any of which could make it more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
General Risk Factors
We are a newly incorporated company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
We are a newly incorporated Cayman Islands exempted company with no operating results, and we will not commence operations until obtaining funding through this offering. Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of completing our initial business
85
combination with one or more target businesses. We have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective target business concerning an initial business combination and may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we fail to complete our initial business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.
Past performance by our management team and their respective affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us.
With respect to the experiences of our management team, and their respective affiliates, past performance is not a guarantee (i) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (ii) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical performance of our management team, and their respective affiliates (either individually or collectively) as indicative of our future performance of an investment in the company or the returns the company will, or is likely to, generate going forward. Additionally, in the course of their respective careers, members of our management team have been involved in businesses and deals that were unsuccessful.
We may reincorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination and such reincorporation may result in taxes imposed on shareholders or warrant holders.
We may, in connection with our initial business combination and subject to requisite shareholder approval under the Companies Act, reincorporate in the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located, or in another jurisdiction. The transaction may require a shareholder or warrant holder to recognize taxable income in the jurisdiction in which the shareholder or warrant holder is a tax resident or in which its members are resident if it is a tax transparent entity. We do not intend to make any cash distributions to shareholders or warrant holders to pay such taxes. Shareholders and warrant holders may be subject to withholding taxes or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after the reincorporation.
In particular, although we may attempt to structure any change in our jurisdiction of incorporation (if any) in a tax-efficient manner (including, if possible, in a manner that is tax-deferred for U.S. federal income tax purposes), tax structuring considerations are complex, the relevant facts and law may be uncertain and may change, we may prioritize commercial and other considerations over tax considerations, and we may prioritize company-level tax considerations over the tax considerations of our shareholders and warrantholders. As a result, the change in our jurisdiction of incorporation may have adverse tax consequences to us or to our shareholders and warrantholders, including the recognition of substantial gain for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and because you may not have prior notice of our change in jurisdiction, you may not be able to avoid such consequences. For example, under certain circumstances, including if we are treated as a PFIC, a U.S. Holder may be subject to U.S. federal income tax on gain or a deemed dividend upon the exchange of our ordinary shares or warrants for our successor’s shares or warrants, and such taxes may be substantial. For a more detailed discussion of the PFIC rules and the related tax considerations for U.S. Holders, see the section of this prospectus captioned “Certain Income Tax Considerations — U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations - Considerations for U.S. Holders — Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.”
In addition to the immediate consequences of a change in our jurisdiction of incorporation, holding our successor’s shares or warrants following a change in our jurisdiction of incorporation could have different, potentially adverse, consequences as compared to those of holding our shares or warrants prior to any such change. For example, if we were to change our jurisdiction of incorporation from the Cayman Islands to Delaware, this could have a number of adverse consequences to Non-U.S. Holders who own our successor’s shares or warrants by exposing them to U.S. taxation and reporting obligations, such as the taxation of dividends from our successor or the taxation of dispositions of our successor’s shares or warrants. Because such persons may not have prior notice of our change in jurisdiction, they may not be able to change the manner in which they hold our shares or warrants or dispose of our shares or warrants prior to any such change in our jurisdiction of incorporation, and therefore such persons may not be able to avoid any adverse consequences of holding our successor’s shares or warrants after such change.
Further, it is possible that we would change our jurisdiction of incorporation in anticipation of consummating a specific business combination but not complete that business combination for any number of reasons. If we are unable to consummate a business combination with a specific business combination target following such a change in our jurisdiction of incorporation, our new jurisdiction of incorporation could have disadvantages to us or our shareholders and/or warrantholders, particularly if we subsequently pursue a business combination with a target that
86
is incorporated in a different jurisdiction. In such circumstances, we may not be competitive with other special purpose acquisition companies incorporated in the Cayman Islands when pursuing certain target companies, the consummation of our initial business combination could be more complex, or it may be more difficult to structure such an initial business combination in a tax-efficient manner. For example, we may change our jurisdiction of incorporation to the United States in anticipation of a business combination with a U.S. target company but ultimately effect our initial business combination with a non-U.S. target company. In such a case, we may be unable to structure our initial business combination in a tax-deferred manner, and our shareholders and/or warrantholders may be required to pay substantial U.S. federal income or other taxes in connection with the consummation of the initial business combination. In addition, the initial business combination may result in tax inefficiencies for the post-business combination company, including that, if the post-business combination company is organized outside of the United States, it may nevertheless be treated as a U.S. corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which treatment may result in substantial tax inefficiencies for both the post-business combination company and for our shareholders and/or warrantholders.
We cannot assure you when or whether we will change our jurisdiction of incorporation or, if we do change our jurisdiction of incorporation, the jurisdiction in which we will ultimately be incorporated. Accordingly, there is significant uncertainty as to the legal, tax and other considerations that may be applicable to us or to our shareholders and warrantholders, and we cannot provide you with specific or comprehensive examples of such potential consequences. The rules governing a change in our jurisdiction of incorporation and the transactions that may occur in connection with our initial business combination are complex, and the consequences arising from such rules or transactions will depend on a holder’s particular circumstances and on the circumstances surrounding our change in jurisdiction and initial business combination. All investors considering a purchase of units in this offering are urged to consult with and rely solely upon their own legal and tax advisors regarding the potential consequences to them of any change in our jurisdiction of incorporation.
An investment in this offering may result in uncertain or adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences.
An investment in this offering may result in uncertain U.S. federal income tax consequences. For instance, because there are no authorities that directly address instruments similar to the units we are issuing in this offering, the allocation an investor makes with respect to the purchase price of a unit between the Class A ordinary share and the one-half of one redeemable warrant to purchase one Class A ordinary share included in each unit could be challenged by the IRS or the courts. Furthermore, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of a cashless exercise of warrants included in the units we are issuing in this offering are unclear under current law, and the adjustment to the exercise price and/or redemption price of the warrants could give rise to dividend income to investors without a corresponding payment of cash. Finally, it is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to our Class A ordinary shares suspend the running of a U.S. Holder’s holding period for purposes of determining whether any gain or loss realized by such holder on the sale or exchange of Class A ordinary shares is long-term capital gain or loss and for determining whether any dividends we pay would be considered “qualified dividend income” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. We note that “qualified dividend income” cannot in any event be received from a PFIC, and PFIC rules would, absent certain elections, treat capital gains as ordinary, See the section of this prospectus titled “Taxation — U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations” for a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to an investment in our securities. Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to these and other tax consequences applicable to their specific circumstances of purchasing, holding or disposing of our securities.
Whether a redemption of Class A ordinary shares will be treated as a sale of such Class A ordinary shares for U.S. federal income tax purposes will depend on a shareholder’s specific facts.
The U.S. federal income tax treatment of a redemption of Class A ordinary shares will depend on whether the redemption qualifies as a sale of such Class A ordinary shares under Section 302(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), which will depend largely on the total number of our shares treated as held by the shareholder electing to redeem Class A ordinary shares (including any shares constructively owned by the holder as a result of owning private placement warrants or public warrants or otherwise) relative to all of our shares outstanding both before and after the redemption. If such redemption is not treated as a sale of Class A ordinary shares for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the redemption will instead be treated as a corporate distribution of cash from us. For more information about the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the redemption of Class A ordinary shares, see the sections entitled “Certain Income Tax Considerations — U.S. Federal Income Tax
87
Considerations — Considerations for U.S. Holders — Redemption or Repurchase of Class A Ordinary Shares for Cash” or “Certain Income Tax Considerations — U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — Considerations for Non-U.S. Holders — Redemption or Repurchase of Class A Ordinary Shares for Cash,” as applicable.
Cyber incidents or attacks directed at us could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.
We depend on digital technologies, including information systems, infrastructure and cloud applications and services, including those of third parties with which we may deal. Sophisticated and deliberate attacks on, or security breaches in, our systems or infrastructure, or the systems or infrastructure of third parties or the cloud, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of our assets, proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data. As an early stage company without significant investments in data security protection, we may not be sufficiently protected against such occurrences. We may not have sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to, cyber incidents. It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have adverse consequences on our business and lead to financial loss.
Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination and results of operations.
We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we will be required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly.
Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination and results of operations.
Effective July 1, 2024, the SEC issued final rules relating to, among other items, enhancing disclosures in business combination transactions involving SPACs and private operating companies; amending the financial statement requirements applicable to transactions involving shell companies; effectively limiting the use of projections in SEC filings in connection with proposed business combination transactions; and increasing the potential liability of certain participants in proposed business combination transactions. These rules may materially adversely affect our ability to engage financial and capital market advisors, negotiate and complete our initial business combination and may increase the costs and time related thereto.
There are risks related to the technology industry to which we may be subject.
Business combinations with companies with operations in the technology industry entail special considerations and risks. If we are successful in completing a business combination with a target business with operations in the technology industry, we will be subject to, and possibly adversely affected by, the following risks, including but not limited to:
• | if we do not develop successful new products or improve existing ones, our business will suffer; |
• | we may invest in new lines of business that could fail to attract or retain users or generate revenue; |
• | we will face significant competition and if we are not able to maintain or improve our market share, our business could suffer; |
• | disruption or failure of our networks, systems, platform or technology that frustrate or thwart our users’ ability to access our products and services, may cause our users, advertisers, and partners to cut back on or stop using our products and services altogether, which could seriously harm our business; |
• | mobile malware, viruses, hacking and phishing attacks, spamming, and improper or illegal use of our products could seriously harm our business and reputation; |
• | if we are unable to successfully grow our user base and further monetize our products, our business will suffer; |
88
• | if we are unable to protect our intellectual property, the value of our brand and other intangible assets may be diminished, and our business may be seriously harmed; |
• | we may be subject to regulatory investigations and proceedings in the future, which could cause us to incur substantial costs or require us to change our business practices in a way that could seriously harm our business; and |
• | components used in our products may fail as a result of a manufacturing, design, or other defect over which we have no control, and render our devices inoperable. |
Any of the foregoing could have an adverse impact on our operations following a business combination. However, our efforts in identifying prospective target businesses will not be limited to the technology industry. Accordingly, if we acquire a target business in another industry, these risks will likely not affect us and we will be subject to other risks attendant with the specific industry in which we operate or target business which we acquire, none of which can be presently ascertained.
Because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, you may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through the U.S. federal courts may be limited.
We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon our directors or executive officers, or enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against our directors or officers.
Our corporate affairs and the rights of shareholders will be governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands and the common law of the Cayman Islands. We will also be subject to the federal securities laws of the United States. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are different from what they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and certain states, such as Delaware, may have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholders derivative action in a Federal court of the United States. For a more detailed discussion of the principal differences between the provisions of the Companies Act applicable to us and, for example, the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders, see the section of this prospectus captioned “Description of Securities — Certain Differences in Corporate Law.”
Shareholders of Cayman Islands exempted companies like the company have no general rights under Cayman Islands law to inspect corporate records or to obtain copies of the register of members of these companies. Our directors have discretion under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to determine whether or not, and under what conditions, our corporate records may be inspected by our shareholders, but are not obliged to make them available to our shareholders. This may make it more difficult for you to obtain the information needed to establish any facts necessary for a shareholder motion or to solicit proxies from other shareholders in connection with a proxy contest.
We have been advised by Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter,
89
impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands Court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by our team, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a United States company.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that the courts of the Cayman Islands will be the exclusive forums for certain disputes between us and our shareholders, which could limit our shareholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for complaints against us or our directors, officers or employees.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the courts of the Cayman Islands shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any claim or dispute arising out of or in connection with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or otherwise related in any way to each shareholder’s shareholding in us, including but not limited to (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of any fiduciary or other duty owed by any of our current or former directors, officers or other employees to us or our shareholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Companies Act or our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us governed by the internal affairs doctrine (as such concept is recognized under the laws of the United States of America) and that each shareholder irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Cayman Islands over all such claims or disputes. The forum selection provision in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will not apply to actions or suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act, Exchange Act or any claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are, as a matter of the laws of the United States of America, the sole and exclusive forum for determination of such a claim.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association also provide that, without prejudice to any other rights or remedies that we may have, each of our shareholders acknowledges that damages alone would not be an adequate remedy for any breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum and that accordingly we shall be entitled, without proof of special damages, to the remedies of injunction, specific performance or other equitable relief for any threatened or actual breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum.
This choice of forum provision may increase a shareholder’s cost and limit the shareholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and other employees. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any of our shares or other securities, whether by transfer, sale, operation of law or otherwise, shall be deemed to have notice of and have irrevocably agreed and consented to these provisions. There is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such provisions, and the enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ charter documents has been challenged in legal proceedings. It is possible that a court could find this type of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable, and if a court were to find this provision in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving the dispute in other jurisdictions, which could have adverse effect on our business and financial performance.
Holders of Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on any appointment or removal of directors and to continue our company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands prior to our initial business combination.
Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors and to continue our company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors or to continue our company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands during such time. In addition, prior to our initial business combination, holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. Accordingly, you will not have any say in the management of our company prior to the consummation of an initial business combination.
90
We are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company within the meaning of the rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies and smaller reporting companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our shareholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our Class A ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of any June 30 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile. Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accountant standards used.
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 aggregate worldwide market value of our Class A ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equaled or exceeded $250.0 million as of the end of the prior June 30th, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100.0 million during such completed fiscal year or the aggregate worldwide market value of our Class A ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equaled or exceeded $700.0 million as of the prior June 30th.
91
We are offering 20,000,000 units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit. We estimate that the net proceeds of this offering together with the funds we will receive from the sale of the private placement warrants will be used as set forth in the following table.
Gross proceeds from units offered to public(1) | $200,000,000 | $230,000,000 | ||||
Gross proceeds from private placement warrants offered in the private placement | 2,648,000 | 2,648,000 | ||||
Total gross proceeds | $202,648,000 | $202,648,000 | ||||
Estimated offering expenses(2) | ||||||
Underwriting | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | ||||
Legal fees and expenses | 450,000 | 450,000 | ||||
Accounting fees and expenses | 50,000 | 50,000 | ||||
Printing and engraving expenses | 35,000 | 35,000 | ||||
SEC and FINRA expenses | 110,293 | 110,293 | ||||
Exchange listing fees | 85,000 | 85,000 | ||||
Miscellaneous expenses(3) | 77,707 | 77,707 | ||||
Total estimated offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) | $808,000 | $808,000 | ||||
Proceeds after estimated offering expenses | $200,840,000 | $230,840,000 | ||||
Held in trust account(2) | $200,000,000 | $230,000,000 | ||||
% of public offering size | 100% | 100% | ||||
Not held in trust account | $840,000 | $840,000 | ||||
Funds available under Working Capital Convertible Note | $840,000 | $840,000 | ||||
1 | Includes amounts payable to public shareholders who properly redeem their shares in connection with our successful completion of our initial business combination. |
2 | Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 as described in this prospectus. As of June 3, 2025, we had borrowed $93,959 under the promissory note. These loans will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $1,680,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) not held in the trust account. In the event that our offering expenses are more than as set for in this table, we may fund such excess from the funds not to be held in the trust account and up to 840,000 in loans from our Sponsor which we may draw down in our sole discretion, from time to time, pursuant to the Working Capital Convertible Note (as further described in this prospectus). In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than as set for in this table, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount. |
3 | Includes organizational and administrative expenses and may include amounts related to above-listed expenses in the event actual amounts exceed estimates. |
92
The following table shows the use of the approximately $1,680,000 of net proceeds not held in the trust account for working capital purposes.(4)
Amount | % of Total | |||||
Legal, accounting, due diligence, travel and other expenses in connection with any business combination | $530,000 | 31.5% | ||||
Legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations | 375,000 | 22.3% | ||||
Payment for office space, administrative and support services ($10,000 per month for up to 24 months) | 240,000 | 14.3% | ||||
Directors and officers insurance premiums | 250,000 | 14.9% | ||||
Continued exchange listing fees | 55,000 | 3.3% | ||||
Other miscellaneous expenses | 230,000 | 13.7% | ||||
Total | $1,680,000 | 100% | ||||
Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, $200,000,000 (or $230,000,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), will, upon the consummation of this offering, be placed in a U.S.-based trust account with Odyssey Trust Company acting as trustee. The funds in the trust account will be (i) invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds that meet certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act and that invest only in direct U.S. government obligations and/or (ii) deposited in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a U.S.-chartered commercial bank with consolidated assets of $100 billion or more. Based on current interest rates, we estimate that the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $10,500,000 per year, assuming an interest rate of 5.25% per year. We will not be permitted to withdraw any of the principal or interest held in the trust account. The funds held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of: (1) the completion of our initial business combination; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to modify the substance and timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window; and (3) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, subject to applicable law.
The net proceeds held in the trust account may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we ultimately complete our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemption of our public shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination.
Following this offering and prior to the completion of our initial business combination, our principal use of working capital will be to fund our activities to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due
(4) | These expenses are estimates only. Our actual expenditures for some or all of these items may differ from the estimates set forth herein. For example, we may incur greater legal and accounting expenses than our current estimates in connection with negotiating and structuring our initial business combination based upon the level of complexity of such business combination. In the event we identify a business combination target in a specific industry subject to specific regulations, we may incur additional expenses associated with legal due diligence and the engagement of special legal counsel. In addition, our staffing needs may vary and as a result, we may engage a number of consultants to assist with legal and financial due diligence. We do not anticipate any change in our intended use of proceeds, other than fluctuations among the current categories of allocated expenses, which fluctuations, to the extent they exceed current estimates for any specific category of expenses, would not be available for our expenses. The amount in the table above does not include interest available to us from the trust account, which we may access for permitted withdrawals. In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor, any of its respective affiliates or certain of our directors and officers may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans may be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $2,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants issued to our sponsor. The terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor, as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account. |
93
diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, structure, negotiate and complete a business combination. During that period, we expect our other principal expenses to include income taxes and regulatory reporting requirements.
We expect to fund our working capital requirements prior to the time of our initial business combination in part with funds provided by our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors who may, but none of them is obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $2,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. In addition, after the completion of this offering, our board of directors may approve Additional Working Capital Loans for the purpose of funding working capital, which loans may be converted into our private units, shares, or warrants. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such loans by our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors, if any, as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
We will enter into an administrative services agreement pursuant to which we will pay our sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services, commencing on the first date on which our securities are listed on the Nasdaq. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
Upon the completion of this offering, we will issue our Sponsor a Working Capital Convertible Note in the principal amount of up to $840,000 , which we may draw down in our sole discretion, from time to time in order to pay for working capital expenses or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. Any principal amount outstanding under the Working Capital Convertible Note may be converted into Class A ordinary shares, at a conversion price per share equal to the lower of (i) $8.00 and (ii) Note Conversion VWAP, at the option of our Sponsor. Any Class A ordinary shares issued would be identical to the Class A ordinary shares that are sold as a part of the units of this offering. Any principal amounts outstanding that are not converted into Class A ordinary shares will be repaid in cash on the maturity date. The maturity date of the Working Capital Convertible Note will be the earlier of (i) Lock-up Expiration Date and (ii) the date that our winding up becomes effective.
The agreement for our initial business combination may require as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public shareholders exercise their redemption rights so that we cannot satisfy any net worth or cash requirements, we would not proceed with the redemption of our public shares or the business combination, and instead may search for an alternate business combination.
A public shareholder will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earlier to occur of: (1) the completion of our initial business combination and then, only in connection with those public shares that such shareholder has properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described in this prospectus; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, subject to applicable law. In no other circumstances will a public shareholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.
Our sponsor, officers and directors and the non-sponsor investors will enter into the Insider Letter Agreement and the Non-Sponsor Investor Letter Agreement with us, as applicable, pursuant to which they will agree to (1) waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination; (2) waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and
94
restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; (3) their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame); provided that, pursuant to the Non-Sponsor Investor Letter Agreement, such waiver of redemption rights shall only be applicable to the founder shares held by the non-sponsor investors, and not applicable to any public shares held by them.
95
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 and we will only pay such dividend out of our profits or share premium (subject to solvency requirements) as permitted under Cayman Islands law. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering we will effect a capitalization or share repurchase or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares held by our Sponsor immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering. Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
96
The following table illustrates the difference between the public offering price and our net tangible book value (NTBV), as adjusted to give effect to this offering and to redemptions of our public shares at varying levels, assuming the full exercise and no exercise of the over-allotment option. See the section “Dilution.”
The below calculations (A) assume that (i) no ordinary shares are issued to shareholders of a potential business combination target as consideration or issuable by a post-business combination company, for instance under an equity or employee share purchase plan, (ii) no ordinary shares and convertible equity or debt securities are issued in connection with additional financing that we may seek in connection with an initial business combination, and (iii) no working capital loans are converted into private placement warrants, as further described in this prospectus, and (B) assumes the issuance of 20,000,000 Class A ordinary shares (or 23,000,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), 2,648,000 private placement warrants (whether or not the over-allotment option is exercised) and 5,750,000 founder shares (up to 750,000 of which are assumed to be forfeited in the scenario in which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised in full). The issuance of additional ordinary or preference shares may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would even further increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B ordinary shares resulted in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares. If the private placement warrants and public warrants are exercised in full, the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares would increase by 12,648,000. We may need to issue ordinary shares in connection with a potential business combination as our target businesses include businesses with enterprise values of $500 million, which is greater than net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants.
At February 28, 2025, our net tangible book value was a deficit of $175,371, or approximately $(0.03) per Class B ordinary shares. Assuming various redemption scenarios and after giving effect to the sale of 20,000,000 Class A ordinary shares included in the units we are offering by this prospectus, the sale of the private placement warrants and the deduction of underwriting commissions and estimated expenses of this offering, our pro forma net tangible book value at February 28, 2025 would have been the following to the public shareholders on a per-share basis immediately after this offering:
As of February 28, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offering Price of $10.00 per Unit | 25% of Maximum Redemptions | 50% of Maximum Redemptions | 75% of Maximum Redemptions | Maximum Redemptions | |||||||||||||||||||||||
NTBV | Difference Between NTBV and Offering Price | Difference Between NTBV and Offering Price | Difference Between NTBV and Offering Price | NTBV | Difference Between NTBV and Offering Price | NTBV | Difference Between NTBV and Offering Price | NTBV | Difference Between NTBV and Offering Price | ||||||||||||||||||
Assuming Full Exercise of Over Allotment Option | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8.03 | 1.97 | 7.54 | 2.46 | 6.72 | 3.28 | 5.08 | 4.92 | 0.15 | 9.85 | ||||||||||||||||||
Assuming No Exercise of Over Allotment Option | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8.02 | 1.98 | 7.53 | 2.47 | 6.70 | 3.30 | 5.06 | 4.94 | 0.11 | 9.89 | ||||||||||||||||||
For purposes of presenting the Maximum Redemption scenario, we have reduced our NTBV after this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s option to purchase additional units) by $10.00 because holders of up to approximately 100% of our public shares may redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account at a per share redemption price equal to the amount in the trust account as set forth in our tender offer or proxy materials (initially anticipated to be the aggregate amount held in trust two business days prior to the commencement of our tender offer or shareholders meeting, including interest (less any permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of Class A ordinary shares sold in this offering).
97
For each of the redemption scenarios above, the NTBV was calculated as follows:
No Redemptions | 25% | 50% | 75% | 100% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
W/O Over- Allotment | With Over- Allotment | W/O Over- Allotment | With Over- Allotment | W/O Over- Allotment | With Over- Allotment | W/O Over- Allotment | With Over- Allotment | W/O Over- Allotment | With Over- Allotment | |||||||||||||||||||||
Numerator | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net tangible book deficit before this offering | (175,371) | (175,371) | (175,371) | (175,371) | (175,371) | (175,371) | (175,371) | (175,371) | (175,371) | (175,371) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Net proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement shares | 200,840,000 | 230,840,000 | 200,840,000 | 230,840,000 | 200,840,000 | 230,840,000 | 200,840,000 | 230,840,000 | 200,840,000 | 230,840,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Plus: Offering costs accrued for or paid in advance, excluded from tangible book value | 200,371 | 200,371 | 200,371 | 200,371 | 200,371 | 200,371 | 200,371 | 200,371 | 200,371 | 200,371 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Less: Deferred underwriting commission | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||
Less: overallotment liability | (299,092) | — | (299,092) | — | (299,092) | — | (299,092) | — | (299,092) | — | ||||||||||||||||||||
Less: Amounts paid for redemptions | — | — | (50,000,000) | (57,500,000) | (100,000,000) | (115,000,000) | (150,000,000) | (172,500,000) | (200,000,000) | (230,000,000) | ||||||||||||||||||||
200,565,908 | 230,865,000 | 150,565,908 | 173,365,000 | 101,405,908 | 115,865,000 | 50,565,908 | 58,365,000 | 565,908 | 865,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Denominator: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ordinary shares outstanding prior to this offering | 5,750,000 | 5,750,000 | 5,750,000 | 5,750,000 | 5,750,000 | 5,750,000 | 5,750,000 | 5,750,000 | 5,750,000 | 5,750,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ordinary shares forfeited if over-allotment is not exercised | (750,000) | — | (750,000) | — | (750,000) | — | (750,000) | — | (750,000) | — | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ordinary shares offered | 20,000,000 | 23,000,000 | 20,000,000 | 23,000,000 | 20,000,000 | 23,000,000 | 20,000,000 | 23,000,000 | 20,000,000 | 23,000,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Less: Ordinary shares redeemed | — | — | (5,000,000) | (5,750,000) | (10,000,000) | (11,500,000) | (15,000,000) | (17,250,000) | (20,000,000) | (23,000,000) | ||||||||||||||||||||
25,000,000 | 28,750,000 | 20,000,000 | 23,000,000 | 15,000,000 | 17,250,000 | 10,000,000 | 11,500,000 | 5,000,000 | 5,750,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||
NTBV after | 8.02 | 8.03 | 7.53 | 7.54 | 6.70 | 6.72 | 5.06 | 5.08 | 0.11 | 0.15 | ||||||||||||||||||||
NTBV before | (0.03) | (0.03) | (0.03) | (0.03) | (0.03) | (0.03) | (0.03) | (0.03) | (0.03) | (0.03) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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, and directors, officers, or any of their affiliates may also purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. In the event of any such purchases of our shares prior to the completion of our initial business combination, the number of ordinary shares subject to redemption will be reduced by the amount of any such purchases, increasing the pro forma net tangible book value per share. See “Proposed Business — Permitted Purchases of Our Securities.”
98
The following table sets forth our capitalization at February 28, 2025 and as adjusted to give effect to the sale of our 20,000,000 units in this offering for $200,000,000 (or $10.00 per unit) and the sale of 2,648,000 private placement warrants for $2,648,000 (or $1.00 per warrant) and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities:
February 28, 2025 | ||||||
Actual | As Adjusted(1) | |||||
Note payable to related party | $— | $— | ||||
Over-allotment liability | — | 299,092 | ||||
Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption; 0 and 20,000,000 shares, actual and as adjusted, respectively(2) | — | 200,000,000 | ||||
Preference shares, $0.0001 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted | — | — | ||||
Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 200,000,000 shares authorized, none and 0 issued and outstanding (excluding 0 and 20,000,000 shares subject to possible redemption), actual and as adjusted, respectively | — | — | ||||
Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 20,000,000 shares authorized; 5,750,000 and 5,000,000 shares issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted, respectively(3) | 575 | 500 | ||||
Additional paid-in capital(4) | 24,425 | 565,408 | ||||
Accumulated deficit | — | — | ||||
Total shareholders’ equity | 25,000 | 565,908 | ||||
Total capitalization | $25,000 | $299,865,000 | ||||
(1) | Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to an aggregate of $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of June 3, 2025, we had borrowed $93,959 under the promissory note. The “as adjusted” information gives effect to the sale of the private placement warrants. |
(2) | In connection with seeking the shareholder approval of our initial business combination, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares, regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or vote against, our initial business combination, for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, including interest(less any permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), subject to any limitations (including, but not limited to, cash requirements) created by the terms of the proposed business combination. |
(3) | Actual share amount is prior to any forfeiture of founder shares by our sponsor and the “as adjusted” share amount assumes no exercise of the underwriter’s option to purchase additional units and the forfeiture of 750,000 founder shares by our sponsor. |
(4) | The “as adjusted” additional paid-in capital calculation is equal to the “as adjusted” total shareholders’ deficit of $2,519,319, less Class A ordinary shares (par value) of $0, less Class B ordinary shares (par value) of $375 less the accumulated deficit of $2,519,694. |
99
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Overview
We are a newly incorporated blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company on January 28, 2025 for the purpose of effecting a merger, amalgamation, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any specific business combination target, and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants and the proceeds of the sale of our securities in connection with our initial business combination (pursuant to any the forward purchase agreements, backstop or similar agreements we may enter into following the consummation of this offering or otherwise), our shares, debt or a combination of cash, equity and debt.
The issuance of additional ordinary shares in a business combination:
• | may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B ordinary shares resulted in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares; |
• | may subordinate the rights of holders of ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our ordinary shares; |
• | could cause a change of control if a substantial number of ordinary shares are issued, which could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; |
• | may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the equity ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us; and |
• | may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our Class A ordinary shares and/or warrants. |
Similarly, if we issue debt securities or otherwise incur significant indebtedness, it could result in:
• | default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations; |
• | acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant; |
• | our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt is payable on demand; |
• | our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt is outstanding; |
• | our inability to pay dividends on our ordinary shares; |
• | using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our ordinary shares, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes; |
• | limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate; |
• | increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and |
• | limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt. |
100
As of February 28, 2025, we had no cash, a working capital deficit of $175,371, and $200,371 of deferred offering costs. Further, we expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to complete our initial business combination will be successful.
Results of Operations and Known Trends or Future Events
We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our only activities since inception have been organizational activities and those necessary to prepare for this offering. Following this offering, we will not generate any operating revenues until after completion of our initial business combination. We will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents after this offering. There has been no significant change in our financial or trading position and no material adverse change has occurred since the date of our audited financial statements. After this offering, we expect to incur increased expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses. We expect our expenses to increase substantially after the closing of this offering.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our liquidity needs have been satisfied prior to the completion of this offering through receipt of $25,000 from the sale of the founder shares and up to $300,000 in loans from our sponsor under an unsecured promissory note. We estimate that the net proceeds from: (1) the sale of the units in this offering, after deducting offering expenses of approximately $808,000 and underwriting commissions of $1,000,000); and (2) the sale of the private placement warrants for a purchase price of $2,648,000 (whether or not the underwriter’s option to purchase additional units is exercised). Of this amount, $200,000,000 (or $230,000,000 if the underwriter’s option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), will be deposited into the trust account. The remaining $1,680,000 will not be held in the trust account. The funds in the trust account will be (i) invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds that meet certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and that invest only in direct U.S. government obligations and/or (ii) deposited in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a U.S.-chartered commercial bank with consolidated assets of $100 billion or more. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $808,000 we may fund such excess from the funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $808,000 the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
Upon the completion of this offering, we will issue our Sponsor a Working Capital Convertible Note in the principal amount of up to $840,000, which we may draw down in our sole discretion, from time to time in order to pay for working capital expenses or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. Any principal amounts outstanding under the Working Capital Convertible Note may be converted into Class A ordinary shares, at a conversion price per share equal to the lower of (i) $8.00 per share and (ii) the Note Conversion VWAP, at the option of our Sponsor. For further information, see “Description of Securities — Ordinary Shares” on page 159. The conversion price of the of the Working Capital Convertible Note may be significantly less than the market price of our shares at the time such loan is converted. Any amount that is not converted into Class A ordinary shares will be repaid in cash on the maturity date. The maturity date of the Working Capital Convertible Note will be the earlier of (i) Lock-up Expiration Date and (ii) the date that our winding up becomes effective.
We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account (which interest shall be net of permitted withdrawals), if any, to complete our initial business combination. We expect to fund our working capital requirements prior to the time of our initial business combination with the $1,680,000 of proceeds of the offering and private placement in excess of offering expenses and cash held in trust. Our annual income tax obligations will depend on the amount of interest and other income earned on the amounts held in the trust account. We expect the only taxes payable by us out of the funds in the trust account will be income taxes. We expect the interest earned on the amount in the trust account will be sufficient to pay our income taxes. To the extent that our equity or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.
Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, our principal use of working capital will be to fund our activities to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target
101
businesses, travel to and from the offices or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, structure, negotiate and complete a business combination, and to pay taxes to the extent the interest earned on the trust account is not sufficient to pay our income taxes.
We expect our primary liquidity requirements during that period to include approximately $530,000 for legal, accounting, due diligence, travel and other expenses in connection with any business combinations; $375,000 for legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting requirements; up to $240,000 for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services; $250,000 for directors and officers insurance liability; approximately $285,000 for working capital to cover other miscellaneous expenses (including continued listing fees). These amounts are estimates and may differ materially from our actual expenses.
In addition, we may pay commitment fees for financing, fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business or as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into an agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business, the amount that would be used as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision would be determined based on the terms of the specific business combination and the amount of our available funds at the time. Our forfeiture of such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise) could result in our not having sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conducting due diligence with respect to, prospective target businesses.
As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, on February 28, 2025, we had no cash and a working capital deficit of $175,371 and $200,371 of deferred offering costs. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our financing and acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this uncertainty through this offering are discussed below. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to consummate an initial business combination will be successful.
We expect to fund our working capital requirements prior to the time of our initial business combination in part with funds provided by our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors who may, but none of them is obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $2,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. In addition, after the completion of this offering, our board of directors may approve Additional Working Capital Loans for the purpose of funding working capital, which loans may be converted into our private units, shares, or warrants. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such loans by our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors, if any, as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds following this offering in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, if our estimates of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating an initial business combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our initial business combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to complete our initial business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon completion of our initial business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination. If we raise additional funds through equity or convertible debt issuances, our public shareholders may suffer significant dilution and these securities could have rights that rank senior to our public shares. If we raise additional funds through the incurrence of indebtedness, such indebtedness would have rights that are senior to our equity securities and could contain covenants that restrict our operations. Further, as described above, due to the anti-dilution rights of our founder shares, our public shareholders may incur material dilution. In addition, we intend to target businesses with enterprise values that are greater than we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrant, and, as a result, if the cash portion of the purchase price exceeds the amount available from the trust account, net of amounts needed to satisfy redemptions by
102
public shareholders, we may be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. We may also obtain financing prior to the closing of our initial business combination to fund our working capital needs and transaction costs in connection with our search for and completion of our initial business combination. There is no limitation on our ability to 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, any backstop or similar agreements we may enter into following the consummation of this offering or otherwise. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only complete such financing simultaneously with the completion of our business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. In addition, following our initial business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations.
Controls and Procedures
We are not currently required to certify an effective system of internal controls as defined by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We will be required to comply with the internal control requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2026. Only in the event that we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer and no longer an emerging growth company would we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement.
Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company as defined in the JOBS Act, we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement.
Prior to the closing of this offering, we have not completed an assessment, nor has our independent registered public accounting firm tested our systems, of internal controls. We expect to assess the internal controls of our target business or businesses prior to the completion of our initial business combination and, if necessary, to implement and test additional controls as we may determine are necessary in order to state that we maintain an effective system of internal controls. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding the adequacy of internal controls. Many small and mid-sized target businesses we may consider for our initial business combination may have internal controls that need improvement in areas such as:
• | staffing for financial, accounting and external reporting areas, including segregation of duties; |
• | reconciliation of accounts; |
• | proper recording of expenses and liabilities in the period to which they relate; |
• | evidence of internal review and approval of accounting transactions; |
• | documentation of processes, assumptions and conclusions underlying significant estimates; and |
• | documentation of accounting policies and procedures. |
Because it will take time, management involvement and perhaps outside resources to determine what internal control improvements are necessary for us to meet regulatory requirements and market expectations for our operation of a target business, we may incur significant expenses in meeting our public reporting responsibilities, particularly in the areas of designing, enhancing, or remediating internal and disclosure controls. Doing so effectively may also take longer than we expect, thus increasing our exposure to financial fraud or erroneous financing reporting. Once our management’s report on internal controls is complete, we will retain our independent public accounting firm to audit and render an opinion on such report when required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The independent public accounting firm may identify additional issues concerning a target business’s internal controls while performing their audit of internal control over financial reporting.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
The net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be (i) invested in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds that meet certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and that invest only in direct U.S. government obligations and/or (ii) deposited in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a U.S. - chartered
103
commercial bank with consolidated assets of $100 billion or more. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements; Commitments and Contractual Obligations
As of February 28, 2025, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K and did not have any commitments or contractual obligations.
Related Party Transactions
For additional information, see “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”
JOBS Act
On April 5, 2012, the JOBS Act was signed into law. The JOBS Act contains provisions that, among other things, relax certain reporting requirements for qualifying public companies. We will qualify as an “emerging growth company” and under the JOBS Act will be allowed to comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements based on the effective date for private (not publicly traded) companies. We are electing to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards, and as a result, we may not comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.
Additionally, we are in the process of evaluating the benefits of relying on the other reduced reporting requirements provided by the JOBS Act. Subject to certain conditions set forth in the JOBS Act, if, as an “emerging growth company,” we choose to rely on such exemptions we may not be required to, among other things: (1) provide an auditor’s attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act; (2) provide all of the compensation disclosure that may be required of non-emerging growth public companies under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act; (3) comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the PCAOB regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (auditor discussion and analysis); and (4) disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the CEO’s compensation to median employee compensation. These exemptions will apply for a period of five years following the completion of our initial public offering or until we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” whichever is earlier.
104
We are a newly incorporated blank check company incorporated as Cayman Islands exempted company on January 28, 2025 for the purpose of effecting a merger, amalgamation, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any specific business combination target, and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us.
As discussed further below, we seek to leverage and capitalize on our collective multi-faceted expertise, investing and operating experience, and broad network of relationships to source and evaluate potential transactions and create value for our stakeholders. We believe we have a deep and broad network of relationships and sector expertise to source and evaluate potential transactions, enhancing our ability to position us as a partner of choice with potential target companies. The extensive investing track record and operational experience of the management team, including significant public company executive and board experience are expected to enhance our credibility with prospective investors, and will allow us to be a value-added partner to the management team and stakeholders following an initial business combination. We believe our extensive M&A and capital markets experience will enable us to successfully execute an initial business combination transaction.
We may pursue an initial business combination in any business or industry but intend to focus our search on a target business in an industry where we believe the expertise of our management team will provide us with a competitive advantage in completing a successful initial business combination. We intend to seek to acquire one or more businesses with an aggregate enterprise value in excess of $500 million, determined in the sole discretion of our officers and directors according to reasonably acceptable valuation standards and methodologies, although a target entity with a smaller or larger enterprise value may be considered.
Our sponsor is a Cayman Islands limited liability company, which was formed to invest in us. Although our sponsor is permitted to undertake any activities permitted under the Limited Liability Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands and other applicable law, our sponsor’s business is focused on investing in our company. The managing member of the sponsor is Vendome Acquisition Holding I LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, of which our founders are the sole members. Our founders control the management of our sponsor, including the exercise of voting and investment discretion over the securities of our company held by our sponsor. As of the date hereof, other than our founders, no other person or affiliated groups have a direct or indirect material interest in our sponsor. See “Summary — The Offering — Private Placement Warrants.” Other than our management team, none of the other members of our sponsor will participate in our company’s activities.
The following table sets forth the payments to be received by our sponsor and its affiliates from us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and the securities issued and to be issued by us to our sponsor or its affiliates:
Entity / Individual | Amount of Compensation to be Received or Securities Issued or to be Issued | Paid or to be Paid | ||||
$10,000 per month, commencing on the first date on which our securities are listed on the Nasdaq | Office space, administrative and shared personnel support services | |||||
Vendome Acquisition Sponsor I LLC | 5,750,000(1) Class B Ordinary Shares | $25,000 | ||||
2,648,000 private placement warrants (whether or not the over-allotment option is exercised) | $2,648,000 (whether or not the over-allotment option is exercised) | |||||
Up to $300,000 | Repayment of loans made to us to cover offering related and organizational expenses | |||||
105
Entity / Individual | Amount of Compensation to be Received or Securities Issued or to be Issued | Paid or to be Paid | ||||
Reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination Up to $2,500,000 in working capital loans, which loans may be convertible into warrants of the post-business combination entity at the price of $1.00 per warrant(2) | Expenses incurred in connection with identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination Working capital loans to finance transaction costs in connection with an initial business combination | |||||
Up to $840,000 in principal amount under a Working Capital Convertible Note may be convertible into Class A ordinary shares at a conversion price per share equal to the lower of (i) $8.00 per share and (ii) the Note Conversion VWAP(2) | Working capital loans to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination | |||||
Jonathan Gray | 25,000 Class B Ordinary Shares | Service as independent director | ||||
Brian Webber | 25,000 Class B Ordinary Shares | Service as independent director | ||||
Brett Wyard | 25,000 Class B Ordinary Shares | Service as independent director | ||||
(1) | The Class B ordinary shares and the Class A ordinary shares issuable in connection with the conversion of the Class B ordinary shares may result in material dilution to our public shareholders due to the nominal price of $0.0043 per share at which our sponsor purchased the Class B ordinary shares and/or the anti-dilution rights of our Class B ordinary shares that may result in an issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion. Our sponsor, directors and officers and their affiliates may receive additional compensation and/or may be issued additional securities in connection with an initial business combination, including securities that may result in material dilution to public shareholders. See “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to our Sponsor and Management Team — The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may significantly dilute the implied value of your public shares in the event we consummate an initial business combination, and our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to decline materially” on page 69, “— Risks Relating to our Securities — We may issue additional ordinary shares or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon the conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our shareholders and likely present other risks” on page 78, “— Our sponsor, either directly or indirectly, paid an aggregate of $25,000, or approximately $0.0043 per founder share, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our Class B ordinary shares” on page 79 and “— Unlike many other similarly structured blank check companies, our initial shareholders will receive additional Class A ordinary shares if we issue shares to consummate an initial business combination” on page 79. |
(2) | After the completion of this offering, our board of directors may approve Additional Working Capital Loans for the purpose of funding working capital, which loans may be converted into our private units, shares, or warrants. The $11.50 exercise price of the private placement warrants issuable upon conversion of working capital loans may be significantly less than the market price of our shares at the time such private placement warrants are exercised. Upon the completion of this offering, we will issue our sponsor a Working Capital Convertible Note in the principal amount of up to $840,000, which we may draw down in our sole discretion, from time to time, to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. Any principal amount outstanding under the Working Capital Convertible Note may be converted into Class A ordinary shares, at a conversion price per share equal to the lower of (i) $8.00 per share and (ii) the Note Conversion VWAP. See “Description of Securities — Ordinary Shares” on page 159. The conversion price of the of the Working Capital Convertible Note may be significantly less than the market price of our shares at the time such loan is converted. Any amount that is not converted into Class A ordinary shares will be repaid in cash on the maturity date. The maturity date of the Working Capital Convertible Note will be the earlier of (i) Lock-up Expiration Date and (ii) the date that our winding up becomes effective. Similarly, depending on the market price of our shares at the time our private placement warrants are exercised, the cashless exercise feature of our private placement warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable in connection with the conversion of the Working Capital Convertible Note may also result in material dilution to our public shareholders given that the cashless exercise of the warrants will not result in any cash proceeds to us. See “Description of Securities — Warrants — Private Placement Warrants” on page 168; see also “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to our Sponsor and Management Team — The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may significantly dilute the implied value of your public shares in the event we consummate an initial business combination, and our sponsor |
106
is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to decline materially” on page 69, “— Risks Relating to our Securities — We may issue additional ordinary shares or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon the conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our shareholders and likely present other risks” on page 78, “— Our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees, either directly or indirectly, paid an aggregate of $25,000, or approximately $0.0043 per founder share, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our Class B ordinary shares” on page 79 and “— Unlike many other similarly structured blank check companies, our initial shareholders will receive additional Class A ordinary shares if we issue shares to consummate an initial business combination” on page 79.
(3) | On May 24, 2025 our sponsor transferred an aggregate of 75,000 of its founder shares to our independent director nominees in each case for no cash consideration. See “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to our Sponsor and Management Team — The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may significantly dilute the implied value of your public shares in the event we consummate an initial business combination, and our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to decline materially” on page 69; see also “- Risks Relating to our Sponsor and Management Team - Since our sponsor, officers and directors, and any other holders of our founder shares will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed, and because our sponsors, officers and directors and any other holder of our founder shares directly or indirectly may profit substantially from a business combination as a result of their ownership of founder shares even under circumstances where 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, including in connection with the shareholder vote in respect thereto” on page 70. |
(4) | If we increase or decrease the size of this offering we will effect a capitalization or share repurchase or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders at 20% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering. Our public shareholders may incur material dilution due to such anti-dilution adjustments that result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion or additional Class B ordinary shares. |
(5) | These shares are held directly by certain of our directors. The directors will have the ability to vote and dispose of the shares, subject to applicable transfer restrictions. The founder shares transferred to our independent director nominees will not be subject to forfeiture in the event the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised. |
Because our sponsor acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, our public shareholders will incur immediate and substantial dilution upon the closing of this offering, assuming no value is ascribed to the warrants included in the units. See the section titled “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to our Sponsor and Management Team — The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may result in significant dilution to the implied value of your public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination.”
The founder shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination, or at any time prior thereto at the option of the holder thereof, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts sold in this offering and related to the closing of our initial business combination, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares shall 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 anti-dilution 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, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the total number of all ordinary shares outstanding upon completion of this offering plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination, excluding any Class A ordinary shares, subject to vesting and any other restrictions, issued or deemed issued to (i) our sponsor (or its members or affiliates) in connection with the consummation of this offering, (ii) any seller in the initial business combination, (iii) the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants and (iv) any Class A ordinary shares issued to our sponsor (or its members or affiliates) upon conversion of working capital loans. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering we will effect a capitalization or share repurchase or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders at 20% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering. Our public shareholders may incur material dilution due to such anti-dilution adjustments that result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion.
In addition, in order to facilitate our initial business combination, our sponsor may surrender or forfeit, transfer or exchange our founder shares, private placement warrants or any of our other securities, including for no consideration, as well as subject any such securities to earn-outs or other restrictions, or otherwise amend the terms of any such securities or enter into any other arrangements with respect to any such securities.
107
While there is no current intention to do so, we may approve an amendment or waiver of the letter agreement that would allow the sponsor to directly, or members of our sponsor to indirectly, transfer founder shares and private placement warrants or membership interests in our sponsor in a transaction in which the sponsor removes itself as our sponsor before identifying a business combination. As a result, there is a risk that our sponsor and our officers and directors may divest their ownership or economic interests in us or in our sponsor. There can be no assurance that any replacement sponsor or key personnel will successfully identify a business combination target for us, or, even if one is so identified, successfully complete such business combination.
If we raise additional funds through equity or convertible debt issuances, our public shareholders may suffer significant dilution. This dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provision of the founder shares result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the founder shares at the time of our initial business combination. In addition, the cashless exercise of the private placement warrants would further increase the dilution to our public shareholders.
Pursuant to the Insider Letter Agreement and the Non-Sponsor Investor Letter Agreement, each of our sponsor, directors and officers and the non-sponsor investors has agreed to restrictions on its ability to transfer, assign, or sell the founder shares and private placement warrants (and the underlying shares), as summarized in the table below.
Subject Securities | Expiration Date | Persons Subject to Restrictions | Exceptions to Transfer Restrictions | ||||||
Founder Shares | Earlier of six months after completion of our initial business combination; or if the closing price of our ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and other similar transactions) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing 150 days after completion of our initial business combination | Vendome Acquisition Sponsor I LLC, Paul L. Kessler, Diana Derycz-Kessler, Scott LaPorta, Brett Wyard, Brian Webber, and Jonathan Gray | Transfers permitted (i) to any officer, director, or employee of the Company, including to a family member or affiliate of such officer, director, or employee; (ii) by private sales or transfers, in each case, made in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the securities were originally purchased; (iii) in the event of our liquidation prior to the completion of our initial business combination; (iv) by virtue of the laws of the Cayman Islands or our sponsor’s limited liability company agreement upon dissolution of our sponsor; and (v) in the event of our completion of a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction which results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property subsequent to the completion of our initial business combination; provided further that the sponsor shall be permitted to sell membership interests representing its ownership of the founder shares held by it to non-sponsor investors for purposes of working capital. If, in accordance with | ||||||
108
Subject Securities | Expiration Date | Persons Subject to Restrictions | Exceptions to Transfer Restrictions | ||||||
transfer restrictions contained herein, the non-sponsor investors request the sponsor to transfer founder shares or private placement warrants to them, those non-sponsor investors will be required to sign the Non-Sponsor Letter Agreement, pursuant to which they will agree to the same voting restrictions and redemption and voting covenants as our sponsor and directors and officers, except that (i) transfer permitted by virtue of the laws of the Cayman Islands or our sponsor’s limited liability company agreement upon dissolution of our sponsor is not available to those non-sponsor investors and (ii) waiver of redemption rights shall only be applicable to the founder shares held by the non-sponsor investors, and not applicable to any public shares held by them. | |||||||||
Private Placement Warrants | 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination | Same as above | Same as above | ||||||
Any units, warrants, ordinary shares or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, any units, ordinary shares, founder shares or warrants | 180 days | Same as above | The representative in its sole discretion may release any of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements at any time without notice, other than in the case of the officers and directors, which shall be with notice. Our sponsor, officers and directors are also subject to separate transfer restrictions on their founder shares and private placement warrants pursuant to the letter agreement described in the immediately preceding paragraphs. | ||||||
In addition, pursuant to such letter agreements, for the benefit of D. Boral, we, our sponsor, officers and directors and non-sponsor investors have agreed that we will not offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, charge or grant any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, without the prior written consent of D. Boral for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus, any units, warrants, ordinary shares or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, ordinary shares or enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of any units, ordinary shares, warrants or any securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, ordinary shares owned, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of such securities, in cash or otherwise; provided, however, that we may (1) issue and sell the private placement
109
warrants; (2) issue and sell the additional units to cover our underwriter’s over-allotment option (if any); (3) register with the SEC pursuant to an agreement to be entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in this offering, the resale of the private placement warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and the founder shares; and (4) issue securities in connection with our initial business combination. However, the foregoing shall not apply to the forfeiture of any founder shares pursuant to their terms or any transfer of founder shares to any current or future independent director of the company (as long as such current or future independent director is subject to the terms of the letter agreement, filed herewith, at the time of such transfer; and as long as, to the extent any Section 16 reporting obligation is triggered as a result of such transfer, any related Section 16 filing includes a practical explanation as to the nature of the transfer). D. Boral in their sole discretion may release any of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements at any time without notice.
The Insider Letter Agreement also provides that if we seek to consummate an initial business combination by means of a tender offer, sponsor and our officers and directors will not sell or tender any of our shares held by them in connection with such tender offer. To the extent any party to the Insider Letter Agreement or the Non-Sponsor Investor Letter Agreement breaches its obligation to vote in favor of an initial business combination or to refrain from selling or tendering the shares held by them, sponsor shall have the right to acquire any founder shares beneficially owned by such breaching party. Further, to the extent the breaching party has transferred its founder shares to another person and is therefore not able to return the founder shares to sponsor , the breaching party shall be obligated to pay sponsor an amount in cash equal to the product of $10.00 multiplied by the number of transferred founder shares.
The founder shares and the private placement warrants held by the sponsor will only be distributed to the members of the sponsor after consummation of our initial business combination, at which time such members would become subject to the applicable transfer restrictions with respect to such securities.
Our Management Team
Our management team has extensive experience in M&A, capital raising, investing capital, and operating companies in a variety of sectors and we believe the depth of our management team’s experience and relationships serves as a key competitive advantage. Our board of directors and management have years of combined experience investing in dozens of companies, which has provided us with a robust network of companies in a broad spectrum of sectors through the trusted relationships we have developed over the years. Our broad experience includes senior leadership positions at operating companies, investment and financial advisory firms and venture capital funds. Our directors also bring significant executive management and public company experience to us together with additional industry relationships that are expected to further broaden our industry network.
We believe this network has provided our management team with numerous referral opportunities that have resulted in numerous investment opportunities. In addition, we believe that this network of contacts and relationships will provide us with an important source of acquisition opportunities. We anticipate that target business candidates will come to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment market participants, private equity groups, investment banks, consultants, accounting firms and large business enterprises.
Mr. Paul L. Kessler has served as our Executive Chairman since January 2025. He is the Co-Founder and has been Co-Manager of Bristol Capital Advisors, LLC (“BCA”), the investment advisor to Bristol Investment Fund, Ltd., since BCA’s inception in March 2000. Mr. Kessler has extensive experience as a deep value investor, financier, and venture capitalist, working with both public and private growth companies across various industries, including biotechnology, technology, energy, education, and consumer products. From November 2021 to March 2024, Mr. Kessler was a member of “The CEO Council,” an advisory group of business leaders formed by the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce to support regional economic recovery. In February 2019, Mr. Kessler became a founding member and director of LK Advisors, Inc. (formerly PiMac Advisors Inc.), a mortgage lending advisory company. Since October 2019, Mr. Kessler has been a member of the board of managers of Bristol Luxury Group LLC and Sugarfina Corporation (formerly Sugarfina Holdings LLC), the parent companies to Sugarfina USA LLC, a luxury candy retailer. He also serves as an advisor to MedTech Innovator, a nonprofit accelerator for medical technology companies, and is a lead investor and advisor to RX3 Ventures and Act One Ventures. Additionally, Mr. Kessler co-founded Start Engine, LLC in October 2011, a Los Angeles-based technology incubator that has launched over 50 technology companies and has since evolved into an equity-based crowdfunding platform. Mr. Kessler has been a guest speaker on the subject of financing emerging growth public companies at a variety of
110
forums, including The Pipe's Conference, Los Angeles Venture Association (LAVA), Wall Street Reporter's Pipe Conference, and UCLA Anderson School of Management, Pepperdine University's Graziadio School of Business and Management. He has also attended courses at Harvard Business School’s Executive Education Program and UCLA Extension.
Ms. Diana Derycz-Kessler has served as our President since January 2025. She is an investor with a background in law, business and finance. Her investments have included companies in the energy, biotechnology, technology, education, real estate and consumer products sectors. As part of these investments, she has assumed active operational roles. She co-founded Bristol Capital Advisors, LLC in March 2000 and has served as its Co-Manager and/or active principal since that time. She served as a director of Tellurian, Inc. since February 2017 through November 2024, and served as a director of Tellurian Investments from December 2016 to February 2017. She had a 17-year tenure as Chief Executive Officer of the media arts college of The Los Angeles Film School and is a manager of commercial property partnerships located in Hollywood, California. In February 2019, Ms. Derycz-Kessler became a founding member and director of LK Advisors, Inc. (formerly PiMac Advisors Inc.), a mortgage lending advisory company. Since October 2019, Ms. Derycz-Kessler has been a member of the board of managers of Bristol Luxury Group LLC and Sugarfina Corporation (formerly Sugarfina Holdings LLC), the parent companies to Sugarfina USA LLC, a luxury candy retailer. Ms. Derycz-Kessler’s early career began as a lawyer in the international oil and gas sector, working at the law firm of Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP in New York. Subsequently, she joined Occidental Petroleum Corporation, overseeing legal for its Latin American exploration and production operations. From 2016 to 2018, Ms. Derycz-Kessler was a partner in UNESCO’s TeachHer program, a private–public sector partnership bridging the global gender gap in education. Ms. Derycz-Kessler holds a law degree from Harvard Law School and a master’s degree from Stanford University in Latin American Studies. She obtained her undergraduate “double” degree in History and Latin American Studies from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and is also a member of the State Bar of California and the New York Bar.
Mr. Scott LaPorta has served as our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer since January 2025. He has also been the Chief Executive Officer of Sugarfina USA LLC since November 2019. From September 2018 to November 2019, he was the Chief Commercial and Strategy Officer of GT’s Living Foods. He has also served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Neurobrands LLC from January 2017 to August 2018. Additionally, from September 2009 to July 2016, he served as the President, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Financial Officer of Bolthouse Farms. Earlier in his career, Scott LaPorta functioned as the president of Levi Strauss Mexico and Canada and the Levi Strauss Signature brand in the United States. Additionally, he has served in executive capacities at Park Place Entertainment Corp., Hilton Hotels Corp., and both the Marriott Corporation and Host Marriott Corporation. Mr. LaPorta received his bachelor of science in accounting from the University of Virginia and master of business administration in finance from Vanderbilt University.
Mr. Brett Wyard, who will serve as a director upon completion of this offering, has over 30 years of experience as a private equity and distressed debt investor, as well as a financial advisor specializing in financial restructurings, mergers and acquisitions, and investment banking. Since co-founding Solace in July of 2014, Mr. Wyard has overseen investments and served on multiple corporate boards. From September of 2005 to September of 2012, he was a Global Partner, Managing Director, and Co-Head of Carlyle Strategic Partners at The Carlyle Group, where he was involved in the raising and investing of $2 billion. Prior to that, from May of 1999 to August of 2005, he was a Managing Director at Oaktree Capital Management, where he was a senior member of the firm’s flagship Opportunities Funds, focusing on special situations, distressed debt, and private equity investments. He previously held positions at Merrill Lynch in the Global Special Situations Group, Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin in the Financial Restructuring Group, and Voyageur Asset Management. Mr. Wyard currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Sun Mountain Sports and previously served as Chairman of the Board of Select Interior Concepts, Inc. He has also served on the boards of Forbes Energy Services, Pinnacle Foods, and NTL Communications (now Virgin Media). Mr. Wyard received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Boston College.
Mr. Brian Webber, who will serve as a director upon completion of this offering, has over 30 years of experience as an investment banker and investor. Mr. Webber co-founded American Discovery Capital in 2017, where he has overseen the firm’s growth in private equity and investment banking. From July of 2010 to January of 2016, he was a Partner at Moelis & Company, where he focused on mergers and acquisitions and merchant banking transactions in the technology and business services sectors. From January of 2001 to July of 2010, he served as Global Head of Technology Investment Banking at UBS Investment Bank, where he expanded the group to over 100 bankers and achieved record revenue of $300 million in 2007. Prior to that, he was with Donaldson, Lufkin &
111
Jenrette from May of 1993 to January of 2001 where he co-founded the firm’s technology group and was promoted to Managing Director in seven years. Mr. Webber received a Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from the University of Utah and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
Mr. Jonathan Gray, who will serve as a director upon completion of this offering, has over 20 years of experience as an investor and strategic advisor. Mr. Gray has served as a director of Prairie Operating Company (Nasdaq: PROP) since May 2023. Mr. Gray has also served as the Chief Executive Officer of First Idea International Ltd., a strategic advisory boutique from its founding in 2008. Mr. Gray has also served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Intelligent Design Agency, a design firm, from its founding to 2018. In 2016, Mr. Gray established The Hideaway Entertainment, LLC, a financing and production entertainment media company focused on motion picture, television, digital media, and technology, and has served as Chief Executive Officer since the company’s founding. In addition, Mr. Gray is the co-owner of Beauchamp Estates France, a division of Beauchamp Estates International, which he founded in March 2005. Mr. Gray served as the founder and Chief Executive Officer of JG Events, an international event management company, from its founding in 2003 until closing it in 2019. Mr. Gray earned his Baccalauréat Littéraire in Litteréture from Lycée Carnot, Cannes in 1999.
With respect to the experiences of our management team, and their respective affiliates, past performance is not a guarantee (i) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (ii) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical performance of any member of our management team and their respective affiliates (either individually or collectively) as indicative of our future performance. For more information on the experience and background of our management team, see the sections entitled “Management” and “Proposed Business.”
Business Strategy
Our objectives are to generate attractive returns for shareholders and enhance value through (1) completing an initial business combination with a high-quality merger target at an attractive valuation with favorable terms for our shareholders and (2) enhancing operational performance through our team’s experience and by leveraging our expertise and the expertise of our network in the private equity space. We expect to favor potential target companies with certain industry and business characteristics. Key favorable industry characteristics we look for include, but are not limited to, compelling long-term growth prospects, strong secular tailwinds, and highly fragmented markets ripe for consolidation opportunities. We expect our target to possess certain business characteristics such as a leading market position, significant recurring revenue with a diversified customer base, opportunity for operational improvement, and a healthy margin profile with attractive free cash flow characteristics.
We may pursue an initial business combination in any business or industry. However, we intend to focus our search on target businesses primarily in the consumer sector. Our geographic focus will be North America, Southeast Asia, and Europe where we believe the expertise of our management team will provide us with a competitive advantage in completing a successful initial business combination.
Our selection process will leverage our network of industry, private equity, venture capital, credit fund and lending community relationships, as well as relationships with management teams of public and private companies, investment bankers, restructuring advisers, attorneys and accountants in US and Europe which we believe should provide us with a number of high-quality business combination opportunities.
We intend to seek to acquire one or more businesses with an aggregate enterprise value between $500 million and $1 billion, to be determined in the sole discretion of our officers and directors according to reasonably acceptable valuation standards and methodologies, although a target entity with a smaller or larger enterprise value may be considered.
We expect our strategy to draw heavily from the venture capital and private equity world, focusing on creating long-term value through a combination of disciplined investment practices, operational improvements, and strategic growth initiatives. Leveraging our team's deep experience in private equity and venture capital, we emphasize identifying high-quality businesses with strong fundamentals, scalability, and alignment with our vertical integration strategy. We aim to employ a rigorous due diligence process to evaluate targets, ensuring that they meet key criteria such as robust financial performance, competitive positioning, and alignment with certain principles that we may pre-define. Once a business combination is completed, we intend to apply private equity-style operational enhancements, fostering revenue growth and operational efficiency. By leveraging our network of private equity professionals, institutional investors, and strategic partners, we aim to bring transformative value to the target
112
businesses, aligning our shareholders' interests with those of management teams to drive sustainable growth and superior returns. This approach reflects our commitment to unlocking value beyond the transaction, ensuring that we position our targets for long-term success.
Competitive Advantages
We believe our competitive strengths include the following:
• | Depth of Team and Access to Resources. We have a dedicated management team with a track record of executing on transactions, and the resources to source and evaluate a larger number of potential transactions relative to other SPACs. |
• | Sourcing Channels and Leading Industry Relationships. We believe our capabilities, reputation and deep industry relationships will provide us with a differentiated pipeline of acquisition opportunities that would be difficult for other participants in the market to replicate. |
• | Execution and Structuring Capability. We believe our management team’s expertise and reputation will allow us to source and complete transactions possessing structural attributes that create an attractive investment thesis. These types of transactions are typically complex and require creativity, industry knowledge and expertise, rigorous due diligence, and extensive negotiations and documentation. We believe that by focusing our investment activities on these types of transactions, we can generate investment opportunities that have attractive risk/reward profiles based on their valuations and structural characteristics. |
• | Operating Company Experience. Certain members of our management team have extensive experience as operating company executives and/or board members. This experience will serve as a key competitive advantage in selecting companies that will benefit from going public, positioning us as an attractive partner to management teams of potential target companies, and help to create long-term value post-closing of the initial business combination. |
Investment Criteria
We will use the following investment criteria to screen for and evaluate target businesses although we may pursue opportunities outside of this scope.
• | Business Fundamentals: Ideal targets will have an enterprise value exceeding three times the size of ours and display year-over-year revenue growth, with EBITDA and cash-flow positivity. These companies should operate in multiple countries, enabling expansion and operational synergies through vertical integration. We also seek founders who are willing to retain a meaningful stake in the public company, ensuring alignment with long-term value creation. Additional factors include attractive valuations, a large total addressable market, and a competitive industry position. |
• | Public Company Ready: We will seek to acquire a company that is well-positioned to be a public company in terms of scale and size, and a company that public equity market investors will understand and value. While we believe our public company experience will be a significant asset as a transaction partner to private companies, we intend to avoid companies that have significant deficiencies in financial reporting or general public company readiness. |
• | Would Benefit Distinctly from our Capabilities: We will seek to acquire a business where we can tangibly improve the operations and create long term value for our shareholders. In particular, we believe our experience in operating and changing in emerging growth companies would be a value-add to the management teams and boards of potential target companies. We expect our strategy to draw heavily from the venture capital world, focusing on creating long-term value through a combination of disciplined investment practices, operational improvements, and strategic growth initiatives. Leveraging our team's deep experience in private equity, we emphasize identifying high-quality businesses with strong fundamentals, scalability, and alignment with our vertical integration strategy. We aim to employ a rigorous due diligence process to evaluate targets, ensuring that they meet key criteria such as robust financial performance, competitive positioning, and alignment with certain principles that we may pre-define. Once a business combination is completed, we intend to apply private equity-style operational enhancements, fostering revenue growth and operational efficiency. By leveraging our network of private equity |
113
professionals, institutional investors, and strategic partners, we aim to bring transformative value to the target businesses, aligning our shareholders' interests with those of management teams to drive sustainable growth and superior returns. This approach reflects our commitment to unlocking value beyond the transaction, ensuring that we position our targets for long-term success.
• | Innovators within an existing market. We will seek a company which embraces technology and the innovation of its products and/or processes to expand market share and competitive advantage. |
• | Has a Dedicated and Proven Management Team: We will seek to acquire a business with a professional management team whose interests are aligned with those of our investors. Where necessary, we may also look to complement and enhance the capabilities of the target business’s management team by recruiting additional talent through our network of contacts. |
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as on other considerations, factors and criteria that our management may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our shareholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials that we would file with the SEC.
Our Acquisition Process
While we have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us, we have engaged in an extensive research effort to identify a large number of potential targets.
We intend to leverage our resources and network for efficient outreach to commence immediately after the date of this prospectus. Our effort will be focused on creating proprietary transaction opportunities. We believe personal relationships built over time are critical not just in generating transaction opportunities, but also in consummating a business combination.
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review which will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with members of our management team. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with members of our management team, we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, or from an independent registered public accounting firm, that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Our sponsor and members of our management team will directly or indirectly own our securities following this offering, and accordingly, they may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination. There is no agreement, arrangement, or understanding between our Sponsor and us or any of our officers and directors with respect to determining whether to proceed with a business combination.
The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may significantly dilute the implied value of your public shares in the event we consummate an initial business combination, and our sponsor is likely to make a substantial profit on its investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our ordinary shares to decline materially.
114
Members of our management team may from time to time become aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue, for a business combination, but we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf) engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to a business combination transaction with us.
As described in “Proposed Business - Sourcing of Potential Business Combination Targets” and “Management - Conflicts of Interest,” each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. As a result, there may be actual or potential material conflicts of interest between our sponsor and members of our management team on one hand, and purchasers in this offering on the other. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as 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 may be a corporate opportunity for to any director or officer on the one hand, and us, on the other. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, he or she will honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us.
While no member of the management team will have any duty to offer acquisition opportunities to us, they may become aware of a potential transaction that is an attractive opportunity for us, which they may decide to share with us. Conflicts may arise from their affiliation with our company, their provision of services both to us and to third-party clients, as well as from actions undertaken by them for their own account. In performing services for other clients and also when acting for their own account, they may take commercial steps which may have an adverse effect on us. Such services include investment management activities on behalf of themselves and other investment advisory clients in companies that may be an attractive opportunity for us or that may be competitive to a potential business opportunity to us. Please see “Management - Conflicts of Interest,” for additional information regarding certain potential conflicts of interest relating to the Founder Group.
Because the other entities to which our officers and directors owe fiduciary duties or contractual obligations are not themselves in the business of engaging in business combinations, we do not believe that the fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties of our officers or directors, or of any member of the Founder Group, or policies applicable to any member of the Founder Group, will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Members of our management team may participate in the formation of, invest in (on behalf of themselves, their affiliates or its and their clients), or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, members of our management team could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved.
Because there are numerous special purpose acquisition companies seeking to enter into an initial business combination with available targets, the competition for available targets with attractive fundamentals or business models may increase, which could cause target companies to demand improved financial terms. Attractive deals could also become scarcer for other reasons, such as economic or industry sector downturns (including a negative public perception of mergers involving SPACs), geopolitical tensions, or increases in the cost of additional capital needed to close business combinations or operate targets post-business combination. Thus, our ability to identify and evaluate a target company may be impacted by significant competition among other special purpose acquisition companies in pursuing business combination transaction candidates and significant competition may impact the attractiveness of the acquisition terms that we will be able to negotiate.
Initial Business Combination
We will have up to 24 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination.
We may hold a shareholder vote at any time to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the amount of time we will have to consummate an initial business combination (as well as to
115
modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within the time periods described herein or with respect to any other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity). There is no limit on the number of times our shareholders can vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the amount of time we will have to complete an initial business combination and any such extension may be for any amount of time. As described herein, our sponsor, executive officers, directors and director nominees have agreed that they will not propose any such amendment 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, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. Our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed within 24 months from the closing of this offering unless we extend the amount of time we have to consummate an initial business combination by obtaining shareholder approval to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. While we do not currently intend to seek such shareholder approval, we may elect to do so in the future. There is no limit on the number of extensions that we may seek. If we do not or are unable to extend the time period to consummate our initial business combination, our sponsor’s investment in our founder shares and our private placement warrants will be worthless.
If we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window and do not hold a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to extend the amount of time we will have to consummate an initial business combination, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (less any permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining 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. Because we may make permitted withdrawals, including of up to 5% of the interest earned on the trust account to fund our working capital requirements, the potential value of the trust account may be negatively impacted. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination.
Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the trust account (excluding any taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of our agreement to enter into our initial business combination. If our securities are no longer listed on the Nasdaq, we will not be obligated to satisfy such 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 the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent registered public accounting firm, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination, although there is no assurance that will be the case. 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 outstanding equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). Even if the post- transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial business
116
combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock, 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 shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be taken into account for purposes of the Nasdaq’s 80% of net assets test. If the initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the transactions and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking shareholder approval, as applicable.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will require the affirmative vote of a majority of our board of directors, which must include a majority of our independent directors, to approve our initial business combination (or such other vote as the applicable law or stock exchange rules then in effect may require).
We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds following this offering in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, if our estimates of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating an initial business combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our initial business combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to complete our initial business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon completion of our initial business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination. If we raise additional funds through equity or convertible debt issuances, our public shareholders may suffer significant dilution and these securities could have rights that rank senior to our public shares. If we raise additional funds through the incurrence of indebtedness, such indebtedness would have rights that are senior to our equity securities and could contain covenants that restrict our operations. Further, as described above, due to the anti-dilution rights of our founder shares, our public shareholders may incur material dilution. In addition, we intend to target businesses with enterprise values that are greater than we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, and, as a result, if the cash portion of the purchase price exceeds the amount available from the trust account, net of amounts needed to satisfy redemptions by public shareholders, we may be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. We may also obtain financing prior to the closing of our initial business combination to fund our working capital needs and transaction costs in connection with our search for and completion of our initial business combination. There is no limitation on our ability to 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, including pursuant to any forward purchase agreements, backstop or similar agreements we may enter into following the consummation of this offering or otherwise. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only complete such financing simultaneously with the completion of our business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. In addition, following our initial business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations.
Prior to the date of this prospectus, we will file a registration statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
Corporate Information
Our executive offices are located at 1090 Center Drive, Park City, UT 84098, and our telephone number is (435) 714-7973. Our website and the information contained on, or that can be accessed through, the website is not deemed to be incorporated by reference in, and is not considered part of, this prospectus. You should not rely on any such information in making your decision whether to invest in our securities.
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
117
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 (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, for a period of 30 years from the date of the undertaking, no law which 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 of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of: (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the aggregate worldwide market value of our Class A ordinary shares that is held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700.0 million as of the end of the prior June 30th; and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” will have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the aggregate worldwide market value of our Class A ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equaled or exceeded $250.0 million as of the end of the prior June 30th, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100.0 million during such completed fiscal year or the aggregate worldwide market value of our Class A ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equaled or exceeded $700.0 million as of the prior June 30th.
In addition, after completion of this offering and prior to the consummation of a business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment or removal of directors. As a result, Nasdaq will consider 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, you will not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of Nasdaq corporate governance requirements.
We anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers and investment professionals. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being solicited by us by 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
118
will have read this prospectus and know what types of businesses we are targeting. Our officers and directors, as well as our sponsor and their affiliates, may also bring to our attention target business candidates that they become aware of through their business contacts as a result of formal or informal inquiries or discussions they may have, as well as attending trade shows or conventions. 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 business relationships of our officers and directors and our sponsor and their respective industry and business contacts as well as their affiliates. 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, advisory fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. 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 finder’s fees 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. In no event, however, will our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any entity with which our sponsor or officers are affiliated, be paid any finder’s fee, reimbursement, consulting fee, monies in respect of any payment of a loan or other compensation by the company prior to, or in connection with any services rendered for any services they render in order to effectuate, the completion of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). Although none of our sponsor, executive officers or directors, or any of their respective affiliates, will be allowed to receive any compensation, finder’s fees or consulting fees from a prospective business combination target in connection with a contemplated initial business combination, we do not have a policy that prohibits our sponsor, executive officers or directors, or any of their respective affiliates, from negotiating for the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses by a target business. Some of our officers and directors may enter into employment or consulting agreements with the post-transaction company following our initial business combination. The presence or absence of any such fees or arrangements will not be used as a criterion in our selection process of an initial business combination candidate.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with members of our management team. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with members of our management team, we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, or from an independent public accounting firm, that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
As discussed above and in “Management - Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, he or she will honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us (including as described above).
Status as a Public Company
We believe our structure will make us an attractive business combination partner to target businesses. As an existing public company, we offer target businesses an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger, amalgamation, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination. In this situation, the owners of the target business would exchange their shares, equity interests or shares of stock in the target business for our ordinary shares or for a combination of ordinary shares and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. Although there are various costs and obligations associated with being a public company, we believe target businesses will find this method a more certain and cost-effective method to becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering. In a typical initial public offering, there are additional expenses incurred in marketing, road show and public reporting efforts that may not be present to the same extent in connection with a business combination with us.
Furthermore, once a proposed business combination is completed, the target business will have effectively become public, whereas an initial public offering is always subject to the underwriter’s ability to complete the offering, as well as general market conditions, which could delay or prevent the offering from occurring. Once public, we believe the target business would then have greater access to capital and an additional means of providing management incentives consistent with shareholders’ interests. It can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees.
119
Financial Position
With funds available for a business combination initially in the amount of $200,000,000 assuming no redemptions), we believe we offer a target business a variety of options such as creating a liquidity event for its owners, providing capital for the potential growth and expansion of its operations or strengthening its balance sheet by reducing its debt ratio. Because we are able to complete our initial business combination using our cash, debt or equity securities, or a combination of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to use the most efficient combination that will allow us to tailor the consideration to be paid to the target business to fit its needs and desires. However, we have not taken any steps to secure third party financing and there can be no assurance it will be available to us.
Effecting our Initial Business Combination
We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations following this offering until we consummate an initial business combination. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, the proceeds of the sale of our securities in connection with our initial business combination (pursuant to any forward purchase, backstop or similar agreements we may enter into following the consummation of this offering or otherwise), if any, our equity, debt or a combination of these as the consideration to be paid in our initial business combination. We may seek to complete our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.
If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemption of our public shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.
We may seek to raise additional funds in connection with the completion of our initial business combination through a private offering of equity securities or debt securities or loans, and we may effectuate our initial business combination using the proceeds of such offerings or loans rather than using the amounts held in the trust account.
In the case of an initial business combination funded with assets other than the trust account assets, our tender offer documents or proxy materials disclosing the business combination would disclose the terms of the financing and, only if required by applicable law, we would seek shareholder approval of such financing. There are no prohibitions on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. At this time, we are not a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities or otherwise.
Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of our Initial Business Combination
Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the trust account (excluding any taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of our agreement to enter into our initial business combination. If our securities are no longer listed on Nasdaq, we will not be obligated to satisfy such 80% test. The fair market value of our initial business combination will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community, such as discounted cash flow valuation, a valuation based on trading multiples of comparable public businesses or a valuation based on the financial metrics of M&A transactions of comparable businesses. If our board is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent public accounting firm, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination, although there is no assurance that will be the case. Subject to this requirement, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting one or more prospective target businesses, although we will not be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.
In any case, we will only complete an initial business combination in which we own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquire a controlling interest in the target sufficient for
120
it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. If we own or acquire less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses, the portion of such business or businesses that are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company is what will be taken into account for purposes of Nasdaq’s 80% of net assets test. There is no basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any target business with which we may ultimately complete our initial business combination.
To the extent we effect our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review which will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us.
The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which our initial business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination.
Additional Funding for General Ongoing Expenses
To the extent that we require additional funding for general ongoing expenses or in connection with our sourcing of a qualifying acquisition, we may seek funding by way of unsecured loans from our sponsor and/or its affiliates or other third parties, which loans must be on reasonable commercial terms. The lender under the loans would not have recourse against the funds held in the escrow account, and thus the loans will not reduce the value thereof. Such loans are not limited in the amount we may raise, which may result in significant dilution. Such loans may only be convertible into shares and/or warrants in connection with the closing of the qualifying acquisition and subject to any required stock exchange approval. We will not obtain any other form of debt financing except: (i) in the ordinary course for short term trade, accounts payable and general ongoing expenses; (ii) contemporaneous with, or after, the completion of a qualifying acquisition; or (iii) through unsecured loans from our sponsor and/or its affiliates in accordance with the foregoing.
Lack of Business Diversification
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 intend to closely scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with that business, our assessment of the target business’s management may not prove to be correct. In addition, the future management may not have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of members of our management team, if any, in the target business cannot presently be stated with any certainty. While it is possible that one or more of our directors will remain associated in some capacity with us following our initial business combination, it is highly unlikely that any of them will devote their full efforts to our affairs subsequent to our initial business combination. Moreover, we cannot assure you that members of our management team will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.
121
We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with the combined company. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
Following our initial business combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.
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. However, we will seek shareholder approval if it is required by applicable law or stock exchange rule, or we may decide to seek shareholder approval for business or other reasons.
Under Nasdaq’s listing rules, shareholder approval would typically be required for our initial business combination if, for example:
• | We issue Class A ordinary shares that will be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of our Class A ordinary shares then-outstanding; |
• | Any of our directors, officers or substantial security holder (as defined by Nasdaq rules) has a 5% 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 issued and outstanding ordinary shares or voting power of 1% or more (or 5% or more if the related party involved is classified as such solely because such person is a substantial security holder); or |
• | The issuance or potential issuance of ordinary shares will result in our undergoing a change of control. |
The Companies Act and Cayman Islands law do not currently require, and we are not aware of any other applicable law that will require, shareholder approval of our initial business combination.
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 law will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on business and legal reasons, which include a variety of factors, including, but not limited to:
• | the timing of the transaction, including in the event we determine 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; |
• | the expected cost of holding a shareholder vote; |
• | the risk that the shareholders would fail to approve the proposed business combination; |
• | other time and budget constraints of the company; and |
• | additional legal complexities of a proposed business combination that would be time-consuming and burdensome to present to 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 management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates may purchase public shares or warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. Such a purchase would include a contractual acknowledgment that such shareholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights or submitted a proxy to vote against our initial business combination, such selling shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares and any proxy to vote against our initial business combination. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers
122
determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will be required to comply with such rules. It is intended that, if Rule 10b-18 would apply to purchases by our sponsor, directors, executive officers, or any of 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, executive officers, or 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, rights or warrants in such transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will be restricted from making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act.
The purpose of any such transactions could be to (i) increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of the business combination, (ii) 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 (iii) 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.
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 management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates anticipate that they may identify the shareholders with whom our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates may pursue privately negotiated transactions by either the shareholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by shareholders (in the case of Class A ordinary shares) following our mailing of tender offer or proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates enter into a private transaction, they would identify and contact only potential selling or redeeming shareholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against our initial business combination, whether or not such shareholder has already submitted a proxy with respect to our initial business combination but only if such shares have not already been voted at the general meeting related to our initial business combination. Our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates will select which shareholders to purchase shares from based on the negotiated price and number of shares and any other factors that they may deem relevant, and will be restricted from purchasing shares if such purchases do not comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.
Our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates will be restricted from making purchases of shares if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. We expect any such purchases would be reported by such person 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 management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates were to purchase public shares or warrants 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 management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates may purchase shares, rights or warrants from public shareholders outside the redemption process, along with the purpose of such purchases; |
• | if our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates were to purchase public shares or warrants from public shareholders, they would do so at a price no higher than the price offered through our redemption process; |
123
• | our registration statement/proxy statement filed for our business combination transaction would include a representation that any of our securities purchased by our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction; |
• | our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates would not possess any redemption rights with respect to our securities or, if they do acquire and possess redemption rights, they would waive such rights; and |
• | we would disclose in a Form 8-K, before our security holder meeting to approve the business combination transaction, the following material items: |
• | the amount of our securities purchased outside of the redemption offer by our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates, along with the purchase price; |
• | the purpose of the purchases by our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates; |
• | the impact, if any, of the purchases by our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates on the likelihood that the business combination transaction will be approved; |
• | the identities of our security holders who sold to our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates (if not purchased on the open market) or the nature of our security holders (e.g., 5% security holders) who sold to our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates; and |
• | the number of our securities for which we have received redemption requests pursuant to our redemption offer. |
Please see “Risk Factors - If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our management team, sponsor, or any of their respective affiliates may elect to purchase public shares or warrants from public shareholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed initial business combination and reduce the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares.”
Redemption Rights for Public Shareholders Upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination, regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or vote against, our initial business combination, at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest (less any permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share. The redemption right will include the requirement that any beneficial owner on whose behalf a redemption right is being exercised must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against, or vote at all in connection with, the proposed transaction. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Our sponsor, officers and directors and the non-sponsor investors will enter into the Insider Letter Agreement and the Non-Sponsor Investor Letter Agreement with us, as applicable, pursuant to which (1) our sponsor, officers and directors will agree to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and (2) the non-sponsor investors will agree to waive their redemption rights only with respect to any founder shares and not public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination.
Manner of Conducting Redemptions
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either: (1) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the business combination; or (2) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement. Under Nasdaq rules, asset acquisitions and share purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more
124
than 20% of our outstanding ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would require shareholder approval. If we structure a business combination transaction with a target company in a manner that requires shareholder approval, we will not have discretion as to whether to seek a shareholder vote to approve the proposed business combination. We currently intend to conduct redemptions pursuant to a shareholder vote unless shareholder approval is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement and we choose to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC for business or other reasons. So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on Nasdaq, we will be required to comply with such rules.
If a shareholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association:
• | conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers; and |
• | file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies. |
Upon the public announcement of our initial business combination, we and our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase Class A ordinary shares in the open market if we elect to redeem our public shares through a tender offer, to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act.
In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public shareholders not tendering more than a specified number of public shares, which number will be based on the requirement that we may not redeem public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets, to be less than any net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. If public shareholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete such initial business combination.
If, however, shareholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association:
• | conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules; and |
• | file proxy materials with the SEC. |
We expect that a final proxy statement would be mailed to public shareholders at least 20 days prior to the shareholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such shareholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. Although we are not required to do so, we currently intend to comply with the substantive and procedural requirements of Regulation 14A in connection with any shareholder vote even if we are not able to maintain our Nasdaq listing or Exchange Act registration.
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, unless otherwise required by applicable law, regulation or stock exchange rules, we will complete our initial business combination only if we receive approval pursuant to an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. In such case, our sponsor and each member of our team have agreed to vote their founder shares and public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately-negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination (except that any public shares such parties may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction). For purposes of seeking approval of an ordinary
125
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 initial shareholders’ and their permitted transferees’ founder shares, we would need 7,500,001, or 37.5%, of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved, assuming all outstanding shares are voted, the over-allotment option is not exercised 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 memorandum and articles of association vote their 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, which requires the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company. In addition, prior to the closing of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares (i) will have the right to vote to appoint and remove directors prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) will be entitled to vote on continuing our company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to adopt new constitutional documents 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 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.
Redemptions of our public shares may also be subject to a higher net tangible asset test or cash requirement pursuant to an agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed business combination may require: (1) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners; (2) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes; or (3) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, and all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof.
Limitation on Redemption Upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination if We Seek Shareholder Approval
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), is restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, without our prior consent, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” 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 affiliates to purchase their shares at a significant premium to then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public shareholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our affiliates at a premium to then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’ ability to redeem no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination.
126
Tendering Share Certificates in Connection with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights
We may require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, rather than simply voting against the initial business combination at the holder’s option. The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public shareholders to satisfy such delivery requirements, which will include the requirement that any beneficial owner on whose behalf a redemption right is being exercised must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Accordingly, a public shareholder would have from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the business combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. Pursuant to the tender offer rules, the tender offer period will be not less than 20 business days and, in the case of a shareholder vote, a final proxy statement would be mailed to public shareholders at least 20 days prior to the shareholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such shareholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. 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 tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/ Withdrawal At Custodian) System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker $80.00 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights to tender their shares. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated.
The foregoing is different from the procedures used by many blank check companies. In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, many blank check companies would distribute proxy materials for the shareholders’ vote on an initial business combination, and a holder could simply vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holder was seeking to exercise his or her redemption rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would contact such shareholder to arrange for him or her to deliver his or her certificate to verify ownership. As a result, the shareholder then had an “option window” after the completion of the business combination during which he or she could monitor the price of the company’s ordinary shares in the market. If the price rose above the redemption price, he or she could sell his or her shares in the open market before actually delivering his or her shares to the company for cancellation. As a result, the redemption rights, to which shareholders were aware they needed to commit before the general meeting, would become “option” rights surviving past the completion of the business combination until the redeeming holder delivered its certificate. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a redeeming holder’s election to redeem is irrevocable once the business combination is approved.
Any request to redeem such shares, once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the date set forth in the tender offer materials or the date of the general meeting set forth in our proxy materials, 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 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 shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account. In such case, we will promptly return any certificates delivered by public holders who elected to redeem their shares.
If our initial proposed business combination is not completed, we may continue to try to complete a business combination with a different target until the end of the completion window.
127
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we will have only the time of the completion window to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within such period, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (less any permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law; and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, 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 completion window.
Our sponsor, officers and directors and the non-sponsor investors will enter into the Insider Letter Agreement and the Non-Sponsor Investor Letter Agreement with us, as applicable, pursuant to which they will waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window. However, if our sponsor or any of our officers, directors, non-sponsor investors or any of their respective affiliates acquires public shares after this offering, it 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 completion window.
Our sponsor, officers and directors and non-sponsor investors will enter into the Insider Letter Agreement and the Non-sponsor Investor Letter Agreement, as applicable, with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (less any permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), 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 held outside the trust account and the funds available to us under the Working Capital Convertible Note in the principal amount of up to $840,000, which we may draw down in our sole discretion, from time to time, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. However, if those funds are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, to the extent that there is any interest accrued in the trust account not required to pay income taxes, we may request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $100,000 of such accrued interest to pay those costs and expenses.
If we were to expend all of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants and of the proceeds drawn down of the Working Capital Convertible Note, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account and any tax payments or expenses for the dissolution of the trust, the per share redemption amount received by shareholders upon our dissolution would be $10.00. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to the claims of our creditors which would have higher priority than the claims of our public shareholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per share redemption amount received by shareholders will not be substantially less than $10.00. Please see “Risk Factors - If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors described above.
Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public shareholders, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements or even if they execute such
128
agreements that they would be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account including but not limited to fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where we are unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. In order to protect the amounts held in the trust account, our sponsor will agree that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent registered public accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (1) $10.00 per public share or (2) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company and, therefore, our sponsor may not be able to satisfy those obligations. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such obligations. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses. None of our other officers will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below: (1) $10.00 per public share; or (2) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its indemnification obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so in certain instances. For example, the cost of such legal action may be deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or the independent directors may determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per share redemption price will not be substantially less than $10.00 per share. Please see “Risk Factors - If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors described above.
We will seek to reduce the possibility that our sponsor will have to indemnify the trust account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses 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 underwriter of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. 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 winding-up petition or an involuntary winding-up bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law, and may be included in our bankruptcy or insolvency estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy or insolvency claims deplete the trust account, we
129
cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.00 per share to our public shareholders. Additionally, if we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy and/or insolvency laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy or insolvency court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons. Please see “Risk Factors - If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy or insolvency court may seek to recover such proceeds, and the members of our board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims of punitive damages.”
Our public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (i) our completion of an initial business combination, and then only in connection with those Class A ordinary shares that such shareholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (C) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the completion window, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. 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 our initial 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 shareholder must have also exercised its redemption rights described above.
Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the consummation of our initial business combination. If we seek to amend any provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, we will provide public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares in connection with any such vote. Our sponsor, officers and directors will agree to waive any redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Specifically, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide, among other things, that:
• | prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we shall either: (1) seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination at a general meeting called for such purpose at which shareholders may seek to redeem their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against, or abstain from voting on, the proposed business combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest (less any permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses); or (2) provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to tender their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a shareholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest, in each case subject to the limitations described herein; |
• | we will consummate our initial business combination only if, and solely if we seek shareholder approval, we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company; |
130
• | if our initial business combination is not consummated within the completion window, then our existence will terminate and we will distribute all amounts in the trust account; and |
• | prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional ordinary shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (1) receive funds from the trust account or (2) vote on any initial business combination. |
These provisions cannot be amended without the approval of a special resolution, which requires the approval of holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. In the event we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, unless otherwise required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, we may consummate our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company.
Comparison of Redemption or Purchase Prices in Connection with our Initial Business Combination and if we Fail to Complete our Initial Business Combination
The following table compares the redemptions and other permitted purchases of public shares that may take place in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window.
Redemptions in Connection with our Initial Business Combination | Other Permitted Purchases of Public Shares by our Affiliates | Redemptions if we fail to Complete an Initial Business Combination | |||||||
Calculation of redemption price | Redemptions at the time of our initial business combination may be made pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a shareholder vote. The redemption price will be the same whether we conduct redemptions pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a shareholder vote. In either case, our public shareholders may redeem their public shares for cash equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination (which is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per share), including interest (less any permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to any limitations (including but not limited to cash requirements) agreed to in connection with the negotiation of terms of a proposed business | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our management, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates may purchase public shares or warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following completion of our initial business combination. If our management, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates were to purchase public shares or warrants from public shareholders they would do so at a price no higher than the price offered through our redemption process. If they engage in such transactions, they will be restricted from making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material nonpublic information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer | If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, we will redeem all public shares at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (less taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. | ||||||
131
Redemptions in Connection with our Initial Business Combination | Other Permitted Purchases of Public Shares by our Affiliates | Redemptions if we fail to Complete an Initial Business Combination | |||||||
combination. | subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will be required to comply with such rules. | ||||||||
Impact to remaining shareholders | The redemptions in connection with our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for our remaining shareholders, who will bear the burden of the permitted withdrawals (to the extent not paid from amounts accrued as interest on the funds held in the trust account). | If the permitted purchases described above are made, there would be no impact to our remaining shareholders because the purchase price would not be paid by us. In the event our management, sponsor, or any of their respective affiliates were to purchase public shares or warrants 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 disclosing the following in our registration statement/ proxy statement filed for our business combination transaction: the possibility that our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates may purchase public shares or warrants from public shareholders outside the redemption process, along with the purpose of such purchases; a representation that any of our securities purchased by our sponsor, directors, executive officers, or any of their affiliates would not be voted in favor of approving the business | The redemption of our public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for the shares held by our initial shareholders, who will be our only remaining shareholders after such redemptions. | ||||||
132
Redemptions in Connection with our Initial Business Combination | Other Permitted Purchases of Public Shares by our Affiliates | Redemptions if we fail to Complete an Initial Business Combination | |||||||
combination transaction; and our management team, sponsor or any of their respective 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. Additionally, we would disclose in a Form 8-K, before our security holder meeting to approve the business combination transaction, the following material items: the amount of our securities purchased outside of the redemption offer by our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates, along with the purchase price; the purpose of the purchases by our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates; the impact, if any, of the purchases by our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates on the likelihood that the business combination transaction will be approved; the identities of our security holders who sold to our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates (if not purchased on the open market) or the nature of our security holders (e.g., 5% security holders) who sold to our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates; and the number of our securities for which the we have received redemption requests pursuant to our redemption offer. | |||||||||
133
Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419
The following table compares the terms of this offering to the terms of an offering by a blank check company subject to the provisions of Rule 419 (assuming no exercise of the over-allotment option by the underwriter). This comparison assumes that the gross proceeds, underwriting commissions and underwriting expenses of our offering would be identical to those of an offering undertaken by a company subject to Rule 419, and that the underwriter will not exercise its option to purchase additional units. None of the provisions of Rule 419 apply to our offering.
Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||||
Escrow of offering proceeds | $200,000,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will be deposited into a trust account located in the United States with Odyssey Trust Company acting as trustee. | At least $130,050,000 of the offering proceeds, representing the gross proceeds of this offering less allowable underwriting commissions, expenses and company deductions under Rule 419, would be required to be deposited into either an escrow account with an insured depositary institution or in a separate bank account established by a broker-dealer in which the broker-dealer acts as trustee for persons having the beneficial interests in the account. | ||||
Trading of securities issued | The units will begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants constituting the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day) unless D. Boral Capital informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering. If the underwriter’s option to purchase additional units is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriter’s option to purchase additional units. | No trading of the units or the underlying ordinary shares and warrants would be permitted until the completion of a business combination. During this period, the securities would be held in the escrow or trust account. company deductions under Rule 419, would be required to be deposited into either an escrow account with an insured depositary institution or in a separate bank account established by a broker-dealer in which the broker-dealer acts as trustee for persons having the beneficial interests in the account. | ||||
Investment of net proceeds | $200,000,000 of the net offering proceeds and the sale of the private placement warrants held in trust will | Proceeds could be invested only in specified securities such as a money market fund meeting | ||||
134
Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||||
be (i) invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds that meet certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act and that invest only in direct U.S. government obligations and/or (ii) deposited in an interest bearing demand deposit account at a U.S. - chartered commercial bank with consolidated assets of $100 billion or more. | conditions of the Investment Company Act or in securities that are direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed as to principal or interest by, the United States. | |||||
Receipt of interest on escrowed funds | Interest on proceeds from the trust account to be paid to shareholders is reduced by: (i) taxes paid or payable and (ii) in the event of our liquidation for failure to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time, up to $100,000 of net interest that may be released to us should we have no or insufficient working capital to fund the costs and expenses of our dissolution and liquidation. | Interest on funds in escrow account would be held for the sole benefit of investors, unless and only after the funds held in escrow were released to us in connection with our completion of a business combination. | ||||
Limitation on fair value or net assets of target business | 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 trust account (excluding any taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of our agreement to enter into our initial business combination. | The fair value or net assets of a target business must represent at least 80% of the maximum offering proceeds. | ||||
Trading of securities issued | The units will begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants constituting the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day) unless D. Boral Capital informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering. If the underwriter’s option to | No trading of the units or the underlying ordinary shares and warrants would be permitted until the completion of a business combination. During this period, the securities would be held in the escrow or trust account. | ||||
135
Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||||
purchase additional units is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriter’s option to purchase additional units. | ||||||
Exercise of the warrants | The warrants cannot be exercised until the later of the completion of our initial business combination or 12 months after this registration statement is declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission. | The warrants could be exercised prior to the completion of a business combination, but securities received and cash paid in connection with the exercise would be deposited in the escrow or trust account. | ||||
Election to remain an investor | We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares, regardless of whether they abstain, vote for, or vote against, our initial business combination, for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein. We may not be required by applicable law or stock exchange rules to hold a shareholder vote. If we are not required by applicable law or stock exchange rules and do not otherwise decide to hold a shareholder vote, we may, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles conduct the repurchases pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC and file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, we hold a shareholder vote, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. | A prospectus containing information pertaining to the business combination required by the SEC would be sent to each investor. Each investor would be given the opportunity to notify the company in writing, within a period of no less than 20 business days and no more than 45 business days from the effective date of a post-effective amendment to the company’s registration statement, to decide if he, she or it elects to remain a shareholder of the company or require the return of his, her or its investment. If the company has not received the notification by the end of the 45th business day, funds and interest or dividends, if any, held in the trust or escrow account are automatically returned to the shareholder. Unless a sufficient number of investors elect to remain investors, all funds on deposit in the escrow account must be returned to all of the investors and none of the securities are issued. | ||||
136
Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||||
Pursuant to the tender offer rules, the tender offer period will be not less than 20 business days and, in the case of a shareholder vote, a final proxy statement would be mailed to public shareholders at least 20 days prior to the shareholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such shareholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we receive approval pursuant to an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. | ||||||
Business combination deadline | If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the completion window, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the public shares, at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (less any permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law; and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, 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. | If an acquisition has not been completed within 24 months after the effective date of the company’s registration statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account are returned to investors. | ||||
137
Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||||
Release of funds | The funds held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of: (1) the completion of our initial business combination; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, subject to applicable law. | The proceeds held in the escrow account are not released until the earlier of the completion of a business combination and the failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time. | ||||
Limitation on redemption rights of shareholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold a shareholder vote | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, 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), is restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect Excess Shares (more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering). Our public shareholders’ inability to redeem Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and they could suffer a material loss on their investment in us if they sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. | Some blank check companies provide no restrictions on the ability of shareholders to redeem shares based on the number of shares held by such shareholders in connection with an initial business combination. | ||||
138
Terms of Our Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |||||
Tendering share certificates in connection with a tender offer or redemption rights | We may require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option. The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public shareholders to satisfy such delivery requirements, which will include the requirement that any beneficial owner on whose behalf a redemption right is being exercised must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. | In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, holders could vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holders were seeking to exercise their redemption rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would contact such shareholders to arrange for them to deliver their certificate to verify ownership. | ||||
Accordingly, a public shareholder would have from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the business combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. | ||||||
Competition
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our initial business combination, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, 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 will be 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 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.
139
Sponsor Indemnity
Our sponsor will agree that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent registered public accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below: (1) $10.00 per public share; or (2) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company and, therefore, our sponsor may not be able to satisfy those obligations. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such obligations. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. We believe the likelihood of our sponsor having to indemnify the trust account is limited because we will endeavor to have all vendors and prospective target businesses as well as other entities execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account.
Facilities
We currently maintain our executive offices at 1090 Center Drive, Park City, UT 84098, and our telephone number is (435) 714-7973. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
Employees
We currently have 4 officers and do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Members of our management team are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters, but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time that any such person will devote in any time period to our company will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the current stage of the business combination process.
Periodic Reporting and Financial Information
We will provide shareholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials sent to shareholders to assist them in assessing the target business. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, GAAP or IFRS, depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such financial statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the completion window. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential business combination candidate will have financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP 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, 2026 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 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 acquisition.
Prior to the date of this prospectus, we will file a registration statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual reports will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accounting firm. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
140
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 (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, for a period of 30 years from the date of the undertaking, no law which 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.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of: (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the aggregate worldwide market value of our Class A ordinary shares that is held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700.0 million as of the end of the prior fiscal year’s second fiscal quarter; and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” will have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the aggregate worldwide market value of our Class A ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equaled or exceeded $250.0 million as of the end of the prior June 30th, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100.0 million during such completed fiscal year or the aggregate worldwide market value of our Class A ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equaled or exceeded $700.0 million as of the prior June 30th.
Legal Proceedings
There is no material litigation, arbitration or governmental proceeding currently pending against us or any members of our management team in their capacity as such.
141
Directors, Director Nominees and Executive Officers
Our directors, director nominees and officers are as follows:
Name | Age | Title | ||||
Paul L. Kessler | 64 | Executive Chairman | ||||
Scott LaPorta | 62 | Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Director | ||||
Diana Derycz-Kessler | 59 | President and Director | ||||
Brett Wyard | 55 | Director Nominee | ||||
Brian Webber | 60 | Director Nominee | ||||
Jonathan Gray | 44 | Director Nominee | ||||
Mr. Paul L. Kessler has served as our Executive Chairman since January 2025. He is the Co-Founder and has been Co-Manager of Bristol Capital Advisors, LLC (“BCA”), the investment advisor to Bristol Investment Fund, Ltd., since BCA’s inception in March 2000. 2 Mr. Kessler has extensive experience as a deep value investor, financier, and venture capitalist, working with both public and private growth companies across various industries, including biotechnology, technology, energy, education, and consumer products. From November 2021 to March 2024, Mr. Kessler was a member of “The CEO Council,” an advisory group of business leaders formed by the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce to support regional economic recovery. In February 2019, Mr. Kessler became a founding member and director of LK Advisors, Inc. (formerly PiMac Advisors Inc.) a mortgage lending advisory company. Since October 2019, Mr. Kessler has been a member of the board of managers of Bristol Luxury Group LLC and Sugarfina Corporation (formerly Sugarfina Holdings LLC), the parent companies to Sugarfina USA LLC, a luxury candy retailer. He also serves as an advisor to MedTech Innovator, a nonprofit accelerator for medical technology companies, and is a lead investor and advisor to RX3 Ventures and Act One Ventures.3 Additionally, Mr. Kessler co-founded Start Engine, LLC in October 2011, a Los Angeles-based technology incubator that has launched over 50 technology companies and has since evolved into an equity-based crowdfunding platform. Mr. Kessler has been a guest speaker on the subject of financing emerging growth public companies at a variety of forums, including The Pipe's Conference, Los Angeles Venture Association (LAVA), Wall Street Reporter's Pipe Conference, and UCLA Anderson School of Management, Pepperdine University's Graziadio School of Business and Management. He has also attended courses at Harvard Business School’s Executive Education Program and UCLA Extension.
Ms. Diana Derycz-Kessler has served as our President since January 2025. She is an investor with a background in law, business and finance. Her investments have included companies in the energy, biotechnology, technology, education, real estate and consumer products sectors. As part of these investments, she has assumed active operational roles. She co-founded Bristol Capital Advisors, LLC in March 2000 and has served as its Co-Manager and/or active principal since that time. She served as a director of Tellurian, Inc. since February 2017 through November 2024, and served as a director of Tellurian Investments from December 2016 to February 2017. She had a 17-year tenure as Chief Executive Officer of the media arts college of The Los Angeles Film School and is a manager of commercial property partnerships located in Hollywood, California. In February 2019, Ms. Derycz-Kessler became a founding member and director of LK Advisors, Inc. (formerly PiMac Advisors Inc.) a mortgage lending advisory company. Since October 2019, Ms. Derycz-Kessler has been a member of the board of managers of Bristol Luxury Group LLC and Sugarfina Corporation (formerly Sugarfina Holdings LLC), the parent companies to Sugarfina USA LLC, a luxury candy retailer. Ms. Derycz-Kessler’s early career began as a lawyer in the international oil and gas sector, working at the law firm of Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP in New York. Subsequently, she joined Occidental Petroleum Corporation, overseeing legal for its Latin American exploration and production operations. From 2016 to 2018, Ms. Derycz-Kessler was a partner in UNESCO’s TeachHer program, a private–public sector partnership bridging the global gender gap in education. Ms. Derycz-Kessler holds a law degree from Harvard Law School and a master’s degree from Stanford University in Latin American Studies. She obtained her undergraduate “double” degree in History and Latin American Studies from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and is also a member of the State Bar of California and the New York Bar.
Mr. Scott LaPorta has served as our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer since January 2025. He has also been the Chief Executive Officer of Sugarfina USA LLC since November 2019. From September 2018 to November 2019, he was the Chief Commercial and Strategy Officer of GT’s Living Foods. He has also served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Neurobrands LLC from January 2017 to August 2018. Additionally, from
142
September 2009 to July 2016, he served as the President, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Financial Officer of Bolthouse Farms. Earlier in his career, Scott LaPorta functioned as the president of Levi Strauss Mexico and Canada and the Levi Strauss Signature brand in the United States. Additionally, he has served in executive capacities at Park Place Entertainment Corp., Hilton Hotels Corp., and both the Marriott Corporation and Host Marriott Corporation. Mr. LaPorta received his bachelor of science in accounting from the University of Virginia and master of business administration in finance from Vanderbilt University.
Mr. Brett Wyard, who will serve as a director upon completion of this offering, has over 30 years of experience as a private equity and distressed debt investor, as well as a financial advisor specializing in financial restructurings, mergers and acquisitions, and investment banking. He currently serves as a Managing Partner at Solace Capital Partners. Since co-founding Solace in July of 2014, Mr. Wyard has overseen investments and served on multiple corporate boards. From September of 2005 to September of 2012, he was a Global Partner, Managing Director, and Co-Head of Carlyle Strategic Partners at The Carlyle Group, where he was involved in the raising and investing of $2 billion. Prior to that, from May of 1999 to August of 2005, he was a Managing Director at Oaktree Capital Management, where he was a senior member of the firm’s flagship Opportunities Funds, focusing on special situations, distressed debt, and private equity investments. He previously held positions at Merrill Lynch in the Global Special Situations Group, Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin in the Financial Restructuring Group, and Voyageur Asset Management. Mr. Wyard currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Sun Mountain Sports and previously served as Chairman of the Board of Select Interior Concepts, Inc. He has also served on the boards of Forbes Energy Services, Pinnacle Foods, and NTL Communications (now Virgin Media). Mr. Wyard received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Boston College.
Mr. Brian Webber, who will serve as a director upon completion of this offering, has over 30 years of experience as an investment banker and investor. Mr. Webber co-founded American Discovery Capital in 2017, where he has overseen the firm’s growth in private equity and investment banking. From July of 2010 to January of 2016, he was a Partner at Moelis & Company, where he focused on mergers and acquisitions and merchant banking transactions in the technology and business services sectors. From January of 2001 to July of 2010, he served as Global Head of Technology Investment Banking at UBS Investment Bank, where he expanded the group to over 100 bankers and achieved record revenue of $300 million in 2007. Prior to that, he was with Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette from May of 1993 to January of 2001 where he co-founded the firm’s technology group and was promoted to Managing Director in seven years. Mr. Webber received a Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from the University of Utah and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
Mr. Jonathan Gray, who will serve as a director upon completion of this offering, has over 20 years of experience as an investor and strategic advisor. Mr. Gray has served as a director of Prairie Operating Company (Nasdaq: PROP) since May 2023. Mr. Gray has also served as the Chief Executive Officer of First Idea International Ltd., a strategic advisory boutique from its founding in 2008. Mr. Gray has also served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Intelligent Design Agency, a design firm, from its founding to 2018. In 2016, Mr. Gray established The Hideaway Entertainment, LLC, a financing and production entertainment media company focused on motion picture, television, digital media, and technology, and has served as Chief Executive Officer since the company’s founding. In addition, Mr. Gray is the co-owner of Beauchamp Estates France, a division of Beauchamp Estates International, which he founded in March 2005. Mr. Gray served as the founder and Chief Executive Officer of JG Events, an international event management company, from its founding in 2003 until closing it in 2019. Mr. Gray earned his Baccalauréat Littéraire in Litteréture from Lycée Carnot, Cannes in 1999.
Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors
Our board of directors will consist of 7 members. Holders of our founder shares have the right to appoint all of our directors or remove any one of them for any reason prior to consummation of our initial business combination and holders of our public shares will not have the right to vote on the appointment or removal of directors during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association relating to these rights of holders of Class B ordinary shares may be amended by a special resolution passed by the affirmative vote of at least 90% (or, where such amendment is proposed in respect of the consummation of our initial business combination, two-thirds) of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company. 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.
143
Our officers are appointed by the board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board of directors, rather than for specific terms of office. Our board of directors is authorized to appoint persons to the offices set forth in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association as it deems appropriate. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that our officers may consist of a Chief Executive Officer, a President, a Chief Financial Officer, Vice Presidents, a Secretary, Assistant Secretaries, a Treasurer, Assistant Treasurers and such other offices as may be determined by the board of directors.
Director Independence
Nasdaq listing standards require that a majority of our board of directors be independent. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person other than an officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship which in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. Our board of directors has determined that Brett Wyard, Brian Webber and Jonathan Gray are “independent directors” as defined in the Nasdaq` listing standards and applicable SEC rules defined in the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Our audit committee will be entirely composed of independent directors meeting Nasdaq’s additional requirements applicable to members of the audit committee. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
Certain exemptions are available to us under Nasdaq rules that allow companies listing in connection with their initial public offering have twelve months from the date of listing to comply with the majority independent board requirement. We intend to utilize this exemptions. Accordingly, you may not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq.
Executive Officer and Director Compensation
None of our officers or directors have received any compensation for services rendered to us. Our sponsor, officers, directors and their respective affiliates will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. In addition, commencing on the date on which our securities are first listed on Nasdaq, we will pay an amount equal to $10,000 per month to our sponsor for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or any of their respective affiliates.
After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other compensation from the combined company. All compensation will be fully disclosed to shareholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our shareholders in connection with a proposed business combination. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining executive officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers after the completion of our initial business combination will be determined by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors.
We are not party to any agreements with our executive officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business, and we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination should be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Our board of directors will have three standing committees: an audit committee, a compensation committee and a nominating and corporate governance committee. Subject to phase-in rules and a limited exception, 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, and the rules of Nasdaq require that the compensation committee and the nominating and corporate governance committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors. Each committee will operate under a charter that will be approved by our board of directors and will have the composition and responsibilities described below. The charter of each committee will be available on our website following the closing of this offering.
144
Audit Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish an audit committee of the board of directors. Under the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least three members of the audit committee, all of whom must be independent. The members of our audit committee will be Brett Wyard, Brian Webber and Jonathan Gray and Brett Wyard shall serve as the chairperson of the Audit Committee.
Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our board of directors has determined that qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules and has accounting or related financial management expertise.
We will adopt an audit committee charter, which will detail the purpose and principal functions of the audit committee, including:
• | Assisting board oversight of (1) the integrity of our financial statements, (2) our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, (3) our independent registered public accounting firm’s qualifications and independence, and (4) the performance of our internal audit function and independent registered public accounting firm; |
• | Reviewing 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; |
• | re-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 auditors have with us in order to evaluate their continued independence; |
• | Setting clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent registered public accounting firm; |
• | 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; and |
• | Reviewing with management, the independent registered public accounting firm, and our legal advisors, as appropriate, any legal, regulatory or compliance matters, including any correspondence with regulators or government agencies and any employee complaints or published reports that raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies and any significant changes in accounting standards or rules promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. |
145
Compensation Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish a compensation committee of the board of directors. Under Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least two members of the compensation committee, all of whom must be independent. The members of our compensation committee will be Brett Wyard, Brian Webber and Jonathan Gray and Jonathan Gray will serve as chairperson of the compensation committee.
We will adopt a compensation committee charter, which will detail the purpose and responsibility of the compensation committee, including:
• | Reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our Chief Executive Officer based on such evaluation; |
• | Reviewing and making recommendations to our board of directors with respect to (or approving, if such authority is so delegated by our board of directors) the compensation, and any incentive- compensation and equity-based plans that are subject to board approval of all of our other officers; |
• | Reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans; |
• | Implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans; |
• | Assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements; |
• | Approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our officers and employees; |
• | Producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and |
• | Reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors. |
The charter will also provide that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, independent legal counsel or other adviser and 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 Nasdaq and the SEC.
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will establish a nominating and corporate governance committee of the board of directors. Brett Wyard, Brian Webber and Jonathan Gray will serve as members of our nominating and corporate governance committee and Brian Webber will serve as chairperson of the nominating and corporate governance committee. Under Nasdaq listing standards, all members of the nominating and corporate governance committee must be independent.
We will adopt a nominating and corporate governance committee charter, which will detail the principal functions of the nominating and corporate governance committee, including:
• | Identifying, screening and reviewing individuals qualified to serve as directors and recommending to the board of directors candidates for nomination for appointment at the annual general meeting or to fill vacancies on the board of directors; |
• | Developing and recommending to the board of directors and overseeing implementation of our corporate governance guidelines; |
• | Coordinating and overseeing the annual self-evaluation of the board of directors, its committees, individual directors and management in the governance of the company; and |
• | Reviewing on a regular basis our overall corporate governance and recommending improvements as and when necessary. |
146
The charter will also provide that the nominating and corporate governance committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of, and terminate, any search firm to be used to identify director candidates, and will be directly responsible for approving the search firm’s fees and other retention terms.
Director Nominations
Our nominating and corporate governance committee will recommend to the board of directors candidates for nomination for appointment at the annual general meeting. We have not formally established any specific minimum qualifications that must be met or skills that are necessary for directors to possess. In general, in identifying and evaluating nominees for director, the board of directors considers educational background, diversity of professional experience, knowledge of our business, integrity, professional reputation, independence, wisdom, and the ability to represent the best interests of our shareholders.
Code of Ethics
Prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, we will adopt a Code of Ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees. We will file a copy of our form of Code of Ethics as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.
You are able to review these documents by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the Code of Ethics will be provided without charge upon request from us. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K. Please see “Where You Can Find Additional Information.”
Under Cayman Islands law, directors and officers owe the following fiduciary duties:
• | duty to act in good faith in what the director or officer believes to be in the best interests of the company as a whole; |
• | duty to exercise powers for the purposes for which those powers were conferred and not for a collateral purpose; |
• | directors should not improperly fetter the exercise of future discretion; |
• | duty to exercise powers fairly as between different sections of shareholders; |
• | duty not to put themselves in a position in which there is a conflict between their duty to the company and their personal interests; and |
• | duty to exercise independent judgment. |
In addition to the above, directors also owe a duty of care which is not fiduciary in nature. This duty has been defined as a requirement to act as a reasonably diligent person having both the general knowledge, skill and experience that may reasonably be expected of a person carrying out the same functions as are carried out by that director in relation to the company and the general knowledge skill and experience of that director.
As set out above, directors have a duty not to put themselves in a position of conflict and this includes a duty not to engage in self-dealing, or to otherwise benefit as a result of their position. However, in some instances what would otherwise be a breach of this duty can be forgiven and/or authorized in advance by the shareholders provided that there is full disclosure by the directors. This can be done by way of permission granted in the memorandum and articles of association or alternatively by shareholder approval at general meetings.
Our management team is responsible for the management of our affairs. As described above and below, each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, he or she will honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us (including as described in “Proposed
147
Business - Sourcing of Potential Business Combination Targets”). These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity, prior to its presentation to us. As a result, there may be actual or potential material conflicts of interest between members of our management team on one hand, and purchasers in this offering on the other.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with members of our management team. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with members of our management team, we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, or from an independent registered public accounting firm, that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Members of our management team may participate in the formation of, invest in (on behalf of themselves, their affiliates or its and their clients), or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, there may be actual or potential material conflicts of interest between members of our management team on one hand and the investors in this offering on the other hand that may not be resolved in favor of the investors in this offering.
In addition to the above, potential investors should also be aware of the following other potential conflicts of interest between members of our management team on one hand and the investors in this offering on the other hand:
• | none of our officers or directors is required to commit his or her full time to our affairs and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating his or her time among various business activities. |
• | in the course of their other business activities, our officers and directors may become aware of investment and business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us as well as the other entities with which they are affiliated. Our management may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. Please see “— Directors and Executive Officers” for a description of our management’s other affiliations. |
• | our sponsor, officers and directors will agree to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. The non-sponsor investors will agree to waive their redemption rights only with respect to any founder shares held by them in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Additionally, our sponsor, officers and directors and the non-sponsor investors will agree to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within the completion window. However, if our sponsor or any of our officers, directors, non-sponsor investors or any of their respective affiliates acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within the completion window. If we do not complete our initial business combination within such applicable time period, the proceeds of the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, and the private placement warrants will expire worthless. Except as described herein, (1) pursuant to the Insider Letter Agreement and the Non-Sponsor Investor Letter Agreement, our sponsor, officers and directors and non-sponsor investors will agree not to transfer, assign or sell any founder shares held by them until the earlier to occur of: (A) six months after completion of our initial business combination; or (B) if the closing price of our ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and other similar transactions) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing any time 150 days after completion of our initial business combination. Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our sponsor with respect to any founder shares, and (2) pursuant to the Insider Letter Agreement and the Non-Sponsor Investor Letter Agreement, our sponsor, officers and directors and non-sponsor investors will agree not to transfer, assign or sell any private placement warrants and the Class A ordinary shares underlying such warrants until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the lock-up. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction after our initial business combination that results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other |
148
property, the founder shares will be released from the lock-up. Since our sponsor, members of our management team may directly or indirectly own ordinary shares and warrants following this offering, our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination.
• | our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our initial business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether to proceed with a particular business combination. |
• | our key personnel may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such key personnel was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination. |
• | our sponsor and members of our management team will directly or indirectly own our securities following this offering, and accordingly, they may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Upon the closing of this offering, our sponsor and certain directors and officers will have invested in us an aggregate of $3,513,000 comprised of the $25,000 purchase price for the founder shares (or approximately $0.0043 per share), the $2,648,000 purchase price for the private placement warrants (or $1.00 per warrant), assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option, and the Working Capital Convertible Note. Accordingly, our management team, which owns interests in our sponsor, may be more willing to pursue a business combination with a riskier or less-established target business than would be the case if our sponsor had paid the same per share price for the founder shares as our public shareholders paid for their public shares. |
• | Upon the completion of this offering, we will issue our Sponsor a Working Capital Convertible Note in the principal amount of up to $840,000, which we may draw down in our sole discretion, from time to time in order to pay for working capital expenses or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. Any principal amounts outstanding under the Working Capital Convertible Note may be converted into Class A ordinary shares, at a conversion price per share equal to the lower of (i) $8.00 per share and (ii) the Note Conversion VWAP, at the option of our Sponsor. See “Description of Securities — Ordinary Shares” on page 159. The conversion price of the Working Capital Convertible Note may be significantly less than the market price of our shares at the time such loan is converted. Any amount that are not converted into Class A ordinary shares will be repaid in cash on the maturity date. The maturity date of the Working Capital Convertible Note will be the earlier of (i) Lock-up Expiration Date and (ii) the date that our winding up becomes effective. Certain members of our management team and our board will directly or indirectly own interest in our Sponsor, and due to their financial interests in our Sponsor, they may have a conflict of interest in determining whether the Working Capital Convertible Note should be drawn down as well as the timing and manner of conversion or repayment (as applicable) of any outstanding principal balances under the Working Capital Convertible Note. |
• | in the event our sponsor or members of our management team provide loans to us to finance transaction costs, or out-of-pocket reimbursement of expenses, in connection with an intended initial business combination and/or incur expenses on our behalf in connection with an initial business combination, such persons and accordingly, they may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination as such loans may not be repaid and/or such expenses may not be reimbursed unless we consummate such business combination. |
• | we are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, directors or members of our management team; accordingly, such affiliated person(s) they may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination as such affiliated person(s) would have interests different from our public shareholders and would likely not receive any financial benefit unless we consummated such business combination. |
The conflicts described above may not be resolved in our favor.
149
Below is a table summarizing the entities to which our executive officers and directors currently have fiduciary duties:
Individual(1) | Entity | Entity’s Business | Affiliation | ||||||
Paul L. Kessler | Bristol Capital Advisors, LLC | Investment | Founder and CEO | ||||||
Bristol Investment Fund, Ltd. | Investment | Director and Portfolio Manager | |||||||
Bristol Capital, LLC | Investment | Founder and Manager | |||||||
LK Advisors, Inc. | Family Education and Advisory | Founder and Director | |||||||
Sugarfina Corporation | Food Retail | Director | |||||||
Scott LaPorta | Sugarfina USA LLC | Food Retail | CEO | ||||||
Diana Derycz-Kessler | Bristol Capital Advisors, LLC | Investment | Co-Founder and Co-Manager | ||||||
Bristol Investment Fund, Ltd. | Investment | Director | |||||||
Bristol Capital, LLC | Investment | Co-Founder and Co-Manager | |||||||
LK Advisors, Inc. | Family Education and Advisory | Founder and Director | |||||||
Sugarfina Corporation | Food Retail | ||||||||
Brett Wyard | Solace Capital Partners | Investment | Managing Partner | ||||||
Brian Webber | American Discovery Adv. | Banking and Finance | CEO | ||||||
American Discovery Capital | Banking and Finance | CEO | |||||||
ADIA | Banking and Finance | CEO | |||||||
Jonathan Gray | First Idea International Ltd. | Strategy and Investment | CEO | ||||||
The Hideaway Entertainment, LLC | Entertainment | CEO | |||||||
Beauchamp Estates France | Real Estate | Co-Owner | |||||||
Prairie Operating Company | Energy | Director | |||||||
(1) | Each of the entities listed in this table may have competitive interests with our company with respect to the performance by each individual listed in this table of his or her obligations. |
In addition, our sponsor or any of its affiliates, or any of their respective clients, may make additional investments in the company in connection with the initial business combination, although our sponsor and its affiliates have no obligation or current intention to do so. If our sponsor or any of its affiliates elects to make additional investments, such proposed investments could influence our sponsor’s motivation to complete an initial business combination.
150
Further, in order to facilitate our initial business combination, including any related financing, our sponsor may surrender or forfeit, transfer or exchange our founder shares, private placement warrants or any of our other securities, including for no consideration, as well as subject any such securities to earn-outs or other restrictions, or otherwise amend the terms of any such securities or enter into any other arrangements with respect to any such securities.
In the event that we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, our sponsor, officers and directors and non-sponsor investors will agree to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination, and our officers and directors also will agree to vote public shares purchased by them (if any) during or after this offering (including in open market and privately-negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination (except that any public shares such parties may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction, 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.
Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors
Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against willful default, willful neglect, civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide for indemnification by us of our officers and directors to the fullest extent authorized by law, as it now exists or may in the future be amended.
We will enter into agreements with our officers and directors to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association also permit us to maintain insurance on behalf of any officer, director or employee for any liability arising out of his or her actions.
We will obtain a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors.
These provisions may discourage shareholders from bringing a lawsuit against our directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against directors and officers, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our shareholders. Furthermore, a shareholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
We believe that these provisions, the insurance and the indemnity agreements are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced officers and directors.
In connection with this registration statement, we have undertaken that insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
151
The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares as of the date of this prospectus, and as adjusted to reflect the sale of our ordinary shares included in the units offered by this prospectus, and assuming no purchase of units in this offering, by:
• | each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding ordinary shares; |
• | each of our executive officers, directors and director nominees; and |
• | all our executive officers and directors as a group. |
Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all ordinary shares beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect record or beneficial ownership of the private placement warrants as these warrants are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this prospectus.
Our sponsor and certain director, officers, either directly or indirectly, owns an aggregate of 5,750,000 founder shares. On May 24, 2025, our sponsor transferred an aggregate of 75,000 of its founder shares to our independent director nominees, in each case for no cash consideration, resulting in our sponsor holding 4,237,500 founder shares. The founder shares transferred to our independent directors, will not be subject to forfeiture in the event the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised. The post-offering numbers and percentages presented assume that the underwriter does not exercise its over-allotment option, that our sponsor forfeits 750,000 founder shares, and that there are 18,750,000 ordinary shares issued and outstanding after this offering.
Before Offering | After Offering | |||||||||||
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1) | Number of Shares Beneficially Owned(2) | Approximate Percentage of Outstanding ordinary shares | Number of Shares Beneficially Owned(2) | Approximate Percentage of Outstanding ordinary shares | ||||||||
Vendome Acquisition Sponsor I LLC(3) | 5,675,000 | 98.2% | 4,925,000 | 19.60% | ||||||||
Paul Kessler(3) | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
Diana Derycz-Kessler(3) | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
Scott LaPorta(3) | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
Brett Webber | 75,000 | * | 75,000 | * | ||||||||
Brian Wyard | 75,000 | * | 75,000 | * | ||||||||
Jonathan Gray | 75,000 | * | 75,000 | * | ||||||||
All executive officers and directors as a group (7 individuals) | 5,750,000 | 100.0% | 5,000,000 | 20.00% | ||||||||
(1) | Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following entities or individuals is c/o Vendome Acquisition Corporation I, 1090 Center Drive, Park City, UT 84098. |
(2) | Interests shown consist of 5,750,000 Class B ordinary shares which are referred to herein as founder shares. The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination or at any time prior thereto at the option of the holder thereof, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment, as described in the section entitled “Description of Securities.” This number assumes that the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised and that the sponsor forfeits 750,000 Class B ordinary shares. Does not include any Class A ordinary shares which may be issued upon conversion of the Working Capital Convertible Note or Additional Working Capital Loans. |
(3) | Vendome Acquisition Sponsor I LLC is the record holder of the shares reported herein. Ms. Diana Derycz-Kessler, President, Paul Kessler, Executive Chairman, and Scott La Porta, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, are the managing members of Vendome Acquisition Holding I LLC, the managing member of Vendome Acquisition Sponsor I LLC. As such, they may be deemed to have or share beneficial ownership of the Class B ordinary shares held directly by Vendome Acquisition Sponsor I LLC. Such persons disclaim any beneficial ownership of the reported shares other than to the extent of any pecuniary interest he may have therein, directly or indirectly. |
152
Upon the completion of this offering, our sponsor will beneficially own 20% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares. Our sponsor will have the right to elect all of our directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination and to vote to continue our company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands prior to the completion of our initial business combination as a result of holding all of the founder shares. In addition, because of this ownership block, our sponsor may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all matters requiring approval by our shareholders, including amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approval of significant corporate transactions, including our initial business combination. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a capitalization or share repurchase or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares held by our Sponsor immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering. Our public shareholders may incur immediate and substantial dilution upon such adjustment.
Our sponsor will subscribe to purchase an aggregate of 2,648,000 private placement warrants (whether or not the over-allotment option is exercised) at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($2,648,000 in the aggregate) in the private placement. Proceeds from the private placement warrants will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account. If we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, the proceeds of the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, and the private placement warrants will expire worthless. The private placement warrants are subject to the transfer restrictions described below. Otherwise, the private placement warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering.
Our sponsor and certain of our officers and directors are deemed to be our “promoter” as such term is defined under the federal securities laws. Please see “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions” for additional information regarding our relationships with our promoters.
Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants
The founder shares and private placement warrants are each subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to lock-up provisions in the Insider Letter Agreement and the Non-Sponsor Investor Letter Agreement with us to be entered into by our sponsor, officers and directors and the non-sponsor investors, as applicable. Except as described below, those lock-up provisions provide that such securities are not transferable or salable, (1) in the case of the founder shares, until the earlier to occur of: (A) six months after completion of our initial business combination; or (B) if the closing price of our ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and other similar transactions) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing any time 150 days after completion of our initial business combination, (2) in the case of the private placement warrants and the respective Class A ordinary shares underlying such warrants, until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction after our initial business combination that results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property, the founder shares will be released from the lock-up. Holders of founder shares and private placement warrants (and any Class A ordinary shares issued upon exercise thereof) may only transfer or sell them (a) to our officers, directors or employees, any affiliates or immediate family members (including trusts for their benefit) of any of our officers, directors or employees, any members of the sponsor, any affiliates of a member of the sponsor or any employees of a member of the sponsor or a member’s affiliates; (b) in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of the individual’s immediate family members, to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of the individual’s immediate family or an affiliate of such person, or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of the individual; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) by private sales or transfers, in each case, made in connection with the consummation of a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the securities were originally purchased; (f) in the event of our liquidation prior to the completion of an initial business combination; (g) by virtue of the law of the Cayman Islands or the sponsor’s limited liability company agreement upon dissolution of the sponsor; (h) in the event of our completion of a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction which results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property subsequent to the completion of the initial business combination; (i) to a nominee or custodian of a person or entity to whom a disposition or transfer would be permissible under clauses (a) through (h) above; provided, however, that in the case
153
of clauses (a) through (e) and (i), these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by the transfer restrictions herein and the other restrictions contained in the Insider Letter Agreement and the Non-Sponsor Investor Letter Agreement; provided that the non-sponsor investors will not be permitted to transfer the founder shares and/or private placement warrants held by them by virtue of the law of the Cayman Islands or the sponsor’s limited liability company agreement upon dissolution of the sponsor.
The Insider Letter Agreement also provides that if we seek to consummate an initial business combination by means of a tender offer, sponsor and our officers and directors will not sell or tender any of our shares held by them in connection with such tender offer. To the extent any party to the Insider Letter Agreement or the Non-Sponsor Investor Letter Agreement breaches its obligation to vote in favor of an initial business combination or to refrain from selling or tendering the shares held by them, sponsor shall have the right to acquire any founder shares beneficially owned by such breaching party. Further, to the extent the breaching party has transferred its founder shares to another person and is therefore not able to return the founder shares to sponsor , the breaching party shall be obligated to pay sponsor an amount in cash equal to the product of $10.00 multiplied by the number of transferred founder shares.
Registration Rights
The holders of the founder shares, private placement warrants, and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the private placement warrants issued upon conversion of the working capital loans and upon conversion of the founder shares) and their permitted transferees will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering requiring us to register such securities for resale (in the case of the founder shares, only after conversion to Class A ordinary shares). The holders of these securities, having at least $25 million in the aggregate, will collectively be entitled to demand, excluding short form registration demands, that we register such securities. The holders of these securities, having at least $25 million in the aggregate, will be entitled to make up to three demands for underwritten offerings, excluding short form demands, that we register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination and rights to require us to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. Pursuant to such registration rights agreement, we will agree that, within 30 days after the consummation of an initial business combination, we will file with the SEC a registration statement registering the resale or other disposition of such securities. We will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause such registration statement to become effective by the SEC as soon as reasonably practicable after the initial filing of the registration statement. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
154
On February 21, 2025, our sponsor and certain directors and officers, either directly or indirectly, purchased an aggregate of 9,857,143 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. On March 25 2025, our sponsor surrendered 5,544,643 founder shares for no consideration and now holds 5,750,000 founder shares. On May 24, 2025. our sponsor transferred an aggregate of 75,000 of its founder shares to our independent director nominees, in each case for no cash consideration, resulting in our sponsor holding 4,237,500 founder shares. The founder shares transferred to our independent directors and certain members of our management team will not be subject to forfeiture in the event the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding ordinary shares upon completion of this offering. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering we will effect a capitalization or share repurchase or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders at 20% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering.
Our sponsor will subscribe to purchase an aggregate of 2,648,000 private placement warrants (whether or not the over-allotment option is exercised) at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($2,648,000 in the aggregate in the private placement. The private placement warrants are identical to the public warrants sold in this offering, except that the private placement warrants are subject to certain transfer restrictions and the holders thereof are entitled to certain registration rights, as described herein, and; (1) will not be redeemable by us and (2) may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis. A portion of the purchase price of the private placement warrants will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account such that at the time of closing $200,000,000 million (or $230,000,000 million if the underwriter exercises its over-allotment option in full) will be held in the trust account. If we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, the private placement warrants (and the underlying securities) will expire worthless.
Upon the completion of this offering, we will issue our Sponsor a Working Capital Convertible Note in the principal amount of up to $840,000 , which we may draw down in our sole discretion, from time to time in order to pay for working capital expenses or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. Any principal amounts outstanding under the Working Capital Convertible Note may be converted into Class A ordinary shares, at a conversion price per share equal to the lower of (i) $8.00 per share and (ii) the Note Conversion VWAP, at the option of our Sponsor.
The private placement warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by our sponsor until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination.
As described in “Proposed Business — Sourcing of Potential Business Combination Targets” and “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, he or she will honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us. Our officers and directors currently have other relevant fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties that may take priority over their duties to us.
Our sponsor, officers and directors or any of their respective affiliates will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or any of their respective affiliates and will determine which expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.
On June 3, 2025, our sponsor agreed to loan us up to $300,000 as described in this prospectus. As of June 3, 2025, we had borrowed $93,959 under such promissory note. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of December 31, 2025 or the closing of this offering. These loans will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $1,680,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) not held in the trust account. The value of our sponsor’s interest in this loan transaction corresponds to the principal amount outstanding under any such loan.
155
Commencing on the date on which our securities are first listed on Nasdaq, we will pay an amount equal to $10,000 per month to our sponsor for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees. Accordingly, in the event the consummation of our initial business combination takes the maximum 24 months, our sponsor will be paid a total of $240,000 ($10,000 per month in either case) and will be entitled to be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors may, but none of them is obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $2,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. In addition, after the completion of this offering, our board of directors may approve Additional Working Capital Loans for the purpose of funding working capital, which loans may be converted into our private units, shares, or warrants. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such loans by our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors, if any, as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us, if any, may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to our shareholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer or proxy solicitation 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 officer and director compensation.
We will enter into a registration rights agreement with respect to the founder shares, private placement warrants, and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the private placement warrants or warrants issued upon conversion of the working capital loans and upon conversion of the founder shares), which is described under the heading “Principal Shareholders - Registration Rights.”
Related Party Transactions Policy
We have not yet adopted a formal policy for the review, approval or ratification of related party transactions. Accordingly, the transactions discussed above were not reviewed, approved or ratified in accordance with any such policy.
Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will adopt a Code of Ethics requiring us to avoid, wherever possible, all conflicts of interests, except under guidelines or resolutions approved by our board of directors (or the appropriate committee of our board) or as disclosed in our public filings with the SEC. Under our Code of Ethics, conflict of interest situations will include any financial transaction, arrangement or relationship (including any indebtedness or guarantee of indebtedness) involving the company.
In addition, our audit committee, pursuant to a written charter that we will adopt prior to the consummation of this offering, will be responsible for reviewing and approving related party transactions to the extent that we enter into such transactions. An affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the audit committee present at a meeting at which a quorum is present will be required in order to approve a related party transaction. A majority of the members of the entire audit committee will constitute a quorum. Without a meeting, the unanimous written consent of all of the members of the audit committee will be required to approve a related party transaction. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or any of their affiliates.
These procedures are intended to determine whether any such related party transaction impairs the independence of a director or presents a conflict of interest on the part of a director, employee or officer.
156
To further minimize conflicts of interest, we will agree not to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our sponsor, officers or directors unless we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or an independent registered public accounting firm that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. There will be no finder’s fees, reimbursement, consulting fee, monies in respect of any payment of a loan or other compensation paid by us to our sponsor, officers or directors or our or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, the following payments may be made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates, and, if made prior to our initial business combination will be made from funds held outside the trust account:
• | payment to our sponsor for office space, administrative and shared personnel support services, in an amount equal to $10,000 per month, commencing on the first date on which our securities are listed on Nasdaq; |
• | reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination; |
• | repayment of loans which may be made by our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, the terms of which have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto. Up to $2,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. In addition, after the completion of this offering, our board of directors may approve Additional Working Capital Loans for the purpose of funding working capital, which loans may be converted into our private units, shares, or warrants; |
• | repayment of the Working Capital Convertible Note made by our Sponsor to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, in the principal amount of up to $840,000, which we may draw down in our sole discretion, from time to time. Any principal amounts outstanding under the Working Capital Convertible Note may be convertible into Class A ordinary shares of the post-business combination entity, at a conversion price per share equal to the lower of (i) $8.00 per share and (ii) the Note Conversion VWAP, at the option of our Sponsor. The shares issuable upon conversion of the Working Capital Convertible Note would be identical to the Class A ordinary shares that are sold as a part of the units of this offering; and |
• | The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. |
These payments may be made using funds that are not held in the trust account or, upon completion of the initial business combination, from any amounts remaining from the proceeds of the trust account released to us in connection therewith.
157
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company and our affairs will be governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act and the common law of the Cayman Islands. Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, we will be authorized to issue (i) 220,000,000 ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, consisting of 200,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, and 20,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, and (ii) 1,000,000 preference shares, $0.0001 par value. The following description summarizes the material terms of our ordinary shares. Because it is only a summary, it may not contain all the information that is important to you.
Units
Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of Class A ordinary shares. This means only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time by a warrant holder. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade.
The Class A ordinary shares and warrants constituting the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day) unless D. Boral informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the Class A ordinary shares and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into Class A ordinary shares and warrants. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least two units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant. Additionally, the units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination.
In no event will the Class A ordinary shares and warrants be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet of our company reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K which will include this audited balance sheet, promptly after the closing of this offering. If the underwriter’s option to purchase additional units is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriter’s option to purchase additional units.
Private Placement Warrants
Our sponsor has subscribed to purchase an aggregate of 2,648,000 private placement warrants (whether or not the over-allotment option is exercised) at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($2,648,000 in the aggregate) in the private placement. Each private placement warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. A portion of the purchase price of the private placement warrants will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account. If we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, the proceeds of the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the private placement warrants will expire worthless. The private placement warrants will be identical to the warrants sold as part of this offering, except as set forth below under “- Private Placement Warrants.”
Subject to certain exceptions, pursuant to the Insider Letter Agreement and Non-Sponsor Investor Letter Agreement entered into with us, our sponsor, officers and directors and the non-sponsor investors will agree not to transfer, assign or sell the private placement warrants (including the underlying Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except, among other limited exceptions as described under “Principal Shareholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants,” to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with our sponsor).
158
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors may, but none of them is obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $2,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrants at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. In addition, after the completion of this offering, our board of directors may approve Additional Working Capital Loans for the purpose of funding working capital, which loans may be converted into our private units, shares, or warrants.
Upon the closing of this offering, 18,750,000 ordinary shares will be outstanding (assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s option to purchase additional units and the corresponding forfeiture of 750,000 founder shares by our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees), including:
• | 20,000,000 Class A ordinary shares underlying the units being offered in this offering; and |
• | 5,000,000 Class B ordinary shares held by our initial shareholders. |
If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a capitalization or share repurchase or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders at 20% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering.
Ordinary shareholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by shareholders. However, only holders of Class B ordinary shares will have the right to (i) appoint or remove directors in any election held prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, meaning that holders of Class A ordinary shares will not have the right to appoint any directors until after the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) continue the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to adopt new constitutional documents as a result of our approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). The provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association governing these matters prior to our initial business combination may only be amended by a special resolution passed by the affirmative vote of at least 90% (or, where such amendment is proposed in respect of the consummation of our initial business combination, two-thirds) of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company. On any other matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, holders of Class A ordinary shares and holders of Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders except as required by law. Unless otherwise specified in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or as required by applicable provisions of the Companies Act or applicable stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of our ordinary shares that are represented in person or by proxy and are voted at a general meeting is required to approve any such matter voted on by our shareholders. Approval of certain actions will require a special resolution under Cayman Islands law, which (except as outlined above) requires the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes cast by such shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at the applicable general meeting of the company, and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association; such actions include amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (other than the provisions referred to above) and approving a statutory merger or consolidation with another company. 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 entitled to vote and voting for the appointment of directors can appoint all of the directors. Our shareholders are entitled to receive ratable dividends when, as and if declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available therefor.
Because our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will authorize the issuance of up to 200,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, if we were to enter into a business combination, we may (depending on the terms of such a business combination) be required to increase the number of ordinary shares which we are authorized to issue at the same time as our shareholders vote on the business combination to the extent we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination.
159
In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general meeting until no later than one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. As an exempted company, there is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual or extraordinary general meetings to appoint directors.
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share. The redemption right will include the requirement that any beneficial owner on whose behalf a redemption right is being exercised must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against, or vote at all in connection with, the proposed transaction. Our sponsor, officers and directors and the non-sponsor investors will enter into the Insider Letter Agreement and the Non-sponsor Investor Letter Agreement with us, as applicable, pursuant to which our sponsor, officers and directors and their respective affiliates will agree to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them and the non-sponsor investors will agree to waive their redemption rights with respect only to the founder shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Permitted transferees of our sponsor, officers or directors will be subject to the same obligations, except that such waiver of redemption rights shall only be applicable to the founder shares held by the non-sponsor investors and not applicable to any public shares held by them. Unlike many blank check companies that hold shareholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business combinations and provide for related redemptions of public shares for cash upon completion of such initial business combinations even when a vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, if a shareholder vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, we may, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, conduct the repurchases pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will require these tender offer documents to contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, a shareholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other reasons, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If we seek shareholder approval, unless a different vote is required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, we will complete our initial business combination only if we receive approval pursuant to an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. However, the participation of our sponsor, officers, directors, or any of their respective affiliates in privately-negotiated transactions (as described in this prospectus), if any, could result in the approval of our initial business combination even if a majority of our public shareholders vote, or indicate their intention to vote, against such business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding ordinary shares, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. We intend to give approximately 30 days (but not less than 20 days nor more than 60 days) prior written notice of any such meeting, if required, at which a vote shall be taken to approve our initial business combination. These quorum and voting thresholds and agreements may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), is restricted from redeeming more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, without our prior consent, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” However, we would not be restricting our 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
160
redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete the 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 ordinary shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we receive approval pursuant to an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. In such case, our sponsor, officers and directors and the non-sponsor investors have (and their permitted transferees, as applicable, will agree) agreed to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ and their permitted transferees’ founder shares and private shares, we would need 7,500,001, or 37.5%, of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of our initial business combination (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted, the option to purchase additional units is not exercised and the parties to the letter agreement do not acquire any Class A ordinary shares) in order to have such initial business combination approved. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against, or vote at all in connection with, the proposed transaction.
Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but no more than ten business days thereafter, subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem the public shares, at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (less any permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law; and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, 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. Our sponsor, officers and directors and the non-sponsor investor will enter into the Insider Letter Agreement and the Non-sponsor Investor Letter Agreement with us, as applicable, pursuant to which they will agree to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window. However, if our sponsor, any of our officers or directors, non-sponsor investors or any of their respective affiliates acquires public shares after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window.
In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the company after a business combination, our shareholders are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining available for distribution to them after payment of liabilities and after provision is made for each class of 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 shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein.
Upon the completion of this offering, we will issue our Sponsor a Working Capital Convertible Note in the principal amount of up to $840,000, which we may draw down in our sole discretion, from time to time in order to pay for working capital expenses or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. Any principal amounts outstanding under the Working Capital Convertible Note may be converted into Class A ordinary shares, at a conversion price per share equal to the lower of (i) $8.00 per share and (ii) the Note Conversion VWAP, at the option of our Sponsor. Any Class A ordinary shares issued upon conversion of the Working Capital Convertible Note would be identical to the Class A ordinary shares that are sold as a part of the units of this offering.
Founder Shares
The founder shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, except that: (1) only holders of the founder shares have the right to vote on the appointment and removal of directors prior to our initial business combination and in continuing our company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands; (2) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below; (3) our sponsor,
161
officers and directors and the non-sponsor investors will enter into the Insider Letter Agreement and the Non-sponsor Investor Letter Agreement with us, as applicable, pursuant to which they will agree to waive: (a) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (b) their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within the completion window or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, except that such waiver of redemption rights shall only be applicable to the founder shares held by the non-sponsor investors and not applicable to any public shares held by them; and (c) 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 completion window (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window); (4) the founder shares automatically convertible into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination or at any time prior thereto at the option of the holder thereof, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described herein; and (5) the holders of founder shares are entitled to registration rights. If we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, our sponsor, officers and directors and the non-sponsor investors will agree (and their permitted transferees, as applicable, will agree) to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination (except that any public shares such parties may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction).
The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination or at any time prior thereto at the option of the holder thereof, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts sold in this offering and related to the closing of our initial business combination, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares shall 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 anti-dilution 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, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the total number of all ordinary shares outstanding upon completion of this offering plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination, excluding any Class A ordinary shares, subject to vesting and any other restrictions, issued or deemed issued to (i) our sponsor (or its members or affiliates) in connection with the consummation of this offering, (ii) any seller in the initial business combination, (iii) the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants and (iv) any Class A ordinary shares issued to our sponsor (or its members or affiliates) upon conversion of working capital loans.
Subject to certain exceptions, pursuant to the Insider Letter Agreement and the Non-Sponsor Investor Letter Agreement entered into with us, as applicable, our sponsor, officers and directors and the non-sponsor investors will agree not to transfer, assign or sell any founder shares held by them until the earlier to occur of: (A) six months after completion of our initial business combination; or (B) if the closing price of our ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and other similar transactions) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing any time 150 days after completion of our initial business combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction after our initial business combination that results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property, the founder shares will be released from the lock-up.
Except in certain limited circumstances, no member of the sponsor may transfer all or any portion of its membership interests in the sponsor. For more information, see “Principal Shareholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”.
Register of Members
Under the Companies Act, we must keep a register of members and there should be entered therein:
• | the names and addresses of the members of the company, a statement of the shares held by each member, which: |
162
• | distinguishes each share by its number (so long as the share has a number); |
• | confirms the amount paid, or agreed to be considered as paid, on the shares of each member; confirms the number and category of shares held by each member; |
• | confirms whether each relevant category of shares held by a member carries voting rights under the Articles, and if so, whether such voting rights are conditional; |
• | the date on which the name of any person was entered on the register as a member; and |
• | the date on which any person ceased to be a member. |
For these purposes, “voting rights” means rights conferred on shareholders, including the right to appoint or remove directors, in respect of their shares to vote at general meetings of the company on all or substantially all matters. A voting right is conditional where the voting right arises only in certain circumstances. Under Cayman Islands law, the register of members of our company is prima facie evidence of the matters set out therein (i.e., the register of members will raise a presumption of fact on the matters referred to above unless rebutted) and a member registered in the register of members will be deemed as a matter of Cayman Islands law to have legal title to the shares as set against its name in the register of members. Upon the closing of this public offering, the register of members will be immediately updated to reflect the issue of shares by us. Once our register of members has been updated, the shareholders recorded in the register of members will be deemed to have legal title to the shares set against their name. However, there are certain limited circumstances where an application may be made to a Cayman Islands court for a determination on whether the register of members reflects the correct legal position.
Further, the Cayman Islands court has the power to order that the register of members maintained by a company should be rectified where it considers that the register of members does not reflect the correct legal position. If an application for an order for rectification of the register of members were made in respect of our ordinary shares, then the validity of such shares may be subject to re-examination by a Cayman Islands court.
Preference Shares
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will authorize 1,000,000 preference shares and will provide that preference shares may be issued from time to time in one or more series. Our board of directors will be authorized to fix the voting rights, if any, designations, powers, preferences, the relative, participating, optional or other special rights and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, applicable to the shares of each series. Our board of directors will be able to, without shareholder approval, issue preference shares with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of the ordinary shares and could have anti-takeover effects. The ability of our board of directors to issue preference shares without shareholder approval could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of us or the removal of existing management. We have no preference shares outstanding at the date hereof. Although we do not currently intend to issue any preference shares, we cannot assure you that we will not do so in the future. No preference shares are being issued or registered in this offering.
Warrants
Public Shareholders’ 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 on the later of the completion of our initial business combination or 12 months after this registration statement is declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission. 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 on Form S-1 or Form F-1 (or, if applicable, a registration on Form S-3 or Form F-3) 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
163
Class A ordinary shares is available, subject to our satisfying our obligations described below with respect to registration or a valid exemption from registration is available, including in connection with a cashless exercise permitted as a result of a notice of redemption described below under “Redemption of Public Warrants.” No warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration is available. If a registration statement on Form S-4 or Form F-4 is filed in connection with our initial business combination that registers our warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of such warrants, such registration statement will not satisfy our obligation to register the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of our warrants, which will only be satisfied with the filing of a registration statement on Form S-1 or Form F-1 (or, if applicable, a registration statement on Form S-3 or Form F-3) registering the issuance of such Class A ordinary shares from time to time.
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 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.
The registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part registers 11,500,000 Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants. We will agree that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or a new registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants. We will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause such registration statement to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of our initial business combination and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement. Because the warrants are not exercisable until the later of the completion of our initial business combination or 12 months after this registration statement is declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission, we do not currently intend to update the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or file a new registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants until after the initial business combination has been consummated. If a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 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. In the case of a cashless exercise, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the lesser of the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (as defined below) less the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” as used in this paragraph shall mean the average last reported sale price for the 10-trading days ending on the trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent.
Redemption of Public Warrants.
Once the public warrants become exercisable, we may call the public warrants for redemption:
• | in whole and not in part; |
• | at a price of $0.01 per public warrant; |
• | upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, or the 30-day redemption period, to each warrant holder; and |
• | if, and only if, the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a public warrant as described under the heading “— Anti-Dilution Adjustments”) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of |
164
redemption to the warrant holders (the “Reference Value”), provided that a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares is available throughout the 30-trading day measurement period.
We will not redeem the public 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 public 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 public warrants become redeemable by us pursuant to the foregoing redemption method, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
If we call the warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our shareholders of issuing the maximum number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of our warrants. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the “fair market value” of our Class A ordinary shares less the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value.
We have established the last of the redemption criteria discussed above to prevent a redemption call unless there is at the time of the call a significant premium to the warrant exercise price. If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption of the warrants, each warrant holder will be entitled to exercise his, her or its warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of the Class A ordinary shares may fall below the $18.00 redemption trigger price (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “— Warrants — Public Shareholders’ Warrants — Anti-Dilution Adjustments”) as well as the $11.50 warrant exercise price (for whole shares) after the redemption notice is issued.
Redemption Procedures.
A holder of a warrant may notify us in writing in the event it elects to be subject to a requirement that such holder will not have the right to exercise such warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), to the warrant agent’s actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 9.8% (or such other amount as a holder may specify) of the Class A ordinary shares outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise.
Anti-Dilution Adjustments.
If the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares is increased by a share dividend payable in Class A ordinary shares, or by a share sub-divisions of Class A ordinary shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such share dividend, share sub-divisions or similar event, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable on exercise of each warrant will be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding Class A ordinary shares. A rights offering to holders of Class A ordinary shares entitling holders to purchase Class A ordinary shares at a price less than the “historical fair market value” (as defined below) will be deemed a share dividend of a number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the product of (1) 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) multiplied by (2) one minus the quotient of (x) the price per Class A ordinary share paid in such rights offering divided by (y) the historical fair market value.
For these purposes (1) 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 (2) “historical fair market value” means the average last reported sale price of Class A ordinary shares as reported during the 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.
In addition, if we, at any time while the warrants are outstanding and unexpired, pay a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to the holders of Class A ordinary shares on account of Class A ordinary shares (or other
165
ordinary shares into which the warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described above, (b) certain ordinary cash dividends, (c) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A ordinary shares in connection with a proposed initial business combination, (d) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A ordinary shares in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within the completion window or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, or (e) in connection with the redemption of our public shares upon our failure to complete our initial business combination, then the warrant exercise price will be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such event, by the amount of cash and/or the fair market value of any securities or other assets paid on each Class A ordinary share in respect of such event.
If the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares is decreased by a consolidation, combination or reclassification of Class A ordinary shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reclassification or similar event, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable on exercise of each warrant will be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding Class A ordinary shares.
Whenever the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants is adjusted, as described above, the warrant exercise price will be adjusted by multiplying the warrant exercise price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which will be the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which will be the number of Class A ordinary shares so purchasable immediately thereafter.
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 a New Issuance Price of less than $9.20 per Class A ordinary share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors (including consideration of the market price) and, in the case of any such issuance to our sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by our sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of our Class A ordinary shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day following the effective date of the registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the New Issuance Price and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described below under “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Shareholders’ Warrants — Redemption of public warrants” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the New Issuance Price.
In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding Class A ordinary shares (other than those described above or that solely affects the par value of such Class A ordinary shares), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of us with or into another corporation (other than a consolidation or merger in which we are the continuing corporation and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of our outstanding Class A ordinary shares), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of us as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which we are dissolved, the holders of the warrants will thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the warrants and in lieu of the Class A ordinary shares immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares of stock, shares or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the warrants would have received if such holder had exercised their warrants immediately prior to such event. However, if such holders were entitled to exercise a right of election as to the kind or amount of securities, cash or other assets receivable upon such merger or consolidation, then the kind and amount of securities, cash or other assets for which each public warrant will become exercisable will be deemed to be the weighted average of the kind and amount received per share by such holders in such merger or consolidation that affirmatively make such election, and if a tender, exchange or redemption offer has been made to and accepted by such holders (other than a tender, exchange or redemption offer made by the company in connection with redemption rights held by shareholders of the company as provided for in
166
the company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or as a result of the redemption of Class A ordinary shares by the company if a proposed initial business combination is presented to the shareholders of the company for approval) under circumstances in which, upon completion of such tender or exchange offer, the maker thereof, together with members of any group (within the meaning of Rule 13d-5(b)(1) under the Exchange Act) of which such maker is a part, and together with any affiliate or associate of such maker (within the meaning of Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act) and any members of any such group of which any such affiliate or associate is a part, own beneficially (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) more than 50% of the issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares, the holder of a warrant will be entitled to receive the highest amount of cash, securities or other property to which such holder would actually have been entitled as a shareholder if such warrant holder had exercised the warrant prior to the expiration of such tender or exchange offer, accepted such offer and all of the Class A ordinary shares held by such holder had been purchased pursuant to such tender or exchange offer, subject to adjustment (from and after the consummation of such tender or exchange offer) as nearly equivalent as possible to the adjustments provided for in the warrant agreement. Additionally, if less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of Class A ordinary shares in such a transaction is payable in the form of ordinary shares in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the registered holder of the warrant properly exercises the public warrant within 30 days following public disclosure of such transaction, the public warrant exercise price will be reduced as specified in the warrant agreement based on the per share consideration minus Black-Scholes Warrant Value (as defined in the warrant agreement) of the public warrant. The purpose of such exercise price reduction is to provide additional value to holders of the warrants when an extraordinary transaction occurs during the exercise period of the warrants pursuant to which the holders of the warrants otherwise do not receive the full potential value of the warrants.
The warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Odyssey Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. You should review a copy of the warrant agreement, which will be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, for a description of the terms and conditions applicable to the warrants. The warrant agreement will provide that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder purpose of (i) curing any ambiguity or correct any mistake, including to conform the provisions of the warrant agreement to the description of the terms of the warrants and the warrant agreement set forth in this prospectus, or defective provision (ii) amending the provisions relating to cash dividends on ordinary shares as contemplated by and in accordance with the warrant agreement or (iii) adding or changing any provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the warrant agreement as the parties to the warrant agreement may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the rights of the registered holders of the warrants, provided that the approval by the holders of at least simple a majority of the then-outstanding public warrants is required to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least simple a majority of then-outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment and, solely with respect to any amendment to the terms of the private placement warrants or any provision of the warrant agreement with respect to the private placement warrants, a majority of the number of then outstanding private placement warrants.
The warrants may be exercised upon surrender of the warrant certificate on or prior to the expiration date at the offices of the warrant agent, with the exercise form on the reverse side of the warrant certificate completed and executed as indicated, accompanied by full payment of the exercise price (or on a cashless basis, if applicable), by certified or official bank check payable to us, for the number of warrants being exercised. The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of Class A ordinary shares and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive Class A ordinary shares. After the issuance of Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of the warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by shareholders.
No fractional Class A ordinary shares will be issued upon exercise. If, upon exercise, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will round down to the nearest whole number of the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the holder. If, at the time of redemption, the warrants are exercisable for a security other than the Class A ordinary shares pursuant to the warrant agreement (for instance, if we are not the surviving company in our initial business combination), the warrants may be exercised for such security. At such time as the warrants become exercisable for a security other than the Class A ordinary shares, the company (or surviving company) will use its commercially reasonable efforts to register under the Securities Act the security issuable upon the exercise of the warrants.
167
We will agree that, subject to applicable law, any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction will be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. See “Risk Factors — Our warrant agreement designates the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.” This provision applies to claims under the Securities Act but does not apply to claims under the Exchange Act or any claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum.
The private placement warrants will be non-redeemable. The private placement warrants may also be exercised for cash or on a “cashless basis.” Otherwise, the private placement warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period.
If holders of the private placement warrants elect to exercise them on a cashless basis, they would pay the exercise price by surrendering their 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 underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “sponsor fair market value” (defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the sponsor fair market value. The “sponsor fair market value” shall mean the average last reported closing price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise of the private placement warrant is delivered to the Company. The reason that we will agree that these warrants will be exercisable on a cashless basis is because it is not known at this time whether the holders thereof will be affiliated with us following a business combination. If they remain affiliated with us, their ability to sell our securities in the open market will be significantly limited. We expect to have policies in place that prohibit insiders from selling our securities except during specific periods of time. Even during such periods of time when insiders will be permitted to sell our securities, an insider cannot trade in our securities if he or she is in possession of material non-public information. Accordingly, unlike public shareholders who could exercise their warrants and sell the Class A ordinary shares received upon such exercise freely in the open market in order to recoup the cost of such exercise, the insiders could be significantly restricted from selling such securities. As a result, we believe that allowing the holders to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis is appropriate.
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 a business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering we will effect a capitalization or share repurchase or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares held by our Sponsor immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders at 20% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering. Further, if we incur any indebtedness, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
Our Transfer Agent and Warrant Agent
The transfer agent for our ordinary shares and warrant agent for our warrants is Odyssey Trust Company. We will agree to indemnify Odyssey Trust Company in its roles as transfer agent and warrant agent, its agents and each of its shareholders, directors, officers and employees against all liabilities, including judgments, costs and reasonable counsel fees that may arise out of acts performed or omitted for its activities in that capacity, except for any liability due to any gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith of the indemnified person or entity.
Certain Differences in Corporate Law
Cayman Islands companies are governed by the Companies Act. The Companies Act is modeled on English Law but does not follow recent English Law statutory enactments, and differs from laws applicable to United States
168
corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of the material differences between the provisions of the Companies Act applicable to us and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders.
Mergers and Similar Arrangements. In certain circumstances, the Companies Act allows for mergers or consolidations between two Cayman Islands companies, or between a Cayman Islands exempted company and a company incorporated in another jurisdiction (provided that is facilitated by the laws of that other jurisdiction) so as to form a single surviving company.
Where the merger or consolidation is between two Cayman Islands companies, the directors of each company must approve and enter into a written plan of merger or consolidation containing certain prescribed information. That plan or merger or consolidation must then be authorized by either (a) a special resolution (usually a majority of two-thirds of the voting shares voted at a general meeting) of the shareholders of each company; or (b) such other authorization, if any, as may be specified in such constituent company’s articles of association. No shareholder resolution is required for a merger between a parent company (i.e., a company that owns at least 90% of the issued shares of each class in a subsidiary company) and its subsidiary company. The consent of each holder of a fixed or floating security interest of a constituent company must be obtained, unless the court waives such requirement. If the Cayman Islands Registrar of Companies is satisfied that the requirements of the Companies Act (which includes certain other formalities) have been complied with, the Registrar of Companies will register the plan of merger or consolidation.
Where the merger or consolidation involves a foreign company, the procedure is similar, save that with respect to the foreign company, the directors of the Cayman Islands exempted company are required to make a declaration to the effect that, having made due enquiry, they are of the opinion that the requirements set out below have been met: (i) that the merger or consolidation is permitted or not prohibited by the constitutional documents of the foreign company and by the laws of the jurisdiction in which the foreign company is incorporated, and that those laws and any requirements of those constitutional documents have been or will be complied with; (ii) that no petition or other similar proceeding has been filed and remains outstanding or order made or resolution adopted to wind up or liquidate the foreign company in any jurisdictions; (iii) that no receiver, trustee, administrator or other similar person has been appointed in any jurisdiction and is acting in respect of the foreign company, its affairs or its property or any part thereof; and (iv) that no scheme, order, compromise or other similar arrangement has been entered into or made in any jurisdiction whereby the rights of creditors of the foreign company are and continue to be suspended or restricted.
Where the surviving company is the Cayman Islands exempted company, the directors of the Cayman Islands exempted company are further required to make a declaration to the effect that, having made due enquiry, they are of the opinion that the requirements set out below have been met: (i) that the foreign company is able to pay its debts as they fall due and that the merger or consolidation is bona fide and not intended to defraud unsecured creditors of the foreign company; (ii) that in respect of the transfer of any security interest granted by the foreign company to the surviving or consolidated company (a) consent or approval to the transfer has been obtained, released or waived; (b) the transfer is permitted by and has been approved in accordance with the constitutional documents of the foreign company; and (c) the laws of the jurisdiction of the foreign company with respect to the transfer have been or will be complied with; (iii) that the foreign company will, upon the merger or consolidation becoming effective, cease to be incorporated, registered or exist under the laws of the relevant foreign jurisdiction; and (iv) that there is no other reason why it would be against the public interest to permit the merger or consolidation.
Where the above procedures are adopted, the Companies Act provides certain limited appraisal rights for dissenting shareholders to be paid a payment of the fair value of his shares upon their dissenting to the merger or consolidation if they follow a prescribed procedure. In essence, that procedure is as follows: (a) the shareholder must give his written objection to the merger or consolidation to the constituent company before the vote on the merger or consolidation, including a statement that the shareholder proposes to demand payment for his shares if the merger or consolidation is authorized by the vote; (b) within 20 days following the date on which the merger or consolidation is approved by the shareholders, the constituent company must give written notice to each shareholder who made a written objection; (c) a shareholder must within 20 days following receipt of such notice from the constituent company, give the constituent company a written notice of his intention to dissent including, among other details, a demand for payment of the fair value of his shares; (d) within seven days following the date of the expiration of the period set out in paragraph (b) above or seven days following the date on which the plan of merger or consolidation is filed, whichever is later, the constituent company, the surviving company or the consolidated company must make a written offer to each dissenting shareholder to purchase his shares at a price that the company determines is the fair
169
value and if the company and the shareholder agree the price within 30 days following the date on which the offer was made, the company must pay the shareholder such amount; and (e) if the company and the shareholder fail to agree a price within such 30 day period, within 20 days following the date on which such 30 day period expires, the company (and any dissenting shareholder) must file a petition with the Cayman Islands Grand Court to determine the fair value and such petition must be accompanied by a list of the names and addresses of the dissenting shareholders with whom agreements as to the fair value of their shares have not been reached by the company. At the hearing of that petition, the court has the power to determine the fair value of the shares together with a fair rate of interest, if any, to be paid by the company upon the amount determined to be the fair value. Any dissenting shareholder whose name appears on the list filed by the company may participate fully in all proceedings until the determination of fair value is reached. These rights of a dissenting shareholder are not available in certain circumstances, for example, to dissenters holding shares of any class in respect of which an open market exists on a recognized stock exchange or recognized interdealer quotation system at the relevant date or where the consideration for such shares to be contributed are shares of any company listed on a national securities exchange or shares of the surviving or consolidated company.
Moreover, Cayman Islands law has separate statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction or amalgamation of companies in certain circumstances, schemes of arrangement will generally be more suited for complex mergers or other transactions involving widely held companies, commonly referred to in the Cayman Islands as a “scheme of arrangement” which may be tantamount to a merger.
In the event that a merger was sought pursuant to a scheme of arrangement (the procedures for which are more rigorous and take longer to complete than the procedures typically required to consummate a merger in the United States), the arrangement in question must be approved, in the case of a shareholder scheme of arrangement, by each class of shareholders with whom the arrangement is to be made who represent three-fourths in value of each such class of shareholders and, in the case of a creditor scheme of arrangement, by a majority in number of each class of creditors with whom the arrangement is to be made and who must in addition represent three-fourths in value of each such class of creditors, as the case may be, that are present and voting either in person or by proxy at a meeting, or meeting summoned for that purpose. The convening of the meetings and subsequently the terms of the arrangement must be sanctioned by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. While a dissenting shareholder would have the right to express to the court the view that the transaction should not be approved, the court can be expected to approve the arrangement if it satisfies itself that:
• | we are not proposing to act illegally or beyond the scope of our corporate authority and the statutory provisions as to majority vote have been complied with; |
• | the shareholders have been fairly represented at the meeting in question; the arrangement is such as a businessman would reasonably approve; and |
• | the arrangement is not one that would more properly be sanctioned under some other provision of the Companies Act or that would amount to a “fraud on the minority.” |
If a scheme of arrangement or takeover offer (as described below) is approved, any dissenting shareholder would have no rights comparable to appraisal rights (providing rights to receive payment in cash for the judicially determined value of the shares), which would otherwise ordinarily be available to dissenting shareholders of United States corporations.
Squeeze-out Provisions. When a tender offer is made and accepted by holders of 90% of the shares to whom the offer relates within four months, the offer or may, within a two-month period, require the holders of the remaining shares to transfer such shares on the terms of the offer. An objection can be made to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, but this is unlikely to succeed unless there is evidence of fraud, bad faith, collusion or inequitable treatment of the shareholders.
Further, transactions similar to a merger, reconstruction and/or an amalgamation may in some circumstances be achieved through means other than these statutory provisions, such as a share capital exchange, asset acquisition or control, or through contractual arrangements of an operating business.
Shareholders’ Suits. Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, is not aware of any reported class action having been brought in a Cayman Islands court. Derivative actions have been brought in the Cayman Islands courts, and the Cayman Islands courts have confirmed the availability for such actions. In most cases, we will be the proper plaintiff in any claim based on a breach of duty owed to us, and a claim against (for
170
example) our officers or directors usually may not be brought by a shareholder. However, based both on Cayman Islands authorities and on English authorities, which would in all likelihood be of persuasive authority and be applied by a court in the Cayman Islands, exceptions to the foregoing principle apply in circumstances in which:
• | a company is acting, or proposing to act, illegally or ultra vires (beyond the scope of its authority); |
• | the act complained of, although not beyond the scope of the authority, could be effected if duly authorized by more than the number of votes which have actually been obtained; or |
• | those who control the company are perpetrating a “fraud on the minority.” |
A shareholder may have a direct right of action against us where the individual rights of that shareholder have been infringed or are about to be infringed.
Enforcement of Civil Liabilities. The Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States and provides less protection to investors. Additionally, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to sue before the Federal courts of the United States.
We have been advised by Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, and or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands Court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
Special Considerations for Exempted Companies. We are an exempted company with limited liability under the Companies Act. The Companies Act distinguishes between ordinary resident companies and exempted companies. Any company that is registered in the Cayman Islands but conducts business mainly outside of the Cayman Islands may apply to be registered as an exempted company. The requirements for an exempted company are essentially the same as for an ordinary company except for the exemptions and privileges listed below:
• | an exempted company does not have to file an annual return of its shareholders with the Registrar of Companies; |
• | an exempted company’s register of members is not open to inspection; |
• | an exempted company does not have to hold an annual general meeting; |
• | an exempted company may issue shares with no par value; |
• | an exempted company may obtain an undertaking against the imposition of any future taxation (such undertakings are usually given for 30 years in the first instance); |
• | an exempted company may register by way of continuation in another jurisdiction and be deregistered in the Cayman Islands; |
• | an exempted company may register as a limited duration company; and an exempted company may register as a segregated portfolio company. |
“Limited liability” means that the liability of each shareholder is limited to the amount unpaid by the shareholder on the shares of the company (except in exceptional circumstances, such as involving fraud, the establishment of an agency relationship or an illegal or improper purpose or other circumstances in which a court may be prepared to pierce or lift the corporate veil).
171
Our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain provisions designed to provide certain rights and protections relating to this offering that will apply to us until the completion of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without a special resolution. As a matter of Cayman Islands law, a resolution is deemed to be a special resolution where it has been approved by either (i) the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds (or any higher threshold specified in a company’s articles of association) of a company’s shareholders entitled to vote and so voting at a general meeting for which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution has been given; or (ii) if so authorized by a company’s articles of association, by a unanimous written resolution of all of the company’s shareholders. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that special resolutions must be approved either by at least two-thirds of our shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company (i.e., the lowest threshold permissible under Cayman Islands law), or by a unanimous written resolution of all of our shareholders.
Further, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a quorum at our general meetings will consist of one-third of the ordinary shares entitled to vote at such meeting and present in person or by proxy;
Our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees, if any, who will collectively beneficially own approximately 20% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering, will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Specifically, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide, among other things, that:
• | if we do not consummate an initial business combination within the completion window, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but no more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per- share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account, if any (less any permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in the case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law (because we may make permitted withdrawals, including of up to 5% of the interest earned on the trust account to fund our working capital requirements, the potential value of the trust account may be negatively impacted); |
• | prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we may not issue additional securities that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote as a class with our public shares (a) on our initial business combination or on any other proposal presented to shareholders prior to or in connection with the completion of an initial business combination or (b) to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to (x) extend the time we have to consummate a business combination beyond 24 months from the closing of this offering, or (y) amend the foregoing provisions; |
• | although we do not intend to enter into a business combination with a prospective partner business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or our executive officers, we are not prohibited from doing so. In the event we enter into such a transaction, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or an independent valuation or accounting firm that such a business combination or transaction is fair to our company from a financial point of view; |
• | prior to our initial business combination, we may not, except in connection with the conversion of Class B ordinary shares into Class A ordinary shares where the holders of such shares have waived any rights to receive funds from the trust account, issue additional shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote as a class with public shares on any initial business combination; |
• | if a shareholder vote on our initial business combination is not required by applicable law or stock exchange rule and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons, we will offer to redeem |
172
our public shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, and will file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act;
• | our initial business combination must occur with one or more prospective partner businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the fair market value held in the trust account (excluding the taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of signing the agreement to enter into the initial business combination; |
• | if our shareholders approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed 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 completion window, or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares or pre-initial business combination activity, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their ordinary shares upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account, if any, divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein; |
• | we will not effectuate our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations; and |
• | only holders of our Class B ordinary shares have the right to vote on appointing or removing directors or continuing our company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (as further described herein), prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. |
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the courts of the Cayman Islands shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any claim or dispute arising out of or in connection with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or otherwise related in any way to each shareholder’s shareholding in us, including but not limited to (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of any fiduciary or other duty owed by any of our current or former directors, officers or other employees to us or our shareholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Companies Act or our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us governed by the internal affairs doctrine (as such concept is recognized under the laws of the United States of America) and that each shareholder irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Cayman Islands over all such claims or disputes. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association also provide that, without prejudice to any other rights or remedies that we may have, each of our shareholders acknowledges that damages alone would not be an adequate remedy for any breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum and that accordingly we shall be entitled, without proof of special damages, to the remedies of injunction, specific performance or other equitable relief for any threatened or actual breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum. The forum selection provision in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will not apply to actions or suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act, Exchange Act or any claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are, as a matter of the laws of the United States of America, the sole and exclusive forum for determination of such a claim.
The Companies Act permits a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands to amend its memorandum and articles of association with the approval of a special resolution. A company’s articles of association may specify that the approval of a higher majority is required but, provided the approval of the required majority is obtained, any Cayman Islands exempted company may amend its memorandum and articles of association regardless of whether its memorandum and articles of association provides otherwise. Accordingly, although we could amend any of the provisions relating to our proposed offering, structure and business plan which are contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, we view all of these provisions as binding obligations to our shareholders and neither we, nor our officers or directors, will take any action to amend or waive any of these provisions unless we provide dissenting public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares.
173
Anti-Money Laundering - Cayman Islands
If any person in the Cayman Islands knows or suspects, or has reasonable grounds for knowing or suspecting, that another person is engaged in criminal conduct or money laundering or is involved with terrorism or terrorist and/or proliferation financing or property and the information for that knowledge or suspicion came to their attention in the course of business in the regulated sector or other trade, profession, business or employment, the person will be required to report such knowledge or suspicion to (i) the Financial Reporting Authority of the Cayman Islands, pursuant to the Proceeds of Crime Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands if the disclosure relates to criminal conduct or money laundering or (ii) a police officer of the rank of constable or higher, or the Financial Reporting Authority, pursuant to the Terrorism Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, if the disclosure relates to involvement with terrorism or terrorist financing and property. Such a report shall not be treated as a breach of confidence or of any restriction upon the disclosure of information imposed by any enactment or otherwise.
Economic Substance - Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands, together with several other non-European Union jurisdictions, have introduced legislation aimed at addressing concerns raised by the Council of the European Union and the OECD as to offshore structures engaged in certain activities which attract profits without real economic activity. The International Tax Co-operation (Economic Substance) Act (As Revised) (the “Substance Act”) came into force in the Cayman Islands in January 2019, introducing certain economic substance requirements for in-scope Cayman Islands entities which are engaged in certain geographically mobile business activities (“relevant activities.”) As we are a Cayman Islands exempted company, compliance obligations include filing annual notifications, in which need to state whether we are carrying out any relevant activities and if so, whether we have satisfied economic substance tests to the extent required under the Substance Act. It is anticipated that our Company will not be engaging in any “relevant activities” prior to the consummation of our initial business combination and will therefore not be required need to meet the economic substance requirements tests or will otherwise be subject to more limited substance requirements. Failure to satisfy applicable requirements may subject us to penalties under the Substance Act.
Data Protection in the Cayman Islands - Privacy Notice
We have certain duties under the Data Protection Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands (the “DPA”) based on internationally accepted principles of data privacy.
Privacy Notice
Introduction
This privacy notice puts our shareholders on notice that through your investment in the company you will provide us with certain personal information which constitutes personal data within the meaning of the DPA (“personal data”).
In the following discussion, the “company” refers to us and our affiliates and/or delegates, except where the context requires otherwise.
Investor Data
We will collect, use, disclose, retain and secure personal data to the extent reasonably required only and within the parameters that could be reasonably expected during the normal course of business. We will only process, disclose, transfer or retain personal data to the extent legitimately required to conduct our activities on an ongoing basis or to comply with legal and regulatory obligations to which we are subject. We will only transfer personal data in accordance with the requirements of the DPA, and will apply appropriate technical and organizational information security measures designed to protect against unauthorized or unlawful processing of the personal data and against the accidental loss, destruction or damage to the personal data.
In our use of this personal data, we will be characterized as a “data controller” for the purposes of the DPA, while our affiliates and service providers who may receive this personal data from us in the conduct of our activities may either act as our “data processors” for the purposes of the DPA or may process personal information for their own lawful purposes in connection with services provided to us.
We may also obtain personal data from other public sources. Personal data includes, without limitation, the following information relating to a shareholder and/or any individuals connected with a shareholder as an investor:
174
name, residential address, email address, contact details, corporate contact information, signature, nationality, place of birth, date of birth, tax identification, credit history, correspondence records, passport number, bank account details, source of funds details and details relating to the shareholder’s investment activity.
Who this Affects
If you are a natural person, this will affect you directly. If you are a corporate investor (including, for these purposes, legal arrangements such as trusts or exempted limited partnerships) that provides us with personal data on individuals connected to you for any reason in relation your investment in the company, this will be relevant for those individuals and you should transmit the content of this Privacy Notice to such individuals or otherwise advise them of its content.
How the Company May Use Your Personal Data
The company, as the data controller, may collect, store and use personal data for lawful purposes, including, in particular:
(i) | where this is necessary for the performance of our rights and obligations under any purchase agreements; |
(ii) | where this is necessary for compliance with a legal and regulatory obligation to which we are subject (such as compliance with anti-money laundering and FATCA/CRS requirements); and/or |
(iii) | where this is necessary for the purposes of our legitimate interests and such interests are not overridden by your interests, fundamental rights or freedoms. |
Should we wish to use personal data for other specific purposes (including, if applicable, any purpose that requires your consent), we will contact you.
Why We May Transfer Your Personal Data
In certain circumstances, we may be legally obliged to share personal data and other information with respect to your shareholding with the relevant regulatory authorities such as the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority or the Tax Information Authority. They, in turn, may exchange this information with foreign authorities, including tax authorities.
We anticipate disclosing personal data to persons who provide services to us and their respective affiliates (which may include certain entities located outside the US, the Cayman Islands or the European Economic Area), who will process your personal data on our behalf.
The Data Protection Measures We Take
Any transfer of personal data by us or our duly authorized affiliates and/or delegates outside of the Cayman Islands shall be in accordance with the requirements of the DPA.
We and our duly authorized affiliates and/or delegates shall apply appropriate technical and organizational information security measures designed to protect against unauthorized or unlawful processing of personal data, and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data.
We shall notify you of any personal data breach that is reasonably likely to result in a risk to your interests, fundamental rights or freedoms or those data subjects to whom the relevant personal data relates.
If you consider that your personal data has not been handled correctly, or you are not satisfied with the company’s responses to any requests you have made regarding the use of your personal data, you have the right to complain to the Cayman Islands’ Ombudsman. The Ombudsman can be contacted by calling +1 (345) 946-6283 or by email at info@ombudsman.ky.
Certain Anti-Takeover Provisions of our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association and Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
Our authorized but unissued Class A ordinary shares and preference shares are available for future issuances without shareholder approval and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved Class A ordinary shares and preference shares could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.
175
Securities Eligible for Future Sale
Immediately after this offering we will have 185,000,000 (or 182,750,000 if the underwriter’s option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) Class A ordinary shares outstanding. All of these shares will have been sold in this offering and will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, except for any shares purchased by one of our affiliates within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act. All of the 5,000,000 (or 5,750,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) Class B founder shares and all 2,648,000 private placement warrants are restricted securities under Rule 144, in that they were issued in private transactions not involving a public offering, and are subject to transfer restrictions as set forth elsewhere in this prospectus.
Rule 144
Pursuant to Rule 144, a person who has beneficially owned restricted our ordinary shares or warrants for at least six months would be entitled to sell their securities provided that: (1) such person is not deemed to have been one of our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale; and (2) we are subject to the Exchange Act periodic reporting requirements for at least three months before the sale and have filed all required reports under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the 12 months (or such shorter period as we were required to file reports) preceding the sale.
Persons who have beneficially owned restricted ordinary shares or warrants for at least six months but who are our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale, would be subject to additional restrictions, by which such person would be entitled to sell within any three-month period only a number of securities that does not exceed the greater of:
• | 1% of the total number of Class A ordinary shares then outstanding, which will equal 200,000 shares immediately after this offering (or 230,000 if the underwriter exercises its option to purchase additional units in full); or |
• | the average weekly reported trading volume of the ordinary shares during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to the sale. |
Sales by our affiliates under Rule 144 are also limited by manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us.
Restrictions on the Use of Rule 144 by Shell Companies or Former Shell Companies
Rule 144 is not available for the resale of securities initially issued by shell companies (other than a business combination related shell companies) or issuers that have been at any time previously a shell company. However, Rule 144 also includes an important exception to this prohibition if the following conditions are met:
• | the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company; |
• | the issuer of the securities is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act; |
• | the issuer of the securities has filed all Exchange Act reports and material required to be filed, as applicable, during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than Current Reports on Form 8-K; and |
• | at least one year has elapsed from the time that the issuer filed current Form 10 type information with the SEC reflecting its status as an entity that is not a shell company. |
As a result, our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees will be able to sell their founder shares and /or private placement warrants, as applicable, pursuant to Rule 144 without registration one year after we have completed our initial business combination.
Registration Rights
The holders of the founder shares, private placement warrants, and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the private placement warrants contained in the private placement warrants or warrants issued upon conversion of the working capital loans and upon conversion of the founder shares) and their permitted transferees will be entitled to registration rights
176
pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering requiring us to register such securities for resale (in the case of the founder shares, only after conversion to Class A ordinary shares). The holders of these securities, having at least $25 million in the aggregate, will collectively be entitled to demand, excluding short form registration demands, that we register such securities. The holders of these securities, having at least $25 million in the aggregate, will be entitled to make up to three demands for underwritten offerings, excluding short form demands, that we register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination and rights to require us to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements. Pursuant to such registration rights agreement, we will agree that, within 30 days after the consummation of an initial business combination, we will file with the SEC a registration statement registering the resale or other disposition of such securities. We will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause such registration statement to become effective by the SEC as soon as reasonably practicable after the initial filing of the registration statement.
Listing of Securities
We intend to apply to list our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants on Nasdaq under the symbols “VNMEU,” “VNME” and “VNMEW,” respectively. We expect that our units will be listed on Nasdaq on or promptly after the effective date of the registration statement. Following the date the Class A ordinary shares and warrants are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that the ordinary shares and warrants will be listed separately and as a unit Nasdaq.
177
The following summary of certain Cayman Islands and U.S. federal income tax considerations of an investment in our units, each consisting of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant, which we refer to collectively as our securities, is based upon laws and relevant interpretations thereof in effect as of the date of this prospectus, all of which are subject to change. This summary does not deal with all possible tax consequences relating to an investment in our Class A ordinary shares and warrants, such as the tax consequences under state, local and other tax laws.
Prospective investors should consult their advisors on the possible tax consequences of investing in our securities under the laws of their country of citizenship, residence or domicile.
Cayman Islands Tax Considerations
The following is a discussion on certain Cayman Islands income tax consequences of an investment in the securities of the Company. The discussion is a general summary of present law, which is subject to prospective and retroactive change. It is not intended as tax advice, does not consider any investor’s particular circumstances, and does not consider tax consequences other than those arising under Cayman Islands law.
Under Existing Cayman Islands Laws
Payments of dividends and capital in respect of our securities will not be subject to taxation in the Cayman Islands and no withholding will be required on the payment of a dividend or capital to any holder of the securities nor will gains derived from the disposal of the securities be subject to Cayman Islands income or corporate tax. The Cayman Islands currently has no income, corporate or capital gains tax and no estate duty, inheritance tax or gift tax.
No stamp duty is payable in respect of the issue of the warrants. An instrument of transfer in respect of a warrant is stampable if executed in or brought into the Cayman Islands.
No stamp duty is payable in respect of the issue of our Class A ordinary shares or on an instrument of transfer in respect of such shares.
The company has been incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands as an exempted company with limited liability and, as such, has applied for and received an undertaking from the Financial Secretary of the Cayman Islands in the following form:
THE TAX CONCESSIONS ACT
(As Revised)
UNDERTAKING AS TO TAX CONCESSIONS
In accordance with the provision of Section 6 of The Tax Concessions Act (As Revised), the Financial Secretary undertakes with Vendome Acquisition Sponsor I LLC (the “Company”):
1. | That no law which is hereafter enacted in the Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations shall apply to the Company or its operations; and |
2. | In addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax shall be payable: |
2.1 | On or in respect of the shares, debentures or other obligations of the Company; or |
2.2 | by way of the withholding in whole or part, of any relevant payment as defined in Section 6(3) of the Tax Concessions Act (As Revised). |
These concessions shall be for a period of 30 years from the date hereof.
178
U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations
General
The following is a discussion of the material U.S. federal income tax considerations related to the acquisition, ownership and disposition by U.S. Holders (as defined below) and Non-U.S. Holders (as defined below) of our units, Class A ordinary shares and public warrants, which we refer to collectively as our securities. Although not entirely clear, we intend to treat, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the holder of a unit as the owner of two separate securities (i.e., the one Class A ordinary share and the fraction of one public warrant that are the components of the unit). See “— Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit” below. This disclosure assumes this treatment is appropriate, in which case the discussion below with respect to actual holders of our Class A ordinary shares and public warrants should also apply to holders of units. This discussion applies only to our securities that are held as a capital asset for U.S. federal income tax purposes (generally property held for investment) and is applicable only to holders who purchased units in this offering. Further, this discussion assumes any distributions on Class A ordinary shares and public warrants will be paid in U.S. dollars.
This discussion is based on the provisions of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), U.S. Treasury regulations, administrative rulings and judicial decisions, all as in effect on the date hereof, and all of which are subject to change or differing interpretations, possibly with retroactive effect. We cannot assure you that a change in law will not significantly alter the tax considerations that we describe in this summary. We have not sought any ruling from the IRS or formal written opinion from our tax advisors with respect to the statements made and the positions or conclusions described in the following summary. Such statements, positions and conclusions are not free from doubt, and there can be no assurance that the IRS or a court will agree with such statements and conclusions.
This summary does not discuss the alternative minimum tax or the application of Section 451(b) of the Code, and does not address the Medicare tax on certain investment income, U.S. federal estate or gift tax laws, any state, local or non-U.S. tax laws, any tax treaties or any other tax law other than U.S. federal income tax law. Furthermore, this discussion does not address all U.S. federal income tax considerations that may be relevant to a particular holder in light of the holder’s circumstances or that may be relevant to certain categories of investors that may be subject to special rules, such as:
• | entities or arrangements treated as partnerships or pass-through entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes or holders of interests therein; |
• | our founders, sponsor, officers or directors or other holders of our Class B ordinary shares or private placement warrants; |
• | banks, insurance companies or other financial institutions; |
• | tax-exempt or governmental organizations; |
• | “qualified foreign pension funds” as defined in Section 897(l)(2) of the Code (or any entities all of the interests of which are held by a qualified foreign pension fund); |
• | dealers in securities or foreign currencies; |
• | U.S. Holders (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar; |
• | traders in securities that use the mark-to-market method of accounting for U.S. federal income tax purposes; |
• | “controlled foreign corporations,” “passive foreign investment companies” and corporations that accumulate earnings to avoid U.S. federal income tax; |
• | persons deemed to sell our securities under the constructive sale provisions of the Code; |
• | persons that acquired our securities through the exercise of employee share options or otherwise as compensation or through a tax-qualified retirement plan; |
• | persons that actually or constructively own five (5) percent or more (by vote or value) of any class of our shares; |
• | persons that hold our securities as part of a straddle, appreciated financial position, synthetic security, hedge, conversion transaction or other integrated investment or risk reduction transaction; |
179
• | certain former citizens or long-term residents of the United States; |
• | regulated investment companies; and |
• | real estate investment trusts. |
PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CONSULT WITH AND RELY SOLELY UPON THEIR TAX ADVISORS WITH RESPECT TO THE APPLICATION OF THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX LAWS (INCLUDING ANY POTENTIAL FUTURE CHANGES THERETO) TO THEIR PARTICULAR SITUATION, AS WELL AS ANY TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE PURCHASE, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR SECURITIES ARISING UNDER ANY OTHER TAX LAWS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE U.S. FEDERAL ESTATE OR GIFT TAX LAWS OR UNDER THE LAWS OF ANY STATE, LOCAL, NON-U.S. OR OTHER TAXING JURISDICTION OR UNDER ANY APPLICABLE INCOME TAX TREATY.
Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit
No statutory, administrative or judicial authority directly addresses the treatment of our units or instruments similar to our units for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, therefore, that treatment is not entirely clear. We intend to treat, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the acquisition of a unit as the acquisition of the one Class A ordinary share and the fraction of one public warrant that are the components of the unit and, by purchasing a unit, you will agree to adopt such treatment for U.S. federal income tax purposes. This discussion assumes that the characterization of the units described above is respected for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
As a result, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, each holder of a unit must allocate the purchase price paid by such holder for such unit between the one Class A ordinary share and the fraction of one public warrant based on the relative fair market value of each at the time of issuance. Under U.S. federal income tax law, each investor must make its own determination of such value based on all the relevant facts and circumstances. Therefore, each investor is strongly urged to consult with and rely solely upon its own tax advisor regarding the determination of value for these purposes. The purchase price allocated to each of our Class A ordinary shares and the fraction of one public warrant should be the holder’s tax basis in such share or fraction of one public warrant, as the case may be. In addition, any disposition of a unit should be treated, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as a disposition of the Class A ordinary share and the fraction of one public warrant that make up the unit, and the amount realized on the disposition should be allocated between the Class A ordinary share and the fraction of one public warrant based on their relative fair market values at the time of disposition. The separation of Class A ordinary shares and public warrants constituting units should not be a taxable event for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
The foregoing treatment of our Class A ordinary shares and public warrants and a holder’s purchase price allocation are not binding on the IRS or the courts, and because there is no authority that directly addresses the U.S. federal income tax implications of instruments that are similar to the units, there can be no assurance that your tax advisor, the IRS or the courts will agree with the characterization described above or the discussion below. Accordingly, each prospective investor is urged to consult with and rely solely upon its own tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of an investment in a unit (including any potential alternative characterizations of a unit). The remainder of this discussion assumes that the characterization of the units described above is respected for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
U.S. Holder and Non-U.S. Holder Defined
A “U.S. Holder” is a beneficial owner of our units, Class A ordinary shares or public warrants that, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is:
• | an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States; |
• | a corporation (or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia; |
• | an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income tax regardless of its source; or |
• | a trust (A) the administration of which is subject to the primary supervision of a U.S. court and which has one or more “United States persons” (within the meaning of Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code) who have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (B) that has made a valid election under applicable U.S. Treasury regulations to be treated as a United States person. |
180
A “Non-U.S. Holder” is a beneficial owner of our units, Class A ordinary shares or public warrants that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, an individual, corporation, estate or trust, in each case that is not a U.S. Holder, but such term generally does not include an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of a disposition of such securities. If you are such an individual, you should consult with and rely solely upon your tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences applicable to your particular situation.
If a partnership (including an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) holds our units, Class A ordinary shares or public warrants, the tax treatment of a partner in such partnership might depend upon the status of the partner or the partnership, upon the activities of the partnership and upon certain determinations made at the partnership or partner level. Accordingly, we urge partners in partnerships (including entities or arrangements treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes) considering the purchase of our securities to consult with and rely solely upon their tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal income and other tax considerations of the purchase, ownership and disposition of our securities by such partnership.
Considerations for U.S. Holders
This section applies to you if you are a U.S. Holder.
Tax Characterization of Distributions with Respect to Class A Ordinary Shares
If we pay distributions of cash or other property to U.S. Holders of our Class A ordinary shares, such distributions generally will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent paid from our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles, and will be treated as described under “— Considerations for U.S. Holders - Distributions Treated as Dividends.”
Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits will be treated as a non-taxable return of capital to the extent of the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in our Class A ordinary shares, that will be applied against and reduce (but not below zero) the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in our Class A ordinary shares. Any remaining portion of the distribution will be treated as gain from the sale or exchange of our Class A ordinary shares and will be treated as described under “— Considerations for U.S. Holders — Gain or Loss on Sale or Other Taxable Exchange or Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Public Warrants” below.
Possible Constructive Distributions with Respect to Public Warrants
The terms of the public warrants provide for an adjustment to the number of our Class A ordinary shares for which public warrants may be exercised or to the exercise price of the public warrants in certain events, as discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Shareholders’ Warrants.” An adjustment that has the effect of preventing dilution generally is not taxable. U.S. Holders of public warrants would, however, be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment increases the warrantholders’ proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of Class A ordinary shares that would be obtained upon exercise or through a decrease in the exercise price of the public warrant) as a result of a distribution of cash or other property to the holders of our ordinary shares. Any such constructive distribution would be treated in the same manner as if U.S. Holders of public warrants received a cash distribution from us generally equal to the fair market value of the increased interest and would be taxed in a manner similar to distributions to holders of our Class A ordinary shares described herein. See “— Considerations for U.S. Holders — Tax Characterization of Distributions with Respect to Class A Ordinary Shares” above. For certain information reporting purposes, we are required to determine the date and amount of any such constructive distributions. Proposed U.S. Treasury regulations, which we may rely on prior to the issuance of final regulations, specify how the date and amount of constructive distributions are determined.
Distributions Treated as Dividends
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, any portion of a distribution that is treated as a dividend paid by us will be taxable to a corporate U.S. Holder at regular rates and will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction generally allowed to domestic corporations in respect of dividends received from other domestic corporations.
If we are not classified as a PFIC during the taxable year in which the dividend is paid or a preceding taxable year, any portion of a distribution that is treated as a dividend paid to a non-corporate U.S. Holder generally will
181
constitute a “qualified dividend” that will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the lower applicable long-term capital gains rate but only if our Class A ordinary shares are readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States and certain holding period and other requirements are met. It is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to the Class A ordinary shares described in this prospectus may be deemed to be a limitation of a shareholder’s risk of loss and suspend the running of the applicable holding period of such shares for this purpose during the period in which the U.S. Holder has redemption rights with respect to the Class A ordinary shares (i.e., the period prior to the consummation of our initial business combination). If the applicable holding period requirements are not satisfied, a non-corporate U.S. Holder may be subject to tax on the dividend at regular ordinary income tax rates instead of the preferential income tax rate that applies to qualified dividend income. U.S. Holders should consult with and rely solely upon their tax advisors regarding the availability of the lower preferential income tax rate for qualified dividend income for any dividends paid with respect to our Class A ordinary shares.
Gain or Loss on Sale or Other Taxable Exchange or Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Public Warrants
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, upon a sale or other taxable disposition of our Class A ordinary shares or public warrants (which in general would include a redemption of our Class A ordinary shares or public warrants that is treated as a sale of such securities as described below, including as a result of a dissolution and liquidation in the event we do not consummate an initial business combination within the required time period), a U.S. Holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized and the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis with respect to its Class A ordinary shares or public warrants. Generally, the amount of gain or loss recognized by a U.S. Holder will be an amount equal to the difference between (i) the sum of the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received in such disposition (or, if the Class A ordinary shares or public warrants are held as part of units at the time of the disposition, the portion of the amount realized on such disposition that is allocated to the Class A ordinary shares or the public warrants based upon the then-fair market values of the Class A ordinary shares and the public warrants included in the units) and (ii) the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in the relevant Class A ordinary shares or public warrants. A U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A ordinary shares or public warrants generally will equal the U.S. Holder’s acquisition cost (that is, as discussed above, the portion of the purchase price of a unit allocated to a share of our Class A ordinary shares or fraction of one public warrant or, as discussed below, the U.S. Holder’s initial basis for our Class A ordinary shares received upon exercise of public warrants) less, in the case of our Class A ordinary shares, any prior distributions treated as a return of capital, as discussed above.
Any such capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares or public warrants, as applicable, so disposed of exceeds one year. It is unclear, however, whether the redemption rights with respect to the Class A ordinary shares described in this prospectus may be deemed to be a limitation of a shareholder’s risk of loss and suspend the running of the applicable holding period of such shares for this purpose during the period in which the U.S. Holder has redemption rights with respect to the Class A ordinary shares (i.e., the period prior to the consummation of our initial business combination). If the one-year holding period is not satisfied, any gain on a sale or other taxable disposition of the Class A ordinary shares or public warrants, as applicable, would be subject to short-term capital gain treatment and would be taxed at regular ordinary income tax rates.
Long-term capital gains recognized by non-corporate U.S. Holders may be eligible to be taxed at reduced rates. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.
Redemption or Repurchase of Class A Ordinary Shares for Cash
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, in the event that a U.S. Holder’s Class A ordinary shares are redeemed pursuant to the redemption provisions described in this prospectus under the section entitled “Description of Securities — Ordinary Shares” or if we repurchase a U.S. Holder’s Class A ordinary shares in an open market transaction (generally referred to herein as a “redemption”), the treatment of the redemption for U.S. federal income tax purposes will depend on whether it qualifies as a sale of the Class A ordinary shares under Section 302 of the Code. If the redemption qualifies as a sale of Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. Holder will be treated as described under “— Considerations for U.S. Holders — Gain or Loss on Sale or Other Taxable Exchange or Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Public Warrants” above. If the redemption does not qualify as a sale of Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. Holder will be treated as receiving a distribution from us with the tax consequences described above under “— Considerations for U.S. Holders — Tax Characterization of Distributions with Respect to Class A
182
Ordinary Shares.” Whether a redemption qualifies for sale treatment will depend largely on the total number of our shares treated as held by the U.S. Holder (including any shares constructively owned by the U.S. Holder as a result of owning public warrants or otherwise) relative to all of our shares outstanding both before and after the redemption. The redemption of our Class A ordinary shares generally will be treated as a sale of Class A ordinary shares (rather than as a distribution from us) if the redemption satisfies one of the following tests (which we refer to as the “redemption sale tests”): (i) it is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the U.S. Holder, (ii) it results in a “complete termination” of the U.S. Holder’s interest in us, or (iii) it is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the U.S. Holder. In determining whether any of the redemption sale tests is satisfied, a U.S. Holder takes into account not only shares actually owned by the U.S. Holder, but also shares that are “constructively” owned by it. A U.S. Holder may constructively own (i) shares owned by certain related individuals or entities in which the U.S. Holder has an interest or that have an interest in such U.S. Holder and (ii) any shares the U.S. Holder has a right to acquire by exercise of an option, which would generally include the Class A ordinary shares which could be acquired pursuant to the exercise of the public warrants. In order to meet the “substantially disproportionate” test, the percentage of our outstanding voting shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder immediately following the redemption of our Class A ordinary shares must, among other requirements, be less than 80% of the percentage of our outstanding voting shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder immediately before the redemption. The redemption must also meet this test with respect to any common shares (whether or not voting). Prior to our initial business combination, the Class A ordinary shares may not be treated as voting shares for this purpose and, consequently, this substantially disproportionate test may not be applicable. There will be a “complete termination” of a U.S. Holder’s interest if either (i) all of our shares both actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder are redeemed or (ii) all of our shares actually owned by the U.S. Holder are redeemed, the U.S. Holder is eligible to waive and effectively waives in accordance with specific rules the constructive attribution of shares owned by certain family members, and the U.S. Holder does not constructively own any other of our shares (including as a result of owning public warrants). The redemption of our Class A ordinary shares will not be “essentially equivalent to a dividend” if a U.S. Holder’s redemption results in a “meaningful reduction” of the U.S. Holder’s proportionate interest in us. Whether the redemption will result in a meaningful reduction in a U.S. Holder’s proportionate interest in us will depend on the particular facts and circumstances, but the IRS has indicated in a published ruling that even a small reduction in the proportionate interest of a small minority shareholder in a publicly held corporation who exercises no control over corporate affairs may constitute such a “meaningful reduction.” If none of the redemption sale tests is satisfied, the redemption will be treated as a distribution from us and the tax considerations will be as described under “— Considerations for U.S. Holders — Tax Characterization of Distributions with Respect to Class A Ordinary Shares” above. After the application of those rules, any remaining tax basis of the U.S. Holder in the redeemed Class A ordinary shares will be added to the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its remaining shares or, if it has none, possibly to the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its public warrants or in other shares in us constructively owned by it. U.S. Holders are urged to consult with and rely solely upon their own tax advisers as to the allocation of any remaining basis if there are no remaining Class A ordinary shares.
Cash Exercise of a Public Warrant
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, a U.S. Holder generally will not recognize gain or loss on the acquisition of Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of a public warrant for cash. The U.S. Holder’s tax basis in our Class A ordinary shares received upon exercise of the public warrant generally will be an amount equal to the sum of the U.S. Holder’s initial investment in the public warrant (i.e., the portion of the U.S. Holder’s purchase price for a unit that is allocated to the public warrant, as described above under “— Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit”) and the exercise price of such public warrant. It is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares received upon exercise of the public warrant will commence on the date of exercise of the public warrant or the immediately following date. In either case, the holding period will not include the period during which the U.S. Holder held the public warrant.
Cashless Exercise of a Public Warrant
The tax characterization of a cashless exercise of a public warrant is not clear under current tax law. Due to the absence of authority on the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a cashless exercise, there can be no assurance which, if any, of the alternative tax characterizations and resultant tax consequences would be adopted by the IRS or upheld by a court of law. Accordingly, U.S. Holders should consult with and rely solely upon their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of a cashless exercise.
183
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, a cashless exercise could potentially be characterized as any of the following for U.S. federal income tax purposes: (i) not a realization event and thus tax-deferred, (ii) a realization event that qualifies as a tax-deferred “recapitalization,” or (iii) a taxable realization event. While not free from doubt, we intend to treat any cashless exercise of a public warrant as described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Warrants - Public Shareholders’ Warrants” as if we redeemed such public warrant for shares in a cashless exchange qualifying as a tax-deferred recapitalization. However, there is some uncertainty regarding our intended tax treatment, and it is possible that a cashless exercise could be characterized differently. Accordingly, the tax consequences of all three characterizations are generally described below. U.S. Holders should consult with and rely solely upon their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of a cashless exercise.
If a cashless exercise were characterized as either not a realization event or as a realization event that qualifies as a recapitalization, the U.S. Holder would not recognize any gain or loss on the exchange of public warrants for Class A ordinary shares. A U.S. Holder’s basis in the Class A ordinary shares received would generally equal the holder’s basis in the exchanged public warrants. If the cashless exercise were not a realization event, it is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period in the Class A ordinary shares would be treated as commencing on the date of exchange of the public warrants or on the immediately following date, but the holding period would not include the period during which the U.S. Holder held the public warrants. On the other hand, if the cashless exercise were characterized as a realization event that qualifies as a recapitalization, the holding period of the Class A ordinary shares would include the holding period of the public warrants exercised therefor. If the cashless exercise were treated as a realization event that does not qualify as a recapitalization, however, the cashless exercise could be treated in whole or in part as a taxable exchange in which gain or loss would be recognized by the U.S. Holder. For example, a portion of the public warrants to be exercised on a cashless basis could be deemed to have been surrendered in payment of the exercise price of the remaining portion of such public warrants, which remaining portion would be deemed to be exercised. In such a case, a U.S. Holder would effectively be deemed to have sold a number of public warrants having an aggregate value equal to the exercise price of the remaining public warrants deemed exercised. The U.S. Holder would recognize capital gain or loss in an amount generally equal to the difference between the value of the portion of the public warrants deemed sold and its adjusted tax basis in such public warrants (generally in the manner described above under “— Considerations for U.S. Holders - Gain or Loss on Sale or Other Taxable Exchange or Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Public Warrants”), and the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the Class A ordinary shares received would generally equal the sum of the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the remaining public warrants deemed exercised and the exercise price of such public warrants. It is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares would commence on the date of exercise of the public warrants or on the date following the date of exercise of the public warrants, but the holding period would not include the period during which the U.S. Holder held the public warrants.
Redemption or Repurchase of Public Warrants for Cash
Subject to the PFIC rules described below, if we redeem public warrants for cash pursuant to the redemption provisions described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Shareholders’ Warrants” or if we repurchase public warrants in an open market transaction, such redemption or repurchase generally will be treated as a taxable disposition by the U.S. Holder, taxed as described above under “— Considerations for U.S. Holders — Gain or Loss on Sale or Other Taxable Exchange or Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Public Warrants.”
Expiration of a Public Warrant
If a public warrant is allowed to expire unexercised, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize a capital loss equal to such holder’s tax basis in the public warrant (i.e., the portion of the U.S. Holder’s purchase price for a unit that is allocated to the public warrant, as described above under “— Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit”). The deductibility of capital losses is subject to certain limitations.
184
Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules
Adverse U.S. federal income tax rules apply to U.S. Holders that hold shares in a foreign (i.e., non-U.S.) corporation classified as a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In general, we will be treated as a PFIC with respect to a U.S. Holder in any taxable year in which, after applying certain look-through rules, either:
(i) | at least 75% of our gross income for such taxable year, including our pro rata share of the gross income of any corporation in which we are considered to own at least 25% of the shares by value, consists of passive income (which generally includes dividends, interest, rents and royalties (other than rents or royalties derived from the active conduct of a trade or business) and gains from the disposition of passive assets); or |
(ii) | at least 50% of our assets in a taxable year (ordinarily determined based on fair market value and averaged quarterly over the year), including our pro rata share of the assets of any corporation in which we are considered to own at least 25% of the shares by value, produce or are held for the production of passive income. |
Because we are a blank check company with no current income from an active business (as defined for these purposes), we believe that it is likely that we will meet one or both of the PFIC tests during the taxable years prior to our acquisition of a company or assets in a business combination (including any short taxable year that might result from a business combination), which would generally result in our being treated as a PFIC in those taxable years. In certain circumstances, a foreign corporation may qualify for a “start-up exception,” pursuant to which it would not be treated as a PFIC for the first taxable year it has gross income (the “start-up year”), if (1) no predecessor of the corporation was a PFIC, (2) the corporation satisfies the IRS that it will not be a PFIC for either of the first two taxable years following the start-up year, and (3) the corporation is not in fact a PFIC for either of those years. If the start-up exception were to apply to us, we would not be a PFIC during our start-up year. However, the start-up exception may not be applicable to us. Our PFIC status for our current and subsequent taxable years may depend on, among other things, the timing of our business combination, the amount of our passive income and assets in the year of the business combination, whether we combine with a U.S. or non-U.S. target company, and the amount of passive income and assets of the acquired business. Our actual PFIC status for our current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year (and, in the case of the start-up exception, perhaps until after the end of our two taxable years following our start-up year). Accordingly, there can be no assurance with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year or any future taxable year.
Although our PFIC status is determined in each taxable year, an initial determination that we are a PFIC will generally apply for subsequent years to a U.S. Holder who held (or is deemed to have held) Class A ordinary shares or public warrants while we were a PFIC, whether or not we are treated as a PFIC in those subsequent years. If we are treated as a PFIC for any taxable year in which a U.S. Holder holds our Class A ordinary shares or public warrants (regardless of whether we remain a PFIC for subsequent taxable years) and, in the case of our Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. Holder did not make either a timely QEF election or a mark-to-market election (in either case, as described below), such U.S. Holder generally will be subject to special rules with respect to (i) any gain realized on the sale or other disposition of its Class A ordinary shares or public warrants and (ii) any “excess distribution” (generally, the portion of any distributions received by such U.S. Holder during a taxable year in excess of 125% of the average annual distributions received by such U.S. Holder during the three preceding taxable years or, if shorter, such U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares). Under these rules:
• | the U.S. Holder’s gain or excess distribution will be allocated ratably over the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares or public warrants; |
• | the amount allocated to the U.S. Holder’s taxable year in which the U.S. Holder realized the gain or received the excess distribution, or to the portion of the U.S. Holder’s holding period prior to the first day of our first taxable year in which we are a PFIC, will be taxed as ordinary income; and |
• | the amount allocated to each of the other taxable years (or portions thereof) of the U.S. Holder will be subject to tax at the highest tax rate in effect for the U.S. Holder in that year (and would not be eligible for the lower long-term capital gains rate), and an interest charge for the deemed deferral benefit will be imposed with respect to the resulting tax attributable to each such other taxable year (or portion thereof). |
In general, if we are treated as a PFIC, a U.S. Holder may be able to avoid the PFIC tax consequences described above in respect of our Class A ordinary shares (but not our public warrants) by making a timely and valid QEF
185
election (if eligible to do so) in the first taxable year in which the U.S. Holder held (or was deemed to hold) Class A ordinary shares in which we are classified as a PFIC. If a U.S. Holder makes a timely QEF election with respect to our Class A ordinary shares, each year such U.S. Holder will be required to include in its income its pro rata share of our net capital gains (as long-term capital gain) and our ordinary earnings (as ordinary income), if any, for our taxable year that ends with or within the taxable year of the U.S. Holder, regardless of whether or not we make distributions to such U.S. Holder (although a U.S. Holder generally may make a separate election to defer the payment of taxes on undistributed income inclusions under the QEF rules, but if deferred, any such taxes will be subject to an interest charge). Such U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in our Class A ordinary shares will be increased to reflect taxed but undistributed earnings and profits. Distributions of earnings and profits that had been previously taxed will result in a corresponding reduction in the adjusted tax basis in the Class A ordinary shares and will not be taxed again once distributed. A U.S. Holder that has made a timely QEF election with respect to our Class A ordinary shares will generally recognize capital gain or loss on the sale or other disposition of our Class A ordinary shares, and no additional tax or interest charge will be imposed under the PFIC rules.
It is not entirely clear how various aspects of the PFIC rules apply to the public warrants, and U.S. Holders are strongly urged to consult with and rely solely upon their tax advisors regarding the application of such rules to their public warrants in their particular circumstances. A U.S. Holder may not make a QEF election with respect to its public warrants to acquire our Class A ordinary shares. As a result, if a U.S. Holder sells or otherwise disposes of such public warrants (other than upon the exercise of such public warrants) and we were treated as a PFIC at any time during the U.S. Holder’s holding period of such public warrants, any gain recognized generally will be treated in the same manner as an excess distribution, taxed as described above. If a U.S. Holder that exercises such public warrants properly makes a QEF election with respect to the newly acquired Class A ordinary shares (or has previously made a QEF election with respect to our Class A ordinary shares), the QEF election will apply to the newly acquired Class A ordinary shares. Notwithstanding any such QEF election, the adverse tax consequences relating to PFIC shares, adjusted to take into account the current income inclusions resulting from the QEF election, generally will continue to apply with respect to such newly acquired Class A ordinary shares (which generally will be deemed to have a holding period - for purposes of the PFIC rules - that includes the period the U.S. Holder held the public warrants), unless the U.S. Holder makes a purging election under the PFIC rules. Under one type of purging election, the U.S. Holder will be deemed to have sold such shares at their fair market value and any gain recognized on such deemed sale will be treated in the same manner as an excess distribution, taxed as described above. As a result of this purging election, the U.S. Holder will have additional basis (to the extent of any gain recognized on the deemed sale) and, solely for purposes of the PFIC rules, a new holding period in the Class A ordinary shares acquired upon the exercise of the public warrants. The application of the rules related to purging elections described above to a U.S. Holder of a public warrant that already owns Class A ordinary shares is not entirely clear. U.S. Holders are strongly urged to consult with and rely solely upon their tax advisors regarding the application of the rules governing purging elections to their particular circumstances.
The QEF election is made on a shareholder-by-shareholder basis and, once made, will apply to all subsequent taxable years of the U.S. Holder during which it holds Class A ordinary shares, unless we cease to be a PFIC or unless revoked by the U.S. Holder with the consent of the IRS. A U.S. Holder generally makes a QEF election by attaching a completed IRS Form 8621, including the information provided in a PFIC annual information statement (discussed below), to a timely filed U.S. federal income tax return for the tax year to which the election relates. Retroactive QEF elections generally may be made only by filing a protective statement with such return and if certain other conditions are met or with the consent of the IRS. U.S. Holders should consult with and rely solely upon their tax advisors regarding the availability and tax consequences of a retroactive QEF election in their particular circumstances.
In order to comply with the requirements of a QEF election, a U.S. Holder must receive a PFIC annual information statement from us. If we determine we are a PFIC for any taxable year, upon written request by a U.S. Holder, we may endeavor to provide to such U.S. Holder such information as the IRS may require, including a PFIC annual information statement, in order to enable such U.S. Holder to make and maintain a QEF election, but there is no assurance that we will timely provide such required information. There is also no assurance that we will have timely knowledge of our status as a PFIC in the future or of the required information to be provided.
A U.S. Holder that does not make a timely QEF election in the first taxable year (or portion thereof) in which we are a PFIC that is included in the holding period of such U.S. Holder may be able to mitigate the adverse PFIC tax consequences by making a QEF election in a subsequent taxable year and simultaneously making a purging election under the PFIC rules. Under one type of purging election, the U.S. Holder will be deemed to have sold its
186
Class A ordinary shares at their fair market value, and any gain recognized on such deemed sale will be treated in the same manner as an excess distribution, taxed as described above. As a result of this purging election, the U.S. Holder will have additional basis (to the extent of any gain recognized on the deemed sale). U.S. Holders are strongly urged to consult with and rely solely upon their tax advisors regarding the application of the rules governing purging elections to their particular circumstances.
Alternatively, if we are treated as a PFIC and our Class A ordinary shares are treated as “marketable stock,” a U.S. Holder that holds our Class A ordinary shares at the close of a taxable year may make a mark-to-market election with respect to such Class A ordinary shares, provided the U.S. Holder completes and files IRS Form 8621 in accordance with the relevant instructions and related U.S. Treasury regulations. The mark-to-market election is available only for “marketable stock,” which generally includes stock that is regularly traded on a national securities exchange that is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Nasdaq (on which we intend to list the Class A ordinary shares), or on a foreign exchange or market that the IRS determines has rules sufficient to ensure that the market price represents a legitimate and sound fair market value. If made, a mark-to-market election would be effective for the taxable year for which the election was made and for all subsequent taxable years unless the Class A ordinary shares ceased to qualify as “marketable stock” for purposes of the PFIC rules or the IRS consented to the revocation of the election. U.S. Holders should consult with and rely solely upon their own tax advisors regarding the availability and tax consequences of a mark-to-market election in respect of our Class A ordinary shares in their particular circumstances.
If the U.S. Holder makes a valid mark-to-market election for the first taxable year of the U.S. Holder in which the U.S. Holder holds (or is deemed to hold) our Class A ordinary shares and in which we are treated as a PFIC, such U.S. Holder generally will not be subject to the PFIC rules described above in respect of Class A ordinary shares. Instead, in general, such U.S. Holder will include as ordinary income in each taxable year the excess, if any, of the fair market value of its Class A ordinary shares at the end of the taxable year over its adjusted basis in its Class A ordinary shares. These amounts of ordinary income would not be eligible for the favorable tax rates applicable to qualified dividend income or long-term capital gains. Such U.S. Holder also will be permitted an ordinary loss in respect of the excess, if any, of its adjusted basis of its Class A ordinary shares over the fair market value of its Class A ordinary shares at the end of the taxable year, but only to the extent of the net amount previously included in income as a result of the mark-to-market election. Such U.S. Holder’s basis in its Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted to reflect any such income or loss amounts. Any gain recognized by such U.S. Holder on a sale or other disposition of its Class A ordinary shares will be treated as ordinary income, and any loss recognized on the sale or other disposition of its Class A ordinary shares will be treated as ordinary loss to the extent that such loss does not exceed the net mark-to-market gains previously included by the U.S. Holder. Currently, a mark-to-market election may not be made with respect to public warrants.
If we are a PFIC and, at any time, have a direct or indirect interest in another entity that is treated as a PFIC (a “subsidiary PFIC”), each U.S. Holder generally would be treated as owning its pro rata share by value of the stock of such subsidiary PFIC, and generally could incur liability for the deferred tax and interest charge described in the general PFIC rules above if we receive a distribution from, or dispose of all or part of our interest in, the subsidiary PFIC or the U.S. Holder is otherwise deemed to have disposed of an interest in the subsidiary PFIC. Upon written request by a U.S. Holder, we may endeavor to cause any subsidiary PFIC to provide to such U.S. Holder the information that may be required to make or maintain a QEF election with respect to the subsidiary PFIC. There can be no assurance that we will have timely knowledge of the status of any such subsidiary PFIC. In addition, we may not hold a controlling interest in any such subsidiary PFIC and thus there can be no assurance we will be able to cause the subsidiary PFIC to provide such required information. A mark-to-market election generally would not be available with respect to a subsidiary PFIC. U.S. Holders are urged to consult with and rely solely upon their tax advisors regarding the tax issues raised by subsidiary PFICs.
A U.S. Holder that owns (or is deemed to own) shares in a PFIC during any taxable year of the U.S. Holder may have to file an IRS Form 8621 (whether or not a QEF or mark-to-market election is made) and such other information as may be required by the United States Department of the Treasury. Failure to do so, if required, may subject such U.S. Holder to substantial penalties and will extend the statute of limitations on the assessment and collection of all U.S. federal income taxes of such person for the related tax year until such required information is furnished to the IRS.
187
The rules dealing with PFICs and with the QEF, purging and mark-to-market elections are very complex and are affected by various factors in addition to those described above. Accordingly, U.S. Holders of our Class A ordinary shares and public warrants are strongly urged to consult with and rely solely upon their own tax advisors regarding the application of the PFIC rules to them in their particular circumstances.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding
Information reporting requirements generally will apply to dividends paid to a U.S. Holder and to the proceeds from the sale or other disposition of our securities unless the U.S. Holder is an exempt recipient and certifies to such exempt status. Backup withholding may apply to such payments if the U.S. Holder fails to provide a taxpayer identification number or a certification of exempt status or has been notified by the IRS that it is subject to backup withholding (and such notification has not been withdrawn). Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Rather, the U.S. federal income tax liability (if any) of persons subject to backup withholding will be reduced by the amount of tax withheld. If backup withholding results in an overpayment of taxes, a refund generally may be obtained, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.
Certain U.S. Holders may be required to file an IRS Form 926 (Return by a U.S. Transferor of Property to a Foreign Corporation) to report a transfer of property (including cash) to us. Substantial penalties may be imposed on a U.S. Holder that fails to comply with this reporting requirement and the period of limitations on assessment and collection of U.S. federal income taxes will be extended in the event of a failure to comply. Furthermore, certain U.S. Holders who are individuals and certain entities will be required to report information with respect to such U.S. Holder’s investment in “specified foreign financial assets” on IRS Form 8938 (Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets), subject to certain exceptions. Specified foreign financial assets generally include any financial account maintained with a non-U.S. financial institution and should also include our securities unless held in an account maintained with a U.S. financial institution. Persons who are required to comply with either of these requirements and fail to do so may be subject to substantial penalties and the period of limitations on assessment and collection of U.S. federal income taxes will be extended in the event of a failure to comply. Potential investors are urged to consult with and rely solely upon their tax advisors regarding the foreign financial asset and other reporting obligations and their application to an investment in our Class A ordinary shares and public warrants.
Considerations for Non-U.S. Holders
Dividends (including constructive distributions treated as dividends) paid or deemed paid to a Non-U.S. Holder in respect to its Class A ordinary shares will generally not be subject to U.S. federal income tax, unless the dividends are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, are attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base that such holder maintains in the United States).
In addition, a Non-U.S. Holder will generally not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on any gain attributable to a sale or other disposition of our Class A ordinary shares and public warrants (including a redemption or cashless exercise of public warrants to the extent such disposition may otherwise be treated as taxable) unless such gain is effectively connected with its conduct of a trade or business in the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, is attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base that such holder maintains in the United States) or the Non-U.S. Holder is an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of sale or other disposition and certain other conditions are met (in which case, such gain from United States sources generally is subject to tax at a 30% rate or a lower applicable tax treaty rate).
Dividends (including constructive distributions treated as dividends) and gains that are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business in the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, are attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base in the United States) will generally be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the same regular U.S. federal income tax rates applicable to a comparable U.S. Holder and, in the case of a Non-U.S. Holder that is a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, also may be subject to an additional branch profits tax at a 30% rate or a lower applicable tax treaty rate.
The terms of each public warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of shares for which the public warrant may be exercised or to the exercise price of the public warrant in certain events. An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution generally is not taxable. However, the Non-U.S. Holders of the public warrants would be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment increases the public warrant holders’ proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g. through an increase in the number of ordinary
188
shares that would be obtained upon exercise or through a decrease to the exercise price) as a result of a distribution of cash to the holders of our ordinary shares which is taxable to the holders of such ordinary shares as a distribution. Such constructive distribution would be subject to tax as if the Non-U.S. Holders of the public warrants received a cash distribution from us equal to the fair market value of such increased interest.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding
Information reporting requirements and U.S. backup withholding may apply to payments of dividends to a Non-U.S. Holder and to the proceeds from the sale or other disposition of our securities unless the Non-U.S. Holder is an exempt recipient and certifies to such exempt status. A Non-U.S. Holder generally will eliminate the requirement for information reporting and backup withholding by providing certification of its foreign status, under penalties of perjury, on a duly executed applicable IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E (or other applicable or successor form). Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Rather, the U.S. federal income tax liability (if any) of persons subject to backup withholding will be reduced by the amount of tax withheld. If backup withholding results in an overpayment of taxes, a refund generally may be obtained, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.
INVESTORS CONSIDERING THE PURCHASE OF OUR SECURITIES ARE URGED TO CONSULT WITH AND RELY SOLELY UPON THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS REGARDING THE APPLICATION OF THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX LAWS TO THEIR PARTICULAR SITUATIONS AND THE APPLICABILITY AND EFFECT OF ANY OTHER TAX LAWS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO U.S. FEDERAL ESTATE AND GIFT TAX LAWS AND ANY STATE, LOCAL OR NON-U.S. TAX LAWS AND TAX TREATIES.
189
D. Boral Capital LLC is acting the sole book-running manager of the offering and as representative of the underwriter named below. Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement dated the date of this prospectus, each underwriter named below has severally agreed to purchase, and we have agreed to sell to that underwriter, the number of units set forth opposite the underwriter’s name.
Underwriter | Number of Units | ||
D. Boral Capital LLC | |||
Total | 20,000,000 | ||
The underwriting agreement will provide that the obligations of the underwriter to purchase the units included in this offering are subject to approval of legal matters by counsel and to other conditions. The underwriting agreement will provide that the underwriter is obligated to purchase all the units in this offering if any are purchased, other than those units covered by the over-allotment option described below.
We have granted to the underwriter a 45-day option to purchase on a pro rata basis up to 3,000,000 additional units at the initial public offering price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions. The option may be exercised only to cover any over-allotments of units.
The underwriter proposes to offer the units initially at the public offering price on the cover page of this prospectus and to selling group members at that price less a selling concession of $0.05 per unit.
The following table shows the underwriting discounts and commissions that we are to pay to the underwriter in connection with this offering.
No Exercise | Full Exercise | |||||
Per Unit | $0.05 | $0.05 | ||||
Total | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | ||||
We estimate that our portion of the total expenses of this offering payable by us will be $808,000, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions. We have also agreed to pay the fees and expenses of the underwriter’s legal counsel, not to exceed $ .
The underwriter has informed us that the underwriter does not intend to make sales to discretionary accounts.
We, our sponsor, our officers and directors will agree that we and they will not offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, without the prior written consent of D. Boral for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus, any units, warrants, ordinary shares or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, ordinary shares; provided, however, that we may (1) issue and sell the private placement warrants; (2) issue and sell the additional units to cover our underwriter’s over-allotment option (if any); (3) register with the SEC pursuant to an agreement to be entered into on or prior to the closing of this offering, the resale of the private placement warrants and the ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and the founder shares; and (4) issue securities in connection with our initial business combination. However, the foregoing shall not apply to the surrender of any founder shares pursuant to their terms or any transfer of founder shares to any of our current or future independent directors (as long as such current or future independent director is subject to the terms of the letter agreement, filed with the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, at the time of such transfer; and as long as, to the extent any Section 16 reporting obligation is triggered as a result of such transfer, any related Section 16 filing includes a practical explanation as to the nature of the transfer) or to the sale, hypothecation, pledge, grant assignment or transfer of the Working Capital Convertible Note, or any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of such note (as further described in this prospectus), to any transferee (as long as such transferee is subject to the Insider Letter Agreement or an agreement with terms as restrictive as those in the Insider Letter Agreement, as applicable to all initial shareholders at the time of such transfer). The representative in its sole discretion may release any of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements at any time without notice. Our sponsor, officers and directors are also subject to separate transfer restrictions on their founder shares and private placement warrants pursuant to the insider letter agreements as described herein.
Except as described herein, pursuant to the Insider Letter Agreement and the Non-Sponsor Investor Letter Agreement to be entered into with us, our sponsor, officers and directors and non-sponsor investors will agree not
190
to transfer, assign or sell any founder shares held by them until the earlier to occur of: (A) six months after completion of our initial business combination; or (B) if the closing price of our ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and other similar transactions) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing any time 150 days after completion of our initial business combination. We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the lock-up. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction after our initial business combination that results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property, the founder shares will be released from the lock-up.
Except in certain limited circumstances, no member of the sponsor may transfer all or any portion of its membership interests in the sponsor. For more information, see “Principal Shareholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”.
The private placement warrants (and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of such warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or saleable until 30 days after the consummation of our initial business combination (except with respect to permitted transferees as described herein under “Principal Shareholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”). The purchase of the private placement warrants will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering and the Underwriter has not been engaged to participate in any manner with that private placement.
We will agree to indemnify the underwriter against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments the underwriter may be required to make because of any of those liabilities.
We intend to apply to list our units on Nasdaq under the symbol “VNMEU.” We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq. We expect that our Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed under the symbols “VNME” and “VNMEW,” respectively, once the Class A ordinary shares and warrants begin separate trading.
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our securities. Among the factors considered in determining the initial public offering price were the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies, prior offerings of those companies, our management, our capital structure, and currently prevailing general conditions in the equity securities markets, including current market valuations of publicly traded companies considered comparable to our company. We cannot assure you, however, that the price at which the units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants will sell in the public market after this offering will not be lower than the initial public offering price or that an active trading market in our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants will develop and continue after this offering.
In connection with this offering, the underwriter may engage in stabilizing transactions, over-allotment transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act.
Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum.
• | Over-allotment involves sales by the underwriter of units in excess of the number of units the underwriter is obligated to purchase, which creates a syndicate short position. The short position may be either a covered short position or a naked short position. In a covered short position, the number of units over-allotted by the underwriter is not greater than the number of units that it may purchase in the over-allotment option. In a naked short position, the number of units involved is greater than the number of units in the over-allotment option. The underwriter may close out any covered short position by either exercising its over-allotment option and/or purchasing units in the open market. |
• | Syndicate covering transactions involve purchases of the units in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover syndicate short positions. In determining the source of units to close out the short position, the underwriter will consider, among other things, the price of units available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase units through the over-allotment option. If the underwriter sells more units than could be covered by the over-allotment |
191
option, a naked short position, the position can only be closed out by buying units in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriter is concerned that there could be downward pressure on the price of the units in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in this offering.
• | Penalty bids permit the representative to reclaim a selling concession from a syndicate member when the units originally sold by the syndicate member are purchased in a stabilizing or syndicate covering transaction to cover syndicate short positions. |
These stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our units or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the units. As a result, the price of our units may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. These transactions may be effected on Nasdaq or otherwise and, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.
We are not under any contractual obligation to engage the underwriter to provide any services for us after this offering, but we may do so at our discretion. However, the underwriter may introduce us to potential target businesses, act as sell-side M&A advisor for any of them or assist us in raising additional capital in the future, including by acting as a placement agent in a private offering or underwriting or arranging debt financing transactions. If the underwriter provides services to us after this offering, we may pay the underwriter fair and reasonable fees that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with the underwriter and no fees for such services will be paid to the underwriter prior to the date that is 60 days from the date of this prospectus, unless such payment would not be deemed underwriter’s compensation in connection with this offering and we may pay the underwriter of this offering or any entity with which they are affiliated a finder’s fee or other compensation for services rendered to us in connection with the completion of a business combination.
Any fees we may pay the underwriter or its affiliates for services rendered to us after this offering may be contingent on the completion of a business combination and may be paid in a form other than cash. The underwriter or its affiliates that provide these services to us may have a potential conflict of interest given that the underwriter is entitled to the deferred portion of its underwriting compensation for this offering only if an initial business combination is completed within the specified timeframe.
The underwriter and its affiliates have engaged in, and may in the future engage in, investment banking and other commercial dealings in the ordinary course of business with us or our affiliates. They have received, or may in the future receive, customary fees and commissions for these transactions.
In addition, in the ordinary course of their business activities, the underwriter and its affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers. Such investments and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of ours or our affiliates. The underwriter and its affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or financial instruments and may hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.
A prospectus in electronic format may be made available on the websites maintained by the underwriter, or selling group members, if any, participating in this offering and the underwriter participating in this offering may distribute prospectuses electronically. The underwriter may allocate a number of units for sale to their respective online brokerage account holders. Internet distributions will be allocated by the underwriter that will make internet distributions on the same basis as other allocations.
The units are offered for sale in the United States and other jurisdictions where it is lawful to make such offers.
The underwriter has represented and agreed that they have not offered, sold or delivered and will not offer, sell or deliver any of the units directly or indirectly, or distribute this prospectus or any other offering material relating to the units, in or from any jurisdiction except under circumstances that will result in compliance with the applicable laws and regulations thereof and that will not impose any obligations on us except as set forth in the underwriting agreement.
192
Notice to Prospective Investors in the European Economic Area
In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area (each, a “Member State”), the underwriter represents and agrees that it has not made and will not make an offer of units to the public in that Member State except that it may make an offer of units to the public in that Member State at any time,
(a) | to legal entities which are qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Regulation; |
(b) | to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Regulation) subject to obtaining the prior consent of the underwriter for any such offer; or |
(c) | (c) in any other circumstances which do not require the publication by the issuer of a prospectus pursuant to Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation. |
Provided that no such offer of units shall require the company or the underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the Prospectus Regulation.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer of units to the public” in relation to any units in any Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the units to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe the units, and the expression Prospectus Regulation means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 (as amended or superseded).
Notice to Prospective Investors in the United Kingdom
The underwriter represents and agrees that it has not made and will not make an offer of units to the public in the United Kingdom, except that it may make an offer of units to the public in the United Kingdom at any time:
(a) | to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation; |
(b) | to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the UK Prospectus Regulation) in the United Kingdom subject to obtaining the prior consent of the underwriter for any such offer; or |
(c) | at any time in any other circumstances falling within section 86 of the FSMA, |
Provided that no such offer of units shall require the company or the underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to section 85 of the FSMA or supplement a prospectus pursuant to the UK Prospectus Regulation.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an offer of units to the public in relation to any units means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the units to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for the units.
The underwriter represents, warrants and agrees as follows:
(a) | it has only communicated or caused to be communicated and will only communicate or cause to be communicated an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of section 21 of FSMA) in circumstances in which section 21(1) of FSMA does not apply to the company; and |
(b) | it has complied with, and will comply with all applicable provisions of FSMA with respect to anything done by it in relation to the units in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom. |
Notice to Residents of Japan
The underwriter will not offer or sell any of our units directly or indirectly in Japan or to, or for the benefit of any Japanese person or to others, for re-offering or re-sale directly or indirectly in Japan or to any Japanese person, except in each case pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise in compliance with, the Securities and Exchange Law of Japan and any other applicable laws and regulations of Japan. For purposes of this paragraph, “Japanese person” means any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan.
Notice to Residents of Hong Kong
The underwriter and each of its affiliates have not (1) offered or sold, and will not offer or sell, in Hong Kong, by means of any document, our units other than (A) to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and
193
Futures Ordinance (Cap.571) of Hong Kong and any rules made under that Ordinance or (A) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” as defined in the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32 of Hong Kong) or which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of that Ordinance or (2) issued or had in its possession for the purposes of issue, and will not issue or have in its possession for the purposes of issue, whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere any advertisement, invitation or document relating to our units which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to our securities which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance and any rules made under that Ordinance. The contents of this document have not been reviewed by any regulatory authority in Hong Kong. You are advised to exercise caution in relation to the offer. If you are in any doubt about any of the contents of this document, you should obtain independent professional advice.
Notice to Residents of Singapore
This prospectus has not been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the units may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the units be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the “SFA”), (ii) to a relevant person pursuant to Section 275(1), or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA, in each case subject to compliance with conditions set forth in the SFA.
Where the units are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is
• | a corporation (which is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA)) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or |
• | a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary is an accredited investor, shares, debentures and units of shares and debentures of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferred within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the shares pursuant to an offer made under Section 275 of the SFA except: |
• | to an institutional investor (for corporations, under Section 274 of the SFA) or to a relevant person defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA, or to any person pursuant to an offer that is made on terms that such shares, debentures and units of shares and debentures of that corporation or such rights and interest in that trust are acquired at a consideration of not less than $200,000 (or its equivalent in a foreign currency) for each transaction, whether such amount is to be paid for in cash or by exchange of securities or other assets, and further for corporations, in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA; |
• | where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer; or |
• | where the transfer is by operation of law. |
Notification under Section 309B(1)(c) of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore. The securities are “prescribed capital markets products” (as defined in the Securities and Futures (Capital Markets Products) Regulations 2018) and Excluded Investment Products (as defined in MAS Notice SFA 04-N12:Notice on the Sale of Investment Products and MAS Notice FAA-N16: Notice on Recommendations on Investment Products).
Notice to Residents of Germany
Each person who is in possession of this prospectus is aware that no German sales prospectus (Verkaufsprospekt) within the meaning of the Securities Sales Prospectus Act (Wertpapier- Verkaufsprospektgesetz, the “Act”) of the Federal Republic of Germany has been or will be published with respect to our units. In particular, the underwriter has represented that it has not engaged and will agree that it will not engage in a public offering (offentliches Angebot) within the meaning of the Act with respect to any of our units otherwise then in accordance with the Act and all other applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
194
Notice to Residents of France
The units are being issued and sold outside the Republic of France and that, in connection with their initial distribution, it has not offered or sold and will not offer or sell, directly or indirectly, any units to the public in the Republic of France, and that it has not distributed and will not distribute or cause to be distributed to the public in the Republic of France this prospectus or any other offering material relating to the units, and that such offers, sales and distributions have been and will be made in the Republic of France only to qualified investors (investisseurs qualifiés) in accordance with Article L.411-2 of the Monetary and Financial Code and decrét no. 98-880 dated October 1, 1998.
Notice to Residents of the Netherlands
Our units may not be offered, sold, transferred or delivered in or from the Netherlands as part of their initial distribution or at any time thereafter, directly or indirectly, other than to, individuals or legal entities situated in The Netherlands who or which trade or invest in securities in the conduct of a business or profession (which includes banks, securities intermediaries (including dealers and brokers), insurance companies, pension funds, collective investment institution, central governments, large international and supranational organizations, other institutional investors and other parties, including treasury departments of commercial enterprises, which as an ancillary activity regularly invest in securities; hereinafter, “Professional Investors”); provided that in the offer, prospectus and in any other documents or advertisements in which a forthcoming offering of our units is publicly announced (whether electronically or otherwise) in The Netherlands it is stated that such offer is and will be exclusively made to such Professional Investors. Individual or legal entities who are not Professional Investors may not participate in the offering of our units, and this prospectus or any other offering material relating to our units may not be considered an offer or the prospect of an offer to sell or exchange our units.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Switzerland
The units may not be publicly offered in Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (“SIX”) or on any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. This document has been prepared without regard to the disclosure standards for issuance prospectuses under art. 652a or art. 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or the disclosure standards for listing prospectuses under art. 27 ff. of the SIX Listing Rules or the listing rules of any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the units or the offering may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.
Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the offering, the company, the units have been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. In particular, this document will not be filed with, and the offer of units will not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA (FINMA), and the offer of units has not been and will not be authorized under the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes (“CISA”). The investor protection afforded to acquirers of interests in collective investment schemes under the CISA does not extend to acquirers of units.
Notice to Prospective Investors in the Dubai International Financial Centre
This prospectus relates to an Exempt Offer in accordance with the Offered Securities Rules of the Dubai Financial Services Authority (“DFSA”). This prospectus is intended for distribution only to persons of a type specified in the Offered Securities Rules of the DFSA. It must not be delivered to, or relied on by, any other person. The DFSA has no responsibility for reviewing or verifying any documents in connection with Exempt Offers. The DFSA has not approved this prospectus nor taken steps to verify the information set forth herein and has no responsibility for the prospectus. The shares to which this prospectus relates may be illiquid and/or subject to restrictions on their resale. Prospective purchasers of the units offered should conduct their own due diligence on the units. If you do not understand the contents of this prospectus you should consult an authorized financial advisor.
Notice to Canadian Residents
Resale Restrictions
The distribution of units in Canada is being made on a private placement basis exempt from the requirement that we prepare and file a prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in each province where trades of these securities are made. Any resale of the units in Canada must be made under applicable securities laws which may vary
195
depending on the relevant jurisdiction, and which may require resales to be made under available statutory exemptions or under a discretionary exemption granted by the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authority. Purchasers are advised to seek legal advice prior to any resale of the securities.
Representations of Canadian Purchasers
By purchasing units in Canada and accepting delivery of a purchase confirmation, a purchaser is representing to us and the dealer from whom the purchase confirmation is received that:
• | the purchaser is entitled under applicable provincial securities laws to purchase the units without the benefit of a prospectus qualified under those securities laws as it is an “accredited investor” as defined under National Instrument 45 - 106 - Prospectus Exemptions or Section 73.3 of the Securities Act (Ontario), as applicable; |
• | the purchaser is a “permitted client” as defined in National Instrument 31 - 103 - Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations; |
• | where required by law, the purchaser is purchasing as principal and not as agent; and |
• | the purchaser has reviewed the text above under Resale Restrictions. |
Conflicts of Interest
Canadian purchasers are hereby notified that the underwriter is relying on the exemption set out in section 3A.3 or 3A.4, if applicable, of National Instrument 33 - 105 - Underwriting Conflicts from having to provide certain conflict of interest disclosure in this document.
Statutory Rights of Action
Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if the prospectus (including any amendment thereto) such as this document contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory. The purchaser of these securities in Canada should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.
Enforcement of Legal Rights
All of our directors and officers as well as the experts named herein may be located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible for Canadian purchasers to effect service of process within Canada upon us or those persons. All or a substantial portion of our assets and the assets of those persons may be located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible to satisfy a judgment against us or those persons in Canada or to enforce a judgment obtained in Canadian courts against us or those persons outside of Canada.
Taxation and Eligibility for Investment
Canadian purchasers of units should consult their own legal and tax advisors with respect to the tax consequences of an investment in the units in their particular circumstances and about the eligibility of the units for investment by the purchaser under relevant Canadian legislation.
196
Paul Hastings LLP, Washington, District of Columbia, has passed upon the validity of the securities offered in this prospectus with respect to units and warrants. Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP will pass upon the validity of the securities offered in this prospectus with respect to the ordinary shares and matters of Cayman Islands law. DLA Piper LLP (US) advised the underwriter in connection with the offering of the securities.
The audited financial statements included in this prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement have been so included in reliance upon the report of Adeptus Partners, LLC, independent registered public accountants, upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
197
We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act with respect to the securities we are offering by this prospectus. This prospectus does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. For further information about us and our securities, you should refer to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part and the exhibits and schedules filed with the registration statement. Whenever we make reference in this prospectus to any of our contracts, agreements or other documents, the references are materially complete but may not include a description of all aspects of such contracts, agreements or other documents, and you should refer to the exhibits attached to the registration statement for copies of the actual contract, agreement or other document.
Upon completion of this offering, we will be subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act and will file annual, quarterly and current event reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You can read our SEC filings, including the registration statement, over the Internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
198
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Page | |||
Audited Financial Statements of Vendome Acquisition Corporation I: | |||
F-1
To the Board of Directors and
Shareholder of Vendome Acquisition Corporation I
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Vendome Acquisition Corporation I (the “Company”) as of February 28, 2025, and the related statements of operations, changes in shareholder’s equity and cash flows for the period from January 28, 2025 (inception) through February 28, 2025, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of February 28, 2025, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from January 28, 2025 (inception) through February 28, 2025, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Substantial Doubt about the Company’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company had cash of $0 and working capital deficit of $175,371. The Company has incurred and expects to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of its financing and acquisition plans. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of time within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ Adeptus Partners, LLC
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2025.
Ocean, New Jersey
April 14, 2025, except for Notes 9 and 10, dated June 6, 2025
PCAOB ID: 3686
F-2
VENDOME ACQUISITION CORPORATION I
February 28, 2025 | |||
ASSETS | |||
Current Assets: | |||
Prepaid expenses | $12,902 | ||
Total Current Assets | 12,902 | ||
Deferred offering costs | 200,371 | ||
Total Assets | $213,273 | ||
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDER’S EQUITY | |||
Current Liabilities: | |||
Accrued offering costs | $188,273 | ||
Total Current Liabilities | 188,273 | ||
Commitments and contingencies (Note 6) | |||
Shareholder’s Equity: | |||
Preference shares, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding | — | ||
Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 200,000,000 shares authorized, none issued and outstanding | — | ||
Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 20,000,000 shares authorized, 5,750,000 shares issued and outstanding(1)(2) | 575 | ||
Additional paid-in capital | 24,425 | ||
Retained earnings | — | ||
Total Shareholder’s Equity | 25,000 | ||
Total Liabilities and Shareholder’s Equity | $213,273 | ||
(1) | Includes an aggregate of up to 750,000 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriter (see Note 5). |
(2) | Shares and associated accounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the surrender of 5,544,643 Class B ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration on March 25, 2025. On May 25, 2025, the Company issued to the Sponsor, for no consideration, an aggregate of 1,437,500 founder shares. Shares and associated accounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the issuance of 1,437,500 Class B ordinary shares to the Sponsor for no consideration on May 25, 2025 (see Note 5). |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-3
VENDOME ACQUISITION CORPORATION I
For the period from January 28, 2025 (inception) through February 28, 2025 | |||
Formation and operating expenses | $— | ||
TOTAL EXPENSES | — | ||
Net loss | $— | ||
Weighted average ordinary shares outstanding basic and diluted(1)(2) | 1,250,000 | ||
Basic and diluted net loss per ordinary share | $(0.00) | ||
(1) | Excludes an aggregate of up to 750,000 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriter (see Note 5). |
(2) | Shares and associated accounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the surrender of 5,544,643 Class B ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration on March 25, 2025. On May 25, 2025, the Company issued to the Sponsor, for no consideration, an aggregate of 1,437,500 founder shares. Shares and associated accounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the issuance of 1,437,500 Class B ordinary shares to the Sponsor for no consideration on May 25, 2025 (see Note 5). |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-4
VENDOME ACQUISITION CORPORATION I
FOR THE PERIOD FROM JANUARY 28, 2025 (INCEPTION) THROUGH
FEBRUARY 28, 2025
Class B Ordinary Shares | Additional Paid-In Capital | Accumulated Deficit | Shareholder’s Equity | ||||||||||||
Shares | Amount | ||||||||||||||
Balance, January 28, 2025 (inception) | — | $— | $— | $— | $— | ||||||||||
Issuance of Class B ordinary shares to Sponsor(1)(2) | 5,750,000 | 575 | 24,425 | — | 25,000 | ||||||||||
Balance, February 28, 2025 | 5,750,000 | $575 | $24,425 | $— | $25,000 | ||||||||||
(1) | Includes an aggregate of up to 750,000 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriter (see Note 5). |
(2) | Shares and associated accounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the surrender of 5,544,643 Class B ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration on March 25, 2025. On May 25, 2025, the Company issued to the Sponsor, for no consideration, an aggregate of 1,437,500 founder shares. Shares and associated accounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the issuance of 1,437,500 Class B ordinary shares to the Sponsor for no consideration on May 25, 2025 (see Note 5). |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-5
VENDOME ACQUISITION CORPORATION I
For the Period from January 28, 2025 (inception) through February 28, 2025 | |||
Cash Flows From Operating Activities: | |||
Net loss | $— | ||
Net Cash Provided By Operating Activities | — | ||
Net Cash Provided By Investing Activities | — | ||
Net Cash Provided By Financing Activities | — | ||
Net change in cash | — | ||
Cash at beginning of period | — | ||
Cash at end of period | $— | ||
Supplemental Schedule of Non-Cash Financing Activities: | |||
Issuance of Class B shares in exchange for a payment to a vendor | $25,000 | ||
Deferred offering costs included in accrued offering costs | $188,273 | ||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-6
VENDOME ACQUISITION CORPORATION I
NOTE 1 — DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS AND GOING CONCERN
Vendome Acquisition Corporation I (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company on January 28, 2025. The Company was incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”).
The Company is not limited to a particular industry or geographic region for purposes of consummating a Business Combination, however, it intends to focus our search on high potential businesses based in the United States. The Company is an early-stage and emerging growth company; and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early-stage and emerging growth companies.
As of February 28, 2025, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from January 28, 2025 (inception) through February 28, 2025 relates to the Company’s formation and the proposed initial public offering (“Proposed Public Offering”), which is described below. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of an initial Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the Proposed Public Offering. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.
The Company’s ability to commence operations is contingent upon obtaining adequate financial resources through a Proposed Public Offering of 20,000,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the Class A ordinary shares (as defined below) included in the Units being offered, the “Public Shares”) at $10.00 per Unit (or 23,000,000 Units if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), which is discussed in Note 3, and the sale of 2,648,000 warrants at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the Proposed Public Offering (the “Private Placement”) to Vendome Acquisition Sponsor I LLC (the “Sponsor”).
The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. The stock exchange listing rules require that the Business Combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (as defined below) (excluding the Permitted Withdrawals on the interest income earned on the funds held in the Trust Account). The Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-Business Combination company owns or acquires 50% or more of the issued and outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). There is no assurance that the Company will be able to successfully effect a Business Combination. Upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, management has agreed that $10.00 per Unit sold in the Proposed Public Offering, including proceeds of the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, will be held in a trust account (the “Trust Account”) and invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 days or less, or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund investing solely in U.S. Treasuries and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the funds in the Trust Account to the Company’s shareholders, as described below.
The Company will provide the holders of the outstanding Public Shares (the “Public Shareholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer in connection with the Business Combination. The decision as to whether the Company will seek shareholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company. The Public Shareholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (initially anticipated to be $10.00 per Public Share, plus any pro rata interest then in the Trust Account), net of taxes payable for the Company’s franchise and income taxes or funds for working capital requirements (up to 5% of the interest earned on the Trust Account), (“Permitted Withdrawals”). There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of a Business Combination with respect to
F-7
the Private Placement Warrants. The Public Shares subject to redemption will be recorded at a redemption value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering in accordance with the Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.”
The Company will not redeem Public Shares in an amount that would cause its net tangible assets to be less than any net tangible asset or cash requirement that may be contained in the agreement relating to the Business Combination. If the Company seeks shareholder approval of the Business Combination, the Company will proceed with a Business Combination only if the Company receives an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law approving a Business Combination, which requires a resolution be passed by a simple majority of the holders of the Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 (the “Class A ordinary shares”) and the Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 (the “Class B ordinary shares,” and together with the Class A ordinary shares, the “ordinary shares”) that, being entitled to do so, attend and vote in person or by proxy at a general meeting of the Company, or such other vote as required by law or stock exchange rule. If a shareholder vote is not required under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements and the Company does not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association (the “Articles”), conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), and file tender offer documents containing substantially the same information as would be included in a proxy statement with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. If the Company seeks shareholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor has agreed to vote its Founder Shares (as defined in Note 5) and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Proposed Public Offering in favor of approving a Business Combination. Additionally, each Public Shareholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares, without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against a proposed Business Combination and waive its redemption rights with respect to any such shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a Business Combination. Additionally, each Public Shareholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares without voting and, if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed Business Combination.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company seeks shareholder approval of a Business Combination and the Company does not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, the Articles provide that a Public Shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the Public Shares without the Company’s prior written consent.
The Sponsor has agreed (a) to waive its redemption rights with respect to any Founder Shares and Public Shares held by it in connection with the completion of a Business Combination and (b) not to propose an amendment to the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association (i) 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 100% of the Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period (as defined below) or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholder’s rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless the Company provides the Public Shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares upon approval of any such amendment.
If the Company has not completed a Business Combination within 24 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering (the “Combination Period”), the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned and not previously released to pay the Permitted Withdrawals, if any (less any permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish the rights of the Public Shareholders as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining Public Shareholders and its Board of Directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Because we may make permitted withdrawals, including of up to 5% of the interest earned on the trust account to fund our working capital requirements, the potential value of the trust account may be negatively impacted. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the Company’s warrants, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period.
F-8
The Sponsor has agreed to waive its rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to the Founder Shares it will receive if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if the Sponsor or any of its respective affiliates acquire Public Shares in or after the Proposed Public Offering, such Public Shares will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the assets remaining available for distribution will be less than the Proposed Public Offering price per Unit ($10.00).
In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per Public Share and (ii) the actual amount per Public Share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account, if less than $10.00 per Public Share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the Trust Account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriter of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, the Company has not asked the Sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor has it independently verified whether the Sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations, and we believe that the Sponsor’s only assets are securities of the Company. Therefore, the Company cannot assure that the 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 the Company’s initial Business Combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 per Public Share. In such event, the Company may not be able to complete its initial Business Combination, and the Public Shareholders would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of their Public Shares. None of the Company’s officers or directors will indemnify the Company for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
Going Concern Considerations
At February 28, 2025, the Company had cash of $0 and working capital deficit of $175,371. The Company has incurred and expects to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of its financing and acquisition plans. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of time within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued.
Management plans to address this uncertainty through the Proposed Public Offering as discussed in Note 3. There is no assurance that the Company’s plans to raise capital or to consummate a Business Combination will be successful or successful within the Combination Period. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Risks and Uncertainties
Various social and political circumstances in the U.S. and around the world (including wars and other forms of conflict, including rising trade tensions between the United States and China, and other uncertainties regarding actual and potential shifts in the U.S. and foreign, trade, economic and other policies with other countries, terrorist acts, security operations and catastrophic events such as fires, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and global health epidemics), may contribute to increased market volatility and economic uncertainties or deterioration in the U.S. and worldwide. Specifically, the rising conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and the rising conflicts in the Middle East, and resulting market volatility could adversely affect the Company’s ability to complete a business combination. In response to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the U.S. and other countries have imposed sanctions or other restrictive actions against Russia. Any of the above factors, including sanctions, export controls, tariffs, trade wars and other governmental actions, could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s ability to complete a Business Combination and the value of the Company’s securities. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of these uncertainties.
F-9
NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared on the accrual basis of accounting in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.
Emerging Growth Company
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, as amended (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act 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 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 financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period.
Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statements, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The Company did not have any cash equivalents at February 28, 2025.
Deferred Offering Costs
The Company complies with the requirements of the ASC 340-10-S99-1 and SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) Topic 5A — “Expenses of Offering” and Topic 5T — “Accounting for Expenses or Liabilities Paid by Principal Shareholder(s).”
Deferred offering costs consist of costs incurred in connection with preparation for the Proposed Public Offering, which include professional and registration fees incurred. Deferred offering costs, together with the underwriting discounts and commissions, will be allocated to the separable financial instruments issued in the Proposed Public Offering based on a relative fair value basis, compared to total proceeds received. Should the Proposed Public Offering prove to be unsuccessful, these deferred costs, as well as additional expenses incurred, will be charged to operations. At February 28, 2025, the Company had deferred offering costs of $200,371.
F-10
Income Taxes
The Company follows the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes under ASC 740, “Income Taxes.” Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statements carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that included the enactment date. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized. ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. There were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties as of February 28, 2025. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position.
There is currently no taxation imposed on income by the Government of the Cayman Islands. In accordance with Cayman income tax regulations, income taxes are not levied on the Company. Consequently, income taxes are not reflected in the Company’s financial statements.
Net Loss per Ordinary Share
Net loss per share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period, excluding ordinary shares subject to forfeiture. Weighted average shares were reduced for the effect of an aggregate of 750,000 Class B ordinary shares that are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the over-allotment option is exercised by the underwriter (see Note 6). At February 28, 2025, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into ordinary shares and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted loss per share is the same as basic loss per share for the period presented.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurement,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature. As of February 28, 2025 there were no assets or liabilities that qualify as financial instruments.
Fair Value Measurements
Fair value is defined as the price that would be received for sale of an asset or paid to transfer of a liability, in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. GAAP establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). These tiers include:
• | Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical instruments in active markets that the Company has the ability to access; |
• | Level 2, defined as inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable such as quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets or quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and |
• | Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions, such as valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable. |
In some circumstances, the inputs used to measure fair value might be categorized within different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In those instances, the fair value measurement is categorized in its entirety in the fair value hierarchy based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement. As of February 28, 2025, there were no assets or liabilities that were subject to fair value measurement.
F-11
Derivative Financial Instruments
The Company evaluates its financial instruments to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives in accordance with ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging.” For derivative financial instruments that are accounted for as liabilities, the derivative instrument is initially recorded at its fair value on the grant date and is then re-valued at each reporting date, with changes in the fair value reported in the statement of operations. The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as liabilities or as equity, is evaluated at the end of each reporting period. Derivative liabilities are classified in the balance sheet as current or non-current based on whether or not net-cash settlement or conversion of the instrument could be required within 12 months of the balance sheet date. As of February 28, 2025, there were no derivative financial instruments.
Warrant Instruments
The Company accounts for the Public Warrants issued in connection with the Proposed Public Offering and the Private Placement Warrants in accordance with the guidance contained in FASB ASC 815, “Derivatives and Hedging.” Under ASC 815-40, the Public Warrants (as defined below) and the Private Placement Warrants meet the criteria for equity treatment and as such will be recorded in shareholder’s equity. If the Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants no longer meet the criteria for equity treatment, they will be recorded as a liability and remeasured each period with changes recorded in the statement of operations. As of February 28, 2025, there were no warrant instruments.
Recent Issued Accounting Pronouncements
In November 2023, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2023-07 — Segment Reporting — Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures (“ASU 2023-07”). This update requires public entities to disclose its significant segment expense categories and amounts for each reportable segment. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within those fiscal years. As of February 28, 2025, the Company reported its operations as a single reportable segment, noting no disaggregation of Company activities, management or allocation of resources by geographic region, business activity or organizational method, thus this new guidance does not affect the disclosures. See Note 9 for further information.
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.
NOTE 3 — PROPOSED PUBLIC OFFERING
Pursuant to the Proposed Public Offering, the Company intends to offer for sale 20,000,000 Units (or 23,000,000 Units if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a purchase price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit will consist of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant (“Public Warrant”). Each whole Public Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per full share, subject to adjustment (see Note 8).
NOTE 4 — PRIVATE PLACEMENT
Simultaneously with the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, the Company in a private placement will sell 2,648,000 warrants (the “Private Placement Warrants”) at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant (the “Private Placement”). Each Private Placement Warrant is exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 7). The proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants will be added to the net proceeds from the Proposed Public Offering held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants held in the Trust Account will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law), and the Private Placement Warrants will expire worthless. The Private Placement Warrants (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of an initial Business Combination, subject to certain exceptions.
NOTE 5 — RELATED PARTIES
Founder Shares
On February 21, 2025, the Sponsor received 9,857,143 of the Company’s Class B ordinary shares (the “Founder Shares”) in exchange for a payment of $25,000 to a vendor. On March 25, 2025, the Sponsor returned to the Company, at no cost,
F-12
an aggregate of 5,544,643 founder shares, which the Company cancelled. Shares and associated accounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the surrender of 5,544,643 Class B ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration on March 25, 2025. On May 25, 2025, the Company issued to the Sponsor, for no consideration, an aggregate of 1,437,500 founder shares. Shares and associated accounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the issuance of 1,437,500 Class B ordinary shares to the Sponsor for no consideration on May 25, 2025.
On May 24, 2025, the Sponsor transferred an aggregate of 75,000 of its founder shares to the Company’s independent director nominees for no cash consideration. The founder shares held by the independent directors will not be subject to forfeiture in the event the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised.
Up to 750,000 of the 5,750,000 Founder Shares are subject to forfeiture by the sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised, so that the number of Founder Shares will collectively represent 20.0% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering.
The Sponsor has agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell 90% of the Founder Shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) six months after the completion of a Business Combination and (B) subsequent to a Business Combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after a Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, capital share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Public Shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property; provided that, for the avoidance of doubt, 10% of the Founder Shares shall not be subject to such restrictions.
General and Administrative Services
The Company intends to enter into an agreement, commencing on the effective date of the Proposed Public Offering through the earlier of the Company’s consummation of a Business Combination and its liquidation, to pay the Sponsor or an affiliate thereof a monthly fee of $10,000 for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support.
Working Capital Loans
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). Such Working Capital Loans would be evidenced by promissory notes. The notes may be repaid upon completion of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $2,500,000 of the notes may be converted upon completion of a Business Combination into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant. Such warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. As of February 28, 2025, there was no amount outstanding under the Working Capital Loans.
On June 3, 2025, the Sponsor agreed to loan the Company up to $300,000. As of June 3, 2025, the Company had borrowed $93,959 under such promissory note. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of December 31, 2025 or the closing of the Proposed Public Offering.
Convertible Promissory Note
Upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering, the Company will issue the Sponsor a Working Capital Convertible Note in the principal amount of up to $840,000, which the Company may draw down in its sole discretion, from time to time in order to pay for working capital expenses or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial Business Combination. Any principal amounts outstanding under the Working Capital Convertible Note may be converted into Class A ordinary shares, at a conversion price per share equal to the lower of (i) $8.00 per share and (ii) the Note Conversion VWAP, at the option of the Sponsor. Any amount that is not converted into Class A ordinary shares will be repaid in cash on the maturity date. The maturity date of the Working Capital Convertible Note will be the earlier of (i) the Lock-up Expiration Date and (ii) the date that the Company’s winding up becomes effective.
F-13
NOTE 6 — COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Registration Rights
The holders of the Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans (and any ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants or warrants issued upon conversion of the Working Capital Loans and upon conversion of the Founder Shares) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of Proposed Public Offering requiring the Company to register such securities for resale (in the case of the Founder Shares, only after conversion to Class A ordinary shares). The holders of these securities will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration demands, that the Company register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to completion of a Business Combination and rights to require the Company to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. However, the registration rights agreement provides that the Company will not be required to effect or permit any registration or cause any registration statement to become effective until the securities covered thereby are released from their lock-up restrictions. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Underwriting Agreement
The Company will grant the underwriter a 45-day option from the date of the Proposed Public Offering to purchase up to 3,000,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, if any, at the Proposed Public Offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions.
The underwriter will be entitled to a fixed cash underwriting discount of $1,000,000 in the aggregate, payable upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering.
NOTE 7 — SHAREHOLDER’S EQUITY
Preferred Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 preference shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. As of February 28, 2025, there were no preference shares issued or outstanding.
Class A Ordinary Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 200,000,000 Class A ordinary shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of Class A ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share. As of February 28, 2025, there were no Class A ordinary shares issued or outstanding.
Class B Ordinary Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 20,000,000 Class B ordinary shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of Class B ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share. As of May 25, 2025, there were 5,750,000 Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding, up to 750,000 of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised. On March 25, 2025, the Sponsor surrendered to the Company, for no consideration, an aggregate of 5,544,643 founder shares, which the Company cancelled. Shares and associated accounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the surrender of 5,544,643 Class B ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration on March 25, 2025. On May 25, 2025, the Company issued to the Sponsor, for no consideration, an aggregate of 1,437,500 founder shares. Shares and associated accounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the issuance of 1,437,500 Class B ordinary shares to the Sponsor for no consideration on May 25, 2025. Only holders of the Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors and continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands prior to the Business Combination. Holders of ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders except as otherwise required by law. In connection with our initial Business Combination, we may enter into a shareholders agreement or other arrangements with the shareholders of the target or other investors to provide for voting or other corporate governance arrangements that differ from those in effect upon completion of this offering.
The Founder Shares are designated as Class B ordinary shares and will automatically convert at a ratio of one-for-one into Class A ordinary shares (which such Class A ordinary shares issued upon conversion will not have redemption rights or be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account if we do not consummate an initial Business Combination) at the time of our initial Business Combination or at any time prior thereto at the option of the holder thereof, subject to adjustments described herein.
F-14
NOTE 8 — WARRANTS
There were no warrants outstanding as of February 28, 2025. Public Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the Units and only whole warrants will trade. The Public Warrants will become exercisable on the later of (a) the completion of a Business Combination and (b) 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. The Public Warrants will expire five years after the completion of a Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
The Company will not be obligated to deliver any Class A ordinary share pursuant to the exercise of a Public Warrant and will have no obligation to settle such Public Warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares is available, subject to the Company satisfying its obligations with respect to registration, or a valid exemption from registration is available. No warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and the Company will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of residence of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration is available.
The Company has agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days after the closing of a Business Combination, the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to file, and within 60 business days following a Business Combination to have declared effective, a registration statement covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares until the warrants expire or are redeemed. Notwithstanding the above, if the Class A ordinary share is at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, the Company may, at its option, require holders of Public Warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event the Company so elects, the Company will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but will use its commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00 — Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the outstanding Public Warrants:
• | in whole and not in part; |
• | at a price of $0.01 per Public Warrant; |
• | upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, or the 30-day redemption period to each warrant holder; |
• | if, and only if, the last reported sale price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share dividends, reorganization, recapitalizations and the like); and |
• | for any 10 trading days within a 20-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the Company sends the notice of redemption to warrant holders. |
If and when the warrants become redeemable by the Company, the Company may exercise its redemption right even if it is unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
If the Company calls the warrants for redemption as described in this paragraph, its management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise their warrant following the notice of redemption to do so on a cashless basis. In the case of such a cashless exercise, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the Public 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 underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” less the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” as used in the preceding sentence shall mean the volume weighted average price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of the public warrants. If its management takes advantage of this option, the notice of redemption will contain the information necessary to calculate the number of Class A ordinary shares to be received upon exercise of the warrants, including the “fair market value” in such case.
The Company has established the $18.00 per share (as adjusted) redemption criterion discussed above to prevent a redemption call unless there is at the time of the call a significant premium to the public warrant exercise price. If
F-15
the foregoing conditions are satisfied and the Company issues a notice of redemption of the Public Warrants, each Public Warrant holder will be entitled to exercise his, her or its Public Warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of the Class A ordinary shares may fall below the $18.00 redemption trigger price, as well as the $11.50 Public Warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.
In addition, if (x) the Company issues additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of its initial business combination at less than $9.20 per Class A ordinary share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by its board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to the Sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any Founder Shares held by the Sponsor or its 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 its initial Business Combination on the date of the completion of its initial Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of Class A ordinary shares during the 20 day trading period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company consummates its initial Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the Public Warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the greater 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 greater of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
The Private Placement Warrants will be identical to the Public Warrants underlying the Units being sold in the Proposed Public Offering, except that the Private Placement Warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants will not be transferable, assignable or saleable until 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions. Additionally, the Private Placement Warrants will be exercisable on a cash or cashless basis and be non-redeemable, except as described above, so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees.
NOTE 9 — SEGMENT INFORMATION
ASC Topic 280, Segment Reporting, establishes standards for companies to report, in their financial statements, information about operating segments, products, services, geographic areas, and major customers. Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise that engage in business activities from which it may recognize revenues and incur expenses, and for which separate financial information is available that is regularly evaluated by the Company’s chief operating decision maker, or group, in deciding how to allocate resources and assess performance.
The Company’s chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) has been identified as the Chief Executive Officer, who reviews the assets, operating results, and financial metrics for the Company as a whole to make decisions about allocating resources and assessing financial performance. Accordingly, management has determined that the Company only has one reporting segment.
The CODM assesses performance for the single segment and decides how to allocate resources based on net income or loss that also is reported on the statement of operations as net income or loss. The measure of segment assets is reported on the balance sheet as total assets. When evaluating the Company’s performance and making key decisions regarding resource allocation, the CODM reviews several key metrics included in net income or loss and total assets.
Formation and operating expenses are reviewed and monitored by the CODM to manage and forecast cash to ensure enough capital is available to complete a business combination or similar transaction within the business combination period. The CODM also reviews formation and operating expenses to manage, maintain and enforce all contractual agreements to ensure costs are aligned with all agreements and budget. Formation and operating expenses, as reported on the statement of operations, are the significant segment expenses provided to the CODM on a regular basis.
All other segment items included in net loss are reported on the statement of operations and described within their respective disclosures.
NOTE 10 — SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date through April 14, 2025 the date that the financial statements were available to be issued. Based upon this review, except as noted below, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.
F-16
On March 25, 2025, the Sponsor surrendered to the Company, for no consideration, an aggregate of 5,544,643 founder shares, which the Company cancelled. Shares and associated accounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the surrender of 5,544,643 Class B ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration on March 25, 2025.
On May 25, 2025, the Company issued to the Sponsor, for no consideration, an aggregate of 1,437,500 founder shares. Shares and associated accounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the issuance of 1,437,500 Class B ordinary shares to the Sponsor for no consideration on May 25, 2025.
On May 23 2025, the Sponsor agreed to loan the Company up to $300,000. As of June 3, 2025, the Company had borrowed $93,959 under such promissory note. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of December 31, 2025 or the closing of the Proposed Public Offering.
On May 23, 2025, the Company increased the number of units it intends to offer for sale in the Proposed Public Offering from 15,000,000 to 20,000,000 Units (or 17,250,000 to 23,000,000 Units if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full).
On May 23, 2025, the Company decreased the number of warrants it intends to sell in a private placement from 3,488,000 to 2,648,000.
On May 21, 2025, the Company and underwriter agreed to remove the deferred fee of $4.5 million and increase the number of over allotment option shares.
On May 24, 2025, the Sponsor transferred an aggregate of 75,000 of its founder shares to the Company’s independent director nominees for no cash consideration. The founder shares held by the independent directors will not be subject to forfeiture in the event the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised.
On May 23, 2025, the number of Founder Shares subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor was increased from 562,500 to 750,000.
On May 23, 2025, the Company agreed that upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering, the Company will issue the Sponsor a Working Capital Convertible Note in the principal amount of up to $840,000, which the Company may draw down in its sole discretion, from time to time in order to pay for working capital expenses or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial Business Combination. Any principal amounts outstanding under the Working Capital Convertible Note may be converted into Class A ordinary shares, at a conversion price per share equal to the lower of (i) $8.00 per share and (ii) the Note Conversion VWAP, at the option of the Sponsor. Any amount that is not converted into Class A ordinary shares will be repaid in cash on the maturity date. The maturity date of the Working Capital Convertible Note will be the earlier of (i) the Lock-up Expiration Date and (ii) the date that the Company’s winding up becomes effective.
The subsequent events in this Note have been updated and reflected in Notes 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.
F-17
Units
Vendome Acquisition Corporation I
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
, 2025
Sole Book-Running Manager
D. Boral Capital
Until , 2025 (25 days after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade ordinary shares, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers’ obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriter and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.
You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus. We have not, and the underwriter has not, authorized anyone to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We are not, and the underwriter is not, making an offer to sell securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus.
No dealer, salesperson or any other person is authorized to give any information or make any representations in connection with this offering other than those contained in this prospectus and, if given or made, the information or representations must not be relied upon as having been authorized by us. This prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security other than the securities offered by this prospectus, or an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities by anyone in any jurisdiction in which the offer or solicitation is not authorized or is unlawful.
PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 13. | Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution. |
The estimated expenses payable by us in connection with the offering described in this registration statement (other than the underwriting discount and commissions) will be as follows:
SEC/FINRA expenses | $110,293 | ||
Accounting Fees and expenses | 50,000 | ||
Printing and engraving expenses | 35,000 | ||
Legal fees and expenses | 450,000 | ||
Nasdaq Listing and filing fees | 85,000 | ||
Miscellaneous | 77,707 | ||
Total | $808,000 | ||
Item 14. | Indemnification of Directors and Officers. |
Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against willful default, willful neglect, civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide for indemnification of our officers and directors to the maximum extent permitted by law, including for any liability incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own actual fraud, willful default or willful neglect. We may purchase a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors. We also intend to enter in indemnity agreements with them.
Our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account, and have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied by us if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
Pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement to be filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this Registration Statement, we will agree to indemnify the underwriter and the underwriter will agree to indemnify us against certain civil liabilities that may be incurred in connection with this offering, including certain liabilities under the Securities Act.
Item 15. | Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities. |
On February 21, 2025, Vendome Acquisition Sponsor I LLC and certain directors and officers, either directly or indirectly, purchased an aggregate of 9,857,143 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. On March 25, 2025, our sponsor surrendered 5,544,643 founder shares for no consideration and now holds 5,750,000 founder shares, reflecting an average purchase price of $0.0043 per share. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding ordinary shares upon completion of this offering. Such securities were issued in connection with our organization pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.
II-1
The founder shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination or at any time prior thereto at the option of the holder thereof, on a one-for-one basis subject to adjustment, as described in this prospectus. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a capitalization or share repurchase or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to Class B ordinary shares prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of the total number of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares outstanding at such time (assuming the underwriter exercises its option to purchase additional units in full). Vendome Acquisition Sponsor I LLC is an accredited investor for purposes of Rule 501 of Regulation D.
In addition, our sponsor, Vendome Acquisition Sponsor I LLC will subscribe to purchase from us an aggregate of 2,648,000 private placement warrants (whether or not the over-allotment option is exercised) at $1.00 per warrant (for an aggregate purchase price of $2,648,000). These purchases will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the completion of our initial public offering. These issuances will be made pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.
No underwriting discounts or commissions were paid with respect to such sales.
Item 16. | Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules. |
(c) | Exhibits. The list of exhibits preceding the signature page of this registration statement is incorporated herein by reference. |
(d) | Financial Statements. See page F-1 for an index to the financial statements and schedules included in the registration statement. |
II-2
EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit | Description | ||
1.1 | Form of Underwriting Agreement** | ||
Memorandum and Articles of Association*** | |||
3.2 | Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association** | ||
Specimen Unit Certificate* | |||
Specimen Class A Ordinary Share Certificate* | |||
Specimen Warrant Certificate* | |||
Form of Warrant Agreement between Odyssey Trust Company, LLC and the Registrant* | |||
5.1 | Opinion of Paul Hastings LLP** | ||
5.2 | Opinion of Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP, Cayman Islands Legal Counsel to the Registrant** | ||
10.1 | Form of Letter Agreement among the Registrant, sponsor and its officers and directors** | ||
10.2 | Form of Letter Agreement among the Registrant and the non-sponsor investors** | ||
10.2 | Form of Investment Management Trust Agreement between Odyssey Trust Company, LLC and the Registrant** | ||
10.3 | Form of Registration Rights Agreement between the Registrant and certain security holders** | ||
Securities Subscription Agreement, between the Registrant and the Sponsor*** | |||
10.5 | Form of Private Placement Warrants Purchase Agreement between the Registrant and the Sponsor** | ||
10.6 | Form of Indemnity Agreement** | ||
10.7 | Form of Administrative Services Agreement by and between the Registrant and the Sponsor** | ||
10.8 | Promissory Note, dated May 23, 2025, issued to the Sponsor** | ||
10.9 | Form of Working Capital Convertible Note to be issued to Vendome Acquisition Sponsor I LLC** | ||
14 | Form of Code of Ethics** | ||
Consent of Adeptus Partners, LLC* | |||
23.2 | Consent of Paul Hastings LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1)** | ||
23.3 | Consent of Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP (included in Exhibit 5.2)** | ||
24 | Power of Attorney (included on signature page of the initial filing of this Registration Statement)** | ||
99.1 | Form of Audit Committee Charter** | ||
99.2 | Form of Compensation Committee Charter** | ||
99.3 | Form of Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Charter** | ||
Consent of Brett Wyard to be named as director nominee*** | |||
Consent of Brian Webber to be named as director nominee*** | |||
Consent of Jonathan Gray to be named as director nominee*** | |||
99.7 | Form of Clawback Policy** | ||
Filing Fee Table* | |||
* | Filed herewith. |
** | To be filed by amendment. |
*** | Previously filed. |
Item 17. | Undertakings. |
(a) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement: |
(1) | To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933; |
(2) | To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; |
II-3
(3) | To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement. |
(b) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to remove from registration by means of a post- effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering. |
(c) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriter at the closing specified in the underwriting agreements, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriter to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser. |
(d) | Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. |
(e) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that: |
(1) | For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective. |
(2) | For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post- effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
II-4
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 the registrant has duly caused this amended registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Park City, Utah on the 6th of June 2025.
Vendome Acquisition Corporation I | |||||||||
By: | |||||||||
/s/ Diana Derycz-Kessler | |||||||||
Name: Diana Derycz-Kessler | |||||||||
Title: President | |||||||||
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Name | Position | Date | ||||
/s/ Scott LaPorta | Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Executive, Financial and Accounting Officer) | June 6, 2025 | ||||
Scott LaPorta | ||||||
/s/ Diana Derycz-Kessler | President and Director | June 6, 2025 | ||||
Diana Derycz-Kessler | ||||||
/s/ Paul Kessler | President and Director | June 6, 2025 | ||||
Paul Kessler | ||||||
II-5
AUTHORIZED U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
Pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the undersigned, the duly authorized representative in the U.S. of Vendome Acquisition Corporation I has signed this registration statement in the City of Park City, Utah on the 6th day of June, 2025.
Vendome Acquisition Corporation I | |||||||||
By: | |||||||||
/s/ Diana Derycz-Kessler | |||||||||
Name: Diana Derycz-Kessler | |||||||||
Title: President | |||||||||
II-6
Exhibit 4.1
NUMBER OF UNITS
U-
SEE REVERSE FOR CERTAIN DEFINITIONS
CUSIP G9580A125
VENDOME ACQUISITION CORPORATION I
UNITS CONSISTING OF ONE CLASS A ORDINARY SHARE AND ONE-HALF OF ONE REDEEMABLE WARRANT, EACH WHOLE WARRANT ENTITLING THE HOLDER TO
PURCHASE ONE CLASS A ORDINARY SHARE
|
THIS CERTIFIES THAT
|
is the owner of
|
Units.
|
Each Unit (“Unit”) consists of one (1) Class A
Ordinary Share, par value $0.0001 per share (“Class A Ordinary Share”), of Vendome Acquisition Corporation I., a Cayman Islands exempted company
(the “Company”), and one-half (1/2) of one redeemable warrant (the “Warrant”). Each whole Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one (1) Class A Ordinary Share (subject to adjustment) for $11.50 per share (subject to adjustment). Only whole Warrants are exercisable. Each Warrant will
become exercisable on the later of (i) the Company’s completion of a merger, amalgamation, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses (each a “Business Combination”), or (ii) twelve (12) months after the Form S-1 registration statement for the Company’s initial public offering is declared
effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission, and will expire, unless exercised before 5:00 p.m., New York City Time, on the date that is five (5) years after the date on which the Company completes its initial Business Combination, or earlier
upon redemption or liquidation. The Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants comprising the Units represented by this certificate will begin separate trading on the 52nd date following the date of the Form S-1 (or, if such date is not a
business day, the following business day), unless D. Boral Capital LLC elects to allow separate trading earlier, subject to the Company’s filing of a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission containing an audited balance
sheet reflecting the Company’s receipt of the gross proceeds of its initial public offering and issuing a press release announcing when separate trading will begin. s. No fractional Warrants will be issued upon separation of the Units. The terms of
the Warrants are governed by a Warrant Agreement, dated as of [●], 2025, between the Company and Odyssey Trust Company, as Warrant Agent, and are subject to the terms and provisions contained therein, all of which terms and provisions the holder of
this certificate consents to by acceptance hereof. Copies of the Warrant Agreement are on file at the office of the Warrant Agent at 2155 Woodlane Drive, Suite 100, Woodbury, MN 55125, and are available to any Warrant holder on written request and
without cost.
Upon the consummation of a Business Combination, the Units represented by this certificate will automatically separate into the Class A Ordinary Shares and
Warrants comprising such Units.
This certificate is not valid unless countersigned by the Transfer Agent and registered by the Registrar of the Company.
This certificate shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
Witness the facsimile signature of a duly authorized signatory of the Company.
|
Authorized Signatory
|
Transfer Agent
|
|
|
[Name:]
|
[Name:]
|
|
|
[Title:]
|
VENDOME ACQUISITION CORPORATION I
The Company will furnish without charge to each unitholder who so requests, a statement of the powers, designations, preferences and relative,
participating, optional or other special rights of each class of shares or series thereof of the Company and the qualifications, limitations, or restrictions of such preferences and/or rights.
The following abbreviations, when used in the inscription on the face of this certificate, shall be construed as though they were written out in full
according to applicable laws or regulations:
|
TEN COM
|
— as tenants in common
|
UNIF GIFT MIN ACT
|
—
|
Custodian
|
|||||||
|
TEN ENT
|
— as tenants by the entireties
|
(Cust)
|
(Minor)
|
||||||||
|
JT TEN
|
— as joint tenants with right of survivorship and not as tenants in common
|
under Uniform Gifts to Minors Act
|
|||||||||
|
(State)
|
|||||||||||
Additional abbreviations may also be used though not in the above list.
For value received, __________________ hereby sells, assigns and transfers unto __________________
(PLEASE INSERT SOCIAL SECURITY OR OTHER IDENTIFYING NUMBER(S) OF ASSIGNEE(S))
(PLEASE PRINT OR TYPEWRITE NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES), INCLUDING ZIP CODE, OF ASSIGNEE(S))
______ Units represented by the within Certificate, and does hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint ____________ Attorney to transfer
the said Units on the register of members of the within named Company with full power of substitution in the premises.
|
Dated: ______
|
|||
|
Notice:
|
The signature to this assignment must correspond with the name as written upon the face of the certificate in every particular, without alteration
or enlargement or any change whatever.
|
||
|
Signature(s) Guaranteed:
|
|||
|
THE SIGNATURE(S) MUST BE GUARANTEED BY AN ELIGIBLE GUARANTOR INSTITUTION (BANKS, STOCKBROKERS, SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS AND CREDIT UNIONS WITH
MEMBERSHIP IN AN APPROVED SIGNATURE GUARANTEE MEDALLION PROGRAM, PURSUANT TO S.E.C. RULE 17Ad-15 UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED (OR ANY SUCCESSOR RULE)).
|
|||
In each case, as more fully described in, and subject to the terms and conditions described in, the Company’s final prospectus for its initial public
offering dated [●], 2025, the holder(s) of this certificate shall have the opportunity to receive a pro rata portion of certain funds held in the trust account established in connection with the Company’s initial public offering regardless of whether
they abstain, vote for, or vote against, our initial business combination only in the event that (i) the Company redeems the Class A Ordinary Shares sold in the Company’s initial public offering and liquidates because it does not consummate an
initial business combination within the completion window, subject to applicable law, time period set forth in the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, as the same may be amended from time to time, or by such later
date approved by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, (ii) the Company redeems the Class A Ordinary Shares sold in its initial public offering in connection with a
shareholder vote to amend 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 Company’s initial Business Combination or
to redeem 100% of the Class A Ordinary Shares if it does not complete its initial Business Combination within the time period set forth in the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, as the same may be amended from time
to time, or by such later date approved by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the holder(s)’(s) rights or
pre-initial Business Combination activity, or (iii) if the holder(s) seek(s) to redeem for cash his, her, its or their respective Class A Ordinary Shares included in the Units represented by this certificate in connection with a tender offer (or
proxy solicitation, solely in the event the Company seeks shareholder approval of the proposed initial Business Combination) setting forth the details of a proposed initial Business Combination. In no other circumstances shall the holder(s) have any
right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.
Exhibit 4.2
|
NUMBER
|
|
|
C-
|
SHARES
SEE REVERSE FOR CERTAIN DEFINITIONS
CUSIP G9580A109
VENDOME ACQUISITION CORPORATION I
INCORPORATED UNDER THE LAWS OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS
CLASS A ORDINARY SHARES
This Certifies that ________________________________ is the owner of ________________________________ FULLY PAID AND NON-ASSESSABLE CLASS A ORDINARY SHARES
OF THE PAR VALUE OF U.S.$0.0001 EACH OF
VENDOME ACQUISITION CORPORATION I
(THE “COMPANY”)
subject to the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and transferable on the register of members of the Company in person
or by duly authorized attorney upon surrender of this certificate properly endorsed.
The Company will be forced to redeem all of its Class A Ordinary Shares if it is unable to complete a business combination within the time period set forth
in the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, as the same may be amended from time to time, or such by later date approved by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with the Company’s amended and restated memorandum
and articles of association, all as more fully described in the Company’s final prospectus dated [●], 2025.
This certificate is not valid unless countersigned by the Transfer Agent and registered by the Registrar of the Company.
Witness the facsimile signature of a duly authorized signatory of the Company.
|
Authorized Signatory
|
Transfer Agent
|
|
|
[Name:]
|
[Name:]
|
|
|
[Title:]
|
VENDOME ACQUISITION CORPORATION I
The Company will furnish without charge to each shareholder who so requests, a statement of the powers, designations, preferences and relative,
participating, optional or other special rights of each class of shares or series thereof of the Company and the qualifications, limitations, or restrictions of such preferences and/or rights. This certificate and the shares represented thereby are
issued and shall be held subject to all the provisions of the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association of the Company and all amendments thereto and resolutions of the Board of Directors providing for the issue of securities
(copies of which may be obtained from the secretary of the Company), to all of which the holder of this certificate by acceptance hereof assents.
The following abbreviations, when used in the inscription on the face of this certificate, shall be construed as though they were written out in full
according to applicable laws or regulations:
|
TEN COM
|
— as tenants in common
|
UNIF GIFT MIN ACT
|
—
|
Custodian
|
|||||||
|
TEN ENT
|
— as tenants by the entireties
|
(Cust)
|
(Minor)
|
||||||||
|
JT TEN
|
— as joint tenants with right of survivorship and not as tenants in common
|
under Uniform Gifts to Minors Act
|
|||||||||
|
(State)
|
|||||||||||
Additional abbreviations may also be used though not in the above list.
For value received, __________________ hereby sells, assigns and transfers unto __________________
(PLEASE INSERT SOCIAL SECURITY OR OTHER IDENTIFYING NUMBER(S) OF ASSIGNEE(S))
(PLEASE PRINT OR TYPEWRITE NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES), INCLUDING ZIP CODE, OF ASSIGNEE(S))
Class A Ordinary Shares represented by the within
Certificate, and does hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint ____________ Attorney to transfer the said Class A Ordinary Shares on the register of members of
the within named Company with full power of substitution in the premises.
|
Dated: ______
|
||
|
Notice:
|
The signature to this assignment must correspond with the name as written upon the face of the certificate in every particular, without alteration
or enlargement or any change whatever.
|
|
Signature(s) Guaranteed:
|
|
|
THE SIGNATURE(S) MUST BE GUARANTEED BY AN ELIGIBLE GUARANTOR INSTITUTION (BANKS, STOCKBROKERS, SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS AND CREDIT UNIONS WITH
MEMBERSHIP IN AN APPROVED SIGNATURE GUARANTEE MEDALLION PROGRAM, PURSUANT TO S.E.C. RULE 17Ad-15 UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED (OR ANY SUCCESSOR RULE)).
|
In each case, as more fully described in, and subject to the terms and conditions described in, the Company’s final prospectus for its initial public
offering dated [●], 2025, the holder(s) of this certificate shall have the opportunity to receive a pro rata portion of certain funds held in the trust account established in connection with the Company’s initial public offering regardless of whether
they abstain, vote for, or vote against, our initial business combination only in the event that (i) the Company redeems the Class A Ordinary Shares sold in the Company’s initial public offering and liquidates because it does not consummate an
initial business Combination within the completion window, subject to applicable law, time period set forth in the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, as the same may be amended from time to time, or by such later
date approved by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, (ii) the Company redeems the Class A Ordinary Shares sold in its initial public offering in connection with a
shareholder vote to amend 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 Company’s initial business combination or
to redeem 100% of the Class A Ordinary Shares if it does not complete its initial business combination within the time period set forth in the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, as the same may be amended from time
to time, or by such later date approved by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the holder(s)’(s) rights or
pre-initial business combination activity, or (iii) if the holder(s) seek(s) to redeem for cash his, her, its or their respective Class A Ordinary Shares represented by this certificate in connection with a tender offer (or proxy solicitation, solely
in the event the Company seeks shareholder approval of the proposed initial business combination) setting forth the details of a proposed initial business combination. In no other circumstances shall the holder(s) have any right or interest of any
kind to or in the trust account.
Exhibit 4.3
EXHIBIT A
Form of Warrant Certificate
[FACE]
Number
Warrants
THIS WARRANT SHALL BE NULL AND VOID IF NOT EXERCISED PRIOR TO THE EXPIRATION
OF THE EXERCISE PERIOD PROVIDED FOR IN THE WARRANT
AGREEMENT DESCRIBED BELOW
Vendome Acquisition Corporation I
|
CUSIP G9580A117
|
Warrant Certificate
This Warrant Certificate certifies that , or registered assigns, is the registered holder of warrant(s) evidenced hereby (the “Warrants”
and each, a “Warrant”) to purchase Class A Ordinary Shares, $0.0001 par value per share (“Ordinary Shares”), of Vendome Acquisition Corporation I, a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”).
Each whole Warrant entitles the holder, upon exercise during the period set forth in the Warrant Agreement referred to below, to receive from the Company that number of fully paid and non-assessable Ordinary Shares as set forth below, at the
exercise price (the “Warrant Price”) as determined pursuant to the Warrant Agreement, payable in lawful money (or through “cashless exercise” as
provided for in the Warrant Agreement) of the United States of America upon surrender of this Warrant Certificate and payment of the Warrant Price at the office or agency of the Warrant Agent referred to below, subject to the conditions set forth
herein and in the Warrant Agreement. Defined terms used in this Warrant Certificate but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Warrant Agreement.
Each whole Warrant is initially exercisable for one fully paid and non-assessable Ordinary Share. No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of any
Warrant. If, upon the exercise of Warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in an Ordinary Share, the Company will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number of the number of Ordinary Shares to be issued to the
holder. The number of Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events as set forth in the Warrant Agreement.
The initial Warrant Price per Ordinary Share for any Warrant is equal to $11.50 per share. The Warrant Price is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of
certain events as set forth in the Warrant Agreement.
Subject to the conditions set forth in the Warrant Agreement, the Warrants may be exercised only during the Exercise Period and to the extent not exercised by
the end of such Exercise Period, such Warrants shall become null and void. The Warrants may be redeemed, subject to certain conditions, as set forth in the Warrant Agreement.
Reference is hereby made to the further provisions of this Warrant Certificate set forth on the reverse hereof and such further provisions shall for all
purposes have the same effect as though fully set forth at this place.
This Warrant Certificate shall not be valid unless countersigned by the Warrant Agent, as such term is used in the Warrant Agreement.
This Warrant Certificate shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York.
|
VENDOME ACQUISITION CORPORATION I
|
||
|
By:
|
||
|
Name:
|
Scott LaPorta
|
|
|
Title:
|
Chief Executive Officer
|
|
|
ODYSSEY TRANSFER AND TRUST COMPANY, as Warrant Agent
|
||
|
By:
|
||
|
Name:
|
||
|
Title:
|
||
[Form of Warrant Certificate]
[Reverse]
The Warrants evidenced by this Warrant Certificate are part of a duly authorized issue of Warrants entitling the holder on exercise to receive Ordinary Shares
and are issued or to be issued pursuant to a Warrant Agreement dated as of , 2025 (the “Warrant Agreement”), duly executed and
delivered by the Company to Odyssey Transfer and Trust Company, a Minnesota corporation, as warrant agent (or successor warrant agent) (collectively, the “Warrant
Agent”), which Warrant Agreement is hereby incorporated by reference in and made a part of this instrument and is hereby referred to for a description of the rights, limitation of rights, obligations, duties and immunities thereunder of the
Warrant Agent, the Company and the holders (the words “holders” or “holder” meaning the Registered Holders or Registered Holder, respectively) of the Warrants. A copy of the Warrant Agreement may be obtained by the holder hereof upon written request to the Company. Defined terms used in
this Warrant Certificate but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Warrant Agreement.
Warrants may be exercised at any time during the Exercise Period set forth in the Warrant Agreement. The holder of Warrants evidenced by this Warrant
Certificate may exercise them by surrendering this Warrant Certificate, with the form of election to purchase set forth hereon properly completed and executed, together with payment of the Warrant Price as specified in the Warrant Agreement (or
through “cashless exercise” as provided for in the Warrant Agreement) at the designated office of the Warrant Agent. In the event that upon any exercise of Warrants evidenced hereby the number of Warrants exercised shall be less than the total number
of Warrants evidenced hereby, there shall be issued to the holder hereof or his, her or its assignee, a new Warrant Certificate evidencing the number of Warrants not exercised.
Notwithstanding anything else in this Warrant Certificate or the Warrant Agreement, no Warrant may be exercised unless at the time of exercise (i) a
registration statement covering the Ordinary Shares (other than a registration on Form S-4 or F-4 covering the Ordinary Shares) to be issued upon exercise is effective under the Securities Act and (ii) a prospectus thereunder relating to the Ordinary
Shares is current, except through “cashless exercise” as provided for in the Warrant Agreement.
The Warrant Agreement provides that upon the occurrence of certain events the number of Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants set forth on
the face hereof may, subject to certain conditions, be adjusted. If, upon exercise of a Warrant, the holder thereof would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in an Ordinary Share, the Company shall, upon exercise, round down to the nearest
whole number of Ordinary Shares to be issued to the holder of the Warrant.
Warrant Certificates, when surrendered at the designated office of the Warrant Agent by the Registered Holder thereof in person or by legal representative or
attorney duly authorized in writing, may be exchanged, in the manner and subject to the limitations provided in the Warrant Agreement, but without payment of any service charge, for another Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates of like tenor
evidencing in the aggregate a like number of Warrants.
Upon due presentation for registration of transfer of this Warrant Certificate at the office of the Warrant Agent a new Warrant Certificate or Warrant
Certificates of like tenor and evidencing in the aggregate a like number of Warrants shall be issued to the transferee(s) in exchange for this Warrant Certificate, subject to the limitations provided in the Warrant Agreement, without charge except
for any tax or other third-party charges imposed in connection therewith.
The Company and the Warrant Agent may deem and treat the Registered Holder(s) hereof as the absolute owner(s) of this Warrant Certificate (notwithstanding any
notation of ownership or other writing hereon made by anyone), for the purpose of any exercise hereof, of any distribution to the holder(s) hereof, and for all other purposes, and neither the Company nor the Warrant Agent shall be affected by any
notice to the contrary. Neither the Warrants nor this Warrant Certificate entitles any holder hereof to any rights of a shareholder of the Company.
Election to Purchase
(To Be Executed Upon Exercise of Warrant)
The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise the right, represented by this Warrant Certificate, to receive Ordinary Shares and herewith tenders
payment for such Ordinary Shares to the order of Vendome Acquisition Corporation I (the “Company”) in the amount of $__________ in accordance with
the terms hereof. The undersigned requests that a certificate for such Ordinary Shares be registered in the name of _________, whose address is _______________________ and that such Ordinary Shares be delivered to _________ whose address is
_______________________. If said number of Ordinary Shares is less than all of the Ordinary Shares purchasable hereunder, the undersigned requests that a new Warrant Certificate representing the remaining balance of such Ordinary Shares be registered
in the name of ____________, whose address is ________________, and that such Warrant Certificate be delivered to __________, whose address is ___________________.
In the event that the Warrant is to be exercised on a “cashless” basis pursuant to subsection 3.3.1(b) of the Warrant Agreement, the number of Ordinary Shares
that this Warrant is exercisable for shall be determined in accordance with subsection 3.3.1(b) of the Warrant Agreement.
In the event that the Warrant is to be exercised on a “cashless” basis pursuant to Section 7.4 of the Warrant Agreement, the number of Ordinary Shares that
this Warrant is exercisable for shall be determined in accordance with Section 7.4 of the Warrant Agreement.
In the event that the Warrant may be exercised, to the extent allowed by the Warrant Agreement, through cashless exercise (i) the number of Ordinary Shares
that this Warrant is exercisable for would be determined in accordance with the relevant section of the Warrant Agreement which allows for such cashless exercise and (ii) the holder hereof shall complete the following:
The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise the right, represented by this Warrant Certificate, through the cashless exercise provisions of the
Warrant Agreement, to receive Ordinary Shares. If said number of Ordinary Shares is less than all of the Ordinary Shares purchasable hereunder (after giving effect to the cashless exercise), the undersigned requests that a new Warrant Certificate
representing the remaining balance of such Ordinary Shares be registered in the name of ________________, whose address is ___________, and that such Warrant Certificate be delivered to ____________, whose address is ______________.
|
Date:
|
|
|
(Signature)
|
|
|
(Address)
|
|
|
(Tax Identification Number)
|
|
Signature Guaranteed:
|
|
THE SIGNATURE(S) SHOULD BE GUARANTEED BY AN ELIGIBLE GUARANTOR INSTITUTION (BANKS, STOCKBROKERS, SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS AND CREDIT UNIONS WITH
MEMBERSHIP IN AN APPROVED SIGNATURE GUARANTEE MEDALLION PROGRAM, PURSUANT TO SEC RULE 17Ad-15 (OR ANY SUCCESSOR RULE) UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT, OF 1934, AS AMENDED).
Exhibit 4.4
FORM OF WARRANT AGREEMENT
VENDOME ACQUISITION CORPORATION I
and
ODYSSEY TRANSFER AND TRUST COMPANY
Dated [●], 2025
THIS WARRANT AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”),
dated [●], 2025, is by and between Vendome Acquisition Corporation I, a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), and Odyssey Transfer and
Trust Company, a Minnesota corporation, as warrant agent (in such capacity, the “Warrant Agent”).
WHEREAS, the Company is engaged in an initial public offering (the “Offering”) of units of the Company’s equity securities, each such unit comprised of one Class A ordinary share of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (“Ordinary Shares”), and one-half (1/2) of one redeemable warrant (the “Public Warrants”) (the “Public Units”) and, in connection therewith, has determined
to issue and deliver up to 11,500,000 redeemable warrants (including up to 1,500,000 redeemable warrants subject to the Over-allotment Option (as defined below)) to
public investors in the Offering. Each whole Public Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Ordinary Share for $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein. Only whole Public Warrants are exercisable. A holder of the Public
Warrants will not be able to exercise any fraction of a Public Warrant;
WHEREAS, it is proposed that the Company enter into the certain Private Placement Warrants Purchase Agreement with Vendome Acquisition Sponsor I LLC, a Cayman Islands limited liability company (“Sponsor”)
, pursuant to which the Sponsor will purchase an aggregate of 2,648,000 private placement warrants (the “Private Placement Warrants,”)
simultaneously with the closing of the Offering and in connection therewith, the Company will issue and deliver up to an aggregate of 2,648,000 Private Placement Warrants bearing the legend set forth in Exhibit B hereto;
WHEREAS, in order to finance the Company’s transaction costs in connection with an intended initial merger, amalgamation, share exchange,
asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination, involving the Company and one or more businesses (a “Business
Combination”), Sponsor, any of the affiliates of Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s directors and officers may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as the Company may require, of which up to $2,500,000 may be convertible into private warrants of the post-Business Combination entity at the price of
$1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender, upon consummation of the initial Business Combination (in addition to any loans from third-parties or affiliates that
are approved by the Company’s board of directors, which loans may be converted into private units, shares, rights or warrants) (the “Working Capital Warrants”), and the Company will issue and deliver up to 2,500,000 Working Capital Warrants bearing the legend set forth in Exhibit B hereto;
WHEREAS, each whole Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Ordinary Share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to
adjustment as described herein. Only whole Warrants are exercisable. A holder of the Warrants will not be able to exercise any fraction of a Warrant;
WHEREAS, the Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-286534) (the “Registration Statement”)
and a prospectus (the “Prospectus”), for the registration, under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), of the Public Units, the Public Warrants, the Ordinary Shares included in the Public Units and the Ordinary Shares underlying the Public Warrants;
WHEREAS, the Company desires the Warrant Agent to act on behalf of the Company, and the Warrant Agent is willing to so act, in connection
with the issuance, registration, transfer, exchange, redemption and exercise of the Warrants;
WHEREAS, the Company desires to provide for the form and provisions of the Warrants, the terms upon which they shall be issued and
exercised, and the respective rights, limitation of rights, and immunities of the Company, the Warrant Agent and the holders of the Warrants; and
WHEREAS, all acts and things have been done and performed which are necessary to make the Warrants, when executed on behalf of the Company
and countersigned by or on behalf of the Warrant Agent (if a physical certificate is issued), as provided herein, the valid, binding and legal obligations of the Company, and to authorize the execution and delivery of this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual agreements herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. Appointment of Warrant Agent. The Company
hereby appoints the Warrant Agent to act as agent for the Company for the Warrants, and the Warrant Agent hereby accepts such appointment and agrees to perform the same in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.
2. Warrants.
2.1 Form of Warrant. Each Warrant shall
initially be issued in registered form only.
2.2 Effect of Countersignature. If a physical
certificate is issued, unless and until countersigned by the Warrant Agent pursuant to this Agreement, a certificated Warrant shall be invalid and of no effect and may not be exercised by the holder thereof.
2.3 Registration.
2.3.1 Warrant Register. The Warrant Agent
shall maintain books (the “Warrant Register”), for the registration of original issuance and the registration of transfer of the Warrants. Upon the
initial issuance of the Warrants in book-entry form, the Warrant Agent shall issue and register the Warrants in the names of the respective holders thereof in such denominations and otherwise in accordance with instructions delivered to the Warrant
Agent by the Company. Ownership of beneficial interests in the Public Warrants shall be shown on, and the transfer of such ownership shall be effected through, records maintained by institutions that have accounts with The Depository Trust Company
(the “Depositary”) (such institution, with respect to a Public Warrant in its account, a “Participant”).
If the Depositary subsequently ceases to make its book-entry settlement system available for the Public Warrants, the Company may instruct
the Warrant Agent regarding making other arrangements for book-entry settlement. In the event that the Public Warrants are not eligible for, or it is no longer necessary to have the Public Warrants available in, book-entry form, the Warrant Agent
shall provide written instructions to the Depositary to deliver to the Warrant Agent for cancellation each book-entry Public Warrant, and the Company shall instruct the Warrant Agent to deliver to the Depositary definitive certificates in physical
form evidencing such Warrants (“Definitive Warrant Certificates”) which shall be in the form annexed hereto as Exhibit A.
Physical certificates, if issued, shall be signed by, or bear the facsimile signature of, the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive
Officer, President, Chief Financial Officer, or other principal officer of the Company. In the event the person whose facsimile signature has been placed upon any Warrant shall have ceased to serve in the capacity in which such person signed the
Warrant before such Warrant is issued, it may be issued with the same effect as if he or she had not ceased to be such at the date of issuance.
2.3.2 Registered Holder. Prior to due
presentment for registration of transfer of any Warrant, the Company and the Warrant Agent may deem and treat the person in whose name such Warrant is registered in the Warrant Register (the “Registered Holder”) as the absolute owner of such Warrant and of each Warrant represented thereby, for the purpose of any exercise thereof, and for all other purposes, and neither the Company nor the
Warrant Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary.
2.4 Detachability of Warrants. The Ordinary
Shares, Public Warrants, and the Public Rights comprising the Public Units shall begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of the Prospectus or, if such 52nd day is not on a day, other than a Saturday, Sunday or federal holiday, on
which banks in New York City are generally open for normal business (a “Business Day”), then on the immediately succeeding Business Day following
such date, or earlier (the “Detachment Date”) with the consent of the underwriter, but in no event shall the Ordinary Shares and the Public
Warrants, comprising the Public Units be separately traded until (A) the Company has filed a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Commission containing an audited balance sheet reflecting the receipt by the Company of the gross proceeds of the
Offering, including the proceeds then received by the Company from the exercise by the underwriter of its right to purchase additional Public Units in the Offering (the “Over-allotment Option”), if the Over-allotment Option is exercised prior to the filing of the Current Report on Form 8-K, and (B) the Company issues a press release announcing when such separate trading shall begin.
2.5 Fractional Warrants. The Company shall not
issue fractional Warrants other than as part of the Units, each of which is comprised of one Ordinary Share, and one-half of one whole Warrant. If, upon the
detachment of Public Warrants from the Public Units or otherwise, a holder of Warrants would be entitled to receive a fractional Warrant, the Company shall round down to the nearest whole number the number of Warrants to be issued to such holder.
2.6 Private Placement Warrants and Working Capital
Warrants.
2.6.1 The Private Placement Warrants shall be identical to the Working Capital Warrants. The Private Placement Warrants and the Working
Capital Warrants shall be identical to the Public Warrants, except that (i) the Private Placement Warrants may be exercised for cash or on a “cashless basis,” pursuant to subsection
3.3.1(c) hereof, (ii) the Private Placement Warrants and the Working Capital Warrants, and the Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants and the Working Capital Warrants, as applicable, may be subject to
certain transfer restrictions contained in the letter agreement by and among the Company, Sponsor and the other parties thereto, as amended from time to time, (iii) the Private Placement Warrants and the Working Capital Warrants shall not be
redeemable by the Company pursuant to Section 6.1 hereof and (iv) the holders of the Private Placement Warrants and the Working Capital Warrants, as
applicable, (including the Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of such warrants) may be entitled to certain registration rights. Neither the Private Placement Warrants nor the Working Capital Warrants shall become Public Warrants as a result of
any transfer of the Private Placement Warrants or Working Capital Warrants, as applicable, regardless of the transferee.
2.6.2 No Changes to Terms of Private Placement Warrants
or Working Capital Warrants. For the avoidance of doubt, in the event of any transfer, assignment or sale of the Private Placement Warrants or Working
Capital Warrants, the terms of the Private Placement Warrants or Working Capital Warrants, as the case may be, shall remain the same irrespective of the holder thereof.
3. Terms and Exercise of Warrants.
3.1 Warrant Price. Each whole Warrant shall
entitle the Registered Holder thereof, subject to the provisions of such Warrant and of this Agreement, to purchase from the Company the number of Ordinary Shares stated therein, at the price of $11.50 per share, subject to the adjustments provided
in Section 4 hereof and in the last sentence of this Section 3.1.
The term “Warrant Price” as used in this Agreement shall mean the price per share (including in cash or by payment of Warrants pursuant to a
“cashless exercise,” to the extent permitted hereunder) described in the prior sentence at which Ordinary Shares may be purchased at the time a Warrant is exercised. The Company in its sole discretion may lower the Warrant Price at any time prior to
the Expiration Date (as defined below) for a period of not less than twenty (20) Business Days (unless otherwise required by the Commission, any national securities exchange on which the Warrants are listed or applicable law); provided that the Company shall provide at least twenty (20) days prior written notice of such reduction to Registered Holders of the Warrants and, provided
further that any such reduction shall be identical among all of the Warrants.
3.2 Duration of Warrants. A Warrant may be
exercised only during the period (the “Exercise Period”) (A) commencing on the later of: (i) the date on which the Company completes a Business
Combination, and (ii) the date that is twelve (12) months from the date of the closing of the Offering, and (B) terminating at the earliest to occur of (x) 5:00 p.m., New York City time on the date that is five (5) years after the date on which the
Company completes its initial Business Combination, (y) the liquidation of the Company in accordance with the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, as amended from time to time, if the Company fails to complete a
Business Combination, and (z) other than with respect to the Private Placement Warrants and the Working Capital Warrants, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time on the Redemption Date (as defined below) as provided in Section 6.2 hereof (the “Expiration Date”); provided, however, that the exercise of
any Warrant shall be subject to the satisfaction of any applicable conditions, as set forth in subsection 3.3.2 below, with respect to an effective
registration statement or a valid exemption therefrom being available. Except with respect to the right to receive the Redemption Price (as defined below) (other than with respect to a Private Placement Warrant or a Working Capital Warrant) in the
event of a redemption (as set forth in Section 6 hereof), each outstanding Warrant (other than a Private Placement Warrant or a Working Capital Warrant) not
exercised on or before the Expiration Date shall become void, and all rights thereunder and all rights in respect thereof under this Agreement shall cease at 5:00 p.m. New York City time on the Expiration Date. The Company in its sole discretion may
extend the duration of the Warrants by delaying the Expiration Date; provided that the Company shall provide at least twenty (20) days prior written notice of any such extension to Registered Holders of the Warrants and, provided further that any
such extension shall be identical in duration among all the Warrants. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary, so long as the Private Placement Warrants initially purchased by Sponsor are held by Sponsor or its designees
or affiliates, such Private Placement Warrants may not be exercised after five years from the effective date of the Registration Statement.
3.3 Exercise of Warrants
3.3.1 Payment. Subject to the provisions of
the Warrant and this Agreement, a Warrant may be exercised by the Registered Holder thereof by delivering to the Warrant Agent at its corporate trust department (i) the Definitive Warrant Certificate evidencing the Warrants to be exercised, or, in
the case of a Warrant represented by a book-entry, the Warrants to be exercised (the “Book-Entry Warrants”) on the records of the Depositary to an
account of the Warrant Agent at the Depositary designated for such purposes in writing by the Warrant Agent to the Depositary from time to time, (ii) an election to purchase (“Election to Purchase”) any Ordinary Shares pursuant to the exercise of a Warrant, properly completed and executed by the Registered Holder on the reverse of the Definitive Warrant Certificate or, in the case of a
Book-Entry Warrant, properly delivered by the Participant in accordance with the Depositary’s procedures, and (iii) the payment in full of the Warrant Price for each Ordinary Share as to which the Warrant is exercised and any and all applicable taxes
due in connection with the exercise of the Warrant, the exchange of the Warrant for the Ordinary Shares and the issuance of such Ordinary Shares, as follows:
(a) in lawful money of the United States, in good certified check or good bank draft payable to the order of the Warrant Agent;
(b) in the event of a redemption pursuant to Section 6.1
hereof in which the Company’s board of directors (the “Board”) has elected to require all holders of the Public Warrants to exercise such Public
Warrants on a “cashless basis,” by surrendering the Public Warrants for that number of Ordinary Shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Ordinary Shares underlying the Public Warrants, multiplied by the
difference between the Warrant Price and the “Redemption Fair Market Value”, as defined in this subsection 3.3.1(b), by (y) the Redemption Fair Market Value.
Solely for purposes of this subsection 3.3.1(b) and Section 6.3,
the “Redemption Fair Market Value” shall mean the average price of the Ordinary Shares as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on
the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of the Public Warrants pursuant to Section 6.2 hereof;
(c) with respect to any Private Placement Warrant or any Working Capital Warrant, by surrendering the Warrants for that number of Ordinary
Shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Ordinary Shares underlying the Warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “Placement Exercise Fair Market Value” (as defined in this subsection 3.3.1(c)) less the Warrant Price by (y) the Placement Exercise Fair Market Value. Solely for purposes of this subsection 3.3.1(c), the “Placement Exercise Fair Market Value” shall mean the average last reported sale price of
the Ordinary Shares for the ten (10) trading days ending on the third (3rd) trading day prior to the date on which notice of exercise of the Private Placement Warrant or the Working Capital Warrant, as applicable, is sent to the Warrant Agent; or
(d) as provided in Section 7.4 hereof.
3.3.2 Issuance of Ordinary Shares on Exercise.
As soon as practicable after the exercise of any Warrant and the clearance of the funds in payment of the Warrant Price (if payment is pursuant to subsection 3.3.1(a)),
the Company shall issue to the Registered Holder of such Warrant a book-entry position or certificate, as applicable, for the number of Ordinary Shares to which he, she or it is entitled, registered in such name or names as may be directed by him,
her or it on the register of members of the Company, and if such Warrant shall not have been exercised in full, a new book-entry position or countersigned Warrant, as applicable, for the number of shares as to which such Warrant shall not have been
exercised. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not be obligated to deliver any Ordinary Shares pursuant to the exercise of a Warrant and shall have no obligation to settle such Warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the
Securities Act with respect to the Ordinary Shares underlying the Public Warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, or a valid exemption from registration is available. No Warrant shall be exercisable and the Company
shall not be obligated to issue Ordinary Shares upon exercise of a Warrant unless the Ordinary Shares issuable upon such Warrant exercise have been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt from registration or qualification under the securities
laws of the state of residence of the Registered Holder of the Warrants. For the avoidance of doubt, in no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the Warrant exercise. Subject to Section 4.6 of this Agreement, a Registered Holder of Warrants may exercise its Warrants only for a whole number of Ordinary Shares. The Company may require holders of Public Warrants to only settle such
Warrants on a “cashless basis” pursuant to Section 7.4. If, by reason of any exercise of Warrants on a “cashless basis”, the holder of any Warrant would be
entitled, upon the exercise of such Warrant, to receive a fractional interest in an Ordinary Share, the Company shall round down to the nearest whole number, the number of Ordinary Shares to be issued to such holder.
3.3.3 Valid Issuance. All Ordinary Shares
issued upon the proper exercise of a Warrant in conformity with this Agreement and the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Incorporation of the Company shall be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.
3.3.4 Date of Issuance. Each person in whose
name any book-entry position or certificate, as applicable, for Ordinary Shares is issued and who is registered in the register of members of the Company shall for all purposes be deemed to have become the holder of record of such Ordinary Shares on
the date on which the Warrant, or book-entry position representing such Warrant, was surrendered and payment of the Warrant Price was made, irrespective of the date of delivery of such certificate in the case of a certificated Warrant, except that,
if the date of such surrender and payment is a date when the register of members of the Company or book-entry system of the Warrant Agent are closed, such person shall be deemed to have become the holder of such shares at the close of business on the
next succeeding date on which the share transfer books or book-entry system are open.
3.3.5 Maximum Percentage. A holder of a
Warrant may notify the Company in writing in the event it elects to be subject to the provisions contained in this subsection 3.3.5; however, no holder of a Warrant shall be subject to this subsection 3.3.5 unless he, she
or it makes such election. If the election is made by a holder, the Warrant Agent shall not effect the exercise of the holder’s Warrant, and such holder shall not have the right to exercise such Warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such
exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), to the Warrant Agent’s actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 9.8%, as specified by such holder, or such other amount as a holder may specify (the “Maximum Percentage”), of the Ordinary Shares outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise. For purposes of the foregoing sentence, the aggregate number
of Ordinary Shares beneficially owned by such person and its affiliates shall include the number of Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrant with respect to which the determination of such sentence is being made, but shall exclude
Ordinary Shares that would be issuable upon (x) exercise of the remaining, unexercised portion of the Warrant beneficially owned by such person and its affiliates and (y) exercise or conversion of the unexercised or unconverted portion of any other
securities of the Company beneficially owned by such person and its affiliates (including, without limitation, any convertible notes or convertible preferred shares or warrants) subject to a limitation on conversion or exercise analogous to the
limitation contained herein. Except as set forth in the preceding sentence, for purposes of this paragraph, beneficial ownership shall be calculated in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). For purposes of the Warrant, in determining the number of outstanding Ordinary Shares, the holder may rely on the number of outstanding
Ordinary Shares as reflected in (1) the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, Current Report on Form 8-K or other public filing with the Commission as the case may be, (2) a more recent public announcement
by the Company or (3) any other notice by the Company or Odyssey Transfer and Trust Company, as transfer agent (in such capacity, the “Transfer Agent”),
setting forth the number of Ordinary Shares outstanding. For any reason at any time, upon the written request of the holder of the Warrant, the Company shall, within two (2) Business Days, confirm orally and in writing to such holder the number of
Ordinary Shares then outstanding. In any case, the number of issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares shall be determined after giving effect to the conversion or exercise of equity securities of the Company by the holder and its affiliates since the
date as of which such number of issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares was reported. By written notice to the Company, the holder of a Warrant may from time to time increase or decrease the Maximum Percentage applicable to such holder to any other
percentage specified in such notice; provided, however, that any
such increase shall not be effective until the sixty-first (61st) day after such notice is delivered to the Company.
4. Adjustments.
4.1 Share Capitalizations.
4.1.1 Sub-Divisions. If after the date hereof,
and subject to the provisions of Section 4.6 below, the number of issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares is increased by a capitalization or share dividend of
Ordinary Shares, or by a sub-division of Ordinary Shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such share capitalization, sub-division or similar event, the number of Ordinary Shares issuable on exercise of each Warrant shall be
increased in proportion to such increase in the issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares. A rights offering made to all holders of Ordinary Shares entitling holders to purchase Ordinary Shares at a price less than the “Historical Fair Market Value” (as
defined below) shall be deemed a capitalization of a number of Ordinary Shares equal to the product of (i) the number of 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 the Ordinary Shares) multiplied by (ii) one (1) minus the quotient of (x) the price per Ordinary Share paid in such rights offering divided by (y) the Historical Fair Market Value. For purposes of this subsection 4.1.1, (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for Ordinary Shares, in determining the price payable for Ordinary
Shares, there shall be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (ii) “Historical Fair Market Value” means the volume weighted average price of the Ordinary Shares during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the Ordinary Shares trade on
the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights. No Ordinary Shares shall be issued at less than their par value.
4.1.2 Extraordinary Dividends. If the Company,
at any time while the Warrants are outstanding and unexpired, pays to all of the holders of the Ordinary Shares a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets on account of such Ordinary Shares (or other shares into which the
Warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described in subsection 4.1.1 above, (b) Ordinary Cash Dividends (as defined below), (c) to satisfy the
redemption rights of the holders of the Ordinary Shares in connection with a proposed initial Business Combination, (d) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of the Ordinary Shares in connection with a shareholder vote to amend the
Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) 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 100% of the
Company’s public shares if it does not complete its initial Business Combination within the time period required by the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, as amended from time to time, or (ii) with respect to any
other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity or (e) in connection with the redemption of public shares upon the failure of the Company to complete its initial Business Combination and any subsequent
distribution of its assets upon its liquidation (any such non-excluded event being referred to herein as an “Extraordinary Dividend”), then the
Warrant Price shall be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such Extraordinary Dividend, by the amount of cash and/or the fair market value (as determined by the Company’s board of directors (the “Board”), in good faith) of any securities or other assets paid on each Ordinary Share in respect of such Extraordinary Dividend. For purposes of this subsection 4.1.2, “Ordinary Cash Dividends” means any cash dividend or cash
distribution which, when combined on a per share basis, with the per share amounts of all other cash dividends and cash distributions paid on the Ordinary Shares during the 365-day period ending on the date of declaration of such dividend or
distribution to the extent it does not exceed $0.50 per share (which amount shall be adjusted to appropriately reflect any of the events referred to in other subsections of this Section 4 and excluding cash dividends or cash distributions that resulted in an adjustment to the Warrant Price or to the number of Ordinary Shares issuable on exercise of each Warrant) but only with respect to the amount of
the aggregate cash dividends or cash distributions equal to or less than $0.50 per share.
4.2 Aggregation of Shares. If after the date
hereof, and subject to the provisions of Section 4.6 hereof, the number of issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares is decreased by a consolidation,
combination, reverse share split or reclassification of Ordinary Shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse share split, reclassification or similar event, the number of Ordinary Shares
issuable on exercise of each Warrant shall be decreased in proportion to such decrease in issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares.
4.3 Adjustments in Exercise Price. Whenever the
number of Ordinary Shares purchasable upon the exercise of the Warrants is adjusted, as provided in subsection 4.1.1 or Section 4.2 above, the Warrant Price shall be adjusted (to the nearest cent) by multiplying such Warrant Price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of
which shall be the number of Ordinary Shares purchasable upon the exercise of the Warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which shall be the number of Ordinary Shares so purchasable immediately thereafter.
4.4 Raising of the Capital in Connection with the Initial
Business Combination. If (x) the Company issues additional Ordinary Shares or equity-linked securities (convertible into or exercisable or Exchangeable for Ordinary Shares) for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing
of its initial Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per Ordinary Share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the Board and, in the case of any such issuance to
Sponsor or any affiliates of Sponsor, as applicable, without taking into account any Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company or Private Placement Units (or securities underlying such Private Placement Units) held by
Sponsor or any affiliates of Sponsor, 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 the Company’s initial Business Combination on the date of the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination (net of
redemptions), and (z) the volume-weighted average trading price of Ordinary Shares during the twenty (20) trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company consummates its initial Business Combination (such price,
the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the Warrant Price shall 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 in Section 6.1 shall be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to
be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
4.5 Replacement of Securities upon Reorganization, etc.
In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares (other than a change under Section 4.1 or Section 4.2 hereof or that solely affects the par value of such Ordinary Shares), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another
entity or conversion of the Company into another type of entity (other than a merger or consolidation in which the Company is the continuing entity and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of the issued and outstanding
Ordinary Shares), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of the Company as an entirety or substantially as an entirety, in connection with which the Company is dissolved, the holders
of the Warrants shall thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the Warrants and in lieu of the Ordinary Shares of the Company immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable
upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares, stock or other equity securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution
following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the Warrants would have received if such holder had exercised his, her or its Warrant(s) immediately prior to such event (the “Alternative Issuance”); provided, however,
that (i) if the holders of the Ordinary Shares were entitled to exercise a right of election as to the kind or amount of securities, cash or other assets receivable upon such merger or consolidation, then the kind and amount of securities, cash or
other assets constituting the Alternative Issuance for which each Warrant shall become exercisable shall be deemed to be the weighted average of the kind and amount received per share by the holders of the Ordinary Shares in such merger or
consolidation that affirmatively make such election, and (ii) if a tender, exchange or redemption offer shall have been made to and accepted by the holders of the Ordinary Shares (other than a tender, exchange or redemption offer made by the Company
in connection with redemption rights held by shareholders of the Company as provided for in the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or as a result of the redemption of Ordinary Shares by the Company if a proposed
initial Business Combination is presented to the shareholders of the Company for approval) under circumstances in which, upon completion of such tender or exchange offer, the maker thereof, together with members of any group (within the meaning of
Rule 13d-5(b)(1) under the Exchange Act) of which such maker is a part, and together with any affiliate or associate of such maker (within the meaning of Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act) and any members of any such group of which any such affiliate
or associate is a part, own beneficially (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) securities representing more than 50% of the aggregate voting power (including the power to vote on the election of directors) of the issued and
outstanding equity securities of the Company, and (for the avoidance of doubt) such tender offer results in an change of control of the Company, the holder of a Warrant shall be entitled to receive as the Alternative Issuance, the kind and amount of
shares, stock or other equity securities or property (including cash) to which such holder would actually have been entitled as a shareholder if such Warrant holder had exercised the Warrant prior to the expiration of such tender or exchange offer,
accepted such offer and all of the Ordinary Shares held by such holder had been purchased pursuant to such tender or exchange offer, subject to adjustments (from and after the consummation of such tender or exchange offer) as nearly equivalent as
possible to the adjustments provided for in this Section 4; provided further that if less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of the
Ordinary Shares in the applicable event is payable in the form of shares in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or
quoted immediately following such event, and if the Registered Holder properly exercises the Warrant within thirty (30) days following the public disclosure of the consummation of such applicable event by the Company pursuant to a Current Report on
Form 8-K filed with the Commission, the Warrant Price shall be reduced by an amount (in dollars) equal to the difference of (i) the Warrant Price in effect prior to such reduction minus (ii) (A) the Per Share Consideration (as defined below) (but in
no event less than zero) minus (B) the Black-Scholes Warrant Value (as defined below). The “Black-Scholes Warrant Value” means (i) for the Public
Warrants, the value of a Public Warrant immediately prior to the consummation of the applicable event based on the Black-Scholes Warrant Model for a Capped American Call on Bloomberg Financial Markets (“Bloomberg”) and (ii) for Private Placement Warrants or Working Capital Warrants, the value of a Private Placement Warrant or a Working Capital Warrant, as applicable, immediately prior to
the consummation of the applicable event based on the Black-Scholes Warrant Model for an uncapped American Call on Bloomberg, in each case, as calculated by an accounting, appraisal, investment banking firm or consultant of nationally recognized
standing that is, in the good faith judgment of the Board, qualified to make such calculation. For purposes of calculating such amount, unless such accounting, appraisal, investment banking firm or consultant of nationally recognized standing
definitively determines that other factors are more appropriate, (i) Section 6 of this Agreement shall be taken into account, (ii) the price of each Ordinary
Share shall be the volume weighted average price of the Ordinary Shares during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the effective date of the applicable event, (iii) the assumed volatility shall be the 90 day volatility
obtained from the HVT function on Bloomberg determined as of the trading day immediately prior to the day of the announcement of the applicable event unless the third party valuation firm definitively determines that a different volatility is more
appropriate, (iv) the assumed risk-free interest rate shall correspond to the U.S. Treasury rate for a period equal to the remaining term of the Warrant and (v) the assumed dividends shall be zero. “Per Share Consideration” means (i) if the consideration paid to holders of the Ordinary Shares consists exclusively of cash, the amount of such cash per Ordinary Share, and (ii) in all other
cases, the volume weighted average price of the Ordinary Shares during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the effective date of the applicable event. If any reclassification or reorganization also results in a change
in Ordinary Shares covered by subsection 4.1.1, then such adjustment shall be made pursuant to subsection 4.1.1 or Sections 4.2, 4.3
and this Section 4.5. The provisions of this Section 4.5 shall
similarly apply to successive reclassifications, reorganizations, mergers or consolidations, sales or other transfers. In no event shall the Warrant Price be reduced to less than the par value per share issuable upon exercise of such Warrant.
4.6 Notices of Changes in Warrant. Upon every
adjustment of the Warrant Price or the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a Warrant, the Company shall give written notice thereof to the Warrant Agent, which notice shall state the Warrant Price resulting from such adjustment and the
increase or decrease, if any, in the number of shares purchasable at such price upon the exercise of a Warrant, setting forth in reasonable detail the method of calculation and the facts upon which such calculation is based. Upon the occurrence of
any event specified in Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5
or 4.9, the Company shall give written notice of the occurrence of such event to each holder of a Warrant, at the last address set forth for such holder in
the Warrant Register, of the record date or the effective date of the event. Failure to give such notice, or any defect therein, shall not affect the legality or validity of such event.
4.7 No Fractional Shares. Notwithstanding any
provision contained in this Agreement to the contrary, the Company shall not issue fractional shares upon the exercise of Warrants. If, by reason of any adjustment made pursuant to this Section 4, the holder of any Warrant would be entitled, upon the exercise of such Warrant, to receive a fractional interest in a share, the Company shall, upon such exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the
number of Ordinary Shares to be issued to such holder.
4.8 Form of Warrant. The form of Warrant need
not be changed because of any adjustment pursuant to this Section 4, and Warrants issued after such adjustment may state the same Warrant Price and the same
number of shares as is stated in the Warrants initially issued pursuant to this Agreement; provided, however, that the Company may at any time in its sole discretion make any change in the form of Warrant that the Company may deem appropriate and
that does not affect the substance thereof, and any Warrant thereafter issued or countersigned, whether in exchange or substitution for an outstanding Warrant or otherwise, may be in the form as so changed.
4.9 Other Events. In case any event shall occur
affecting the Company as to which none of the provisions of the preceding subsections of this Section 4 are strictly applicable, but which would require an
adjustment to the terms of the Warrants in order to (i) avoid an adverse impact on the Warrants and (ii) effectuate the intent and purpose of this Section 4,
then, in each such case, the Company shall appoint a firm of independent registered public accountants, investment banking or other appraisal firm of recognized national standing, which shall give its opinion as to whether or not any adjustment to
the rights represented by the Warrants is necessary to effectuate the intent and purpose of this Section 4 and, if they determine that an adjustment is
necessary, the terms of such adjustment; provided, however, that under no circumstances shall the Warrants be adjusted pursuant to this Section 4.9 as a
result of any issuance of securities in connection with a Business Combination. The Company shall adjust the terms of the Warrants in a manner that is consistent with any adjustment recommended in such opinion.
5. Transfer and Exchange of Warrants.
5.1 Registration of Transfer. The Warrant Agent
shall register the transfer, from time to time, of any outstanding Warrant upon the Warrant Register, upon surrender of such Warrant for transfer, properly endorsed with signatures properly guaranteed and accompanied by appropriate instructions for
transfer. Upon any such transfer, a new Warrant representing an equal aggregate number of Warrants shall be issued and the old Warrant shall be cancelled by the Warrant Agent. In the case of certificated Warrants, the Warrants so cancelled shall be
delivered by the Warrant Agent to the Company from time to time upon request.
5.2 Procedure for Surrender of Warrants.
Warrants may be surrendered to the Warrant Agent, together with a written request for exchange or transfer, and thereupon the Warrant Agent shall issue in exchange therefor one or more new Warrants as requested by the Registered Holder of the
Warrants so surrendered, representing an equal aggregate number of Warrants; provided, however, that except as otherwise provided herein or with respect to any Book-Entry Warrant, each Book-Entry Warrant may be transferred only in whole and only to
the Depositary, to another nominee of the Depositary, to a successor depository, or to a nominee of a successor depository; provided further, however that in the event that a Warrant surrendered for transfer bears a restrictive legend (as in the
case, initially, of the Private Placement Warrants and the Working Capital Warrants), the Warrant Agent shall not cancel such Warrant and issue new Warrants in exchange thereof until the Warrant Agent has received an opinion of counsel for the
Company stating that such transfer may be made and indicating whether the new Warrants must also bear a restrictive legend.
5.3 Fractional Warrants. The Warrant Agent
shall not be required to effect any registration of transfer or exchange which shall result in the issuance of a warrant certificate or book-entry position for a fraction of a warrant, except as part of the Public Units.
5.4 Service Charges. No service charge shall be
made for any exchange or registration of transfer of Warrants.
5.5 Warrant Execution and Countersignature. The
Warrant Agent is hereby authorized to countersign and to deliver, in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, the Warrants required to be issued pursuant to the provisions of this Section 5, and the Company, whenever required by the Warrant Agent, shall supply the Warrant Agent with Warrants duly executed on behalf of the Company for such purpose.
5.6 Transfer of Warrants. Prior to the
Detachment Date, the Public Warrants may be transferred or exchanged only together with the Public Unit in which such Warrant is included, and only for the purpose of effecting, or in conjunction with, a transfer or exchange of such Public Unit.
Furthermore, each transfer of a Public Unit on the register relating to such Public Units shall operate also to transfer the Warrants included in such Public Unit. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of this Section 5.6 shall have no effect on any transfer of Warrants on and after the Detachment Date.
6. Redemption.
6.1 Redemption of Public Warrants. Not less
than all of the outstanding Public Warrants may be redeemed for cash, at the option of the Company, at any time during the Exercise Period, at the office of the Warrant Agent, upon notice to the Registered Holders of the Public Warrants, as described
in Section 6.2 below, at a Redemption Price of $0.01 per Public Warrant, provided that (a) the Reference Value (as defined below) equals or exceeds $18.00 per
share (subject to adjustment in compliance with Section 4 hereof) and (b) either (i) there is an effective registration statement covering the issuance of the
Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants, and a current prospectus relating thereto, available throughout the 30-day Redemption Period (as defined in Section
6.2 below), or (ii) the Company has elected to require the exercise of the Public Warrants on a “cashless basis” pursuant to subsection 3.3.1(b)
hereof.
6.2 Date Fixed for, and Notice of, Redemption; Redemption
Price; Reference Value. In the event that the Company elects to redeem the Public Warrants pursuant to Section 6.1, the Company shall fix a
date for the redemption (the “Redemption Date”). Notice of redemption shall be mailed by first class mail, postage prepaid, by the Company not less
than thirty (30) days prior to the Redemption Date (the period lasting from such time until the Redemption Date, the “30-day Redemption Period”) to
the Registered Holders of the Public Warrants to be redeemed at their last addresses as they shall appear on the registration books. Any notice mailed in the manner herein provided shall be conclusively presumed to have been duly given whether or not
the Registered Holder received such notice. As used in this Agreement, (a) “Redemption Price” shall mean the price per Warrant at which any
Warrants are redeemed pursuant to Section 6.1 and (b) “Reference
Value” shall mean the last reported sale price of the Ordinary Shares for any twenty (20) trading days within the thirty (30) trading-day period ending on the third (3rd) trading day prior to the date on which notice of the
redemption is given.
6.3 Exercise After Notice of Redemption. The
Public Warrants may be exercised, for cash (or, if the Company has elected to require exercise on a “cashless basis” in accordance with subsection 3.3.1(b) of
this Agreement, on such “cashless basis”) at any time after notice of redemption shall have been given by the Company pursuant to Section 6.2 hereof and prior
to the Redemption Date. In the event that the Company determines to require all holders of Public Warrants to exercise their Public Warrants on a “cashless basis” pursuant to subsection 3.3.1, the notice of redemption shall contain the information necessary to calculate the number of Ordinary Shares to be received upon exercise of the Public Warrants, including the “Redemption Fair Market Value”
(as such term is defined in subsection 3.3.1(b) hereof) in such case. On and after the Redemption Date, the record holder of the Public Warrants shall have no
further rights except to receive, upon surrender of the Public Warrants, the Redemption Price.
6.4 Exclusion of Private Placement Warrants and Working
Capital Warrants. The Company agrees that the redemption rights provided in this Section 6 shall not apply to the Private Placement Warrants or the Working Capital Warrants.
7. Other Provisions Relating to Rights of Holders of
Warrants.
7.1 No Rights as Shareholder. A Warrant does
not entitle the Registered Holder thereof to any of the rights of a shareholder of the Company, including, without limitation, the right to receive dividends, or other distributions, exercise any preemptive rights to vote or to consent or to receive
notice as shareholders in respect of the meetings of shareholders or the election of directors of the Company or any other matter.
7.2 Lost, Stolen, Mutilated, or Destroyed Warrants.
If any Warrant is lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed, the Company and the Warrant Agent may on such terms as to indemnity or otherwise as they may in their discretion impose (which shall, in the case of a mutilated Warrant, include the surrender
thereof), issue a new Warrant of like denomination, tenor, and date as the Warrant so lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed. Any such new Warrant shall constitute a substitute contractual obligation of the Company, whether or not the allegedly lost,
stolen, mutilated, or destroyed Warrant shall be at any time enforceable by anyone.
7.3 Reservation of Ordinary Shares. The Company
shall at all times reserve and keep available a number of its authorized but unissued Ordinary Shares that shall be sufficient to permit the exercise in full of all outstanding Warrants issued pursuant to this Agreement.
7.4 Registration of Ordinary Shares; Cashless Exercise at
Company’s Option.
7.4.1 Registration of the Ordinary Shares. The
Company agrees that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than fifteen (15) Business Days after the closing of its initial Business Combination, it shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the Commission a registration
statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants. The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within sixty (60) Business Days
following the closing of its initial Business Combination and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration or redemption of the Warrants in accordance with the
provisions of this Agreement; provided that if a registration statement on Form S-4 or Form F-4 is filed in connection with the Company’s initial Business Combination that registers the Warrants and the Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of such
Warrants, such registration statement will not satisfy the obligation to register the issuance of the Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of such Warrants, which will only be satisfied with the filing of a registration statement on Form S-1 or
Form F-1 (or, if applicable, a registration statement on Form S-3 or Form F-3) registering the issuance of such Ordinary Shares from time to time. If any such registration statement has not been declared effective by the sixtieth (60th)
Business Day following the closing of the Business Combination, holders of the Public Warrants shall have the right, during the period beginning on the sixty-first (61st) Business Day after the closing of the Business Combination and
ending upon such registration statement being declared effective by the Commission, and during any other period when the Company shall fail to have maintained an effective registration statement covering the issuance of the Ordinary Shares issuable
upon exercise of the Public Warrants, to exercise such Public Warrants on a “cashless basis,” by exchanging the Public Warrants (in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption) for that number of Ordinary Shares equal
to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Ordinary Shares underlying the Public Warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “Fair Market Value” (as defined below) less the Warrant Price by (y) the Fair Market Value. Solely
for purposes of this subsection 7.4.1, “Fair Market Value”
shall mean the volume-weighted average price of the Ordinary Shares as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date that notice of exercise is received by the Warrant Agent from the holder of such
Warrants or its securities broker or intermediary. The date that notice of “cashless exercise” is received by the Warrant Agent shall be conclusively determined by the Warrant Agent. In connection with the “cashless exercise” of a Public Warrant, the
Company shall, upon request, provide the Warrant Agent with an opinion of counsel for the Company (which shall be an outside law firm with securities law experience) stating that (i) the exercise of the Public Warrants on a “cashless basis” in
accordance with this subsection 7.4.1 is not required to be registered under the Securities Act and (ii) the Ordinary Shares issued upon such exercise shall
be freely tradable under United States federal securities laws by anyone who is not an affiliate (as such term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act) of the Company and, accordingly, shall not be required to bear a restrictive legend.
Except as provided in subsection 7.4.2, for the avoidance of doubt, unless and until all of the Warrants have been exercised or have expired, the Company
shall continue to be obligated to comply with its registration obligations under the first three sentences of this subsection 7.4.1.
7.4.2 Cashless Exercise at Company’s Option.
If the Ordinary Shares are at the time of any exercise of a Public 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, the Company may, at
its option, (i) require holders of Public Warrants who exercise Public Warrants to exercise such Public Warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act as described in subsection 7.4.1 and (ii) in the event the Company so elects, the Company shall (x) not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement for the registration, under the
Securities Act, of the Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, and (y) use its commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify for sale the Ordinary Shares issuable
upon exercise of the Public Warrant under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.
7.4.3 Notwithstanding the foregoing, if at any time pursuant to this Agreement the Public Warrants may be exercised on a “cashless basis”
pursuant to this Section 7.4, the exercise of the Public Warrants must be completed pursuant to subsection 3.3.1(b) hereof.
8. Concerning the Warrant Agent and Other Matters.
8.1 Payment of Taxes. The Company shall from
time to time promptly pay all taxes and charges that may be imposed upon the Company or the Warrant Agent in respect of the issuance or delivery of Ordinary Shares upon the exercise of the Warrants, but the Company shall not be obligated to pay any
transfer taxes in respect of the Warrants or such shares.
8.2 Resignation, Consolidation, or Merger of Warrant Agent.
8.2.1 Appointment of Successor Warrant Agent.
The Warrant Agent, or any successor to it hereafter appointed, may resign its duties and be discharged from all further duties and liabilities hereunder after giving sixty (60) days’ notice in writing to the Company. If the office of the Warrant
Agent becomes vacant by resignation or incapacity to act or otherwise, the Company shall appoint in writing a successor Warrant Agent in place of the Warrant Agent. If the Company shall fail to make such appointment within a period of thirty (30)
days after it has been notified in writing of such resignation or incapacity by the Warrant Agent or by the holder of a Warrant (who shall, with such notice, submit his, her or its Warrant for inspection by the Company), then the holder of any
Warrant may apply to a court of competent jurisdiction in the United States for the appointment of a successor Warrant Agent at the Company’s cost. Any successor Warrant Agent, whether appointed by the Company or by such court, shall be a corporation
or other entity organized and existing under the laws of the State of New York, in good standing and having its principal office in the United States of America, and authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust powers and subject to
supervision or examination by federal or state authority. After appointment, any successor Warrant Agent shall be vested with all the authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties, and obligations of its predecessor Warrant Agent with like effect as
if originally named as Warrant Agent hereunder, without any further act or deed; but if for any reason it becomes necessary or appropriate, the predecessor Warrant Agent shall execute and deliver, at the expense of the Company, an instrument
transferring to such successor Warrant Agent all the authority, powers, and rights of such predecessor Warrant Agent hereunder; and upon request of any successor Warrant Agent the Company shall make, execute, acknowledge, and deliver any and all
instruments in writing for more fully and effectually vesting in and confirming to such successor Warrant Agent all such authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties, and obligations.
8.2.2 Notice of Successor Warrant Agent. In
the event a successor Warrant Agent shall be appointed, the Company shall give notice thereof to the predecessor Warrant Agent and the Transfer Agent for the Ordinary Shares not later than the effective date of any such appointment.
8.2.3 Merger or Consolidation of Warrant Agent.
Any entity into which the Warrant Agent may be merged or with which it may be consolidated or any entity resulting from any merger or consolidation to which the Warrant Agent shall be a party shall be the successor Warrant Agent under this Agreement
without any further act.
8.3 Fees and Expenses of Warrant Agent.
8.3.1 Remuneration. The Company agrees to pay
the Warrant Agent reasonable remuneration for its services as such Warrant Agent hereunder and shall, pursuant to its obligations under this Agreement, reimburse the Warrant Agent upon demand for all expenditures that the Warrant Agent may reasonably
incur in the execution of its duties hereunder.
8.3.2 Further Assurances. The Company agrees
to perform, execute, acknowledge, and deliver or cause to be performed, executed, acknowledged, and delivered all such further and other acts, instruments, and assurances as may reasonably be required by the Warrant Agent for the carrying out or
performing of the provisions of this Agreement.
8.4 Liability of Warrant Agent.
8.4.1 Reliance on Company Statement. Whenever
in the performance of its duties under this Agreement, the Warrant Agent shall deem it necessary or desirable that any fact or matter be proved or established by the Company prior to taking or suffering any action hereunder, such fact or matter
(unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by a statement signed by the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, President, Chief Financial Officer, or
other principal officer of the Company and delivered to the Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent may rely upon such statement for any action taken or suffered in good faith by it pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement.
8.4.2 Indemnity. The Warrant Agent shall be
liable hereunder only for its own gross negligence, willful misconduct, fraud or bad faith. The Company agrees to indemnify the Warrant Agent and save it harmless against any and all liabilities, including judgments, out-of-pocket costs and
reasonable outside counsel fees, for anything done or omitted by the Warrant Agent in the execution of this Agreement, except as a result of the Warrant Agent’s gross negligence, willful misconduct, fraud or bad faith.
8.4.3 Exclusions. The Warrant Agent shall have
no responsibility with respect to the validity of this Agreement or with respect to the validity or execution of any Warrant (except its countersignature thereof). The Warrant Agent shall not be responsible for any breach by the Company of any
covenant or condition contained in this Agreement or in any Warrant. The Warrant Agent shall not be responsible to make any adjustments required under the provisions of Section
4 hereof or responsible for the manner, method, or amount of any such adjustment or the ascertaining of the existence of facts that would require any such adjustment; nor shall it by any act hereunder be deemed to make any
representation or warranty as to the authorization or reservation of any Ordinary Shares to be issued pursuant to this Agreement or any Warrant or as to whether any Ordinary Shares shall, when issued, be valid and fully paid and nonassessable.
8.5 Acceptance of Agency. The Warrant Agent
hereby accepts the agency established by this Agreement and agrees to perform the same upon the terms and conditions herein set forth and among other things, shall account promptly to the Company with respect to Warrants exercised and concurrently
account for, and pay to the Company, all monies received by the Warrant Agent for the purchase of Ordinary Shares through the exercise of the Warrants.
8.6 Waiver. The Warrant Agent has no right of
set-off or any other right, title, interest or claim of any kind (“Claim”) in, or to any distribution of, the Trust Account (as defined in that
certain Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated as of the date hereof, by and between the Company and Odyssey Transfer and Trust Company as trustee thereunder) and hereby agrees not to seek recourse, reimbursement, payment or satisfaction for
any Claim against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever. The Warrant Agent hereby waives any and all Claims against the Trust Account and any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account.
9. Miscellaneous Provisions.
9.1 Successors. All the covenants and
provisions of this Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company or the Warrant Agent shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns.
9.2 Notices. Any notice, statement or demand
authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Warrant Agent or by the holder of any Warrant to or on the Company shall be sufficiently given when so delivered if by hand or overnight delivery or if sent by certified mail or private courier
service within five (5) days after deposit of such notice, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by the Company with the Warrant Agent), as follows:
Vendome Acquisition Corporation I
1090 Center Drive Park City,
UT 84098Attn: Scott LaPorta
with a copy to the Company’s counsel at:
Paul Hastings LLP
200 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10166
Attn: Gil Savir
Any notice, statement or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the holder of any Warrant or by the Company to or on the Warrant Agent
shall be sufficiently given when so delivered if by hand or overnight delivery or if sent by certified mail or private courier service within five (5) days after deposit of such notice, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in
writing by the Warrant Agent with the Company), as follows:
Odyssey Transfer and Trust Company
2155 Woodlane Drive, Suite 100
Woodbury, MN 55125
Attention: Client Services
9.3 Applicable Law and Exclusive Forum. The
validity, interpretation, and performance of this Agreement and of the Warrants shall be governed in all respects by the laws of the State of New York. Subject to applicable law, the Company hereby agrees that any action, proceeding or claim against
it arising out of or relating in any way to this Agreement shall be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and irrevocably submits to such jurisdiction,
which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. The Company hereby waives any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the
provisions of this paragraph will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum.
Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in the Warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented
to the forum provisions in this Section 9.3. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope of the forum provisions above, is filed in a court
other than a court located within the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”)
in the name of any warrant holder, such warrant holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern
District of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y)
having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.
9.4 Persons Having Rights under this Agreement.
Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to confer upon, or give to, any person, corporation or other entity other than the parties hereto and the Registered Holders of the Warrants any right, remedy, or claim under or by reason of this Agreement
or of any covenant, condition, stipulation, promise, or agreement hereof. All covenants, conditions, stipulations, promises, and agreements contained in this Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the parties hereto and their
successors and assigns and of the Registered Holders of the Warrants.
9.5 Examination of the Warrant Agreement. A
copy of this Agreement shall be available at all reasonable times at the office of the Warrant Agent in the United States of America, for inspection by the Registered Holder of any Warrant. The Warrant Agent may require any such holder to submit such
holder’s Warrant for inspection by the Warrant Agent.
9.6 Counterparts; Electronic Signatures. This
Agreement may be executed in any number of original or facsimile counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument. A
signature to this Agreement transmitted electronically shall have the same authority, effect and enforceability as an original signature.
9.7 Effect of Headings. The section headings
herein are for convenience only and are not part of this Agreement and shall not affect the interpretation thereof.
9.8 Amendments. This Agreement may be amended
by the parties hereto without the consent of any Registered Holder for the purpose of (i) curing any ambiguity or correcting any mistake, including conforming the provisions hereof to the description of the terms of the Warrants and this Agreement
set forth in the Prospectus, or defective provision contained herein, (ii) removing or reducing the Company’s ability to redeem the Public Warrants, or (iii) adding or changing any provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under this
Agreement as the parties may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem shall not adversely affect the rights of the Registered Holders under this Agreement in any material respect. All other modifications or amendments, including any
modification or amendment to increase the Warrant Price or shorten the Exercise Period, shall require the vote or written consent of the Registered Holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding Public Warrants. Any amendment solely to the Private
Placement Warrants or the Working Capital Warrants shall also require the vote or written consent of a majority of the holders of the then-outstanding Private Placement Warrants or the Working Capital Warrants, as applicable. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, the Company may lower the Warrant Price or extend the duration of the Exercise Period pursuant to and in accordance with Sections 3.1 and 3.2, respectively, without the consent of the Registered Holders.
9.9 Severability. This Agreement shall be
deemed severable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision hereof shall not affect the validity or enforceability of this Agreement or of any other term or provision hereof. Furthermore, in lieu of any such invalid or
unenforceable term or provision, the parties hereto intend that there shall be added as a part of this Agreement a provision as similar in terms to such invalid or unenforceable provision as may be possible and be valid and enforceable.
Exhibit A Form of Warrant Certificate
Exhibit B Legend — Private Placement Warrants
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first above written.
|
Vendome Acquisition Corporation I
|
||
|
By:
|
||
|
Name: Scott LaPorta
|
||
|
Title: Chief Executive Officer
|
||
|
ODYSSEY TRANSFER AND TRUST COMPANY, as Warrant Agent
|
||
|
By:
|
||
|
Name:
|
||
|
Title
|
||
[Signature Page to Warrant Agreement]
EXHIBIT A
[Form of Warrant Certificate]
[FACE]
Number
Warrants
THIS WARRANT SHALL BE VOID IF NOT EXERCISED PRIOR TO
THE EXPIRATION OF THE EXERCISE PERIOD PROVIDED FOR
IN THE WARRANT AGREEMENT DESCRIBED BELOW
VENDOME ACQUISITION CORPORATION I
Incorporated Under the Laws of the Cayman Islands
CUSIP [●]
Warrant Certificate
This Warrant Certificate certifies that
[●], or registered assigns, is the registered holder of [●] warrant(s) (the “Warrants” and each, a “Warrant”) to purchase Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value (“Ordinary Shares”),
of Vendome Acquisition Corporation I, a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”). Each Warrant entitles the holder, upon exercise during the
period set forth in the Warrant Agreement referred to below, to receive from the Company that number of fully paid and nonassessable Ordinary Shares as set forth below, at the exercise price (the “Exercise Price”) as determined pursuant to the Warrant Agreement, payable in lawful money (or through “cashless
exercise” as provided for in the Warrant Agreement) of the United States of America upon surrender of this Warrant Certificate and payment of the Exercise Price at the office or agency of the Warrant Agent referred to below, subject to the
conditions set forth herein and in the Warrant Agreement. Defined terms used in this Warrant Certificate but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Warrant Agreement.
Each whole Warrant is initially exercisable for one fully paid and non-assessable Ordinary Share. Fractional shares shall not be issued
upon exercise of any Warrant. If, upon the exercise of Warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in an Ordinary Share, the Company shall, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of Ordinary Shares
to be issued to the Warrant holder. The number of Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events as set forth in the Warrant Agreement.
The initial Exercise Price per one Ordinary Share for any Warrant is equal to $11.50 per share. The Exercise Price is subject to
adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events as set forth in the Warrant Agreement.
Subject to the conditions set forth in the Warrant Agreement, the Warrants may be exercised only during the Exercise Period and to the
extent not exercised by the end of such Exercise Period, such Warrants shall become void. The Warrants may be redeemed, subject to certain conditions, as set forth in the Warrant Agreement.
Reference is hereby made to the further provisions of this Warrant Certificate set forth on the reverse hereof and such further
provisions shall for all purposes have the same effect as though fully set forth at this place.
This Warrant Certificate shall not be valid unless countersigned by the Warrant Agent, as such term is used in the Warrant Agreement.
This Warrant Certificate shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York.
|
VENDOME ACQUISITION CORPORATION I
|
||
|
By:
|
||
|
Name:
|
||
|
Title: Authorized Signatory
|
||
|
ODYSSEY TRANSFER AND TRUST COMPANY, AS WARRANT AGENT
|
||
|
By:
|
||
|
Name:
|
||
|
Title:
|
||
[Reverse]
The Warrants evidenced by this Warrant Certificate are part of a duly authorized issue of Warrants entitling the holder on exercise to
receive [●] Ordinary Shares and are issued or to be issued pursuant to a Warrant Agreement dated as of [●], 2025 (the “Warrant Agreement”), duly
executed and delivered by the Company to Odyssey Transfer and Trust Company, a Minnesota corporation, as warrant agent (the “Warrant Agent”), which
Warrant Agreement is hereby incorporated by reference in and made a part of this instrument and is hereby referred to for a description of the rights, limitation of rights, obligations, duties and immunities thereunder of the Warrant Agent, the
Company and the holders (the words “holders” or “holder”
meaning the Registered Holders or Registered Holder, respectively) of the Warrants. A copy of the Warrant Agreement may be obtained by the holder hereof upon written request to the Company. Defined terms used in this Warrant Certificate but not
defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Warrant Agreement.
Warrants may be exercised at any time during the Exercise Period set forth in the Warrant Agreement. The holder of Warrants evidenced by
this Warrant Certificate may exercise them by surrendering this Warrant Certificate, with the form of Election to Purchase set forth hereon properly completed and executed, together with payment of the Exercise Price as specified in the Warrant
Agreement (or through “cashless exercise” as provided for in the Warrant Agreement) at the principal corporate trust office of the Warrant Agent.
In the event that upon any exercise of Warrants evidenced hereby, the number of Warrants exercised shall be less than the total number of Warrants evidenced hereby, there shall be issued to the holder hereof or his, her or its assignee, a new Warrant
Certificate evidencing the number of Warrants not exercised.
Notwithstanding anything else in this Warrant Certificate or the Warrant Agreement, no Warrant may be exercised unless at the time of
exercise (i) a registration statement covering the issuance of the Ordinary Shares to be issued upon exercise is effective under the Securities Act and (ii) a prospectus thereunder relating to the Ordinary Shares is current, except through “cashless exercise” as provided for in the Warrant Agreement or if another exemption from registration is available.
The Warrant Agreement provides that upon the occurrence of certain events the number of Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the
Warrants set forth on the face hereof may, subject to certain conditions, be adjusted. If, upon exercise of a Warrant, the holder thereof would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in an Ordinary Share, the Company shall, upon exercise, round
down to the nearest whole number of Ordinary Shares to be issued to the holder of the Warrant.
Warrant Certificates, when surrendered at the principal corporate trust office of the Warrant Agent by the Registered Holder thereof in
person or by legal representative or attorney duly authorized in writing, may be exchanged, in the manner and subject to the limitations provided in the Warrant Agreement, but without payment of any service charge, for another Warrant Certificate or
Warrant Certificates of like tenor evidencing in the aggregate a like number of Warrants.
Upon due presentation for registration of transfer of this Warrant Certificate at the office of the Warrant Agent a new Warrant
Certificate or Warrant Certificates of like tenor and evidencing in the aggregate a like number of Warrants shall be issued to the transferee(s) in exchange for this Warrant Certificate, subject to the limitations provided in the Warrant Agreement,
without charge except for any tax or other governmental charge imposed in connection therewith.
The Company and the Warrant Agent may deem and treat the Registered Holder(s) hereof as the absolute owner(s) of this Warrant
Certificate (notwithstanding any notation of ownership or other writing hereon made by anyone), for the purpose of any exercise hereof, of any distribution to the holder(s) hereof, and for all other purposes, and neither the Company nor the Warrant
Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary. Neither the Warrants nor this Warrant Certificate entitles any holder hereof to any rights of a shareholder of the Company.
Election to Purchase
(To Be Executed Upon Exercise of Warrant)
The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise the right, represented by this Warrant Certificate, to receive [●] Ordinary Shares
and herewith tenders payment for such Ordinary Shares to the order of Vendome Acquisition Corporation I (the “Company”) in the amount of $[●] in
accordance with the terms hereof. The undersigned requests that a certificate for such Ordinary Shares be registered in the name of [●], whose address is [●] and that such Ordinary Shares be delivered to [●] whose address is [●]. If said number of
Ordinary Shares is less than all of the Ordinary Shares purchasable hereunder, the undersigned requests that a new Warrant Certificate representing the remaining balance of such Ordinary Shares be registered in the name of [●], whose address is [●]
and that such Warrant Certificate be delivered to [●], whose address is [●].
In the event that the Warrant is a Public Warrant that is to be exercised on a “cashless basis” as required by the Company pursuant to Section 6.1 of the Warrant Agreement, the number of Ordinary Shares that this Warrant is exercisable for shall be determined in accordance with subsection 3.3.1(b) of the Warrant Agreement.
In the event that the Warrant is a Private Placement Warrant or a Working Capital Warrant that is to be exercised on a “cashless” basis
pursuant to subsection 3.3.1(c) of the Warrant Agreement, the number of Ordinary Shares that this Warrant is exercisable for shall be determined in accordance
with subsection 3.3.1(c) of the Warrant Agreement.
In the event that the Warrant is a Public Warrant that is to be exercised on a “cashless” basis pursuant to Section 7.4 of the Warrant Agreement, the number of Ordinary Shares that this Warrant is exercisable for shall be determined in accordance with Section 7.4 of the Warrant Agreement.
In the event that the Warrant may be exercised, to the extent allowed by the Warrant Agreement, through cashless exercise (i) the number
of Ordinary Shares that this Warrant is exercisable for would be determined in accordance with the relevant section of the Warrant Agreement which allows for such cashless exercise and (ii) the holder hereof shall complete the following: The
undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise the right, represented by this Warrant Certificate, through the cashless exercise provisions of the Warrant Agreement, to receive Ordinary Shares. If said number of shares is less than all of the
Ordinary Shares purchasable hereunder (after giving effect to the cashless exercise), the undersigned requests that a new Warrant Certificate representing the remaining balance of such Ordinary Shares be registered in the name of [●], whose address
is [●] and that such Warrant Certificate be delivered to [●], whose address is [●].
[Signature Page Follows]
Date: [●]
|
(Signature)
|
|
(Address)
|
|
(Tax Identification Number)
|
Signature Guaranteed:
THE SIGNATURE(S) SHOULD BE GUARANTEED BY AN ELIGIBLE GUARANTOR INSTITUTION (BANKS, STOCKBROKERS, SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS AND
CREDIT UNIONS WITH MEMBERSHIP IN AN APPROVED SIGNATURE GUARANTEE MEDALLION PROGRAM, PURSUANT TO S.E.C. RULE 17Ad-15 UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED).
EXHIBIT B
LEGEND
THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS, AND MAY
NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, TRANSFERRED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF UNLESS REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, AND ANY APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION IS AVAILABLE. IN ADDITION, SUBJECT TO ANY ADDITIONAL
LIMITATIONS ON TRANSFER DESCRIBED IN THE LETTER AGREEMENT (THE “LETTER AGREEMENT”) BY AND AMONG VENDOME ACQUISITION CORPORATION I (THE “COMPANY”), VENDOME ACQUISITION SPONSOR 1 LLC AND THE OTHER PARTIES THERETO, THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY MAY NOT BE SOLD OR TRANSFERRED PRIOR TO
THE DATE THAT IS THIRTY (30) DAYS AFTER THE DATE UPON WHICH THE COMPANY COMPLETES ITS INITIAL BUSINESS COMBINATION (AS DEFINED IN THE RECITALS OF THE WARRANT AGREEMENT REFERRED TO HEREIN) EXCEPT TO A PERMITTED TRANSFEREE (AS DEFINED IN THE LETTER
AGREEMENT) WHO AGREES IN WRITING WITH THE COMPANY TO BE SUBJECT TO SUCH TRANSFER PROVISIONS.
SECURITIES EVIDENCED BY THIS CERTIFICATE AND CLASS A ORDINARY SHARES OF THE COMPANY ISSUED UPON EXERCISE OF SUCH SECURITIES SHALL BE ENTITLED TO REGISTRATION
RIGHTS UNDER A REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT TO BE EXECUTED BY THE COMPANY.
NO. [•] WARRANT
Exhibit 23.1
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We consent to the use, in the Registration Statement on Form S-1, Amendment No. 1, of Vendome Acquisition Corporation I, of our report dated April 14,
2025, except Notes 9 and 10, dated June 6, 2025, on our audit of the balance sheet of Vendome Acquisition Corporation I as of February 28, 2025, and the related statements of operations, changes in shareholder’s equity and cash flows for the period
from January 28, 2025 (inception) through February 28, 2025. We also consent to the reference to us under the heading “Experts” in such Registration Statement.
/s/ Adeptus Partners, LLC
Ocean, New Jersey
June 6, 2025