Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4)
Registration No. 333-200180
Barington/Hilco Acquisition Corp. is a blank check company formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination, with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as a target business. Our sponsors include affiliates of Barington Capital Group, L.P. and Hilco Global. Although our efforts to identify a target business will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic region, we intend to focus on consumer focused businesses located in the United States, an area where our sponsors and our directors have significant investing and operating experience. If we are unable to consummate a business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, or 21 or 24 months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination as described in more detail in this prospectus, we will redeem 100% of the public shares using the funds in the trust account described below.
This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit that we are offering has a price of $10.00 and consists of one share of common stock, one right entitling the holder to receive one-tenth ( 1/10) of a share of common stock on the consummation of an initial business combination and one warrant entitling the holder to purchase one-half (1/2) of a share of common stock, as described in more detail in this prospectus. We refer to the rights as rights or the public rights. We refer to the warrants as warrants or redeemable warrants. We will not issue fractional shares upon exercise of the warrants. As a result, you must exercise warrants in multiples of two warrants, at a price of $12.50 per full share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus, to validly exercise your warrants. Each warrant will become exercisable on the later of the completion of an initial business combination and 12 months from the date of this prospectus, and will expire three years after the completion of an initial business combination, or earlier upon redemption. If we are unable to consummate a business combination within the required time period, the rights and warrants will expire and be worthless. We have also granted EarlyBirdCapital, Inc., or EarlyBirdCapital, the representative of the underwriters, a 45-day option to purchase up to 600,000 units (over and above the 4,000,000 units referred to above) solely to cover over-allotments, if any.
Our sponsors and EarlyBirdCapital have committed that they or their designees will purchase from us an aggregate of 295,000 units (285,000 units by our sponsors and 10,000 units by EarlyBirdCapital), or private units, at $10.00 per unit (for a total purchase price of $2,950,000). These purchases will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. All of the proceeds we receive from these purchases will be placed in the trust account described below.
There is presently no public market for our units, shares of common stock, public rights or redeemable warrants. We intend to apply to have our units listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol BHACU on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading as described in this prospectus, the common stock, public rights and redeemable warrants will be traded on Nasdaq under the symbols BHAC, BHACR and BHACW, respectively. We cannot assure you that our securities will continue to be listed on Nasdaq after this offering.
We are an emerging growth company as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 and will therefore be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements.
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See Risk Factors beginning on page 18 of this prospectus for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities.
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.
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Price to Public |
Underwriting Discounts and Commissions(1) |
Proceeds, Before Expenses, to us |
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Per Unit | $ | 10.00 | $ | 0.30 | $ | 9.70 | ||||||
Total | $ | 40,000,000 | $ | 1,200,000 | $ | 38,800,000 |
(1) | Please see the section titled Underwriting for further information relating to the underwriting arrangements agreed to between us and the underwriters in this offering. |
Upon consummation of the offering, $10.20 per unit sold to the public in this offering (or approximately $10.13 per unit if the over-allotment option has been exercised in full) will be deposited into a United States-based trust account at JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee. Except as described in this prospectus, these funds will not be released to us until the earlier of the completion of our initial business combination and our redemption of the shares of common stock sold in this offering upon our failure to consummate a business combination within the required period.
The underwriters are offering the units on a firm commitment basis. EarlyBirdCapital, acting as the representative of the underwriters, expects to deliver the units to purchasers on or about February 11, 2015.
Sole Book-Running Manager
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Aegis Capital Corp | I-Bankers Securities, Inc. |
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This summary only highlights the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. As this is a summary, it does not contain all of the information that you should consider in making an investment decision. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the information under Risk Factors and our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus, before investing. Unless otherwise stated in this prospectus:
| references in this prospectus to we, us or our company refer to Barington/Hilco Acquisition Corp.; |
| references in this prospectus to insider shares refer to the 1,150,000 shares of common stock currently held by our sponsors (as defined below), which include up to an aggregate of 150,000 shares of common stock subject to forfeiture by our sponsors to the extent that the underwriters over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part; |
| references in this prospectus to private units refer to the units we are selling privately to our sponsors and EarlyBirdCapital upon consummation of this offering and references to private shares, private rights and private warrants refer to the shares of common stock, rights and warrants included within the private units; |
| references in this prospectus to our management or our management team refer to our officers and directors; |
| references in this prospectus to our public shares refer to shares of common stock which are being sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market) and references to public stockholders refer to the holders of our public shares, including our sponsors to the extent our sponsors purchase public shares, provided that their status as public stockholders shall exist only with respect to such public shares; |
| references in this prospectus to our rights or public rights refer to the rights which are being sold as part of the units in this offering; |
| references in this prospectus to our warrants or public warrants refer to the warrants which are being sold as part of the units in this offering; |
| references in this prospectus to our sponsors refer to the holders of the insider shares prior to the consummation of this offering; and |
| except as specifically provided otherwise, the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option. |
You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus. We have not, and the underwriters have not, authorized anyone to provide you with different information. We are not, and the underwriters are not, making an offer of these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer is not permitted.
We are a blank check company formed under the laws of the State of Delaware on July 24, 2014. We were formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination, with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as a target business. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to this offering. We have not selected any target business on which to concentrate our search for our initial business combination. Although our efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to any particular industry or geographic region, we intend to focus on consumer focused businesses located in the United States, including, without limitation, retail, apparel, footwear and consumer products companies. We do not have any specific business combination under consideration and we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf), directly or indirectly, contacted any prospective target business or had any discussions, formal or otherwise, with respect to such a transaction.
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We will have until 18 months from the closing of this offering to consummate our initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 18 months, we may extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to two times, each by an additional three months (for a total of up to 24 months to complete a business combination). In order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our initial stockholders or their affiliates or designees must deposit into the trust account $100,000 prior to the applicable deadline for each three month extension. Our initial stockholders and their affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within such time period, we will, as promptly as possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of our outstanding public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account and then seek to dissolve and liquidate. In such event, the rights and warrants will be worthless.
In connection with any stockholder meeting called to approve an initial business combination, any public holder of shares of common stock voting either in favor of or against such proposed business combination will be entitled to demand that his shares of common stock be converted for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the trust account (initially $10.20 per share or approximately $10.13 per share if the over-allotment option is exercised in full and we have not elected to extend the time available to complete a business combination), plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us for our working capital requirements or necessary to pay our taxes (subject to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors). However, we may not be able to distribute such amounts as a result of claims of creditors which may take priority over the claims of our public stockholders.
Pursuant to Nasdaq listing rules, our initial business combination must be with a target business or businesses whose collective fair market value is at least equal to 80% of the balance in the trust account at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for such business combination, although this may entail simultaneous acquisitions of several target businesses. The fair market value of the target will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community (such as actual and potential sales, earnings, cash flow and/or book value). The target business or businesses that we acquire may have a collective fair market value substantially in excess of 80% of the trust account balance. We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation.
We currently anticipate structuring our initial business combination to acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination where we merge directly with the target business or where we acquire less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% fair market value test.
As more fully discussed in Management Conflicts of Interest, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations, he may be required to present such
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business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such business combination opportunity to us. Certain of our officers and directors currently have certain relevant pre-existing fiduciary duties or contractual obligations.
We are an emerging growth company as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (which we refer to herein as the JOBS Act) and will remain such for up to five years. However, if our non-convertible debt issued within a three-year period or our total revenues exceed $1 billion or the market value of our shares of common stock that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million on the last day of the second fiscal quarter of any given fiscal year, we would cease to be an emerging growth company as of the following fiscal year. As an emerging growth company, we have elected, under Section 107(b) of the JOBS Act, to 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 September 2014, our sponsors purchased an aggregate of 1,150,000 shares of our common stock, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as the insider shares, for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.02 per share. The 1,150,000 insider shares held by our sponsors include an aggregate of up to 150,000 shares subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part, so that our sponsors will collectively own 20.0% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (excluding the sale of the private units and assuming our sponsors do not purchase units in this offering). None of our sponsors has indicated any intention to purchase units in this offering.
The insider shares are identical to the shares of common stock included in the units being sold in this offering. However, our sponsors have agreed (A) to vote their insider shares and any public shares acquired in or after this offering in favor of any proposed business combination, (B) not to propose, or vote in favor of, an amendment to our certificate of incorporation with respect to our pre-business combination activities prior to the consummation of such a business combination, unless we provide dissenting stockholders with the opportunity to convert their public shares in connection with any such vote, (C) not to convert any shares (including the insider shares) into the right to receive cash from the trust account in connection with a stockholder vote to approve our proposed initial business combination or a vote to amend the provisions of our certificate of incorporation relating to stockholders rights or pre-business combination activity and (D) that such shares shall not participate in any liquidating distribution upon winding up if a business combination is not consummated. Additionally, our sponsors have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the insider shares (except to certain permitted transferees as described below) until, with respect to 50% of the insider shares, the earlier of six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination and the date on which the closing price of our common stock exceeds $12.50 per share for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period following the consummation of our initial business combination and, with respect to the remaining 50% of the insider shares, one year after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier in each case if, subsequent to our initial business combination, we consummate a subsequent liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.
On the date of this prospectus, the insider shares will be placed into an escrow account maintained in New York, New York by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as escrow agent. Subject to certain limited exceptions, 50% of these shares will not be transferred, assigned, sold or released from escrow until the earlier of six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination and the date on which the closing price of our common stock equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after our initial business combination and the remaining 50% of the insider shares will not be transferred, assigned, sold or released from escrow until one year after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier, in either case, if, subsequent to our initial business combination, we consummate a subsequent liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property. The limited exceptions referred to above include (1) transfers amongst
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the holders, to our officers, directors and employees, to a holders affiliates or its members upon its liquidation, (2) transfers to relatives and trusts for estate planning purposes, (3) by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death, (4) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, (5) private sales made at prices no greater than the price at which the securities were originally purchased or (6) to us for cancellation in connection with the consummation of an initial business combination, in each case (except for clause 6) where the transferee agrees to the terms of the escrow agreement and forfeiture, as the case may be, as well as the other applicable restrictions and agreements of the holders of the insider shares.
In addition, our sponsors and EarlyBirdCapital (and/or their designees) have committed to purchase an aggregate of 295,000 private units at a price of $10.00 per unit ($2,950,000 in the aggregate) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. The private units effectively represent 472,000 shares of common stock (which includes 29,500 shares of common stock issuable for the rights and 147,500 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of 295,000 warrants, at an exercise price of $12.50 per share, included in the units). Of this amount, our sponsors private units represent 456,000 shares of common stock (which includes 28,500 shares of common stock issuable for the rights and 142,500 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of 285,000 warrants) and EarlyBirdCapitals private units represent 16,000 shares of common stock (which includes 1,000 shares of common stock issuable for the rights and 5,000 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of 10,000 warrants). The foregoing purchases will only be made by our sponsors and EarlyBirdCapital (and/or their designees) if they are able to do so in accordance with Regulation M and Sections 9(a)(2) and 10(b) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. The proceeds from the private placement of the private units will be added to the proceeds of this offering and placed in a trust account in the United States at JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as trustee. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or 24 months if the period of time within which we can complete a business combination has been extended by the full amount as described herein), the proceeds from the sale of the private units will be included in the liquidating distribution to the holders of our public shares.
The private units are identical to the units sold in this offering. except the private warrants will be non-redeemable and may be exercised on a cashless basis, in each case so long as they continue to be held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees. However, the holders have agreed (A) to vote their private shares in favor of any proposed business combination, (B) not to propose, or vote in favor of, an amendment to our certificate of incorporation with respect to our pre-business combination activities prior to the consummation of such a business combination, unless we provide dissenting stockholders with the opportunity to convert their public shares in connection with any such vote, (C) not to convert any private shares into the right to receive cash from the trust account in connection with a stockholder vote to approve our proposed initial business combination or a vote to amend the provisions of our certificate of incorporation relating to stockholders rights or pre-business combination activity and (D) that the private shares shall not participate in any liquidating distribution upon winding up if a business combination is not consummated. Additionally, the holders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the private units or underlying securities (except to the same permitted transferees as the insider shares and provided the transferees agree to the same terms and restrictions as the permitted transferees of the insider shares must agree to, each as described above) until the completion of our initial business combination.
The holders of our insider shares issued and outstanding on the date of this prospectus, as well as the holders of the private units (and underlying securities) and any shares our sponsors, officers, directors or their affiliates may be issued in payment of working capital loans made to us, will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to an agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering. The holders of a majority of these securities are entitled to make up to two demands that we register such securities. Notwithstanding the foregoing, EarlyBirdCapital may only exercise such demand rights on one occasion. The holders of the majority of the insider shares can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time commencing three months prior to the date on which these shares of common stock are to be released from escrow. The holders of a majority of the private units or shares issued in payment of working capital loans made to us can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time after we consummate a business combination. In addition, the holders have certain piggy-back registration rights with respect to registration
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statements filed subsequent to our consummation of our initial business combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
We have also agreed to sell to EarlyBirdCapital (and/or its designees), for $100, an option to purchase up to a total of 200,000 units exercisable at $11.00 per unit (or an aggregate exercise price of $2,200,000) commencing on the later of the consummation of a business combination and one year from the date of this prospectus. Since the option is not exercisable until at the earliest the consummation of a business combination, and the rights included in the units will automatically entitle the holder to receive shares of common stock upon consummation of a business combination, the option will effectively represent the right to purchase 220,000 shares of common stock (which includes the 20,000 shares of common stock which will be issued for the rights included in the units) for $2,200,000 and 200,000 warrants to purchase 100,000 shares of common stock at $12.50 per full share.
Our executive offices are located at 888 Seventh Avenue, 17th floor, New York, New York 10019, and our telephone number is (212) 974-5710.
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In making your decision on whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the backgrounds of the members of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company and the fact that this offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section below entitled Risk Factors beginning on page 18 of this prospectus.
Securities offered |
4,000,000 units, at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of one share of common stock, one right and one warrant. Each right entitles the holder to receive one-tenth ( 1/10) of one share of common stock upon consummation of our initial business combination subject to the conditions described in this prospectus. Each warrant entitles the holder to purchase one-half (½) of one share of common stock at the price of $12.50 per full share. |
By offering rights as part of the units that entitle the holder to receive only one-tenth of a share, and warrants that entitle the holder to purchase one-half of one share, as opposed to warrants included in units of similarly structured blank check offerings that entitle the holder to receive a full share, our management believes we have reduced the number of shares that we would be obligated to issue after the offering compared to other offerings similar to ours. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no additional consideration will be required to be paid to us by holders of the rights to receive the additional shares upon consummation of our business combination unlike the case with warrants (which require the payment of additional consideration to receive the shares underlying such warrants). Furthermore, no fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the warrants. Accordingly, unless you exercise at least two warrants, you will not be able to receive a share upon exercise of your warrants. Accordingly, this unit structure may cause our units to be worth less than if they simply included a warrant to purchase one full share. |
Listing of our securities and proposed symbols |
We anticipate the units, and the shares of common stock, rights and warrants once they begin separate trading, will be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols BHACU, BHAC BHACR and BHACW respectively. |
Each of the common stock, rights and warrants may trade separately on the 90th day after the date of this prospectus unless EarlyBirdCapital determines that an earlier date is acceptable (based upon, among other things, its assessment of the relative strengths of the securities markets and small capitalization companies in general, and the trading pattern of, and demand for, our securities in particular). In no event will EarlyBirdCapital allow separate trading of the common stock, rights and warrants until we file an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds of this offering. |
Once the shares of common stock, rights and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to |
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continue to hold units or separate their units into the component pieces. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into shares of common stock, rights and warrants. |
Upon consummation of an initial business combination, each holder of a right will receive one-tenth ( 1/10) of a share of common stock. At that time, the units will cease trading. |
We will file a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC, including an audited balance sheet, promptly upon the consummation of this offering, which is anticipated to take place three business days from the date the units commence trading. The audited balance sheet will reflect our receipt of the proceeds from the exercise of the over-allotment option if the over-allotment option is exercised on the date of this prospectus. If the over-allotment option is exercised after the date of this prospectus, we will file an amendment to the Form 8-K or a new Form 8-K to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the over-allotment option. We will also include in the Form 8-K, or amendment thereto, or in a subsequent Form 8-K, information indicating if EarlyBirdCapital has allowed separate trading of the common stock, rights and warrants prior to the 90th day after the date of this prospectus. |
Shares of common stock: |
Number outstanding before this offering |
1,150,000 shares1 |
Number to be outstanding after this offering and sale of private units |
5,295,000 shares2 |
Warrants: |
Number outstanding before this offering |
0 |
Number to be outstanding after this offering and sale of private units |
4,295,000 warrants3 |
Exercisability |
Each warrant is exercisable for one-half of one share of common stock. Because the warrants may only be exercised for whole numbers of shares of common stock, only an even number of warrants may be exercised at any given time. |
Exercise price |
$12.50 per whole share. No public warrants will be exercisable for cash unless we have an effective and current registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to such shares of common stock. It is our current intention to have |
1 | This number includes an aggregate of 150,000 insider shares that are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters. |
2 | Assumes the over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of 150,000 insider shares have been forfeited. |
3 | Assumes the over-allotment option has not been exercised and includes the 285,000 warrants underlying the sponsors private units and the 10,000 warrants underlying EarlyBirdCapitals private units. |
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an effective and current registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to such shares of common stock in effect promptly following consummation of an initial business combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants is not effective within 90 days following the consummation of our initial business combination, public 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 an available exemption from registration under the Securities Act. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the fair market value (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The fair market value shall mean the average reported last sale price of the shares of common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the day prior to the date of exercise. For example, if a holder held 300 warrants to purchase 150 shares and the fair market value on the date prior to exercise was $15.00, that holder would receive 25 shares without the payment of any additional cash consideration. If an exemption from registration is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. |
Exercise period |
The warrants will become exercisable on the later of the completion of an initial business combination and 12 months from the date of this prospectus. The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the third anniversary of our completion of an initial business combination, or earlier upon redemption. |
Redemption |
We may redeem the outstanding warrants (excluding the private warrants but including any outstanding warrants issued upon exercise of the unit purchase option issued to EarlyBirdCapital), in whole and not in part, at a price of $0.01 per warrant: |
at any time while the warrants are exercisable, |
upon a minimum of 30 days prior written notice of redemption, |
if, and only if, the last sales price of our common stock equals or exceeds $17.50 per share for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading day period ending three business days before we send the notice of redemption, and |
if, and only if, there is a current registration statement in effect with respect to the shares of common stock underlying such warrants at the time of redemption and for |
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the entire 30-day trading period referred to above and continuing each day thereafter until the date of redemption. |
If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption, each warrant holder can exercise his, her or its warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of the shares of common stock may fall below the $17.50 trigger price as well as the $12.50 warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued. |
The redemption criteria for our warrants have been established at a price which is intended to provide warrant holders a reasonable premium to the initial exercise price and provide a sufficient differential between the then-prevailing share price and the warrant exercise price so that if the share price declines as a result of our redemption call, the redemption will not cause the share price to drop below the exercise price of the warrants. |
If we call the warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a cashless basis. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the fair market value (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The fair market value shall mean the average reported last sale price of the common stock 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 warrants. Whether we will exercise our option to require all holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis will depend on a variety of factors including the price of our common stock at the time the warrants are called for redemption, our cash needs at such time and concerns regarding dilutive share issuances. |
Number outstanding before this offering |
0 |
Number to be outstanding after this offering and sale of private units |
4,295,000 rights4 |
Terms of the Rights |
Each holder of a right will receive one-tenth ( 1/10) of a share of common stock upon consummation of our initial business combination. In the event we will not be the surviving company upon completion of our initial business combination, each holder of a right will be required to affirmatively convert his, her or its rights in order to receive the tenth ( 1/10) of a share underlying each right (without paying any additional consideration) upon consummation of the business combination. |
4 | Assumes the over-allotment option has not been exercised and includes the 285,000 rights underlying the sponsors private units and the 10,000 rights underlying EarlyBirdCapitals private units. |
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If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the required time period and we liquidate the funds held in the trust account, holders of rights will not receive any of such funds for their rights and the rights will expire worthless. |
Offering proceeds to be held in the trust account |
$37,850,000 of the net proceeds of this offering (or $43,670,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), plus the $2,950,000 we will receive from the sale of the private units, for an aggregate of $40,800,000 (or $46,620,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) or $10.20 per unit sold to the public in this offering (or approximately $10.13 per unit if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), will be placed in a trust account in the United States at JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee pursuant to an agreement to be signed on the date of this prospectus. The remaining $500,000 of net proceeds of this offering will not be held in the trust account. |
Except as set forth below, the proceeds held in the trust account will not be released until the earlier of: (1) the completion of our initial business combination within the required time period and (2) our redemption of 100% of the outstanding public shares if we have not completed a business combination in the required time period. Therefore, unless and until our initial business combination is consummated, the proceeds held in the trust account will not be available for our use for any expenses related to this offering or expenses which we may incur related to the investigation and selection of a target business and the negotiation of an agreement to acquire a target business. |
Notwithstanding the foregoing, there can be released to us from the trust account (1) any interest earned on the funds in the trust account that we need to pay our income or other tax obligations and (2) any remaining interest earned on the funds in the trust account up to $500,000 that we need for our working capital requirements. With these exceptions, expenses incurred by us may be paid prior to a business combination only from the net proceeds of this offering not held in the trust account of approximately $500,000; provided, however, that in order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering if the funds not held in the trust account and interest earned on the funds held in the trust account available to us are insufficient, our sponsors, officers and directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of this offering, without interest, or, at the lenders discretion, up to $500,000 of the notes may be converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional private units at a price of $10.00 per unit (which, for example, would result in the holders being issued 55,000 shares of common stock if $500,000 of notes |
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were so converted since the 50,000 rights included in the private units would result in the issuance of 5,000 shares of common stock upon the closing of our business combination, as well as 50,000 warrants to purchase 25,000 shares). |
Limited payments to insiders |
There will be no fees, reimbursements or other cash payments paid to our sponsors, officers, directors or their affiliates prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is) other than: |
repayment at the closing of this offering of non-interest bearing loans in an aggregate amount not to exceed $120,000 made by affiliates of Barington Capital Group, L.P. and Hilco Global; |
payment of $7,500 per month to Barington Capital Group, L.P., an affiliate of James A. Mitarotonda, our chairman and our chief executive officer, for office space and general and administrative services; |
reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with certain activities on our behalf, such as identifying and investigating possible business targets and business combinations; and |
repayment of loans which may be made by our sponsors or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, the terms of which have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto. |
There is no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by us; provided, however, that to the extent such expenses exceed the available proceeds not deposited in the trust account and the interest income earned on the amounts held in the trust account that may be released to us, such expenses would not be reimbursed by us unless we consummate an initial business combination. Our audit committee will review and approve all reimbursements and payments made to any sponsor or member of our management team, or our or their respective affiliates, and any reimbursements and payments made to members of our audit committee will be reviewed and approved by our Board of Directors, with any interested director abstaining from such review and approval. |
Stockholder approval of initial business combination |
In connection with any proposed initial business combination, we will seek stockholder approval of such initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which stockholders may seek to convert their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination. We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and a majority of the |
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outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. |
We chose our net tangible asset threshold of $5,000,001 to ensure that we would avoid being subject to Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. However, if we seek to consummate an initial business combination with a target business that imposes any type of working capital closing condition or requires us to have a minimum amount of funds available from the trust account upon consummation of such initial business combination, our net tangible asset threshold may limit our ability to consummate such initial business combination (as we may be required to have a lesser number of shares converted) and may force us to seek third party financing which may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. As a result, we may not be able to consummate such initial business combination and we may not be able to locate another suitable target within the applicable time period, if at all. |
Our sponsors and our officers and directors have agreed (1) to vote any of their insider shares and private shares (which will represent approximately 24.3% of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock after the offering) as well as any public shares purchased in or after this offering in favor of any proposed business combination and (2) not to convert any shares (including the insider shares) into the right to receive cash from the trust account in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination or a vote to amend the provisions of our certificate of incorporation relating to stockholders rights or pre-business combination activity. None of our sponsors, officers, directors or their affiliates has indicated any intention to purchase units in this offering or any units or shares of common stock in the open market or in private transactions. However, if a significant number of stockholders vote, or indicate an intention to vote, against a proposed business combination, our sponsors, officers, directors or their affiliates could make such purchases in the open market or in private transactions in order to influence the vote. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our officers, directors, sponsors and their affiliates will not make purchases of shares of common stock if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act, which are rules designed to stop potential manipulation of a companys stock. |
Public stockholders who convert their shares will still receive one-tenth of a share for each right held (provided that we will not issue any fractional shares to the extent that the number of rights held by a holder is not divisible by ten) and continue to have the right to exercise any warrants they may hold if the business combination is consummated. If the business combination is not consummated, public stockholders will not be entitled to convert their shares. |
Conversion rights |
At any meeting called to approve an initial business combination, any public stockholder voting either for or against |
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such proposed business combination will be entitled to demand that his shares of common stock be converted for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the trust account (initially $10.20 per share (or $10.13 per share if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), assuming we have not elected to extend the time available to complete a business combination, plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us or necessary to pay our taxes). |
We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. As a result, if stockholders owning approximately 89.0% (or approximately 90.4% if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) or more of the shares of common stock sold in this offering exercise conversion rights, the business combination will not be consummated. However, the actual percentages will only be able to be determined once a target business is located and we can assess all of the assets and liabilities of the combined company (which would include the fee payable to EarlyBirdCapital as described elsewhere in this prospectus, any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by our sponsors, officers, directors or their affiliates in connection with certain activities on our behalf, such as identifying and investigating possible business targets and business combinations that have not been repaid at that time, as well as any other liabilities of ours and the liabilities of the target business) upon consummation of the proposed business combination, subject to the requirement that we must have at least $5,000,001 of net tangible assets upon closing of such business combination. As a result, the actual percentages of shares that can be converted may be significantly lower than our estimates. We chose our net tangible asset threshold of $5,000,001 to ensure that we would avoid being subject to Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. However, if we seek to consummate an initial business combination with a target business that imposes any type of working capital closing condition or requires us to have a minimum amount of funds available from the trust account upon consummation of such initial business combination, our net tangible asset threshold may limit our ability to consummate such initial business combination (as we may be required to have a lesser number of shares converted) and may force us to seek third party financing which may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. Alternatively, we may not be able to consummate a business combination unless the number of shares of common stock seeking conversion rights is significantly less than the 89.0% (or 90.4% if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) indicated above. As a result, we may not be able to consummate such initial business combination and we may not be able to locate another suitable target within the applicable time period, if at all. |
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Notwithstanding the foregoing, a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of his or any other person with whom he is acting in concert or as a group (as defined in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act) will be restricted from seeking conversion rights with respect to 15% or more of the shares of common stock sold in this offering without our prior written consent. We believe this restriction will prevent an individual stockholder or group from accumulating large blocks of shares before the vote held to approve a proposed business combination and attempt to use the conversion right as a means to force us or our management to purchase its shares at a significant premium to the then current market price. By limiting a stockholders ability to convert no more than 15% of the shares of common stock sold in this offering, we believe we have limited the ability of a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block a transaction which is favored by our other public stockholders. |
We may require public stockholders, whether they are a record holder or hold their shares in street name, to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent at any time through the vote on the business combination or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using Depository Trust Companys DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holders option. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a holders election to convert his shares is irrevocable once the business combination is approved. There is a nominal cost associated with this tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC system. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker $45 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the converting holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders to deliver their shares prior to the vote on the business combination in order to exercise conversion rights. This is because a holder would need to deliver shares to exercise conversion rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated. However, in the event we require stockholders to deliver their shares prior to the vote on the proposed business combination and the proposed business combination is not consummated, this may result in an increased cost to stockholders. |
Ability to extend time to complete business combination |
If we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 18 months, we may extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to two times, each by an additional three months (for a total of up to 24 months to complete a business combination). In order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our initial stockholders or their affiliates or designees must deposit into the trust account $100,000 prior to the applicable deadline for each three month extension. Our initial stockholders and their affiliates or designees are not |
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obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination. |
Liquidation if no business combination |
If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or a total of up to 24 months from the closing of this offering if we elect to extend the time in which we can complete a business combination by the full amount as described above), we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining holders of common stock and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. |
In connection with our redemption of 100% of our outstanding public shares for a portion of the funds held in the trust account, each holder will receive a full pro rata portion of the amount then in the trust account, plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us for our working capital requirements or necessary to pay our taxes payable on such funds (subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors). Holders of rights will receive no proceeds in connection with the liquidation with respect to such rights, which will expire worthless. |
We may not have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors claims. Although we will seek to have all third parties (including any vendors or other entities we engage after this offering) and any prospective target businesses enter into valid and enforceable agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements. There is also no guarantee that the third parties would not challenge the enforceability of these waivers and bring claims against the trust account for monies owed them. |
The holders of the insider shares and private units will not participate in any redemption distribution with respect to their insider shares, private shares or private rights. |
If we are unable to conclude our initial business combination and we expend all of the net proceeds of this offering not deposited in the trust account, without taking into account any interest earned on the trust account, we expect that the initial per-share redemption price will be $10.20 per share (or approximately $10.13 per share if the over-allotment option is |
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exercised in full), assuming we have not elected to extend the time available to complete a business combination. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to claims of our creditors that are in preference to the claims of our stockholders. In addition, if we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. Therefore, the actual per-share redemption price may be less than $10.20 (or approximately $10.13 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full and we have not elected to extend the time available to complete a business combination). |
We will pay the costs of any subsequent liquidation from our remaining assets outside of the trust account. If such funds are insufficient, affiliates of Barington Capital Group, L.P. and Hilco Global have agreed to pay the funds necessary to complete such liquidation (in an amount not to exceed $15,000) and have agreed not to seek repayment for such expenses. |
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We are a newly formed 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 on 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, as well as the fact that this offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and, therefore, you will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. For additional information concerning how Rule 419 blank check offerings differ from this offering, please see Proposed Business Comparison to offerings of blank check companies subject to Rule 419. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section entitled Risk Factors beginning on page 18 of this prospectus.
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, and accordingly only balance sheet data is presented.
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October 22, 2014 | ||||||||
Actual | As Adjusted(1) | |||||||
Balance Sheet Data: |
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Working capital (deficiency) | $ | (5,504 | ) | $ | 41,324,596 | (2) | ||
Total assets | 145,000 | 41,324,596 | (2) | |||||
Total liabilities | 120,504 | | ||||||
Value of common stock which may be converted for cash | | 36,324,595 | (3) | |||||
Stockholders equity | $ | 24,496 | $ | 5,000,001 |
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October 22, 2014 | ||||||||
Actual | As Adjusted | |||||||
Income Statement Data: |
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Revenue | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | ||||
Net loss | 504 | 504 | ||||||
Basic and diluted net loss per share | (0.00 | ) | (0.00 | ) |
(1) | Includes the $2,950,000 we will receive from the sale of the private units. |
(2) | The as adjusted working capital and total assets is derived by adding total stockholders equity and the value of the common stock which may be converted for cash. |
(3) | The as adjusted value of common stock which may be converted for cash is derived by taking 3,561,235 shares of common stock which may be converted, representing the maximum number of shares that may be converted while maintaining at least $5,000,001 in net tangible assets after the offering, multiplied by a conversion price of $10.20. |
The as adjusted information gives effect to the sale of the units we are offering, including the application of the related gross proceeds and the payment of the estimated remaining costs from such sale and the repayment of the accrued and other liabilities required to be repaid such that we have at least $5,000,001 of net tangible assets upon consummation of this offering and upon consummation of our initial business combination.
The as adjusted working capital and total assets amounts include the $40,800,000 to be held in the trust account, which, except for limited situations described in this prospectus, will be available to us only upon the consummation of our initial business combination within the time period described in this prospectus. If our initial business combination is not so consummated, the trust account, less amounts we are permitted to withdraw as described in this prospectus, will be distributed solely to our public stockholders (subject to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors).
We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination.
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An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described below, which we believe represent the material risks related to the offering, 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. This prospectus also contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of specific factors, including the risks described below.
We are a newly formed blank check company in the development stage with no operating history and, accordingly, you will not have any basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
We are a newly formed blank check company in the development stage with no operating results to date. Therefore, our ability to commence operations is dependent upon obtaining financing through the public offering of our shares. Since we do not have an operating history, you will have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective, which is to acquire an operating business. We have not conducted any discussions and we have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective acquisition candidates. We will not generate any revenues until, at the earliest, after the consummation of our initial business combination.
Our independent registered public accounting firms report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
As of October 22, 2014, we had $115,000 in cash and cash equivalents and a working capital deficiency of $5,504. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our acquisition plans. Managements plans to address this need for capital through this offering are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. Our plans to raise capital and to consummate our initial business combination may not be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements contained elsewhere in this prospectus do not include any adjustments that might result from our inability to consummate this offering or our inability to continue as a going concern.
If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination, our public stockholders may be forced to wait more than 24 months before receiving distributions from the trust account.
We will have until 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to a total of 24 months from the closing of this offering if we have elected to extend the time in which we can complete a business combination by the full amount) to consummate our initial business combination. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to such date unless we consummate our initial business combination prior thereto and only then in cases where investors have sought to convert their shares. Only after the expiration of this full time period will holders of our common stock be entitled to distributions from the trust account if we are unable to complete our initial business combination. Accordingly, investors funds may be unavailable to them until after such date and to liquidate your investment, public security holders may be forced to sell their public shares, potentially at a loss.
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of blank check companies.
Since the net proceeds of this offering are intended to be used to complete our initial business combination with a target business that has not been identified, we may be deemed to be a blank check company under the United States securities laws. However, since we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,001 upon the successful consummation of this offering and will file a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors of blank check companies such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules which would, for example, completely restrict the transferability of
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our securities, require us to complete our initial business combination within 18 months of the effective date of the initial registration statement and restrict the use of interest earned on the funds held in the trust account. Because we are not subject to Rule 419, our units will be immediately tradable, we will be entitled to withdraw amounts from the funds held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination and we may have a longer period of time to complete such a business combination than we would if we were subject to such rule.
If we determine to change our acquisition criteria or guidelines, many of the disclosures contained in this prospectus would be rendered irrelevant and you would be investing in our company without any basis on which to evaluate the potential target business we may acquire.
We could seek to deviate from the acquisition criteria or guidelines disclosed in this prospectus although we have no current intention to do so. For instance, as required by Nasdaq, we currently anticipate acquiring a target business that has a fair market value that is at least equal to 80% of the balance of the trust account at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for a business combination. However, we could be delisted from Nasdaq and therefore no longer be required to meet this requirement. Furthermore, there are numerous agreements between us and our affiliates that could be amended between the parties without approval of public stockholders. In such event, many of the acquisition criteria and guidelines set forth in this prospectus (such as the voting, transfer and liquidation restrictions agreed to by the holders of the insider shares described elsewhere in this prospectus, the indemnification obligations of our sponsors described below and the obligations our sponsors to pay the cost of liquidation if the funds held outside the trust account are insufficient for such purposes) would be rendered irrelevant. Accordingly, investors may be making an investment in our company without any basis on which to evaluate the potential target business we may acquire.
If we deviate from the acquisition criteria or guidelines set forth in this prospectus, investors in this offering may have rescission rights or may bring an action for damages against us or we could be subject to civil or criminal actions taken by governmental authorities.
If we were to elect to deviate from the acquisition criteria or guidelines set forth in this prospectus, each person who purchased units in this offering and still held such securities upon learning of the facts relating to the deviation may seek rescission of the purchase of the units he acquired in the offering (under which a successful claimant has the right to receive the total amount paid for his or her securities pursuant to an allegedly deficient prospectus, plus interest and less any income earned on the securities, in exchange for surrender of the securities) or bring an action for damages against us (compensation for loss on an investment caused by alleged material misrepresentations or omissions in the sale of a security). In such event, we could also be subject to civil or criminal actions taken by governmental authorities. For instance, the SEC can seek injunctions under Section 20(b) of the Securities Act if it believes a violation under the Securities Act has occurred or is imminent. The SEC can also seek civil penalties under Sections 20(d) and 24 if a party has violated the Securities Act or an injunctive action taken by the SEC or if a party willfully, in a registration statement filed under the Securities Act, makes any untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. Furthermore, Section 20 allows the SEC to refer matters to the attorney general to bring criminal penalties against an issuer.
We may issue shares of our capital stock to complete our initial business combination, which would reduce the equity interest of our stockholders and likely cause a change in control of our ownership.
Upon consummation of this offering, our certificate of incorporation will authorize the issuance of up to 11,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering and the purchase of the private units (assuming no exercise of the underwriters over-allotment option), there will be 2,808,000 authorized but unissued shares of common stock available for issuance (after appropriate reservation for the issuance of the shares underlying the rights, upon full exercise of our outstanding warrants and the issuance of the securities underlying the underwriters purchase option). Although we have no commitment as of the date of this offering, we may issue a substantial number of additional shares of common stock or shares of preferred stock, or a
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combination of common stock and preferred stock, to complete our initial business combination. The issuance of additional shares of common stock or preferred stock:
| may significantly reduce the equity interest of investors in this offering; |
| may subordinate the rights of holders of shares of common stock if we issue shares of preferred stock with rights senior to those afforded to our shares of common stock; |
| may cause a change in control if a substantial number of shares of common stock 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 shares of common stock. |
We may incur significant indebtedness in order to consummate our initial business combination.
If we find it necessary to incur significant indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, it could result in:
| default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after our initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations; |
| 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; and |
| 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. |
The funds held in the trust account may not earn significant interest and, as a result, we may be limited to the funds held outside of the trust account to fund our search for target businesses, to pay our tax obligations and to complete our initial business combination.
Of the net proceeds of this offering, $500,000 is anticipated to be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. We will depend on sufficient interest being earned on the proceeds held in the trust account to provide us with up to $500,000 of additional working capital we will need to identify one or more target businesses and to complete our initial business combination, as well as to pay any tax obligations that we may owe. Interest rates on permissible investments for us have been less than 1% over the last several years. Accordingly, if we do not earn a sufficient amount of interest on the funds held in the trust account and use all of the funds held outside of the trust account, we may not have sufficient funds available with which to structure, negotiate or close our initial business combination. In such event, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsors, officers or directors to operate or may be forced to liquidate. Our sponsors, officers and directors are under no obligation to loan us any funds. If we are unable to obtain the funds necessary, we may be forced to cease searching for a target business and may be unable to complete our initial business combination.
If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption price received by stockholders may be less than $10.20 (or approximately $10.13 if the over-allotment option is exercised).
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 and service providers we engage and prospective target businesses we negotiate with execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, they may not execute such agreements. Furthermore, even if such entities execute such agreements with us, they may seek recourse against the trust account. A court may not uphold the validity of such agreements. Accordingly, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to claims which could take priority over those of our public stockholders. If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the required time period, our
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sponsors have agreed that they will indemnify the company to the extent necessary to ensure that the proceeds in the trust account are not reduced by the claims of target businesses or claims of vendors or other entities that are owed money by us for services rendered or contracted for or products sold to us, but only if such a vendor or prospective target business does not execute such a waiver. However, our sponsors may not be able to meet such obligation as we have not required our sponsors to retain any assets to provide for their indemnification obligations, nor have we taken any further steps to ensure that our sponsors will be able to satisfy any indemnification obligations that arise. Moreover, our sponsors will not be personally liable to our public stockholders if our sponsors should fail to satisfy their obligations under this agreement and instead will only be liable to us. Therefore, the distribution from the trust account to each holder of shares of common stock may be less than $10.20 (or approximately $10.13 if the over-allotment option is exercised), plus interest, due to such claims.
Additionally, if we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we may not be able to return to our holders of shares of common stock at least $10.20 (or approximately $10.13 if the over-allotment option is exercised).
Our stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them.
If we have not completed our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to a total of 24 months from the closing of this offering if we have elected to extend the time in which we can complete a business combination by the full amount)), we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. We may not properly assess all claims that may be potentially brought against us. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of the date of distribution. Accordingly, third parties may seek to recover from our stockholders amounts owed to them by us.
If we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a preferential transfer or a fraudulent conveyance. As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover all amounts received by our stockholders. Furthermore, because we intend to distribute the proceeds held in the trust account to our public stockholders promptly after expiration of the 18 or 24-month deadline, this may be viewed or interpreted as giving preference to our public stockholders over any potential creditors with respect to access to or distributions from our assets. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public holders of common stock from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. Claims may be brought against us for these reasons.
Our units are comprised of common stock, warrants to purchase one-half of one share of common stock and rights to receive one-tenth of one share of common stock, rather than units comprised of common stock and warrants.
Unlike other blank check companies that sell units comprised of shares of common stock and warrants to purchase one share of common stock in their initial public offerings, we are selling units comprised of common stock, warrants to purchase one-half of one share of common stock and rights entitling the holder to receive one-tenth of one share of common stock upon consummation of our initial business combination.
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Neither the rights nor the warrants will have any voting rights and each will expire and be worthless if we do not consummate an initial business combination. Furthermore, no fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the warrants. As a result, unless you acquire at least two warrants, you will not be able to receive a share of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants upon exercise of your warrants. Accordingly, investors in this offering will not be issued as many shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants as part of their investment as they may have in other blank check company offerings, which may have the effect of limiting the potential upside value of your investment in our company.
Holders of rights and warrants will not have redemption rights if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the required time period.
If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the required time period and we redeem the funds held in the trust account, the rights and warrants will expire and holders will not receive any of such proceeds with respect to such rights and warrants.
We have no obligation to net cash settle the rights or warrants.
In no event will we have any obligation to net cash settle the rights or warrants. Furthermore, there are no contractual penalties for failure to deliver securities to the holders of the rights upon consummation of an initial business combination. Accordingly, the rights and warrants may expire worthless.
If we do not maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, public holders will only be able to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis which would result in a fewer number of shares being issued to the holder had such holder exercised the warrants for cash.
If we do not maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants at the time that holders wish to exercise such warrants, they will only be able to exercise them on a cashless basis provided that an exemption from registration is available. As a result, the number of shares of common stock that a holder will receive upon exercise of its public warrants will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised its warrant for cash. Further, if an exemption from registration is not available, holders would not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis and would only be able to exercise their warrants for cash if a current and effective prospectus relating to the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is available. Under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed to use our reasonable best efforts to meet these conditions and to maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration of the warrants. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to do so. If we are unable to do so, the potential upside of the holders investment in our company may be reduced or the warrants may expire worthless. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the private warrants may be exercisable for unregistered shares of common stock for cash even if the prospectus relating to the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not current and effective.
An investor will only be able to exercise a warrant if the issuance of shares of common stock upon such exercise has been registered or qualified or is deemed exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the holder of the warrants.
No public warrants will be exercisable for cash and we will not be obligated to issue shares of common stock unless the shares of common stock issuable upon such exercise have been registered or qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the holder of the warrants. At the time that the warrants become exercisable, we expect to continue to be listed on a national securities exchange, which would provide an exemption from registration in every state. However, we cannot assure you of this fact. If the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not qualified or exempt from qualification in the jurisdictions in which the holders of the warrants reside, the warrants may be deprived of any value, the market for the warrants may be limited and they may expire worthless if they cannot be sold.
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Our managements ability to require holders of our warrants to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis will cause holders to receive fewer shares of common stock upon their exercise of the warrants than they would have received had they been able to exercise their warrants for cash.
If we call our public warrants for redemption after the redemption criteria described elsewhere in this prospectus have been satisfied, our management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise his warrants (including any warrants held by our initial stockholders or their permitted transferees) to do so on a cashless basis. If our management chooses to require holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, the number of shares of common stock received by a holder upon exercise will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised his warrants for cash. This will have the effect of reducing the potential upside of the holders investment in our company.
We may amend the terms of the warrants in a way that may be adverse to holders with the approval by the holders of a majority of the then outstanding warrants.
Our warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision. The warrant agreement requires the approval by the holders of a majority of the then outstanding warrants (including the private warrants) in order to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders.
Since we have not yet selected a particular industry or target business with which to complete our initial business combination, we are unable to currently ascertain the merits or risks of the industry or business in which we may ultimately operate.
Although we intend to focus on consumer focused businesses located in the United States, we may consummate our initial business combination with a company in any industry we choose and are not limited to any particular industry or type of business. Accordingly, there is no current basis for you to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the particular industry in which we may ultimately operate or the target business which we may ultimately acquire. To the extent we complete our initial business combination with a financially unstable company or an entity in its development stage, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations of those entities. If we complete our initial business combination with an entity in an industry characterized by a high level of risk, we may be affected by the currently unascertainable risks of that industry. We may not properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. An investment in our shares may not ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors in this offering than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a target business.
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 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 a business combination with.
Pursuant to the Nasdaq listing rules, the target business or businesses that we acquire must collectively have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance of the funds in the trust account 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 that we may complete a business combination with. If we are unable to locate a target business or businesses that satisfy this fair market value test, we may be forced to liquidate and you will only be entitled to receive your pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account.
Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination. We cannot provide assurance that, upon loss of control of a target business, new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.
We may structure a business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders 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 acquires 50% or more of the
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outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquire 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 stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares of common stock in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock 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 shares of common stock, our stockholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares of common stock subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority stockholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger share of the companys stock 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.
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. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after our initial business combination, our assessment of these individuals may not prove to be correct.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our key personnel, at least until we have consummated our initial business combination. None of our officers are required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs (although we expect them to devote approximately 10 hours per week to our business) and, accordingly, they will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. We do not have employment agreements with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our officers. The unexpected loss of the services of our key personnel could have a detrimental effect on us.
The role of our key personnel after our initial business combination, however, remains to be determined. Although some of our key personnel serve in senior management or advisory positions following our initial business combination, it is likely that most, if not all, of the management of the target business will remain in place. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a public company which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.
Our officers and directors may not have significant experience or knowledge regarding the jurisdiction or industry of the target business we may seek to acquire.
We may consummate a business combination with a target business in any geographic location or industry we choose. Our officers and directors may not have enough experience or sufficient knowledge relating to the jurisdiction of the target or its industry to make an informed decision regarding 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 a particular business combination is the most advantageous.
Our key personnel will be able to remain with the company after the consummation of our initial business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements or other appropriate arrangements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to the company after the consummation of the business combination. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business.
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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 consummate our initial business combination.
Our officers and directors are not required to commit their full time to our affairs, which could create a conflict of interest when allocating their time between our operations and their other commitments. We presently expect each of our employees to devote such amount of time as they reasonably believe is necessary to our business. We do not intend to have any full time employees prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. All of our officers and directors are engaged in several other business endeavors and are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our affairs. If our officers and directors other business affairs require them to devote more substantial amounts of time to such affairs, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs and could have a negative impact on our ability to consummate our initial business combination. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor.
Members of our management team have affiliations with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Members of our management team have affiliations with companies, including companies that are engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us. Accordingly, they may participate in transactions and have obligations that may be in conflict or competition with our consummation of our initial business combination. As a result, a potential target business may be presented by our management team to another entity prior to its presentation to us and we may not be afforded the opportunity to engage in a transaction with such target business unless and until such target business is rejected by such other entity. For a more detailed description of the potential conflicts of interest of our management, see the section titled Management Conflicts of Interest.
The shares beneficially owned by our officers and directors will not participate in liquidation distributions and, therefore, our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is appropriate for our initial business combination.
Our officers and directors have waived their right to convert their insider shares, private shares or any other shares of common stock acquired in this offering or thereafter (although none of these insiders have indicated any intention to purchase units in this offering or thereafter), or to receive distributions with respect to their insider shares or private shares upon our liquidation if we are unable to consummate our initial business combination. Accordingly, these securities will be worthless if we do not consummate our initial business combination. The private rights, private warrants and any other rights or warrants they acquire will also be worthless if we do not consummate an initial business combination. In addition, our officers and directors may loan funds to us after this offering and may be owed reimbursement for expenses incurred in connection with certain activities on our behalf which would only be repaid if we complete an initial business combination. The personal and financial interests of our directors and officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and selecting a target business and completing a business combination. Consequently, our directors and officers discretion in identifying and selecting a suitable target business may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our stockholders best interest.
If we are unable to consummate a business combination, any loans made by our sponsors, officers, directors or their affiliates would not be repaid, resulting in a potential conflict of interest in determining whether a potential transaction is in our stockholders best interest.
In order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering, our sponsors, officers, directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. The loans would be non-interest bearing and would be payable at the consummation of a business combination. If we fail to consummate a business combination within the required time period, the loans would not be repaid. Consequently, our directors and officers may have a conflict of interest in determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our stockholders best interest.
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Nasdaq may delist our securities from quotation on its exchange which could limit investors ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
We anticipate that our securities will be listed on Nasdaq, a national securities exchange, upon consummation of this offering. Although, after giving effect to this offering, we meet the minimum initial listing standards of Nasdaq on a pro forma basis, which generally only requires that we meet certain requirements relating to stockholders equity, market capitalization, aggregate market value of publicly held shares and distribution, our securities may not continue to be listed on Nasdaq in the future prior to an initial business combination. Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, it is likely that Nasdaq will require us to file a new initial listing application and meet its initial listing requirements as opposed to its more lenient continued listing requirements. We may not be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.
If Nasdaq delists our securities from trading on its exchange, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:
| a limited availability of market quotations for our securities; |
| reduced liquidity with respect to our securities; |
| a determination that our shares are a penny stock, which will require brokers trading in our shares to adhere to more stringent rules, possibly resulting in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our shares; |
| a limited amount of news and analyst coverage for our company; and |
| a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future. |
We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of this offering, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services.
It is likely we will consummate our initial business combination with a single target business, although we have the ability to simultaneously acquire several target businesses. By consummating a 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. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:
| solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, 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 developments, 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.
Alternatively, if we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses and such businesses are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete the 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.
The ability of our public stockholders to exercise their conversion rights may not allow us to effectuate the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
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If our initial business combination requires us to use substantially all of our cash to pay the purchase price, because we will not know how many public stockholders may exercise conversion rights, we may either need to reserve part of the trust account for possible payment upon such conversion, or we may need to arrange third party financing to help fund our initial business combination. In the event that the acquisition involves the issuance of our stock as consideration, we may be required to issue a higher percentage of our stock to make up for a shortfall in funds. Raising additional funds to cover any shortfall may involve dilutive equity financing or incurring indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. This may limit our ability to effectuate the most attractive business combination available to us.
We may be unable to consummate an initial business combination if a target business requires that we have a certain amount of cash at closing, in which case public stockholders may have to remain stockholders of our company and wait until our redemption of the public shares to receive a pro rata share of the trust account or attempt to sell their shares in the open market.
A potential target may make it a closing condition to our initial business combination that we have a certain amount of cash in excess of the $5,000,001 of net tangible assets we are required to have pursuant to our organizational documents available at the time of closing. If the number of our public stockholders electing to exercise their conversion rights has the effect of reducing the amount of money available to us to consummate an initial business combination below such minimum amount required by the target business and we are not able to locate an alternative source of funding, we will not be able to consummate such initial business combination and we may not be able to locate another suitable target within the applicable time period, if at all. In that case, public stockholders may have to remain stockholders of our company and wait the full 24 months (assuming the period of time to complete a business combination has been extended by the full amount) in order to be able to receive a portion of the trust account, or attempt to sell their shares in the open market prior to such time, in which case they may receive less than they would have in a liquidation of the trust account.
We will offer each public stockholder the option to vote in favor of the proposed business combination and still seek conversion of his, her or its shares.
In connection with any meeting held to approve an initial business combination, we will offer each public stockholder (but not our sponsors, officers or directors) the right to have his, her or its shares of common stock converted to cash (subject to the limitations described elsewhere in this prospectus) regardless of whether such stockholder votes for or against such proposed business combination; provided that a stockholder must in fact vote for or against a proposed business combination in order to have his, her or its shares of common stock converted to cash. If a stockholder fails to vote for or against a proposed business combination, that stockholder would not be able to have his shares of common stock so converted. We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. Accordingly, public stockholders owning 3,561,235 shares of common stock sold in this offering may exercise their conversion rights and we could still consummate a proposed business combination so long as a majority of shares voted at the meeting are voted in favor of the proposed business combination. This is different than other similarly structured blank check companies where stockholders are offered the right to convert their shares only when they vote against a proposed business combination. This threshold and the ability to seek conversion while voting in favor of a proposed business combination may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination.
A public stockholder that fails to vote either in favor of or against a proposed business combination will not be able to have his shares converted to cash.
In order for a public stockholder to have his shares converted to cash in connection with any proposed business combination, that public stockholder must vote either in favor of or against a proposed business combination. If a public stockholder fails to vote in favor of or against a proposed business combination, whether that stockholder abstains from the vote or simply does not vote, that stockholder would not be able to have his shares of common stock so converted to cash in connection with such business combination.
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Public stockholders, together with any affiliates of theirs or any other person with whom they are acting in concert or as a group, will be restricted from seeking conversion rights with respect to more than 15% of the shares of common stock sold in this offering.
In connection with any meeting held to approve an initial business combination, we will offer each public stockholder (but not our sponsors, officers or directors) the right to have his, her, or its shares of common stock converted into cash. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of his or any other person with whom he is acting in concert or as a group will be restricted from seeking conversion rights with respect to more than 15% of the shares of common stock sold in this offering. Generally, in this context, a stockholder will be deemed to be acting in concert or as a group with another stockholder when such stockholders agree to act together for the purpose of acquiring, voting, holding or disposing of our equity securities. Accordingly, if you purchase more than 15% of the shares of common stock sold in this offering and our proposed business combination is approved, you will not be able to seek conversion rights with respect to the full amount of your shares and may be forced to hold such additional shares of common stock or sell them in the open market. The value of such additional shares may not appreciate over time following our initial business combination, and the market price of our shares of common stock may not exceed the per-share conversion price.
We may require public stockholders who wish to convert their shares of common stock in connection with a proposed business combination to comply with specific requirements for conversion that may make it more difficult for them to exercise their conversion rights prior to the deadline for exercising their rights.
In connection with any stockholder meeting called to approve a proposed initial business combination, each public stockholder will have the right, regardless of whether he is voting for or against such proposed business combination, to demand that we convert his shares of common stock into a share of the trust account. We may require public stockholders who wish to convert their shares of common stock in connection with a proposed business combination to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent at any time prior to the vote taken at the stockholder meeting relating to such business combination or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using the Depository Trust Companys DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holders option. In order to obtain a physical stock certificate, a stockholders broker and/or clearing broker, DTC and our transfer agent will need to act to facilitate this request. It is our understanding that stockholders should generally allot at least two weeks to obtain physical certificates from the transfer agent. However, because we do not have any control over this process or over the brokers or DTC, it may take significantly longer than two weeks to obtain a physical stock certificate. While we have been advised that it takes a short time to deliver shares through the DWAC System, this may not be the case. Under Delaware law and our bylaws, we are required to provide at least 10 days advance notice of any stockholder meeting, which would be the minimum amount of time a stockholder would have to determine whether to exercise conversion rights. Accordingly, if it takes longer than we anticipate for stockholders to deliver their shares, stockholders who wish to convert may be unable to meet the deadline for exercising their conversion rights and thus may be unable to convert their shares.
If we require public stockholders who wish to convert their shares of common stock to comply with the delivery requirements discussed above for conversion, such converting stockholders may be unable to sell their securities when they wish to in the event that the proposed business combination is not approved.
If we require public stockholders who wish to convert their shares of common stock to comply with the delivery requirements discussed above for conversion and such proposed business combination is not consummated, we will promptly return such certificates to the tendering public stockholders. Accordingly, investors who attempted to convert their shares in such a circumstance will be unable to sell their securities after the failed acquisition until we have returned their securities to them. The market price for our shares of common stock may decline during this time and you may not be able to sell your securities when you wish to, even while other stockholders that did not seek conversion may be able to sell their securities.
Because of our structure, other companies may have a competitive advantage and we may not be able to consummate an attractive business combination.
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We expect to encounter intense competition from entities other than blank check companies having a business objective similar to ours, including venture capital funds, leveraged buyout funds and operating businesses competing for acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. Therefore, our ability to compete in acquiring certain sizable target businesses may be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, seeking stockholder approval of our initial business combination may delay the consummation of a transaction. Additionally, our rights, and the future dilution they represent (automatically entitling the holders to receive shares of common stock on consummation of our initial business combination), may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Any of the foregoing may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating our initial business combination.
Our ability to consummate an attractive business combination may be impacted by the market for initial public offerings.
Our efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to any particular industry or geographic region, although it is very likely that our target will want to be a public reporting company. If the market for initial public offerings is limited, we believe there will be a greater number of attractive target businesses open to being acquired by us as a means to achieve publicly held status. Alternatively, if the market for initial public offerings is robust, we believe that there will be fewer attractive target businesses amenable to being acquired by us to become a public reporting company. Accordingly, during periods with strong public offering markets, it may be more difficult for us to complete an initial business combination.
We may be unable to obtain additional financing, if required, to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of the target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination.
Although we believe that the net proceeds of this offering will be sufficient to allow us to consummate a business combination, because we have not yet identified any prospective target business, the capital requirements for any particular transaction remain to be determined. If the net proceeds of this offering prove to be insufficient, either because of the size of the business combination, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, or the obligation to convert into cash a significant number of shares of common stock, we will be required to seek additional financing. Such financing may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to consummate a particular business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. In addition, if we consummate a business combination, we may require additional 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 stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination.
Our sponsors, including our officers and directors, will control a substantial interest in us and thus may influence certain actions requiring a stockholder vote.
Upon consummation of our offering and sale of the private units, our sponsors, including our officers and directors, will collectively own approximately 24.3% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock (including the shares of common stock underlying the private units and assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). None of our sponsors, officers, directors or their affiliates has indicated any intention to purchase units in this offering or any units or shares from persons in the open market or in private transactions. However, our sponsors, officers, directors or their affiliates could determine in the future to make such purchases in the open market or in private transactions, to the extent permitted by law, in order to influence the vote. In connection with any vote for a proposed business combination, our sponsors, as well as all of our officers and directors, have agreed to vote the shares of common stock owned by them immediately before this offering as well as the private shares and any shares of common stock acquired in this offering or in the aftermarket in favor of such proposed business combination.
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Our board of directors is and will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. It is unlikely that there will be an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the consummation of the business combination. Accordingly, you may not be able to exercise your voting rights under corporate law for up to 24 months. If there is an annual meeting, as a consequence of our staggered board of directors, fewer than half of the board of directors will be considered for election and our sponsors, because of their ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. Accordingly, our sponsors will continue to exert control at least until the consummation of our initial business combination.
We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after the consummation of our initial business combination.
In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. Under Section 211(b) of the Delaware General Corporation Law, we are, however, required to hold an annual meeting of stockholders for the purposes of electing directors in accordance with our bylaws unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. It is unlikely that there will be an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, and thus we may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which requires an annual meeting. Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, they may attempt to force us to hold one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court of Chancery in accordance with Section 211(c) of the Delaware General Corporation Law.
Our sponsors paid an aggregate of $25,000, or approximately $0.02 per share, for the insider shares and will pay $10.00 per unit for the private units, for an average price of approximately $2.25 per share (assuming the issuance of 0.1 of a share for each right outstanding), and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our shares of common stock.
The difference between the public offering price per share, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units we are offering by this prospectus and included in the private units, and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of common stock after this offering constitutes the dilution to the investors in this offering. Such calculation does not reflect any dilution associated with the sale and exercise of warrants, including the private warrants. For the purposes of the dilution calculation, in order to present the maximum estimated dilution as a result of this offering, we have assumed the issuance of 0.1 of a share of common stock for each right outstanding, as such issuance will occur automatically upon a business combination without the payment of additional consideration. Accordingly, for the purposes of the dilution calculation, the number of shares included in the units offered hereby will be deemed to be 4,400,000, the price per share in this offering will be deemed to be $9.09 and the number of shares included in the private units will be deemed to be 324,500.
Our sponsors acquired the insider shares and will acquire the private shares for an average of $2.25 per share, significantly contributing to this dilution. Upon consummation of this offering, you and the other new investors will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 74.6% or $6.78 per share (the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share of $2.31 and the initial offering price of $9.09 per share). This is because investors in this offering will be contributing approximately 93.1% of the total amount paid to us for our outstanding shares of common stock after this offering but will only own 76.9% of our outstanding shares of common stock. Accordingly, the per-share purchase price you will be paying substantially exceeds our per share net tangible book value.
If our security holders exercise their registration rights, it may have an adverse effect on the market price of our shares of common stock and the existence of these rights may make it more difficult to effect our initial business combination.
Our sponsors are entitled to make a demand that we register the resale of the insider shares at any time commencing three months prior to the date on which their shares may be released from escrow. Additionally, the purchasers of the private units and our sponsors, officers, directors or their affiliates are entitled to demand
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that we register the resale of the private units (and underlying securities) and any securities our sponsors, officers, directors or their affiliates may be issued in payment of working capital loans made to us commencing on the date that we consummate our initial business combination. The presence of these additional shares of common stock trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities. In addition, the existence of these rights may make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business, as the stockholders of the target business may be discouraged from entering into a business combination with us or will request a higher price for their securities because of the potential effect the exercise of such rights may have on the trading market for our shares of common stock.
If we are deemed to be an investment company, 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.
A company that, among other things, is or holds itself out as being engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, trading or holding certain types of securities would be deemed an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Since we will invest the proceeds held in the trust account, it is possible that we could be deemed an investment company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act of 1940. To this end, the proceeds held in the trust account may be invested by the trustee only in United States government treasury bills, bonds or notes having a maturity of 180 days or less or in money market funds meeting the applicable conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and that invest solely in U.S. treasuries. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, we intend to meet the requirements for the exemption provided in Rule 3a-1 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940.
If we are nevertheless deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, we may be subject to certain restrictions that may make it more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination, including:
| restrictions on the nature of our investments; and |
| restrictions on the issuance of securities. |
In addition, we may have imposed upon us certain burdensome requirements, including:
| registration as an investment company; |
| adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and |
| reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy, compliance policies and procedures and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations. |
Compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expense for which we have not allotted.
The determination for the offering price of our units is more arbitrary compared with the pricing of securities for an operating company in a particular industry.
Prior to this offering there has been no public market for any of our securities. The public offering price of the units was negotiated between us and the representative of the underwriters. Factors considered in determining the price of the shares of units include:
| the history of other similarly structured blank check companies; |
| prior offerings of those companies; |
| our prospects for acquiring an operating business at attractive values; |
| our capital structure; |
| securities exchange listing requirements; |
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| market demand; |
| expected liquidity of our securities; and |
| general conditions of the securities markets at the time of the offering. |
However, although these factors were considered, the determination of our offering price is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities for an operating company in a particular industry since we have no historical operations or financial results to compare them to.
The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within 18 (or a total of up to 24 months) from the closing of this offering may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating our initial business combination.
We have 18 months from the closing of this offering, or a total of up to 24 months if we have elected to extend the time in which we can complete a business combination by the full amount, to complete our initial business combination. Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware of this requirement. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete a business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete a business combination with any other target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the time limit referenced above.
We may not obtain a fairness opinion with respect to the target business that we seek to acquire and therefore you may be relying solely on the judgment of our board of directors in approving a proposed business combination.
We will only be required to obtain a fairness opinion with respect to the target business that we seek to acquire if it is an entity that is affiliated with any of our officers, directors or sponsors. In all other instances, we will have no obligation to obtain an opinion. Accordingly, investors will be relying solely on the judgment of our board of directors in approving a proposed business combination.
We may not be required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm as to the fair market value of the target business we are seeking to acquire.
We will not be required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions on the type of target business we are seeking to acquire, as to the fair market value of such target business if our board of directors independently determines that the target business complies with the 80% threshold. Accordingly, investors will be relying solely on the judgment of our board of directors in valuing such target business or businesses, and our board of directors may not properly value such target business or businesses. The personal and financial interests of our directors in consummating a business combination may result in a conflict of interest when determining the value of such target business or business in this case.
Resources could be spent researching acquisitions that are not consummated, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business.
It is anticipated that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting, and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents, and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys and others. If a decision is made not to complete a specific business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, even if an agreement is reached relating to a specific target business, we may fail to consummate the 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.
Compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 will require substantial financial and management resources and may increase the time and costs of completing an acquisition.
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls and may require that we have such system of internal controls
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audited. If we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal controls, we could be subject to regulatory scrutiny, civil or criminal penalties and/or stockholder litigation. Any inability to provide reliable financial reports could harm our business. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act also requires that our independent registered public accounting firm report on managements evaluation of our system of internal controls, although as an emerging growth company as defined in the JOBS Act, we may take advantage of an exemption to this requirement. A target company may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition. Furthermore, any failure to implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in the implementation of adequate controls over our financial processes and reporting in the future, could harm our operating results or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. Inferior internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of our stock.
We are an emerging growth company and we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies will make our securities less attractive to investors.
We are an emerging growth company, as defined in the JOBS Act. We will remain an emerging growth company for up to five years. However, if our non-convertible debt issued within a three-year period or revenues exceeds $1 billion, or the market value of our shares of common stock that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million on the last day of the second fiscal quarter of any given fiscal year, we would cease to be an emerging growth company as of the following fiscal year. As an emerging growth company, we are not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, we have reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and we are exempt from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. Additionally, as an emerging growth company, we have elected to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until those standards apply to private companies. As such, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with public company effective dates. We cannot predict if investors will find our shares of common stock less attractive because we may rely on these provisions. If some investors find our shares of common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our shares and our share price 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, will not adopt the new or revised standard until the time private companies are required to 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.
If we effect our initial business combination with a company located outside of the United States, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
We may effect our initial business combination with a company located outside of the United States. If we did, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in the target business home jurisdiction, including any of the following:
| rules and regulations or currency conversion or corporate withholding taxes on individuals; |
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| tariffs and trade barriers; |
| regulations related to customs and import/export matters; |
| longer payment cycles; |
| tax issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States; |
| currency fluctuations and exchange controls; |
| challenges in collecting accounts receivable; |
| cultural and language differences; |
| employment regulations; |
| crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks and wars; and |
| deterioration of political relations with the United States. |
We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we are unable to do so, our operations may suffer.
If we effect our initial business combination with a target business located outside of the United States, the laws applicable to such target business will likely govern all of our material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.
If we effect our initial business combination with a target business located outside of the United States, the laws of the country in which such target business is domiciled will govern almost all of the material agreements relating to its operations. The target business may not be able to enforce any of its material agreements in such jurisdiction and appropriate remedies to enforce its rights under such material agreements may not be available in this new jurisdiction. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction may not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the United States. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital. Additionally, if we acquire a company located outside of the United States, it is likely that substantially all of our assets would be located outside of the United States and some of our officers and directors might reside outside of the United States. As a result, it may not be possible for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights, to effect service of process upon our directors or officers or to enforce judgments of United States courts predicated upon civil liabilities and criminal penalties of our directors and officers under Federal securities laws.
Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and Delaware law may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our common stock and could entrench management.
Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. Our board of directors is divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. As a result, at a given annual meeting only one-third of the board of directors may be considered for election. Since our staggered board may prevent our stockholders from replacing a majority of our board of directors at any given annual meeting, it may entrench management and discourage unsolicited stockholder proposals that may be in the best interests of stockholders. Moreover, our board of directors has the ability to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred stock.
We are also subject to anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law, which could delay or prevent a change of control. Together these provisions may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
Because we must furnish our stockholders with target business financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles or international financial reporting
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standards, we will not be able to complete our initial business combination with prospective target businesses unless their financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on a business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. 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, 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. The financial statements may also be required to be prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP for the Form 8-K announcing the closing of an initial business combination, which would need to be filed within four business days thereafter. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire.
There is currently no market for our securities and a market for our securities may not develop, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.
There is currently no market for our securities. Stockholders therefore have no access to information about prior market history on which to base their investment decision. Following this offering, the price of our securities may vary significantly due to one or more potential business combinations and general market or economic conditions. 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.
Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, investments and results of operations.
We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we will be required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
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Investors may not appropriately allocate a tax basis to the components of the unit.
Because investors in this offering will be investing in units comprised of one share of common stock, one right and one warrant, investors will need to allocate a tax basis to each item in proportion to their values at the time of the investment. We are not required to provide any guidance as to the proper allocation of tax basis. Failure to properly allocate a tax basis could result in adverse tax consequences to an investor.
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The statements contained in this prospectus that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our managements 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, intend, may, might, plan, possible, potential, predict, project, should, would and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this prospectus may include, for example, statements about our:
| ability to complete our initial business combination; |
| success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination; |
| officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination, as a result of which they would then receive expense reimbursements; |
| potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination; |
| pool of prospective target businesses; |
| the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential investment opportunities; |
| potential change in control if we acquire one or more target businesses for stock; |
| the potential liquidity and trading of our securities; |
| the lack of a market for our securities; |
| use of proceeds not held in the trust account or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance; or |
| financial performance following this offering. |
The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. Future developments affecting us may not be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the heading Risk Factors. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
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We estimate that the net proceeds of this offering, in addition to the funds we will receive from the sale of the private units (all of which will be deposited into the trust account), will be used as set forth in the following table:
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Without Over-Allotment Option |
Over-Allotment Option Exercised |
|||||||
Gross proceeds |
||||||||
From offering | $ | 40,000,000 | $ | 46,000,000 | ||||
From private placement | 2,950,000 | 2,950,000 | ||||||
Total gross proceeds | 42,950,000 | 48,950,000 | ||||||
Offering expenses(1) |
||||||||
Underwriting discount (3.0% of gross proceeds from offering)(2) | 1,200,000 | 1,380,000 | ||||||
Legal fees and expenses | 140,000 | 140,000 | ||||||
Nasdaq listing fee | 50,000 | 50,000 | ||||||
Printing and engraving expenses | 40,000 | 40,000 | ||||||
Accounting fees and expenses | 35,000 | 35,000 | ||||||
FINRA filing fee | 7,400 | 7,400 | ||||||
SEC registration fee | 5,345 | 5,345 | ||||||
Miscellaneous expenses | 172,255 | 172,255 | ||||||
Total offering expenses | 1,650,000 | 1,830,000 | ||||||
Held in the trust account | 40,800,000 | 46,620,000 | ||||||
Not held in the trust account | 500,000 | 500,000 | ||||||
Total net proceeds | $ | 41,300,000 | $ | 47,120,000 | ||||
Use of net proceeds not held in the trust account and amounts available from interest income earned on the trust account(3)(4) |
||||||||
Legal, accounting and other third party expenses in connection with the search for target businesses and to the due diligence investigation, structuring and negotiation of our initial business combination | $ | 125,000 | 25.0 | % | ||||
Due diligence of prospective target businesses by officers, directors and sponsors | 25,000 | 5.0 | % | |||||
Legal and accounting fees relating to regulatory reporting obligations | 50,000 | 10.0 | % | |||||
Payment of administrative fee to Barington Capital Group, L.P. ($7,500 per month for up to 24 months) | 180,000 | 36.0 | % | |||||
Corporate and franchise taxes | 52,500 | 10.5 | % | |||||
Working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses, D&O insurance, general corporate purposes, liquidation obligations and reserves |
67,500 | 13.5 | % | |||||
Total | $ | 500,000 | 100.0 | % |
(1) | A portion of the offering expenses, including the SEC registration fee, the FINRA filing fee, the non-refundable portion of the Nasdaq listing fee and a portion of the legal and audit fees, have been paid from the funds we received from our sponsors described below. These funds will be repaid out of the proceeds of this offering available to us. |
(2) | No discounts or commissions will be paid with respect to the purchase of the private units. |
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(3) | The amount of proceeds not held in the trust account will remain constant at $500,000 even if the over-allotment is exercised. In addition, interest income earned on the amounts held in the trust account (after payment of taxes owed on such interest income) in an amount up to $500,000 will be available to us to pay for our working capital requirements. We estimate the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $40,800 over a 24-month period assuming an interest rate of approximately 0.05% per year. |
(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 that business combination. 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 be deducted from our excess working capital. |
Our sponsors and EarlyBirdCapital have committed that they and/or their designees will purchase the private units (for an aggregate purchase price of $2,950,000) from us on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. The foregoing purchases will only be made by our sponsors and EarlyBirdCapital (and/or its designees) if they are able to do so in accordance with Regulation M and Sections 9(a)(2) and 10(b) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. All of the proceeds we receive from these purchases will be placed in the trust account described below.
$40,800,000, or $46,620,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, of net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private units, will be placed in a trust account in the United States at JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as trustee. The funds held in the trust account will be invested only in United States government treasury bills, bonds or notes having a maturity of 180 days or less, or in money market funds meeting the applicable conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and that invest solely in U.S. treasuries, so that we are not deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Except with respect to (1) interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our income or other tax obligations and (2) interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us for our working capital requirements, the proceeds will not be released from the trust account until the earlier of the completion of our initial business combination or our redemption of 100% of the outstanding public shares if we have not completed a business combination in the required time period. The proceeds held in the trust account may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we complete our initial business combination to the extent not used to pay converting stockholders. Any amounts not paid as consideration to the sellers of the target business may be used to finance operations of the target business.
The payment to Barington Capital Group, L.P., an affiliate of James A. Mitarotonda, of a monthly fee of $7,500 is for general and administrative services including office space, utilities and administrative support. This arrangement is being agreed to by Barington Capital Group, L.P. for our benefit and is not intended to provide Mr. Mitarotonda with compensation in lieu of a salary. We believe, based on rents and fees for similar services in New York City, that the fee charged by Barington Capital Group, L.P. is at least as favorable as we could have obtained from an unaffiliated person. This arrangement will terminate upon completion of our initial business combination or the distribution of the trust account to our public stockholders. Other than the $7,500 per month fee, no compensation of any kind (including finders and consulting fees or other similar compensation) will be paid to our sponsors, members of our management team or any of our or their respective affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, such individuals will receive reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target businesses, performing business due diligence on suitable target businesses and business combinations as well as traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses to examine their operations. Since the role of present management after our initial business combination is uncertain, we have no ability to determine what remuneration, if any, will be paid to those persons after our initial business combination.
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Regardless of whether the over-allotment option is exercised in full, the net proceeds from this offering available to us out of trust for our working capital requirements in searching for our initial business combination will be approximately $500,000. In addition, interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (after payment of taxes owed on such interest income) up to $500,000 may be released to us to fund our working capital requirements in searching for our initial business combination. We intend to use the after-tax interest earned for miscellaneous expenses such as paying fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business and for director and officer liability insurance premiums, with the balance being held in reserve in the event due diligence, legal, accounting and other expenses of structuring and negotiating business combinations exceed our estimates, as well as for reimbursement of any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by our sponsors, officers and directors in connection with activities on our behalf as described below.
The allocation of the net proceeds available to us outside of the trust account, along with the interest earned on the funds held in the trust account available to us, represents our best estimate of the intended uses of these funds. In the event that our assumptions prove to be inaccurate, we may reallocate some of such proceeds within the above described categories. If our estimate of the costs of undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating our initial business combination is less than the actual amount necessary to do so, or the amount of interest available to us from the trust account is insufficient as a result of the current low interest rate environment, we may be required to raise additional capital, the amount, availability and cost of which is currently unascertainable. In this event, we could seek such additional capital through loans or additional investments from members of our management team, but such members of our management team are not under any obligation to advance funds to, or invest in, us.
We will likely use substantially all of the net proceeds of this offering, including the funds held in the trust account, to acquire a target business and to pay our expenses relating thereto, including a fee payable to EarlyBirdCapital in an amount equal to 4.00% of the total gross proceeds raised in the offering upon consummation of our initial business combination for assisting us in connection with our initial business combination (but not for the purpose of identifying a target business). To the extent that our capital stock is used in whole or in part as consideration to effect our initial business combination, the proceeds held in the trust account which are not used to consummate a business combination will be disbursed to the combined company and will, along with any other net proceeds not expended, be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business. Such working capital funds could be used in a variety of ways including continuing or expanding the target business operations, for strategic acquisitions and for marketing, research and development of existing or new products.
To the extent we are unable to consummate a business combination, we will pay the costs of liquidation from our remaining assets outside of the trust account. If such funds are insufficient, affiliates of Barington Capital Group, L. P. and Hilco Global have agreed to pay the funds necessary to complete such liquidation (in an amount not to exceed $15,000) and have agreed not to seek repayment of such expenses.
As of October 22, 2014, affiliates of Barington Capital Group, L. P. and Hilco Global loaned to us an aggregate of $120,000 to be used to pay a portion of the expenses of this offering referenced in the line items above for SEC registration fee, FINRA filing fee, the non-refundable portion of the Nasdaq listing fee and a portion of the legal and audit fees and expenses. The loans are payable without interest on the earlier of (i) September 29, 2015, (ii) the date on which we consummate our initial public offering or (iii) the date on which we determine to not proceed with our initial public offering. The loan will be repaid out of the proceeds of this offering available to us for payment of offering expenses.
We believe that, upon consummation of this offering, we will have sufficient available funds (which includes amounts that may be released to us from the trust account) to operate for up to the next 24 months, assuming that our initial business combination is not consummated during that time and the period of time to complete a business combination has been extended in full. However, if necessary, in order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering, our sponsors, officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of the offering, without interest, or, at the lenders discretion, up to $500,000 of the notes may be converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional
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private units at a price of $10.00 per unit (which, for example, would result in the holders being issued 55,000 shares of common stock if $500,000 of notes were so converted since the 50,000 rights included in the private units would result in the issuance of 5,000 shares of common stock upon the closing of our business combination as well as 50,000 warrants to purchase 25,000 shares of common stock).
A public stockholder will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account (including interest earned on his, her or its portion of the trust account to the extent not previously released to us) only in the event of (1) our redemption of 100% of the outstanding public shares if we have not completed a business combination in the required time period or (2) if that public stockholder elects to convert shares of common stock in connection with a stockholder vote. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.
We have not paid any cash dividends on our shares of common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. The payment of any dividends subsequent to our initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. It is the present intention of our board of directors to retain all earnings, if any, for use in our business operations and, accordingly, our board of directors does not anticipate declaring any dividends in the foreseeable future. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any stock dividends in the foreseeable future, except if we increase the size of the offering, including pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, in which case we will effect a stock dividend immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain our sponsors ownership at 20.0% of our issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering (excluding ownership of the private units and any unit purchased in 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.
The difference between the public offering price per share, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units we are offering by this prospectus and included in the private units, and the pro forma net tangible book value per share after this offering constitutes the dilution to investors in this offering. Such calculation does not reflect any dilution associated with the sale and exercise of warrants, including the private warrants. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our net tangible book value, which is our total tangible assets less total liabilities (including the value of shares of common stock which may be converted into cash), by the number of outstanding shares of common stock. For the purposes of the dilution calculation, in order to present the maximum estimated dilution as a result of this offering, we have assumed the issuance of 0.1 of a share of common stock for each right outstanding, as such issuance will occur automatically upon a business combination without the payment of additional consideration. Accordingly, for the purposes of the dilution calculation, the number of shares included in the units offered hereby will be deemed to be 4,400,000, the price per share in this offering will be deemed to be $9.09 and the number of shares included in the private units will be deemed to be 324,500.
At October 22, 2014, our net tangible book value was $(5,504), or approximately $(0.01) per share. After giving effect to the sale of 4,000,000 shares of common stock included in the units we are offering by this prospectus, and the deduction of underwriting discounts and estimated expenses of this offering, and the sale of the private units, and assuming the issuance of 429,500 shares of common stock for the outstanding rights, our pro forma net tangible book value at October 22, 2014 would have been $5,000,001 or $2.31 per share, representing an immediate increase in net tangible book value of $2.32 per share to the sponsors and an immediate dilution of 74.6% per share or $6.78 to new investors not exercising their conversion rights. For purposes of presentation, our pro forma net tangible book value after this offering is $4.91 less than it otherwise would have been because if we effect our initial business combination, the conversion rights of the public stockholders (but not our sponsors) may result in the conversion of up to 3,561,235 shares sold in this offering.
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The following table illustrates the dilution to our public stockholders on a per-share basis inclusive of the shares underlying the rights included in the units, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units and the private units.
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Public offering price | $ | 9.09 | ||||||
Net tangible book value before this offering | $ | (0.01 | ) | |||||
Increase attributable to new investors and private sales | 2.32 | |||||||
Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering | 2.31 | |||||||
Dilution to new investors | $ | 6.78 | ||||||
Percentage of dilution to new investors | 74.6 | % |
The following table sets forth information with respect to our sponsors and the new investors:
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Shares Purchased | Total Consideration | Average Price per Share |
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Number | Percentage | Amount | Percentage | |||||||||||||||||
Sponsors and Underwriters | 1,324,500 | (1) | 23.1 | % | $ | 2,975,000 | 6.9 | % | $ | 2.25 | ||||||||||
New investors | 4,400,000 | (2) | 76.9 | % | 40,000,000 | 93.1 | % | $ | 9.09 | |||||||||||
5,724,500 | 100.0 | % | $ | 42,975,000 | 100.0 | % |
(1) | Assumes the over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of 150,000 insider shares have been forfeited as a result thereof. Includes 295,000 private shares issued simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. Assumes the issuance of an additional 29,500 shares underlying the private rights. |
(2) | Assumes the issuance of an additional 400,000 public shares underlying the public rights. |
The pro forma net tangible book value per share after the offering is calculated as follows:
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Numerator: |
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Net tangible book value before the offering | $ | (5,504 | ) | |
Net proceeds from this offering and private placement of private units, net of expenses | 41,300,000 | |||
Plus: Offering costs accrued for and paid in advance, excluded from tangible book value before this offering | 30,000 | |||
Plus: Proceeds from sale of unit purchase option to underwriters | 100 | |||
Less: Proceeds held in the trust account subject to conversion | (36,324,595 | ) | ||
$ | 5,000,001 | |||
Denominator: |
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Shares of common stock outstanding prior to this offering | 1,000,000 | (1) | ||
Shares of common stock to be sold in this offering | 4,000,000 | |||
Shares of common stock underlying the rights to be sold in this offering | 400,000 | |||
Shares of common stock to be sold in private placement | 295,000 | |||
Shares of common stock underlying the rights to be sold in private placement | 29,500 | |||
Less: Shares subject to conversion | (3,561,235 | ) | ||
2,163,265 |
(1) | Assumes that the underwriters over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of 150,000 insider shares have been forfeited as a result thereof. |
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The following table sets forth our capitalization at October 22, 2014 and as adjusted to give effect to the sale of our units offered by this prospectus and the private units and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities:
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October 22, 2014 | ||||||||
Actual | As Adjusted(1) | |||||||
Notes payable to related parties(2) | $ | 120,000 | $ | | ||||
Common stock, $.0001 par value, -0- and 3,561,235 shares which are subject to possible conversion | | 36,324,595 | (4) | |||||
Stockholders equity: |
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Preferred stock, $.0001 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding | | | ||||||
Common stock, $.0001 par value, 8,500,000 shares authorized; 1,150,000 shares issued and outstanding (actual); 1,733,765 shares(3) issued and outstanding (excluding 3,561,235 shares subject to possible conversion), as adjusted | 115 | 173 | ||||||
Additional paid-in capital | 24,885 | 5,000,332 | ||||||
Deficit accumulated during the development stage | (504 | ) | (504 | ) | ||||
Total stockholders equity: | $ | 24,496 | $ | 5,000,001 | ||||
Total capitalization | $ | 144,496 | $ | 41,324,596 | (5) |
(1) | Includes the $2,950,000 we will receive from the sale of the private units. Assumes the over-allotment option has not been exercised. |
(2) | Notes payable to related parties are promissory notes issued in the aggregate amount of $120,000 to certain of our sponsors. The notes are non-interest bearing and are payable on the earliest to occur of (i) September 29, 2015, (ii) the consummation of this offering or (iii) the date on which we determine not to proceed with this offering. |
(3) | Assumes the over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of 150,000 insider shares have been forfeited by our sponsors as a result thereof. |
(4) | Derived by taking 3,561,235 shares of common stock which may be converted, representing the maximum number of shares that may be converted while maintaining at least $5,000,001 in net tangible assets after the offering, multiplied by a conversion price of $10.20. |
(5) | Derived by adding total stockholders equity and the value of the common stock which may be converted for cash. |
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We were formed on July 24, 2014 for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more target businesses. Our efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic region although we intend to focus on consumer focused businesses located in the United States. We intend to utilize cash derived from the proceeds of this offering and the private placement of the private units, our securities, debt or a combination of cash, securities and debt, in effecting our initial business combination. The issuance of additional shares of common stock or preferred stock in our initial business combination:
| may significantly dilute the equity interest of our investors in this offering who would not have pre-emption rights in respect of any such issuance; |
| may subordinate the rights of holders of shares of common stock if we issue shares of preferred stock with rights senior to those afforded to our shares of common stock; |
| will likely cause a change in control if a substantial number of our shares of common stock are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and most likely will also result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; and |
| may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our securities. |
Similarly, if we issue debt securities, it could result in:
| default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after our initial business combination are insufficient to pay our debt obligations; |
| acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we have made all principal and interest payments when due if the debt security contains covenants that required the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves and we breach any such covenant 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; and |
| our inability to obtain additional financing, if necessary, if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain additional financing while such security is outstanding. |
We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our entire activity since inception has been to prepare for our proposed fundraising through an offering of our equity securities.
As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, at October 22, 2014, we had $115,000 in cash and cash equivalents and a working capital deficiency of $5,504. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our financing and acquisition plans. Managements plans to address this uncertainty through this offering are discussed above. Our plans to raise capital or to consummate our initial business combination may not be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
Our liquidity needs have been satisfied to date through receipt of $25,000 from the sale of the insider shares and loans from certain of our sponsors in an aggregate amount of $120,000 that is more fully described below. We estimate that the net proceeds from (1) the sale of the units in this offering, after deducting offering expenses of approximately $450,000 and underwriting discounts and commissions of $1,200,000 (or $1,380,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) and (2) the sale of the private units for a purchase price of $2,950,000, will be $41,300,000 (or $47,120,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full). $40,800,000 (or $46,620,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be held in the trust account. The remaining $500,000 will not be held in the trust account.
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We intend to use substantially all of the net proceeds of this offering, including the funds held in the trust account, to acquire a target business or businesses and to pay our expenses relating thereto, including a fee payable to EarlyBirdCapital in an amount equal to 4.00% of the total gross proceeds raised in the offering upon consummation of our initial business combination. To the extent that our capital stock is used in whole or in part as consideration to effect our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account as well as any other net proceeds not expended will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business. Such working capital funds could be used in a variety of ways including continuing or expanding the target business operations, for strategic acquisitions and for marketing, research and development of existing or new products. Such funds could also be used to repay any operating expenses or finders fees which we had incurred prior to the completion of our initial business combination if the funds available to us outside of the trust account were insufficient to cover such expenses.
We believe that, upon consummation of this offering, the $500,000 of net proceeds not held in the trust account, plus the interest earned on the trust account balance (net of income, and other tax obligations) that may be released to us to fund our working capital requirements (up to $500,000) which we anticipate will be approximately $40,800, will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 24 months, assuming that a business combination is not consummated during that time and we have elected to extend the period of time in which we have to consummate a business combination by the full amount. Over this time period, we will be using these funds for identifying and evaluating prospective acquisition candidates, performing business due diligence on prospective target businesses, traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses, reviewing corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, selecting the target business to acquire and structuring, negotiating and consummating the business combination. We anticipate that we will incur approximately:
| $125,000 of expenses for the search for target businesses and for the legal, accounting and other third-party expenses in connection with the due diligence investigations, structuring and negotiating of our initial business combination; |
| $25,000 of expenses for the due diligence and investigation of a target business by our officers, directors and sponsors; |
| $50,000 of expenses in legal and accounting fees relating to our regulatory reporting obligations; |
| $180,000 for the payment of the administrative fee to Barington Capital Group, L.P. (of $7,500 per month for up to 24 months); |
| $52,500 for corporate and franchise taxes; and |
| $67,500 for general working capital that will be used for miscellaneous expenses, liquidation obligations and reserves, including director and officer liability insurance premiums. |
If our estimates of the costs of undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating our initial business combination is less than the actual amount necessary to do so, or the amount of interest available to us from the trust account is less than we expect as a result of the current interest rate environment, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our initial business combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to consummate our initial business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon consummation of our initial business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only consummate such financing simultaneously with the consummation of our initial business combination. Following our initial business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations.
As of October 22, 2014, our sponsors loaned an aggregate of $120,000 to us, on a non-interest bearing basis, for payment of offering expenses on our behalf. The loan is payable without interest on the earliest of (i) September 29, 2015, (ii) the date on which we consummate our initial public offering or (iii) the date on
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which we determine to not proceed with our initial public offering. The loan will be repaid out of the proceeds of this offering not being placed in the trust account.
We are obligated, commencing on the date of this prospectus, to pay Barington Capital Group, L.P., an affiliate of James A. Mitarotonda, a monthly fee of $7,500 for general and administrative services.
Our sponsors and EarlyBirdCapital have committed that they and/or their designees will purchase an aggregate of 295,000 private units at $10.00 per private unit (for a total purchase price of $2,950,000) from us. These purchases will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. If the over-allotment option is exercised by the underwriters in full or in part, our sponsors and EarlyBirdCapital will not purchase from us any additional private units and as a result the amount in the trust account shall equal approximately $10.13 per share of common stock sold to the public in this offering if the over-allotment option is exercised in full.
We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds following this offering in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsors, officers, directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts, but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Such loans would be evidenced by promissory notes. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of this offering, without interest, or, at the lenders discretion, up to $500,000 of the notes may be converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional private units at a price of $10.00 per unit (which, for example, would result in the holders being issued 55,000 shares of common stock if $500,000 of notes were so converted since the 50,000 rights included in the private units would result in the issuance of 5,000 shares of common stock upon the closing of our business combination as well as 50,000 warrants to purchase 25,000 shares).
We are not currently required to maintain an effective system of internal controls as defined by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We will be required to comply with the internal control requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2015. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not completed an assessment, nor have our auditors 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. Target businesses we may consider for our initial business combination may have internal controls that need improvement in areas such as:
| staffing for financial, accounting and external reporting areas, including segregation of duties; |
| reconciliation of accounts; |
| proper recording of expenses and liabilities in the period to which they relate; |
| evidence of internal review and approval of accounting transactions; |
| documentation of processes, assumptions and conclusions underlying significant estimates; and |
| documentation of accounting policies and procedures. |
Because it will take time, management involvement and perhaps outside resources to determine what internal control improvements are necessary for us to meet regulatory requirements and market expectations for our operation of a target business, we may incur significant expense in meeting our public reporting responsibilities, particularly in the areas of designing, enhancing, or remediating internal and disclosure controls. Doing so effectively may also take longer than we expect, thus increasing our exposure to financial fraud or erroneous financing reporting.
Once our managements report on internal controls is complete, we will retain our independent auditors to audit and render an opinion on such report when required by Section 404. The independent auditors may
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identify additional issues concerning a target businesss internal controls while performing their audit of internal control over financial reporting.
The net proceeds of this offering, including amounts in the trust account, will be invested in United States government treasury bills, bonds or notes having a maturity of 180 days or less, or in money market funds meeting the applicable conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and that invest solely in U.S. treasuries. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk.
As of the date of this prospectus, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K and did not have any commitments or contractual obligations. No unaudited quarterly operating data is included in this prospectus as we have conducted no operations to date.
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 will 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 such, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with public company effective dates.
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We are a Delaware blank check company incorporated on July 24, 2014 formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more target businesses. Although our efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic region, we intend to focus on consumer focused businesses located in the United States, including, without limitation, retail, apparel, footwear and consumer products companies. Our sponsors, which include Barington Capital Group, L.P. and Hilco Global, have significant experience investing in and advising companies in this area.
Barington Capital Group, L.P., or Barington, was founded in 1992 by James A. Mitarotonda, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. From 1992 to 1999, Barington was a boutique investment bank and a registered broker-dealer that raised capital, advised on merger and acquisition transactions and provided financial advisory services for smaller companies. Since January 2000, Barington has managed a value-oriented, activist investment fund that invests in undervalued publicly traded companies that Barington believes could appreciate significantly in value as a result of a change in corporate strategy or from various operational, financial or corporate governance improvements. Baringtons management team and advisors are experienced in identifying the issues that it believes are responsible for a companys weak performance and working with its board of directors and management team to implement initiatives aimed at improving its financial and share price performance. Barington is a frequent investor in consumer focused companies, with prior investments in companies such as Dillards Inc., The Warnaco Group, Inc., The Jones Group, Inc., The Pep Boys Manny, Moe & Jack, Harry Winston Diamond Corporation, Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon Inc., Darden Restaurants, Inc., Steven Madden, Ltd., Payless ShoeSource, Inc., The Stride Rite Corporation, Maxwell Shoe Company Inc. and Nautica Enterprises, Inc.
Hilco Global was founded in 1987 by Jeffrey Hecktman, one of our directors. Hilco Global is a privately-held, diversified financial services company that acts as advisor, agent, investor and/or principal to its clients in order to help its clients maximize the value of their assets. As a whole, Hilco Global is experienced in valuing, repositioning, buying and/or selling brand names, intellectual property, industrial equipment, retail/wholesale inventory, and commercial and retail real estate.
Mr. Hecktman has significant experience revitalizing underleveraged consumer brands and retail companies. Under Mr. Hecktmans leadership, Hilco Global has the ability to recognize both the intrinsic and potential value in an under-performing brand or company, and has assisted its clients in completing numerous merger, acquisition, monetization and private equity transactions within the branded consumer products, retail and apparel sectors. Hilco Globals consumer clients have included HMV, Betsy Johnson, The Bombay Company, Tommy Armour Golf, The Sharper Image and Linens & Things. Based on the advice of Mr. Hecktman and Hilco Global, many of these brands and businesses have derived new revenue streams through strategic initiatives such as creative brand licensing, innovative product development solutions and innovative marketing. Mr. Hecktman has also invested in or served as a strategic advisor or board member to companies including Polaroid, Halston, Miss America, Kraus Flooring, Karstadt Department Stores (the largest department store chain in Germany), BUT (a French department store chain) and The University of Chicago Hospital.
We believe that potential sellers of target businesses will view the fact that our sponsors have assisted numerous publicly traded companies in improving their financial and share price performance as a positive factor in considering whether or not to enter into a business combination with us. However, there is no assurance that we will complete a business combination.
We will also seek to capitalize on the significant experience of our directors. Robert Mettler, a member of our board of directors, has extensive experience in the retail industry, which includes serving as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Macys West, a division of Macys, Inc., President of Merchandising Full Line Stores of Sears, Roebuck and Co., and as President and Chief Executive Officer of Robinsons May Company. Frank R. Mori has extensive experience in the apparel industry, which includes service as Chief Executive Officer and a director of Donna Karan International, Inc. and as Chief Executive Officer and a director of Anne Klein & Co., Inc. Jeffrey D. Nuechterlein has significant investment expertise. He is the
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founder and Managing Partner of Nue Capital LLC, a venture capital and hedge fund, and previously served as Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer, Pension Fund Investments, at National Gypsum Company. Finally, Jared L. Landaw has extensive experience in consummating mergers and acquisitions transactions. He is the Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of Barington. Mr. Landaw previously served as the Vice President Law of International Specialty Products Inc., where he was responsible for, among other things, handling all merger and acquisition and strategic transactions for the Company. Prior to that, Mr. Landaw was an attorney in the Mergers & Acquisitions Practice Group at the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.
We believe our competitive strengths to be the following:
We believe our structure will make us an attractive business combination partner to target businesses. As an existing public company, we offer a target business an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger or other business combination. In this situation, the owners of the target business would exchange their shares of stock in the target business for shares of our stock or for a combination of shares of our stock and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. We believe target businesses might find this method a more certain and cost effective method to becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering. In a typical initial public offering, there are additional expenses incurred in marketing, roadshow and public reporting efforts that will likely not be present to the same extent in connection with a business combination with us. Furthermore, once the business combination is consummated, the target business will have effectively become public, whereas an initial public offering is always subject to the underwriters ability to complete the offering, as well as general market conditions, that could prevent the offering from occurring. Once public, we believe the target business would then have greater access to capital and an additional means of providing management incentives consistent with stockholders interests than it would have as a privately-held company. It can offer further benefits by augmenting a companys profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees.
While we believe that our status as a public company will make us an attractive business partner, some potential target businesses may view the inherent limitations in our status as a blank check company, such as our lack of an operating history and our requirements to seek stockholder approval of any proposed initial business combination and provide holders of public shares the opportunity to convert their shares into cash from the trust account, as a deterrent and may prefer to effect a business combination with a more established entity or with a private company.
We offer a target business a variety of options such as providing the owners of a target business with shares in a public company and a public means to sell such shares, providing cash for stock, and 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 consummate 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, since we have no specific business combination under consideration, we have not taken any steps to secure third party financing and it may not be available to us.
Unlike other blank check companies that sell units comprised of shares of common stock and warrants for full shares and/or rights in their initial public offerings, we are selling units comprised of shares of common stock, rights and warrants for half shares which will entitle holders to receive fewer shares. Although the shares underlying the warrants are not completely eliminated, our management believes that we will be viewed more favorably by potential target companies as compared to other blank check companies they may be considering engaging in a business combination with. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no additional
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consideration will be required to be paid to us by holders of the rights to receive the additional shares upon consummation of our business combination unlike the case with the warrants (which require the payment of additional consideration to receive the shares underlying such warrants). Furthermore, no fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the warrants. Accordingly, unless you acquire at least two warrants, you will not be able to receive a share upon exercise of your warrants. As a result, this unit structure may cause our units to be worth less than if they simply included a warrant to purchase one full share of common stock.
We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any substantive commercial business for an indefinite period of time following this offering. We intend to utilize cash derived from the proceeds of this offering and the private placement of private units, our capital stock, debt or a combination of these in effecting our initial business combination. Although substantially all of the net proceeds of this offering and the private placement of private units are intended to be applied generally toward effecting a business combination as described in this prospectus, the proceeds are not otherwise being designated for any more specific purposes. Accordingly, investors in this offering are investing without first having an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of any one or more business combinations. Our initial business combination may involve the acquisition of, or merger with, a company which does not need substantial additional capital but which desires to establish a public trading market for its shares, while avoiding what it may deem to be adverse consequences of undertaking a public offering itself. These include time delays, significant expense, loss of voting control and compliance with various Federal and state securities laws. In the alternative, we may seek to consummate a business combination with a company that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth. While we may seek to effect simultaneous business combinations with more than one target business, we will probably have the ability, as a result of our limited resources, to effect only a single business combination.
We do not have any specific business combination under consideration and we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf), directly or indirectly, contacted any prospective target business or had any discussions, formal or otherwise, with respect to such a transaction. We do not currently intend to contact any of such targets; however, we may do so in the future if we become aware that the valuations, operations, profits or prospects of such target business, or the benefits of any potential transaction with such target business, would be attractive. Additionally, we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, taken any measure, directly or indirectly, to identify or locate any suitable acquisition candidate, nor have we engaged or retained any agent or other representative to identify or locate such an acquisition candidate. We have also not conducted any research with respect to identifying the number and characteristics of the potential acquisition candidates. As a result, we may not be able to locate a target business, and we may not be able to engage in a business combination with a target business on favorable terms or at all.
Subject to our management teams pre-existing fiduciary duties and the limitations that a target business have a fair market value of at least 80% of the balance in the trust account at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination, as described below in more detail, we will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective acquisition candidate. We have not established any other specific attributes or criteria (financial or otherwise) for prospective target businesses. Accordingly, there is no basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the target business with which we may ultimately complete a business combination. To the extent we effect our initial business combination with a financially unstable company or an entity in its early stage of development or growth, including entities without established records of sales or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business and operations of financially unstable and early stage or potential emerging growth companies. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we may not properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.
While we have not yet identified any acquisition candidates, we believe based on our managements business knowledge and past experience that there are numerous acquisition candidates. We anticipate that
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target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers, venture capital funds, private equity funds, leveraged buyout funds, management buyout funds and other members of the financial community. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being solicited by us through calls or mailings. These sources may also introduce us to target businesses in which they think we may be interested on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read this prospectus and know what types of businesses we are targeting. Our officers and directors, as well as their affiliates, may also bring to our attention target business candidates 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 to our engagement of EarlyBirdCapital described elsewhere in this prospectus, we may engage professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions in the future, in which event we may pay a finders fee, consulting fee or other compensation to be determined in an arms length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. In no event, however, will any of our sponsors or members of our management team or special advisors or our or their respective affiliates be paid any finders fee, consulting fee or other compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). We have no present intention to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with any of our officers, directors or sponsors. However, we are not restricted from entering into any such transactions and may do so if (1) such transaction is approved by a majority of our disinterested and independent directors (if we have any at that time) and (2) we obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated stockholders from a financial point of view. As of the date of this prospectus, there are no affiliated entities that we would consider as a business combination target.
Subject to our management teams pre-existing fiduciary duties and the limitation that a target business have a fair market value of at least 80% of the balance in the trust account at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination, as described below in more detail, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective target business. We have not established any specific attributes or criteria (financial or otherwise) for prospective target businesses. In evaluating a prospective target business, our management may consider a variety of factors, including one or more of the following:
| financial condition and results of operation; |
| growth potential; |
| brand recognition and potential; |
| return on equity or invested capital; |
| market capitalization or enterprise value; |
| experience and skill of management and availability of additional personnel; |
| capital requirements; |
| competitive position; |
| barriers to entry; |
| stage of development of the products, processes or services; |
| existing distribution and potential for expansion; |
| degree of current or potential market acceptance of the products, processes or services; |
| proprietary aspects of products and the extent of intellectual property or other protection for products or formulas; |
| impact of regulation on the business; |
| regulatory environment of the industry; |
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| costs associated with effecting the business combination; |
| industry leadership, sustainability of market share and attractiveness of market industries in which a target business participates; and |
| macro competitive dynamics in the industry within which the company competes. |
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Our management may not consider any of the above criteria in evaluating a prospective target business.
Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular business combination will be based, to the extent relevant, on the above factors as well as other considerations deemed relevant by our management in effecting a business combination consistent with our business objective. In evaluating a prospective target business, we will conduct an extensive due diligence review which will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and inspection of facilities, as well as review of financial and other information which is made available to us. This due diligence review will be conducted either by our management or by unaffiliated third parties we may engage, although we have no current intention to engage any such third parties.
The time and costs required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination remain to be determined. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which a business combination is not ultimately completed will result in a loss to us and reduce the amount of capital available to otherwise complete a business combination.
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 at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination, although we may acquire a target business whose fair market value significantly exceeds 80% of the trust account balance. We currently anticipate structuring a business combination to acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure a business combination where we merge directly with the target business or where we acquire less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. In order to consummate such an acquisition, we may issue a significant amount of our debt or equity securities to the sellers of such businesses and/or seek to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt or equity securities. Since we have no specific business combination under consideration, we have not entered into any such fund raising arrangement and have no current intention of doing so. The fair market value of the target will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community (such as actual and potential sales, earnings, cash flow and/or book value). If our board is not able to independently determine that the target business has a sufficient fair market value, we will obtain an opinion from an unaffiliated, independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions on the type of target business we are seeking to acquire, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We will not be required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions on the type
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of target business we are seeking to acquire, as to the fair market value if our board of directors independently determines that the target business complies with the 80% threshold. However, if we seek to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our officers, directors or sponsors and are therefore required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated stockholders from a financial point of view, we would ask that banking firm to opine on whether the target business met the 80% fair market value test. Nevertheless, we are not required to do so and could determine not to do so without consent of our stockholders.
We expect to complete only a single business combination, although this process may entail the simultaneous acquisitions of several operating businesses. Therefore, at least initially, the prospects for our success may be entirely dependent upon the future performance of a single business operation. Unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations of entities operating in multiple industries or multiple areas of a single industry, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses. By consummating our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:
| subject us to negative economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our initial business combination, and |
| result in our dependency upon the performance of a single operating business or the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services. |
If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses and such businesses 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 acquisitions, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete the business combination. With multiple acquisitions, 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.
Although we intend to scrutinize the management team of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination, our assessment of the target business management team may not prove to be correct. In addition, the future management team may not have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of our officers and directors, if any, in the target business following our initial business combination remains to be determined. While it is possible that some of our key personnel will remain associated in senior management or advisory positions with us following our initial business combination, it is unlikely that they will devote their full time efforts to our affairs subsequent to our initial business combination. Moreover, they would only be able to remain with the company after the consummation of our initial business combination if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for them to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to the company after the consummation of the business combination. While the personal and financial interests of our key personnel may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business, their ability to remain with the company after the consummation 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. Additionally, our officers and directors may not have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.
Following our initial business combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We may not have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that any such additional managers we do recruit will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.
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In connection with any proposed business combination, we will seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which public stockholders (but not our sponsors, officers or directors) may seek to convert their shares of common stock, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, into a portion of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, subject to the limitations described herein.
We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. As a result, if stockholders owning approximately 89.0% (or approximately 90.4% if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) or more of the shares of common stock sold in this offering exercise conversion rights, the business combination will not be consummated. However, the actual percentages will only be able to be determined once a target business is located and we can assess all of the assets and liabilities of the combined company upon consummation of the proposed business combination, subject to the requirement that we must have at least $5,000,001 of net tangible assets upon closing of such business combination. As a result, the actual percentages of shares that can be converted may be significantly lower than our estimates. We chose our net tangible asset threshold of $5,000,001 to ensure that we would avoid being subject to Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. However, if we seek to consummate an initial business combination with a target business that imposes any type of working capital closing condition or requires us to have a minimum amount of funds available from the trust account upon consummation of such initial business combination, our net tangible asset threshold may limit our ability to consummate such initial business combination (as we may be required to have a lesser number of shares converted) and may force us to seek third party financing which may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. Alternatively, we may not be able to consummate a business combination unless the number of shares of common stock seeking conversion rights is significantly less than the 89.0% (or 90.4% if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) indicated above. As a result, we may not be able to consummate such initial business combination and we may not be able to locate another suitable target within the applicable time period, if at all. Public shareholders may therefore have to wait 18 months from the closing of this offering (or 24 months if the period of time which we can complete a business combination has been extended by the full amount) in order to be able to receive a portion of the trust account.
Our sponsors and our officers and directors have agreed (1) to vote any shares of common stock owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination and (2) not to convert any shares of common stock into the right to receive cash from the trust account in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination or a vote to amend the provisions of our certificate of incorporation relating to stockholders rights or pre-business combination activity.
None of our officers, directors, sponsors or their affiliates has indicated any intention to purchase units or shares of common stock in this offering or from persons in the open market or in private transactions. However, if we hold a meeting to approve a proposed business combination and a significant number of stockholders vote, or indicate an intention to vote, against such proposed business combination, our officers, directors, sponsors or their affiliates could make such purchases in the open market or in private transactions in order to influence the vote. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our officers, directors, sponsors and their affiliates will not make purchases of shares of common stock if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act, which are rules designed to stop potential manipulation of a companys stock.
At any meeting called to approve an initial business combination, any public stockholder, whether voting for or against such proposed business combination, will be entitled to demand that his shares of common stock be converted for a full pro rata portion of the amount then in the trust account (initially $10.20 per share (or approximately $10.13 per share if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us or necessary to pay our taxes).
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Notwithstanding the foregoing, a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of his or any other person with whom he is acting in concert or as a group (as defined in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act) will be restricted from seeking conversion rights with respect to 15% or more of the shares of common stock sold in this offering. Such a public stockholder would still be entitled to vote against a proposed business combination with respect to all shares of common stock owned by him or his affiliates. We believe this restriction will prevent stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares before the vote held to approve a proposed business combination and attempt to use the conversion right as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then current market price. By limiting a stockholders ability to convert no more than 15% of the shares of common stock sold in this offering, we believe we have limited the ability of a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block a transaction which is favored by our other public stockholders.
Our sponsors, including our officers and directors, will not have the right to receive cash from the trust account in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination or a vote to amend the provisions of our certificate of incorporation relating to stockholders rights or pre-business combination activity with respect to any shares of common stock owned by them, directly or indirectly, whether acquired prior to this offering or purchased by them in this offering or in the aftermarket.
We may also require public stockholders who wish to convert, whether they are a record holder or hold their shares in street name, to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent at any time through the vote on the business combination or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using Depository Trust Companys DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holders option. The proxy solicitation materials that we will furnish to stockholders in connection with the vote for any proposed business combination will indicate whether we are requiring stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. Accordingly, a stockholder would have from the time the stockholder received our proxy statement through the vote on the business combination to deliver his shares if he wishes to seek to exercise his conversion rights. Under Delaware law and our bylaws, we are required to provide at least 10 days advance notice of any stockholder meeting, which would be the minimum amount of time a stockholder would have to determine whether to exercise conversion rights.
There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced delivery process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker $45.00 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders to deliver their shares prior to the vote on the business combination in order to exercise conversion rights. This is because a holder would need to deliver shares to exercise conversion rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated. However, in the event we require stockholders to deliver their shares prior to the vote on the proposed business combination and the proposed business combination is not consummated, this may result in an increased cost to stockholders.
The foregoing is different from the procedures used by many blank check companies. Traditionally, in order to perfect conversion rights in connection with a blank check companys business combination, the company would distribute proxy materials for the stockholders vote on an initial business combination, and a holder could simply vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holder was seeking to exercise his conversion rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would contact such stockholder to arrange for him to deliver his certificate to verify ownership. As a result, the stockholder then had an option window after the consummation of the business combination during which he could monitor the price of the companys stock in the market. If the price rose above the conversion price, he could sell his shares in the open market before actually delivering his shares to the company for cancellation. As a result, the conversion rights, to which stockholders were aware they needed to commit before the stockholder meeting, would become a continuing right surviving past the consummation of the business combination until the holder delivered its certificate. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a holders election to convert his shares is irrevocable once the business combination is approved.
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Any request to convert such shares once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the vote on the proposed business combination. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivered his certificate in connection with an election of their conversion and subsequently decides prior to the vote on the proposed business combination not to elect to exercise such rights, he may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically).
If the initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public stockholders who elected to exercise their conversion rights would not be entitled to convert their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account. In such case, we will promptly return any shares delivered by public holders.
If we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 18 months, we may extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to two times, each by an additional three months (for a total of up to 24 months to complete a business combination). In order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our initial stockholders or their affiliates or designees must deposit into the trust account $100,000 prior to the applicable deadline for each three month extension. Our initial stockholders and their affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination.
If we do not complete a business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to a total of 24 months if the period of time which we can complete a business combination has been extended by the full amount), we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In connection with our redemption of 100% of our outstanding public shares for a portion of the funds held in the trust account, each holder will receive a full pro rata portion of the amount then in the trust account, plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us for our working capital requirements or necessary to pay our taxes payable on such funds (subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors). There will be no distribution from the trust account with respect to our rights or warrants, which will expire worthless.
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of 100% of our outstanding public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period may be considered a liquidation distribution under Delaware law. If the corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the Delaware General Corporation Law intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholders pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution.
Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of 100% of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period is not considered a liquidation distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidation distribution. If we are unable to complete a business combination within the prescribed time frame, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding
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up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Accordingly, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following our 18th, 21st or 24th month and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with those procedures. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of such date.
Because we will not be complying with Section 280 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, Section 281(b) of the Delaware General Corporation Law requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the subsequent 10 years. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses.
We will seek to have all third parties (including any vendors or other entities we engage after this offering) and any prospective target businesses enter into valid and enforceable agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the trust account. The underwriters in this offering have already executed such a waiver agreement. As a result, the claims that could be made against us will be limited, thereby lessening the likelihood that any claim would result in any liability extending to the trust. We therefore believe that any necessary provision for creditors will be reduced and should not have a significant impact on our ability to distribute the funds in the trust account to our public stockholders. Nevertheless, there is no guarantee that vendors, service providers and prospective target businesses will execute such agreements. In the event that a potential contracted party was to refuse to execute such a waiver, we will execute an agreement with that entity only if our management first determines that we would be unable to obtain, on a reasonable basis, substantially similar services or opportunities from another entity willing to execute such a waiver. Examples of instances where we may engage a third party that refused to execute a waiver would be the engagement of a third party consultant who cannot sign such an agreement due to regulatory restrictions, such as our auditors who are unable to sign due to independence requirements, or whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or a situation in which management does not believe it would be able to find a provider of required services willing to provide the waiver. There is also no guarantee that, even if they execute such agreements with us, they will not seek recourse against the trust account. As a result, if we liquidate, the per-share distribution from the trust account could be less than $10.20 (or approximately $10.13 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) due to claims or potential claims of creditors. We will distribute to all of our public stockholders, in proportion to their respective equity interests, an aggregate sum equal to the amount then held in the trust account, inclusive of any interest not previously released to us, plus any remaining net assets (subject to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors as described below).
We anticipate notifying the trustee of the trust account to begin liquidating such assets promptly after such date and anticipate it will take no more than 10 business days to effectuate such distribution. Our sponsors have waived their rights to participate in any liquidation distribution with respect to their insider shares. We will pay the costs of any subsequent liquidation from our remaining assets outside of the trust account and from the interest income on the balance of the trust account (net income and other tax obligations) that may be released to us to fund our working capital requirements. If such funds are insufficient, affiliates of Barington Capital Group, L. P. and Hilco Global have agreed to pay the funds necessary to complete such liquidation (in an amount not to exceed $15,000) and have agreed not to seek repayment of such expenses.
If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination and are forced to redeem 100% of our outstanding public shares for a portion of the funds held in the trust account, each holder will receive a full
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pro rata portion of the amount then in the trust account, plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us or necessary to pay our taxes. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to claims of our creditors that are in preference to the claims of public stockholders.
Our public stockholders shall be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only in the event of our failure to complete our initial business combination in the required time period or if the stockholders seek to have us convert their respective shares of common stock upon a business combination which is actually completed by us. In no other circumstances shall a stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.
If we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we may not be able to return to our public stockholders at least $10.20 per share (or approximately $10.13 per share if the over-allotment option is exercised in full).
If we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a preferential transfer or a fraudulent conveyance. As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover all amounts received by our stockholders. Furthermore, because we intend to distribute the proceeds held in the trust account to our public stockholders promptly after 18 or 24 months from the closing of this offering, this may be viewed or interpreted as giving preference to our public stockholders over any potential creditors with respect to access to or distributions from our assets. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. Claims may be brought against us for these reasons.
Our certificate of incorporation contains certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the consummation of our initial business combination. If we seek to amend any provisions of our certificate of incorporation relating to stockholders rights or pre-business combination activity (including the time within which we have to complete a business combination), we will provide dissenting public stockholders with the opportunity to convert their public shares in connection with any such vote. Our sponsors have agreed to waive any conversion rights with respect to any insider shares, private units and any public shares they may hold in connection with any vote to amend our certificate of incorporation. Specifically, our certificate of incorporation provides, among other things, that:
| prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we shall seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which public stockholders may seek to convert their shares of common stock, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, into a portion of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, subject to the limitations described herein; |
| we will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination; |
| if our initial business combination is not consummated within 18 (or 24 if extended in full) months of the closing of this offering, then our existence will terminate and we will distribute all amounts in the trust account and any net assets remaining outside the trust account to all of our public holders of shares of common stock; |
| upon the consummation of this offering, $40,800,000, or $46,620,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, shall be placed into the trust account; |
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| we may not consummate any other business combination, merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar transaction prior to our initial business combination; and |
| prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue (i) any shares of common stock or any securities convertible into common stock, or (ii) any securities that participate in any manner in the proceeds of the trust account, or that vote as a class with the common stock sold in this offering on our initial business combination. |
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources than us and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there may be numerous potential target businesses that we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering, our ability to compete in acquiring certain sizable target businesses may be limited by our available financial resources.
The following also may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses:
| our obligation to seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination may delay the completion of a transaction; |
| our obligation to convert shares of common stock held by our public stockholders may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination; |
| our outstanding rights, warrants and unit purchase options, and the potential future dilution they represent; |
| our obligation to ensure that if we enter into a definitive agreement for a business combination in which we will not be the surviving entity, the definitive agreement will provide for the holders of rights to receive the same per share consideration the holders of the common stock will receive in the transaction on an as-converted into common stock basis (for instance, if the business combination would result in each share of common stock outstanding being exchanged for two shares of common stock, each right would result in the holder receiving two-tenths ( 2/10) of a share of common stock upon consummation of such business combination); |
| our obligation to pay a fee of $1,600,000 (or $1,840,000 if the over-allotment option has been exercised in full) to EarlyBirdCapital for assisting us in connection with our initial business combination; |
| our obligation to either repay or issue private units upon conversion of up to $500,000 of working capital loans that may be made to us by our sponsors, officers, directors or their affiliates; |
| our obligation to register the resale of the insider shares, as well as the private units (and underlying securities) and any shares issued to our sponsors, officers, directors or their affiliates upon conversion of working capital loans; and |
| the impact on the target business assets as a result of unknown liabilities under the securities laws or otherwise depending on developments involving us prior to the consummation of a business combination. |
Any of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating our initial business combination. Our management believes, however, that our status as a public entity and potential access to the United States public equity markets may give us a competitive advantage over privately-held entities having a similar business objective as ours in acquiring a target business with significant growth potential on favorable terms.
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If we succeed in effecting our initial business combination, there will be, in all likelihood, intense competition from competitors of the target business. Subsequent to our initial business combination, we may not have the resources or ability to compete effectively.
We currently maintain our principal executive offices at 888 Seventh Avenue, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019. The cost for this space is included in the $7,500 per-month fee Barington Capital Group, L.P., an affiliate of James A. Mitarotonda, will charge us for general and administrative services commencing upon the date of this prospectus pursuant to a letter agreement between us and Barington Capital Group, L.P.. We believe, based on rents and fees for similar services in New York, that the fee charged by Barington Capital Group, L.P. is at least as favorable as we could have obtained from an unaffiliated person. We consider our current office space, combined with the other office space otherwise available to our executive officers, adequate for our current operations.
We have two executive officers. These individuals are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters and intend to devote only as much time as they deem necessary to our affairs. The amount of time they will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for the business combination and the stage of the business combination process the company is in. Accordingly, once a suitable target business to acquire has been located, management will spend more time investigating such target business and negotiating and processing the business combination (and consequently spend more time on our affairs) than had been spent prior to locating a suitable target business. We presently expect our executive officers to devote an average of approximately 10 hours per week to our business. We do not intend to have any full time employees prior to the consummation of our initial business combination.
We have registered our units, common stock, rights and warrants under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual report will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accountants.
We will provide stockholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of any proxy solicitation materials sent to stockholders to assist them in assessing the target business. These financial statements will need to be prepared in accordance with United States GAAP and/or IFRS as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or reconciled to United States GAAP. The financial statements may also be required to be prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP for the Form 8-K announcing the closing of an initial business combination, which would need to be filed within four business days thereafter. A particular target business identified by us as a potential acquisition candidate may not have the necessary financial statements. To the extent that this requirement cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business.
We may be required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act to have our internal control procedures audited for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016. A target company may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.
There is no material litigation, arbitration, governmental proceeding or any other legal proceeding currently pending or known to be contemplated against us or any members of our management team in their capacity as such, and we and the members of our management team have not been subject to any such proceeding in the 10 years preceding the date of this prospectus.
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The following table compares and contrasts the terms of our offering and the terms of an offering of blank check companies under Rule 419 promulgated by the SEC assuming that the gross proceeds, underwriting discounts and underwriting expenses for the Rule 419 offering are the same as this offering and that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option. None of the terms of a Rule 419 offering will apply to this offering because we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,001 upon the successful consummation of this offering and will file a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact.
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Terms of the Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering |
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Escrow of offering proceeds | $40,800,000 of the net offering proceeds and proceeds from the sale of the private units will be deposited into a trust account in the United States at JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee. | $34,920,000 of the offering proceeds 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 | The $40,800,000 of net offering proceeds and proceeds from the sale of the private units held in the trust account will only be invested in United States government treasury bills, bonds or notes with a maturity of 180 days or less or in money market funds meeting the applicable conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and that invest solely in U.S. treasuries. | Proceeds could be invested only in specified securities such as a money market fund meeting conditions of the Investment Company Act of 1940 or in securities that are direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed as to principal or interest by, the United States. | ||
Limitation on fair value or net assets of target business | The initial target business that we acquire must have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in our trust account at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination. | We would be restricted from acquiring a target business unless the fair value of such business or net assets to be acquired represent at least 80% of the maximum offering proceeds. |
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Terms of the Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering |
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Trading of securities issued | The units may commence trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The common stock, rights and warrants comprising the units will begin to trade separately on the 90th day after the date of this prospectus unless EarlyBirdCapital informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading (based upon its assessment of the relative strengths of the securities markets and small capitalization companies in general, and the trading pattern of, and demand for, our securities in particular), provided we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K, which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the proceeds of this offering. | No trading of the securities would be permitted until the completion of our initial business combination. During this period, the securities would be held in the escrow or trust account. | ||
Exercise of the warrants | The warrants cannot be exercised until the completion of a business combination and, accordingly, will be exercised only after the trust account has been terminated and distributed. | The warrants could be exercised prior to the completion of a business combination, but securities received and cash paid in connection with the exercise would be deposited in the escrow or trust account. | ||
Election to remain an investor | We will give our stockholders the opportunity to vote on the business combination. We will send each stockholder a proxy statement containing information required by the SEC. Under Delaware law and our bylaws, we must provide at least 10 days advance notice of any meeting of stockholders. Accordingly, this is the minimum amount of time we would need to provide holders to determine whether to exercise their rights to convert their shares into cash or to remain an investor in our company. | A prospectus containing information 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 the post-effective amendment, to decide whether he or she elects to remain a stockholder of the company or require the return of his or her 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 would automatically be returned to the stockholder. Unless a sufficient number of investors elect to remain investors, all of the deposited funds in the escrow account must be returned to all investors and none of the securities will be issued. | ||
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Terms of the Offering | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering |
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Business combination deadline | Pursuant to our certificate of incorporation, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to a total of 24 months if the period to complete our business combination has been extended by the full amount as described elsewhere), we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. | If an acquisition has not been consummated within 18 months after the effective date of the initial registration statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account would be returned to investors. | ||
Interest earned on the funds in the trust account | There can be released to us, from time to time, any interest earned on the funds in the trust account (1) that we may need to pay our tax obligations and (2) any remaining interest up to $500,000 that we need for our working capital requirements. | All interest earned on the funds in the trust account will be held in the trust account for the benefit of public stockholders until the earlier of the completion of our initial business combination and our liquidation upon failure to effect our initial business combination within the allotted time. | ||
Release of funds | Except for (1) interest earned on the funds in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our tax obligations and (2) any remaining interest up to $500,000 that we may need for our working capital requirements that may be released to us from the interest earned on the trust account balance, the proceeds held in the trust account will not be released until the earlier of the completion of our initial business combination and our liquidation upon failure to effect our initial business combination within the allotted time. | The proceeds held in the escrow account would not be released until the earlier of the completion of our initial business combination or the failure to effect our initial business combination within the allotted time. |
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Our current directors and executive officers are as follows:
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Name | Age | Position | ||
James A. Mitarotonda | 60 | Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer | ||
Jared L. Landaw | 49 | Secretary and Director | ||
Jeffrey B. Hecktman | 60 | Director | ||
Robert Mettler | 73 | Director | ||
Frank R. Mori | 73 | Director | ||
Jeffrey D. Nuechterlein | 57 | Director |
James A. Mitarotonda has served as our Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer since our inception. Mr. Mitarotonda is Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Barington Capital Group, L.P., an investment management firm that he co-founded in November 1991. Mr. Mitarotonda is also Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Barington Companies Investors, LLC, the general partner of Barington Companies Equity Partners, L.P., a value-oriented activist investment fund. Mr. Mitarotonda currently serves as a director of A. Schulman, Inc., where he serves on the Compensation Committee and the Strategic Committee, and The Pep Boys Manny, Moe & Jack, where he serves on the Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee and was the Chairman of the Board from July 2008 until June 2009. During the past five years, he also served as a director of The Jones Group, Inc., Ameron International Corporation, Griffon Corporation and Gerber Scientific, Inc. He is also a former director of Register.com, Inc. and Sielox, Inc. Mr. Mitarotonda also serves as the Chairman of the Business Advisory Board of Queens College.
We believe that Mr. Mitarotonda is well qualified to serve as a director of the Company based on his public company director experience, his investment banking expertise and his experience investing in consumer focused companies.
Jared L. Landaw has served as our Secretary and a member of our board since our inception. Mr. Landaw is the Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of Barington where he has been employed since 2004. From 1998 until 2003, Mr. Landaw worked at International Specialty Products Inc., or ISP, a manufacturer of specialty chemicals and performance enhancing products, where he was the Vice President of Law. At ISP, Mr. Landaw was responsible for, among other things, handling all merger and acquisition and strategic transactions and was the recipient of the Chairmans Award for outstanding work and notable contribution to the affairs of the Company. Prior to that, he was an attorney in the Mergers & Acquisitions Practice Group at the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Mr. Landaw currently serves as a director of Costar Technologies, Inc., where he serves as Chairman of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and as a member of the Strategic Committee which oversees mergers, acquisitions and other strategic transactions. He is a also a member of the Board of Trustees of Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City, Inc.
We believe that Mr. Landaw is well qualified to serve as a director of the Company based on, among other things, his extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions and his expertise in corporate governance.
Jeffrey B. Hecktman has served as a director since September, 2014. Mr. Hecktman is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Hilco Global, an independent financial services company that helps companies maximize the value of their assets. Mr. Hecktman founded Hilco in 1987 to conduct business asset liquidations. Today, Hilco Global has expanded its services with a portfolio of twenty companies that focus on asset valuation, asset monetization, and advisory solutions for clients around the world. Mr. Hecktman is an active member of the National Retail Federation, the Commercial Finance Association, the Turnaround Management Association and the American Bankruptcy Institute.
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We believe that Mr. Hecktman is well qualified to serve as a director of the Company based on his experience advising retail and other consumer focused businesses, the considerable resources he brings to bear as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Hilco Global and his management experience as a chief executive officer.
Robert Mettler has served as a director since September, 2014. Mr. Mettler was President of Special Projects of Macys, Inc. from February 2008 until his retirement in January 2009. He previously served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Macys West, a division of Macys, Inc., from 2002 to 2008 and as President and Chief Operating Officer of Macys West from 2000 to 2002. Prior to joining Macys, Mr. Mettler held various executive positions in the retail industry, including President of Merchandising Full Line Stores of Sears, Roebuck and Co. from 1996 to 2000, President of Apparel and Home Fashions of Sears from 1993 to 1996, and President and Chief Executive Officer of Robinsons May Company from 1987 to 1993. During the past five years, Mr. Mettler has served on the Board of Directors of Stein Mart, Inc., Quiksilver, Inc., and The Jones Group.
We believe Mr. Mettler is well qualified to serve as a director of the Company based on his experience in the retail industry, including more than 20 years in executive positions with major department stores, his merchandising and marketing expertise, and his experience as a public company director.
Frank R. Mori has served as a director since September, 2014. Mr. Mori is the Co-Chief Executive of Takihyo, LLC, a private investment firm headquartered in New York City. From 1986 to 2000, he served as a director of Donna Karan International, Inc. and served for part of this time as the companys first Chief Executive Officer. From 1975 to 2002, he served as Chief Executive Officer and director of Anne Klein & Co., Inc. Mr. Mori has been a member of the Board of Directors of Dillards, Inc. since 2008, where he serves as a member of the Boards Stock Option and Executive Compensation Committee. From 2002 to 2007, Mr. Mori served as a member of the Board of Directors of The Stride Rite Corporation, where he served from 2005 to 2007 as lead outside director and spearheaded the sale of the company in 2007 to Collective Brands, Inc.
We believe Mr. Mori is well qualified to serve as a director of the Company based on his broad knowledge and perspectives as an apparel manufacturer, his sourcing and manufacturing expertise and his experience as a chief executive officer.
Jeffrey D. Nuechterlein has served as a director since September, 2014. In 2000, Mr. Nuechterlein founded and since inception has been Managing Partner of an investment management company now called Nue Capital LLC. Nue Capital manages public and private equity investments and frequently invests in retail and consumer focused companies. Previously, Mr. Nuechterlein served as Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer, Pension Fund Investments, at National Gypsum Company from 1997 until 2000, Senior Counsel to the U.S. Trade Representative from 1995 until 1996, was an attorney with Dewey Ballantine, LLP from 1992 until 1995, served as Special Assistant for Policy to the Governor of Virginia from 1990 to 1991, served as Counsel to the U.S. Senates Judiciary Subcommittee on Technology from 1989 until 1990, and he practiced law with Covington & Burling from 1987 until 1989. Mr. Nuechterlein serves on the Board of Trustees of Chesapeake Lodging Trust, where he is a member of the Audit Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and he is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Cartica Capital, a privately-held equity manager that is focused on investments in emerging markets. In addition, he is a former member of the Board of Directors of The Jones Group, Inc., where he served on the Audit Committee. Among his non-profit activities, Mr. Nuechterlein serves on the board of Americans for Oxford, Inc. and the Classical American Homes Preservation Trust in New York, and he is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.
We believe Mr. Nuechterlein is well qualified to serve as a director of the Company based on, among other things, his experience in strategic planning, corporate finance and venture capital investing.
No executive officer has received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Commencing on the date of this prospectus through the acquisition of a target business, we will pay Barington Capital Group, L.P., an affiliate of James A. Mitarotonda, a fee of $7,500 per month for providing us with office space and certain
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office and secretarial services. However, this arrangement is solely for our benefit and is not intended to provide James A. Mitarotonda compensation in lieu of a salary. Other than the $7,500 per month administrative fee, no compensation or fees of any kind, including finders, consulting fees and other similar fees, will be paid to our sponsors, members of our management team or their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, such individuals will receive reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target businesses, performing business due diligence on suitable target businesses and business combinations as well as traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses to examine their operations. There is no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by us; provided, however, that to the extent such expenses exceed the available proceeds not deposited in the trust account and the interest income earned on the amounts held in the trust account, such expenses would not be reimbursed by us unless we consummate an initial business combination.
After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of a stockholder meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation. In this event, such compensation will be publicly disclosed at the time of its determination in a Current Report on Form 8-K, as required by the SEC.
Currently Jeffrey B. Hecktman, Robert Mettler, Frank R. Mori and Jeffrey D. Nuechterlein would each be considered an independent director under the Nasdaq listing rules, which 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 companys board of directors would interfere with the directors exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
We will only enter into a business combination if it is approved by a majority of our independent directors. Additionally, we will only enter into transactions with our officers and directors and their respective affiliates that are on terms no less favorable to us than could be obtained from independent parties. Any related-party transactions must be approved by our audit committee and a majority of disinterested directors.
Effective as of the date of this prospectus, we will establish an audit committee of the board of directors, which will consist of Jeffrey D. Nuechterlein, Robert Mettler and Frank Mori, each of whom is an independent director. Jeffrey D. Nuechterlein will be the chairman of our audit committee. The audit committees duties, which are specified in our Audit Committee Charter, include, but are not limited to:
| reviewing and discussing with management and the independent auditor the annual audited financial statements, and recommending to the board whether the audited financial statements should be included in our Form 10-K; |
| discussing with management and the independent auditor significant financial reporting issues and judgments made in connection with the preparation of our financial statements; |
| discussing with management major risk assessment and risk management policies; |
| monitoring the independence of the independent auditor; |
| verifying the rotation of the lead (or coordinating) audit partner having primary responsibility for the audit and the audit partner responsible for reviewing the audit as required by law; |
| reviewing and approving all related-party transactions; |
| inquiring and discussing with management our compliance with applicable laws and regulations; |
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| pre-approving all audit services and permitted non-audit services to be performed by our independent auditor, including the fees and terms of the services to be performed; |
| appointing or replacing the independent auditor; |
| determining the compensation and oversight of the work of the independent auditor (including resolution of disagreements between management and the independent auditor regarding financial reporting) for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit report or related work; |
| establishing procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by us regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or reports which raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies; and |
| approving reimbursement of expenses incurred by our management team in identifying potential target businesses. |
The audit committee will at all times be composed exclusively of independent directors who are financially literate as defined under the Nasdaq listing standards. The Nasdaq listing standards define financially literate as being able to read and understand fundamental financial statements, including a companys balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement.
In addition, we must certify to Nasdaq that the committee has, and will continue to have, at least one member who has past employment experience in finance or accounting, requisite professional certification in accounting, or other comparable experience or background that results in the individuals financial sophistication. The board of directors has determined that Jeffrey D. Nuechterlein qualifies as an audit committee financial expert, as defined under rules and regulations of the SEC.
Effective as of the date of this prospectus, we will establish a nominating committee of the board of directors, which will consist of Frank Mori, Robert Mettler and Jeffrey D. Nuechterlein, each of whom is an independent director. Frank Mori will be the chairman of the nominating committee. The nominating committee is responsible for overseeing the selection of persons to be nominated to serve on our board of directors. The nominating committee considers persons identified by its members, management, stockholders, investment bankers and others.
The guidelines for selecting nominees, which are specified in our Nominating Committee Charter, generally provide that persons to be nominated:
| should have demonstrated notable or significant achievements in business, education or public service; |
| should possess the requisite intelligence, education and experience to make a significant contribution to the board of directors and bring a range of skills, diverse perspectives and backgrounds to its deliberations; and |
| should have the highest ethical standards, a strong sense of professionalism and intense dedication to serving the interests of our stockholders. |
The Nominating Committee will consider a number of qualifications relating to management and leadership experience, background, integrity and professionalism in evaluating a persons candidacy for membership on the board of directors. The nominating committee may require certain skills or attributes, such as financial or accounting experience, to meet specific board needs that arise from time to time and will also consider the overall experience and makeup of its members to obtain a broad and diverse mix of board members. The nominating committee does not distinguish among nominees recommended by stockholders and other persons.
Effective as of the date of this prospectus, we will establish a compensation committee of the board of directors, who will consist of Robert Mettler, Frank Mori and Jeffrey D. Nuechterlein. Robert Mettler will be
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the chairman of the compensation committee. The compensation committee will determine the salary, fees or other compensation (including any cash-based and equity-based compensation plans and arrangements) to be paid to our officers or directors. No salary, fees or other compensation will be paid to our officers and directors until we consummate our initial business combination. Therefore, the compensation committee will not conduct any meetings until after we consummate our initial business combination.
Except as provided hereafter, none of our executive officers currently serves as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving on our board of directors.
Effective upon consummation of this offering, we will adopt a code of ethics that applies to all of our executive officers, directors and employees. The code of ethics codifies the business and ethical principles that govern all aspects of our business.
Investors should be aware of the following potential conflicts of interest:
| None of our officers and directors is required to commit their full time to our affairs and, accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time among various business activities. |
| In the course of their other business activities, our officers and directors may become aware of investment and business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to our company as well as the other entities with which they are affiliated. Our officers and directors may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. |
| Our officers and directors may in the future become affiliated with entities, including other blank check companies, engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by our company. |
| Unless we consummate our initial business combination, our officers, directors and sponsors will not receive reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them to the extent that such expenses exceed the amount of available proceeds not deposited in the trust account and the amount of interest income from the trust account that may be released to us as working capital. |
| The insider shares beneficially owned by our officers and directors will be released from escrow only if our initial business combination is successfully completed. Additionally, our officers and directors will not receive liquidation distributions with respect to any of their insider shares or private shares. Furthermore, our sponsors have agreed that the private units will not be sold or transferred by them until after we have completed our initial business combination. For the foregoing reasons, our board may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is appropriate to effect our initial business combination with. |
In general, officers and directors of a corporation incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware are required to present business opportunities to a corporation if:
| the corporation could financially undertake the opportunity; |
| the opportunity is within the corporations line of business; and |
| it would not be fair to the corporation and its stockholders for the opportunity not to be brought to the attention of the corporation. |
Accordingly, as a result of multiple business affiliations, our officers and directors may have similar legal obligations relating to presenting business opportunities meeting the above-listed criteria to multiple entities. In addition, conflicts of interest may arise when our board evaluates a particular business opportunity with respect to the above-listed criteria. The above mentioned conflicts may not be resolved in our favor.
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The following table summarizes the other relevant pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations of our officers and directors:
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Name of Affiliated Company | Name of Individual(s) | Priority/Preference relative to Barington/Hilco Acquisition Corp. |
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The Pep Boys Manny, Moe & Jack |
James A. Mitarotonda | Mr. Mitarotonda will be required to present all business opportunities which are suitable for The Pep Boys Manny, Moe & Jack to The Pep Boys Manny, Moe & Jack prior to presenting them to us. The Pep Boys Manny, Moe & Jack is an automotive aftermarket service and retail chain. If The Pep Boys Manny, Moe & Jack rejects the business opportunity and it is suitable for us, Mr. Mitarotonda shall present it to us. | ||
A. Schulman, Inc. | James A. Mitarotonda | Mr. Mitarotonda will be required to present all business opportunities which are suitable for A. Schulman, Inc. to A. Schulman, Inc. prior to presenting them to us. A. Schulman, Inc. is an international supplier of plastic compounds and resins. If A. Schulman, Inc. rejects the business opportunity and it is suitable for us, Mr. Mitarotonda shall present it to us. | ||
Costar Technologies, Inc. | Jared L. Landaw | Mr. Landaw will be required to present all business opportunities which are suitable for Costar Technologies, Inc. to Costar Technologies, Inc. prior to presenting them to us. Costar Technologies, Inc. develops, designs and distributes surveillance cameras and other products for security and industrial applications. If Costar Technologies, Inc. rejects the business opportunity and it is suitable for us, Mr. Landaw shall present it to us. | ||
Dillards, Inc. | Frank R. Mori | Mr. Mori will be required to present all business opportunities which are suitable for Dillards, Inc. prior to presenting them to us. Dillards, Inc. is a fashion apparel, cosmetics and home furnishings retailer. If Dillards, Inc. rejects the business opportunity and it is suitable for us, Mr. Mori shall present it to us. | ||
Chesapeake Lodging Trust | Jeffrey D. Nuechterlein | Mr. Nuechterlein will be required to present all business opportunities which are suitable for Chesapeake Lodging Trust to Chesapeake Lodging Trust prior to presenting them to us. Chesapeake Lodging Trust is a lodging real estate investment trust (REIT). If Chesapeake Lodging Trust rejects the business opportunity and it is suitable for us, Mr. Nuechterlein shall present it to us. |
Our sponsors, as well as all of our officers and directors, have agreed to vote any shares of common stock held by them in favor of our initial business combination. In addition, they have agreed to waive their
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respective rights to participate in any liquidation distribution with respect to their insider shares and private shares. If they purchase shares of common stock in this offering or in the open market, however, they would be entitled to participate in any liquidation distribution in respect of such shares but have agreed not to convert such shares in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination.
All ongoing and future transactions between us and any of our officers and directors or their respective affiliates will be on terms believed by us to be no less favorable to us than are available from unaffiliated third parties. Such transactions will require prior approval by our audit committee and a majority of our uninterested independent directors, or the members of our board who do not have an interest in the transaction, in either case who had access, at our expense, to our attorneys or independent legal counsel. We will not enter into any such transaction unless our audit committee and a majority of our disinterested independent directors determine that the terms of such transaction are no less favorable to us than those that would be available to us with respect to such a transaction from unaffiliated third parties.
To further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate our initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our officers, directors or sponsors, unless we have obtained (i) an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated stockholders from a financial point of view and (ii) the approval of a majority of our disinterested and independent directors (if we have any at that time). Furthermore, in no event will any of our sponsors, members of our management team or their respective affiliates be paid any finders fee, consulting fee or other similar compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is).
Our certificate of incorporation provides that our directors and officers will be indemnified by us to the fullest extent authorized by Delaware law as it now exists or may in the future be amended. In addition, our certificate of incorporation provides that our directors will not be personally liable for monetary damages to us for breaches of their fiduciary duty as directors, unless they violated their duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders, acted in bad faith, knowingly or intentionally violated the law, authorized unlawful payments of dividends, unlawful stock purchases or unlawful redemptions, or derived an improper personal benefit from their actions as directors. Notwithstanding the foregoing, as set forth in our certificate of incorporation, such indemnification will not extend to any claims any officer or director may make to us to cover any loss that he may sustain as a result of his agreement to pay debts and obligations to target businesses or vendors or other entities that are owed money by us for services rendered or contracted for or products sold to us as described elsewhere in this prospectus.
Our bylaws also will permit us to secure insurance on behalf of any officer, director or employee for any liability arising out of his or her actions, regardless of whether Delaware law would permit indemnification. We will purchase a policy of directors and officers liability insurance that insures our directors and officers against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify the directors and officers.
These provisions may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against our directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against directors and officers, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. Furthermore, a stockholders investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against directors and officers 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 directors and officers.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.
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The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our shares of common stock as of the date of this prospectus and as adjusted to reflect the sale of our shares of common stock included in the units offered by this prospectus (assuming none of the individuals listed purchase units in this offering), by:
| each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding shares of common stock and rights; |
| each of our officers and directors; and |
| all of our officers and directors as a group. |
Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock and rights beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect a record of beneficial ownership of any shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants or conversion of rights as these warrants and rights are not exercisable or convertible within 60 days of the date of this prospectus.
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Prior to Offering | After Offering(2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1) |
Amount and Nature of Beneficial Ownership of Common Stock |
Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Shares of Common Stock |
Amount and Nature of Beneficial Ownership of Common Stock(2) |
Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Shares of Common Stock |
Amount and Nature of Beneficial Ownership of Rights |
Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Rights |
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Barington Companies Advisors, LLC | 528,875 | 46.0 | % | 588,625 | 11.1 | % | 12,250 | 41.5 | % | |||||||||||||||
Hilco Global | 458,425 | 39.9 | % | 518,175 | 9.8 | % | 12,250 | 41.5 | % | |||||||||||||||
James A. Mitarotonda | 536,375 | (3) | 46.6 | % | 596,125 | (3) | 11.3 | % | 0 | |||||||||||||||
Jared L. Landaw | 6,500 | * | 6,500 | * | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||
Jeffrey B. Hecktman(4) | 463,425 | (5) | 40.3 | % | 523,175 | (5) | 9.9 | % | 0 | |||||||||||||||
Robert Mettler(6) | 36,300 | 3.2 | % | 47,300 | * | 1,000 | 3.4 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Frank R. Mori(7) | 36,300 | 3.2 | % | 47,300 | * | 1,000 | 3.4 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Jeffrey D. Nuechterlein(8) | 36,300 | 3.2 | % | 47,300 | * | 1,000 | 3.4 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Joseph R. Gromek(9) | 31,300 | 2.7 | % | 42,300 | * | 1,000 | 3.4 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Jennifer R. Calabrese | 3,500 | * | 3,500 | * | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||
All directors and executive officers as a group (six individuals) | 1,115,200 | 97.0 | % | 1,267,700 | 23.5 | % |
* | Less than 1%. |
(1) | Unless otherwise indicated, the business address of each of the individuals is 888 Seventh Avenue, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10019. |
(2) | Includes the 295,000 private units to be purchased by the sponsors and EarlyBirdCapital and/or their designees simultaneously with the consummation of the offering. Assumes no exercise of the over-allotment option and, therefore, the forfeiture of the 150,000 shares of common stock held by our sponsors. |
(3) | Includes the shares of common stock beneficially owned by Barington Companies Advisors, LLC, an affiliate of Barington Capital Group, L.P., of which James A. Mitarotonda, as Managing Member, has sole voting and investment power. |
(4) | The business address of Mr. Hecktman is 5 Revere Drive, Suite 2056, Northbrook, IL 60062. |
(5) | Includes the shares of common stock beneficially owned by Hilco Global, of which Jeffrey B. Hecktman has sole voting and investment power. |
(6) | The business address of Mr. Mettler is P.O. Box 1209, Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92067. |
(7) | The business address of Mr. Mori is 64 Turkey Hill Road South, Westport, CT 06880. |
(8) | The business address of Mr. Nuechterlein is 204 South Union Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. |
(9) | The business address of Mr. Gromek is 1100 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10128. |
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Immediately after this offering, our sponsors will beneficially own approximately 20.0% of the then issued and outstanding shares of common stock (excluding the shares of common stock underlying the private units and assuming they do not purchase any units offered by this prospectus). None of our sponsors, officers and directors has indicated to us that it or he intends to purchase our units in the offering. Because of the ownership block held by our sponsors, such individuals may be able to effectively exercise influence over all matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions other than approval of our initial business combination.
If the underwriters do not exercise all or a portion of the over-allotment option, an aggregate of up to 150,000 insider shares will be forfeited in amounts as determined amongst the holders of such insider shares and not proportional to their ownership percentages in our shares of common stock. Only a number of shares necessary to maintain our sponsors collective 20.0% ownership interest (excluding the private units and any units purchased in this offering) in our shares of common stock after giving effect to the offering and the exercise, if any, of the underwriters over-allotment option will be forfeited.
All of the insider shares outstanding prior to the date of this prospectus will be placed in escrow with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as escrow agent. Subject to certain limited exceptions, 50% of these shares will not be transferred, assigned, sold or released from escrow until the earlier of one year after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination and the closing price of our common stock equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after our initial business combination and the remaining 50% of the insider shares will not be transferred, assigned, sold or released from escrow until one year after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or earlier in either case if, subsequent to our initial business combination, we consummate a subsequent liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property. Up to 150,000 of the insider shares may also be released from escrow earlier than this date for cancellation if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full as described above.
During the escrow period, the holders of these shares will not be able to sell or transfer their securities except (1) amongst themselves, to our officers, directors and employees, to a holders affiliates or its members upon its liquidation, (2) to relatives and trusts for estate planning purposes, (3) by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death, (4) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, (5) by certain pledges to secure obligations incurred in connection with purchases of our securities, (6) by private sales made at or prior to the consummation of our initial business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares were originally purchased or (7) to us for no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, in each case (except for clause 7) where the transferee agrees to the terms of the escrow agreement, but will retain all other rights as our stockholders, including, without limitation, the right to vote their shares of common stock and the right to receive cash dividends, if declared. If dividends are declared and payable in shares of common stock, such dividends will also be placed in escrow. If we are unable to effect a business combination and liquidate, there will be no liquidation distribution with respect to the insider shares.
Our sponsors and EarlyBirdCapital have committed that they and/or their designees will purchase the private units (for an aggregate purchase price of $2,950,000) from us in amounts as determined amongst the parties and not proportional to their ownership percentages in our shares of common stock. These purchases will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. The private units are identical to the units sold in this offering except the private warrants will be non-redeemable and may be exercised on a cashless basis, in each case so long as they continue to be held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees. However, the holders have agreed (A) to vote their private shares in favor of any proposed business combination, (B) not to propose, or vote in favor of, an amendment to our certificate of incorporation with respect to our pre-business combination activities prior to the consummation of such a business combination, unless we provide dissenting stockholders with the opportunity to convert their public shares in connection with any such vote, (C) not to convert any private shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve our proposed initial business combination and (D) that such private shares shall not participate in any liquidating distribution upon winding up if a business combination is not consummated.
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Additionally, the purchasers of the private units have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the private units until after the completion of our initial business combination.
In order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering, our sponsors, officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would be paid upon consummation of this offering, without interest, or, at the lenders discretion, up to $500,000 of the notes may be converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional private units at a price of $10.00 per unit (which, for example, would result in the holders being issued 55,000 shares of common stock if $500,000 of notes were so converted since the 50,000 rights included in the private units would result in the issuance of 5,000 shares upon the closing of our business combination, as well as 50,000 warrants to purchase 25,000 shares).
James A. Mitarotonda is our promoter, as that term is defined under the Federal securities laws.
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In September 2014, we issued 1,150,000 shares of our common stock to our sponsors for $25,000 in cash, at a purchase price of approximately $0.02 per share, in connection with our organization, as follows:
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Name | Number of Shares |
Relationship to Us | ||||||
James A. Mitarotonda | 7,500 | Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | ||||||
Barington Companies Advisors, LLC | 528,875 | Affiliate of Mr. Mitarotonda | ||||||
Hilco Trading LLC | 458,425 | Affiliate of Mr. Hecktman | ||||||
Jared L. Landaw | 6,500 | Secretary and Director | ||||||
Jeffrey B. Hecktman | 5,000 | Director | ||||||
Jeffrey D. Nuechterlein | 36,300 | Director | ||||||
Frank R. Mori | 36,300 | Director | ||||||
Robert Mettler | 36,300 | Director | ||||||
Joseph R. Gromek | 31,300 | |||||||
Jennifer R. Calabrese | 3,500 |
If the underwriters do not exercise all or a portion of their over-allotment option, our sponsors will forfeit up to an aggregate of 150,000 insider shares in proportion to the portion of the over-allotment option that was not exercised. If such shares are forfeited, we will record the forfeited shares as treasury stock and simultaneously retire the shares. Upon receipt, such forfeited shares would then be immediately cancelled which would result in the retirement of the treasury shares and a corresponding charge to additional paid-in capital.
If the underwriters determine the size of the offering should be increased (including pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act) or decreased, a share dividend or a contribution back to capital, as applicable, would be effectuated in order to maintain our sponsors ownership at a percentage of the number of shares of common stock to be sold in this offering. An increase in offering size of up to 20% could result in the per-share conversion or liquidation price decreasing by as much as $0.04.
Our sponsors and EarlyBirdCapital have committed that they and/or their designees will purchase, pursuant to a written subscription agreement with us and Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP, as escrow agent, the 295,000 private units (285,000 units by our sponsors and 10,000 units by EarlyBirdCapital), for a total purchase price of $2,950,000, from us. These purchases will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. The purchase price for the private units will be delivered to Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP, our counsel in connection with this offering, who will also be acting solely as escrow agent in connection with the private sale of private units, at least 24 hours prior to the date of this prospectus to hold in a non-interest bearing account until we consummate this offering. Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP will deposit the purchase price into the trust account simultaneously with the consummation of the offering. The private units are identical to the units sold in this offering except the private warrants will be non-redeemable and may be exercised on a cashless basis, in each case so long as they continue to be held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees. However, the holders have agreed (A) to vote their private shares in favor of any proposed business combination, (B) not to propose, or vote in favor of, an amendment to our certificate of incorporation with respect to our pre-business combination activities prior to the consummation of such a business combination, unless we provide dissenting stockholders with the opportunity to convert their public shares in connection with any such vote, (C) not to convert any private shares into the right to receive cash from the trust account in connection with a stockholder vote to approve our proposed initial business combination or a vote to amend the provisions of our certificate of incorporation relating to stockholders rights or pre-business combination activity and (D) that such private shares shall not participate in any liquidating distribution upon winding up if a business combination is not consummated. Additionally, the purchasers have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the private units (except to certain permitted transferees) until the completion of our initial business combination.
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Our sponsors have agreed that if, in order to consummate any initial business combination, the holders of insider shares or private units are required by the sellers of any target business to contribute back to our capital a portion of any such securities for cancellation by our company, they will contribute back to our capital a proportionate number of insider shares or private units, as applicable, pro rata with the other holders of insider shares or private units, as applicable. However, they will only be able to contribute back to our capital such securities if such contribution is consistent with Regulation M and Section 10(b) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act.
In order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering, our sponsors, officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes either would be paid upon consummation of this offering, without interest, or, at the lenders discretion, up to $500,000 of the notes may be converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional private units at a price of $10.00 per unit (which, for example, would result in the holders being issued 55,000 shares of common stock if $500,000 of notes were so converted since the 50,000 rights included in the private units would result in the issuance of 5,000 shares of common stock upon the closing of our business combination as well as 50,000 warrants to purchase 25,000 shares).
The holders of our insider shares issued and outstanding on the date of this prospectus, as well as the holders of the private units (and underlying securities) and any shares our sponsors, officers, directors or their affiliates may be issued in payment of working capital loans made to us, will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to an agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering. The holders of a majority of these securities are entitled to make up to two demands that we register such securities. Notwithstanding the foregoing, EarlyBirdCapital may only exercise such demand rights on one occasion. The holders of the majority of the insider shares can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time commencing three months prior to the date on which these shares of common stock are to be released from escrow. The holders of a majority of the private units or shares issued in payment of working capital loans made to us can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time after we consummate a business combination. In addition, the holders have certain piggy-back registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our consummation of our initial business combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
As of October 22, 2014, affiliates of Barington Capital Group, L.P. and Hilco Global loaned to us an aggregate of $120,000 to cover expenses related to this offering. The loans are payable without interest on the earliest of (i) September 29, 2015, (ii) the date on which we consummate our initial public offering or (iii) the date on which we determine to not proceed with our initial public offering. We intend to repay this loan from the proceeds of this offering not being placed in the trust account.
Barington Capital Group, L.P., an affiliate of James A. Mitarotonda, has agreed that, commencing on the date of this prospectus through the earlier of our consummation of our initial business combination or our liquidation, it will make available to us certain general and administrative services, including office space, utilities and administrative support, as we may require from time to time. We have agreed to pay Barington Capital Group, L.P. $7,500 per month for these services. James A. Mitarotonda is the majority holder of Barington Capital Group, L.P. Accordingly, James A. Mitarotonda will benefit from the transaction to the extent of his interest in Barington Capital Group, L.P. However, this arrangement is solely for our benefit and is not intended to provide James A. Mitarotonda compensation in lieu of a salary. We believe, based on rents and fees for similar services in the New York City metropolitan area, that the fee charged by Barington Capital Group, L.P. is at least as favorable as we could have obtained from an unaffiliated person.
Other than the fees described above, no compensation or fees of any kind, including finders fees, consulting fees or other similar compensation, will be paid to any of our sponsors, officers, directors or their respective affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to, or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, such individuals will receive reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target businesses, performing business due diligence on suitable target businesses and business combinations as well as traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of
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prospective target businesses to examine their operations. There is no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by us; provided, however, that to the extent such expenses exceed the available proceeds not deposited in the trust account and the interest income earned on the amounts held in the trust account, such expenses would not be reimbursed by us unless we consummate an initial business combination.
After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, board, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of a stockholder meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation. In this event, such compensation will be publicly disclosed at the time of its determination in a Current Report on Form 8-K, as required by the SEC.
All ongoing and future transactions between us and any of our officers and directors or their respective affiliates will be on terms believed by us to be no less favorable to us than are available from unaffiliated third parties. Such transactions will require prior approval by our audit committee and a majority of our uninterested independent directors, in either case who had access, at our expense, to our attorneys or independent legal counsel. We will not enter into any such transaction unless our audit committee and a majority of our disinterested independent directors determine that the terms of such transaction are no less favorable to us than those that would be available to us with respect to such a transaction from unaffiliated third parties.
Our Code of Ethics requires us to avoid, wherever possible, all related party transactions that could result in actual or potential conflicts of interests, except under guidelines approved by the board of directors (or the audit committee). Related-party transactions are defined as transactions in which (1) the aggregate amount involved will or may be expected to exceed $120,000 in any calendar year, (2) we or any of our subsidiaries is a participant, and (3) any (a) executive officer, director or nominee for election as a director, (b) greater than 5% beneficial owner of our shares of common stock, or (c) immediate family member, of the persons referred to in clauses (a) and (b), has or will have a direct or indirect material interest (other than solely as a result of being a director or a less than 10% beneficial owner of another entity). A conflict of interest situation can arise when a person takes actions or has interests that may make it difficult to perform his or her work objectively and effectively. Conflicts of interest may also arise if a person, or a member of his or her family, receives improper personal benefits as a result of his or her position.
We also require each of our directors and executive officers to annually complete a directors and officers questionnaire that elicits information about related party transactions.
These procedures are intended to determine whether any such related party transaction impairs the independence of a director or presents a conflict of interest on the part of a director, employee or officer.
To further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate our initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our sponsors, officers or directors unless we have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm and the approval of a majority of our disinterested and independent directors (if we have any at that time) that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated stockholders from a financial point of view. Furthermore, in no event will any of our sponsors, officers, directors or their respective affiliates be paid any finders fee, consulting fee or other similar compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is).
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Upon consummation of this offering, our certificate of incorporation will authorize the issuance of 11,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001. As of the date of this prospectus, 1,150,000 shares of common stock are outstanding, held by ten stockholders of record. No shares of preferred stock are currently outstanding. The following description summarizes all of the material terms of our securities. Because it is only a summary, it may not contain all the information that is important to you. For a complete description you should refer to our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, which are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.
Our holders of record of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by stockholders. In connection with any vote held to approve our initial business combination, our sponsors, as well as all of our officers and directors, have agreed to vote their respective shares of common stock owned by them immediately prior to this offering, including both the insider shares and the private shares, and any shares acquired in this offering or following this offering in the open market, in favor of the proposed business combination.
We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination.
Our board of directors is divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the election of directors, with the result that the holders of more than 50% of the shares eligible to vote for the election of directors can elect all of the directors.
Pursuant to our certificate of incorporation, if we do not consummate our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering (or up to a total of 24 months if the period of time to complete our business combination has been extended by the full amount as described elsewhere in this prospectus), we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Our sponsors have agreed to waive their rights to share in any distribution with respect to their insider shares and private shares.
Our stockholders have no conversion, preemptive or other subscription rights and there are no sinking fund or redemption provisions applicable to the shares of common stock, except that public stockholders have the right to have their shares of common stock converted to cash equal to their pro rata share of the trust account if they vote on the proposed business combination and the business combination is completed. Additionally, if we were to seek to amend any provisions of our certificate of incorporation relating to stockholders rights or pre-business combination activity, dissenting public stockholders will have the right to convert their public shares to cash in connection with any such vote. In either of such events, converting stockholders would be paid their pro rata portion of the trust account promptly following consummation of the business combination or the approval of the amendment to the certificate of incorporation. If the business combination is not consummated or the amendment is not approved, stockholders will not be paid such amounts.
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There are no shares of preferred stock outstanding. Our certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock with such designation, rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by our board of directors. No shares of preferred stock are being issued or registered in this offering. Accordingly, our board of directors is empowered, without stockholder approval, to issue preferred stock with dividend, liquidation, conversion, voting or other rights which could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of common stock. However, the underwriting agreement prohibits us, prior to a business combination, from issuing preferred stock which participates in any manner in the proceeds of the trust account, or which votes as a class with the common stock on our initial business combination. We may issue some or all of the preferred stock to effect our initial business combination. In addition, the preferred stock could be utilized as a method of discouraging, delaying or preventing a change in control of us. Although we do not currently intend to issue any shares of preferred stock, we reserve the right to do so in the future.
No warrants are currently outstanding. Each public warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one-half of one share of common stock at a price of $12.50 per full share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing on the later of the completion of an initial business combination and 12 months from the date of this prospectus. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrantholder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of shares. This means that only an even number of warrants may be exercised at any given time by a warrantholder. However, no public warrants will be exercisable for cash unless we have an effective and current registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to such shares of common stock. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants is not effective within 90 days from 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 an available exemption from registration under the Securities Act. If an exemption from registration is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. The warrants will expire three years from the consummation of our initial business combination at 5:00 p.m., New York City time.
The private warrants will be identical to the public warrants underlying the units being offered by this prospectus except that such private warrants will be exercisable for cash (even if a registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants is not effective) or on a cashless basis, at the holders option, and will not be redeemable by us, in each case so long as they are still held by the initial purchasers or their affiliates.
We may call the warrants for redemption (excluding the private warrants but including any outstanding warrants issued upon exercise of the unit purchase option issued to EarlyBirdCapital and/or its designees), in whole and not in part, at a price of $.01 per warrant:
| at any time while the warrants are exercisable, |
| upon not less than 30 days prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder, |
| if, and only if, the reported last sale price of the common stock equals or exceeds $17.50 per share, for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading day period ending on the third business day prior to the notice of redemption to warrant holders, and |
| if, and only if, there is a current registration statement in effect with respect to the shares of common stock underlying such warrants at the time of redemption and for the entire 30-day trading period referred to above and continuing each day thereafter until the date of redemption. |
The right to exercise will be forfeited unless the warrants are exercised prior to the date specified in the notice of redemption. On and after the redemption date, a record holder of a warrant will have no further rights except to receive the redemption price for such holders warrant upon surrender of such warrant.
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The redemption criteria for our warrants have been established at a price which is intended to provide warrant holders a reasonable premium to the initial exercise price and provide a sufficient differential between the then-prevailing share price and the warrant exercise price so that if the share price declines as a result of our redemption call, the redemption will not cause the share price to drop below the exercise price of the warrants.
If we call the warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a cashless basis. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the fair market value (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The fair market value shall mean the average reported last sale price of the common stock 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 warrants. Whether we will exercise our option to require all holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis will depend on a variety of factors including the price of our common stock at the time the warrants are called for redemption, our cash needs at such time and concerns regarding dilutive share issuances.
The warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval, by written consent or vote, of the holders of a majority of the then outstanding warrants in order to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders.
The exercise price and number of shares of common stock issuable on exercise of the warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a share dividend, extraordinary dividend or our recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, the warrants will not be adjusted for issuances of common stock at a price below their respective exercise prices.
The warrants may be exercised upon surrender of the warrant certificate on or prior to the expiration date at the offices of the warrant agent, with the exercise form on the reverse side of the warrant certificate completed and executed as indicated, accompanied by full payment of the exercise price, by certified or official bank check payable to us, for the number of warrants being exercised. The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of common stock and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive shares of common stock. After the issuance of shares of common stock upon exercise of the warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by stockholders.
Except as described above, no public warrants will be exercisable and we will not be obligated to issue shares of common stock unless at the time a holder seeks to exercise such warrant, a prospectus relating to the shares common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is current and the shares of common stock have been registered or qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the holder of the warrants. Under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed to use our best efforts to meet these conditions and to maintain a current prospectus relating to the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration of the warrants. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to do so and, if we do not maintain a current prospectus relating to the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, holders will be unable to exercise their warrants and we will not be required to settle any such warrant exercise. If the prospectus relating to the shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the warrants is not current or if the common stock is not qualified or exempt from qualification in the jurisdictions in which the holders of the warrants reside, we will not be required to net cash settle or cash settle the warrant exercise, the warrants may have no value, the market for the warrants may be limited and the warrants may expire worthless.
Warrant holders may elect to be subject to a restriction on the exercise of their warrants such that an electing warrant holder would not be able to exercise their warrants to the extent that, after giving effect to such exercise, such holder would beneficially own in excess of 9.8% of the shares of common stock outstanding.
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No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the warrants. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round up or down to the nearest whole number the number of shares of common stock to be issued to the warrant holder.
Each holder of a right will receive one-tenth ( 1/10) of a share of common stock upon consummation of our initial business combination, even if the holder of such right converted all shares of common stock held by him, her or it in connection with the initial business combination or an amendment to our certificate of incorporation with respect to our pre-business combination activities. No additional consideration will be required to be paid by a holder of rights in order to receive his, her or its additional shares of common stock upon consummation of an initial business combination as the consideration related thereto has been included in the unit purchase price paid for by investors in this offering. The shares issuable upon exchange of the rights will be freely tradable (except to the extent held by affiliates of ours). If we enter into a definitive agreement for a business combination in which we will not be the surviving entity, the definitive agreement will provide for the holders of rights to receive the same per share consideration the holders of the common stock will receive in the transaction on an as-converted into common stock basis. Additionally, each holder of a right will be required to affirmatively convert his, her or its rights in order to receive the one tenth ( 1/10) of a share underlying each right (without paying any additional consideration) upon consummation of the business combination. More specifically, each holder will be required to indicate his, her or its election to convert the rights into underlying shares as well as to return the original rights certificates to us. If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the required time period and we liquidate the funds held in the trust account, holders of rights will not receive any of such funds with respect to their rights, nor will they receive any distribution from our assets held outside of the trust account with respect to such rights, and the rights will expire worthless. Further, there are no contractual penalties for failure to deliver securities to the holders of the rights upon consummation of an initial business combination. Additionally, in no event will we be required to net cash settle the rights. Accordingly, the rights may expire worthless.
We have agreed to sell to EarlyBirdCapital an option to purchase up to a total of 200,000 units at $11.00 per unit. The units issuable upon exercise of this option are identical to those offered by this prospectus. For a more complete description of the purchase option, see the section below entitled Underwriting Purchase Option.
We have not paid any cash dividends on our shares of common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. The payment of any dividends subsequent to our initial business combination will be within the discretion of our then board of directors. It is the present intention of our board of directors to retain all earnings, if any, for use in our business operations and, accordingly, our board does not anticipate declaring any dividends in the foreseeable future.
The transfer agent for our securities is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, 17 Battery Place, New York, New York 10004.
Our certificate of incorporation provides that our board of directors will be classified into three classes of directors of approximately equal size. As a result, in most circumstances, a person can gain control of our board only by successfully engaging in a proxy contest at two or more annual meetings.
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Our bylaws provide that special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by a majority vote of our board of directors, by our president or by our chairman or by our secretary at the request in writing of stockholders owning a majority of our issued and outstanding capital stock entitled to vote.
Our bylaws provide that stockholders seeking to bring business before our annual meeting of stockholders, or to nominate candidates for election as directors at our annual meeting of stockholders must provide timely notice of their intent in writing. To be timely, a stockholders notice will need to be delivered to our principal executive offices not later than the close of business on the 60th day nor earlier than the close of business on the 90th day prior to the scheduled date of the annual meeting of stockholders. In the event that less than 70 days notice or prior public disclosure of the date of the annual meeting of stockholders is given, a stockholders notice shall be timely if delivered to our principal executive offices not later than the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of our annual meeting of stockholders is first made or sent by us. Our bylaws also specify certain requirements as to the form and content of a stockholders meeting. These provisions may preclude our stockholders from bringing matters before our annual meeting of stockholders or from making nominations for directors at our annual meeting of stockholders.
Our authorized but unissued shares of common stock and preferred stock are available for future issuances without stockholder approval and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved shares of common stock and preferred stock could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.
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Immediately after this offering, we will have 5,295,000 shares of common stock outstanding, or 6,045,000 shares of common stock if the over-allotment option is exercised in full. Of these shares, the 4,000,000 shares of common stock sold in this offering, or 4,600,000 shares of common stock if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, 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 remaining shares are restricted securities under Rule 144, in that they were issued in private transactions not involving a public offering.
A person who has beneficially owned restricted shares of common stock or warrants for at least six months would be entitled to sell their shares 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. Persons who have beneficially owned restricted shares of common stock for at least six months but who are our affiliates at the time of, or 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 a number of shares that does not exceed the greater of either of the following:
| 1% of the number of shares then outstanding, which will equal 52,950 shares of common stock immediately after this offering (or 60,450 shares of common stock if the over-allotment option is exercised in full); and |
| the average weekly trading volume of the shares of common stock during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to the sale. |
Sales under Rule 144 are also limited by manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us.
Historically, the SEC staff had taken the position that Rule 144 is not available for the resale of securities initially issued by companies that are, or previously were, blank check companies, like us. The SEC has codified and expanded this position in the amendments discussed above by prohibiting the use of Rule 144 for resale of securities issued by any shell companies (other than business combination related shell companies) or any issuer that has been at any time previously a shell company. The SEC has provided an important exception to this prohibition, however, 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 Form 8-K reports; 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, it is likely that pursuant to Rule 144, our sponsors will be able to sell their insider shares and private units freely without registration one year after we have completed our initial business combination assuming they are not an affiliate of ours at that time.
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The holders of our insider shares issued and outstanding on the date of this prospectus, as well as the holders of the private units and any shares our sponsors, officers, directors or their affiliates may be issued in payment of working capital loans made to us, will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to an agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering. The holders of a majority of these securities are entitled to make up to two demands that we register such securities. Notwithstanding the foregoing, EarlyBirdCapital may only exercise such demand rights on one occasion. The holders of the majority of the insider shares can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time commencing three months prior to the date on which these shares of common stock are to be released from escrow. The holders of a majority of the private units or shares issued in payment of working capital loans made to us can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time commencing on the date that we consummate our initial business combination. In addition, the holders have certain piggy-back registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our consummation of our initial business combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
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We intend to offer our securities described in this prospectus through the underwriters named below. Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement, the underwriters, through their representative EarlyBirdCapital, have severally agreed to purchase from us on a firm commitment basis the following respective number of units at a public offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions set forth on the cover page of this prospectus:
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Underwriter | Number of Units |
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EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. | 3,450,000 | |||
Aegis Capital Corp | 400,000 | |||
I-Bankers Securities, Inc. | 150,000 | |||
Total | 4,000,000 |
A copy of the underwriting agreement has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
We expect our units, common stock, rights and warrants to be quoted on Nasdaq under the symbols BHACU, BHAC, BHACR, and BHACW, respectively. We anticipate that our units will be listed on Nasdaq on or promptly after the effective date of the registration statement. Following the date the shares of our common stock, rights and warrants are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that the shares of our common stock, rights and warrants will be listed separately and as a unit on Nasdaq. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq or that they will continue to be listed on Nasdaq after this offering.
We have been advised by the representative that the underwriters propose to offer the units to the public at the offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus. They may allow some dealers concessions not in excess of $0.16 per unit and the dealers may reallow a concession not in excess of $0.01 per unit to other dealers.
Prior to this offering there has been no public market for our securities. The public offering price of the units was negotiated between us and the representative of the underwriters. Factors considered in determining the prices and terms of the shares include:
| the history of other similarly structured blank check companies; |
| prior offerings of those companies; |
| our prospects for acquiring an operating business at attractive values; |
| our capital structure; |
| securities exchange listing requirements; |
| market demand; |
| expected liquidity of our securities; and |
| general conditions of the securities markets at the time of the offering. |
However, although these factors were considered, the determination of our offering price is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities for an operating company in a particular industry since the underwriters are unable to compare our financial results and prospects with those of public companies operating in the same industry.
We have granted the underwriters an option to buy up to 600,000 additional units. The underwriters may exercise this option solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments, if any, made in connection with this
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offering. The underwriters have 45 days from the date of this prospectus to exercise this option. If the underwriters exercise this option, they will each purchase additional units approximately in proportion to the amounts specified in the table above.
The following table shows the public offering price, underwriting discount to be paid by us to the underwriters and the proceeds, before expenses, to us. This information assumes either no exercise or full exercise by the representative of the underwriters of its over-allotment option.
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Per Unit | Without Over-allotment | With Over-allotment | ||||||||||
Public offering price | $ | 10.00 | $ | 40,000,000 | $ | 46,000,000 | ||||||
Discount | $ | 0.300 | $ | 1,200,000 | $ | 1,380,000 | ||||||
Proceeds before expenses(1) | $ | 9.700 | $ | 38,800,000 | $ | 44,620,000 |
(1) | The offering expenses are estimated at $450,000. |
No discounts or commissions will be paid on the sale of the private units.
We have engaged EarlyBirdCapital as an advisor in connection with our business combination to assist us in holding meetings with our stockholders to discuss the potential business combination and the target business attributes, introduce us to potential investors that are interested in purchasing our securities, assist us in obtaining stockholder approval for the business combination and assist us with our press releases and public filings in connection with the business combination. We will pay EarlyBirdCapital a cash fee for such services upon the consummation of our initial business combination in an amount equal to 4% of the total gross proceeds raised in the offering (exclusive of any applicable finders fees which might become payable) and we have the option to pay up to 25% of the 4% fee with our shares of common stock priced at $10.00 per share. To the extent we take advantage of this option and pay a portion of the fee in shares of common stock, such shares may not be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated by EarlyBirdCapital for 180 days following the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part except to any underwriter or selected dealer participating in the offering and the bona fide officers or partners of the underwriters and any such participating selected dealer pursuant to Rule 5110(g)(1) of the FINRA Manual. Additionally, pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110(g)(1), these shares will not be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the economic disposition of the securities by any person for a period of 180 days immediately following the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
EarlyBirdCapital has committed to purchase 10,000 private units for an aggregate purchase price of $100,000, or $10.00 per unit. The foregoing purchase will be made by EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. (and/or its designees) only if it is able to do so in accordance with Regulation M and Sections 9(a)(2) and 10(b) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. The private units are identical to the units being sold in this offering except the private warrants will be non-redeemable and may be exercised on a cashless basis, in each case so long as they continue to be held by the initial purchases or their permitted transferees. The private units and underlying shares of common stock and rights and warrants have been deemed compensation by FINRA and are therefore subject to a 180-day lock-up pursuant to Rule 5110(g)(1) of the FINRA Manual. Pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110(g)(1), these securities will not be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the economic disposition of the securities by any person for a period of 180 days immediately following the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Additionally, the private units purchased by EarlyBirdCapital may not be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated for a 180-day period following the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part except to any selected dealer participating in the offering and the bona fide officers or partners of the underwriter and any such participating selected dealer. EarlyBirdCapital has agreed that the private units it purchases will not be sold or transferred by it (except to certain permitted transferees)
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until after we have completed an initial business combination. We have granted the holders of private units, including EarlyBirdCapital, the registration rights as described under the section Shares Eligible for Future Sale Registration Rights. Additionally, notwithstanding anything to the contrary, EarlyBirdCapital has agreed that it and its designees will not be permitted to exercise any warrants underlying the private units after the five year anniversary of the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
We have agreed to sell to EarlyBirdCapital (and/or its designees), for $100, an option to purchase up to a total of 200,000 units exercisable at $11.00 per unit (or an aggregate exercise price of $2,200,000) commencing on the later of the consummation of a business combination and one year from the date of this prospectus. Since the option is not exercisable until at the earliest the consummation of a business combination, and the rights will automatically result in the offering of shares of common stock upon consummation of a business combination, the option will effectively represent the right to purchase 320,000 shares of common stock (which includes the 20,000 shares of common stock issuable for the rights and 100,000 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of 200,000 warrants included in the units at an exercise price of $12.50 per full share) for an aggregate of $3,450,000. The purchase option may be exercised for cash or on a cashless basis, at the holders option, and expires five years from the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. The option and the 200,000 units, as well as the shares of common stock, rights and warrants (and underlying shares of common stock) that may be issued upon exercise of the option, have been deemed compensation by FINRA and are therefore subject to a 180-day lock-up pursuant to Rule 5110(g)(1) of FINRAs NASD Conduct Rules. Pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110(g)(1), these securities will not be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the economic disposition of the securities by any person for a period of 180 days immediately following the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Additionally, the option may not be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated for a 180-day period following the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part except to any underwriter and selected dealer participating in the offering and their bona fide officers or partners. The option grants to holders demand and piggy back rights for periods of five and seven years, respectively, from the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part with respect to the registration under the Securities Act of the securities directly and indirectly issuable upon exercise of the option. We will bear all fees and expenses attendant to registering the securities, other than underwriting commissions which will be paid for by the holders themselves. The exercise price and number of units issuable upon exercise of the option may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a stock dividend, or our recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, the option will not be adjusted for issuances of common stock at a price below its exercise price.
Rules of the SEC may limit the ability of the underwriters to bid for or purchase our units before the distribution of the units is completed. However, the underwriters may engage in the following activities in accordance with the rules:
| Stabilizing Transactions. The underwriters may make bids or purchases solely for the purpose of preventing or retarding a decline in the price of our units, as long as stabilizing bids do not exceed the offering price of $10.00 and the underwriters comply with all other applicable rules. |
| Over-Allotments and Syndicate Coverage Transactions. The underwriters may create a short position in our units by selling more of our units than are set forth on the cover page of this prospectus up to the amount of the over-allotment option. This is known as a covered short position. The underwriters may also create a short position in our units by selling more of our units than are set forth on the cover page of this prospectus and the units allowed by the over-allotment option. This is known as a naked short position. If the underwriters create a short position during the offering, the representative may engage in syndicate covering transactions by purchasing our units in the open market. The representative may also elect to reduce any short position by exercising all or part of the over-allotment option. Determining what method to use in reducing the short position |
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depends on how the units trade in the aftermarket following the offering. If the unit price drops following the offering, the short position is usually covered with shares purchased by the underwriters in the aftermarket. However, the underwriters may cover a short position by exercising the over-allotment option even if the unit price drops following the offering. If the unit price rises after the offering, then the over-allotment option is used to cover the short position. If the short position is more than the over-allotment option, the naked short must be covered by purchases in the aftermarket, which could be at prices above the offering price. |
| Penalty Bids. The representative may 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. |
Stabilization and syndicate covering transactions may cause the price of our securities to be higher than they would be in the absence of these transactions. The imposition of a penalty bid might also have an effect on the prices of our securities if it discourages resales of our securities.
Neither we nor the underwriters make any representation or prediction as to the effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of our securities. These transactions may occur on Nasdaq, in the over-the-counter market or on any trading market. If any of these transactions are commenced, they may be discontinued without notice at any time.
We are obligated to reimburse the underwriters for (i) filing fees, costs and expenses, including fees and disbursements of underwriters counsel of up to $15,000, incurred in registering the offering with FINRA; and (ii) the costs of an investigate search firm to conduct background checks on our principals, up to $2,500 per individual for United States residents and $3,000 per individual for residents of other countries, up to a maximum aggregate of $18,000.
Additionally, except as set forth above, we are not under any contractual obligation to engage any of the underwriters to provide any services for us after this offering, and have no present intent to do so. However, any of the underwriters may, among other things, introduce us to potential target businesses or assist us in raising additional capital, as needs may arise in the future. If any 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 arms 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 which is 90 days after the date of this prospectus, unless FINRA determines that such payment would not be deemed underwriters compensation in connection with this offering.
We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against some liabilities, including civil liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make in this respect.
We intend to distribute our securities in the Province of Ontario, Canada (the Canadian Offering Jurisdiction) by way of a private placement and exempt from the requirement that we prepare and file a prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in such Canadian Offering Jurisdiction. Any resale of our securities in Canada must be made under applicable securities laws that will vary 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. Canadian resale restrictions in some circumstances may apply to resales of interests made outside of Canada. Canadian purchasers are advised to seek legal advice prior to any resale of our securities. We may never be a reporting issuer, as such term is defined under applicable Canadian securities legislation, in any province or territory of Canada in which our securities will be offered and there currently is no public market for any of the
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securities in Canada, and one may never develop. Canadian investors are advised that we have no intention to file a prospectus or similar document with any securities regulatory authority in Canada qualifying the resale of the securities to the public in any province or territory in Canada.
A Canadian purchaser will be required to represent to us and the dealer from whom the purchase confirmation is received that:
| the purchaser is entitled under applicable provincial securities laws to purchase our securities without the benefit of a prospectus qualified under those securities laws; |
| where required by law, that the purchaser is purchasing as principal and not as agent; |
| the purchaser has reviewed the text above under Resale Restrictions; and |
| the purchaser acknowledges and consents to the provision of specified information concerning its purchase of our securities to the regulatory authority that by law is entitled to collect the information. |
Under Ontario securities legislation, certain purchasers who purchase a security offered by this prospectus during the period of distribution will have a statutory right of action for damages, or while still the owner of our securities, for rescission against us in the event that this prospectus contains a misrepresentation without regard to whether the purchaser relied on the misrepresentation. The right of action for damages is exercisable not later than the earlier of 180 days from the date the purchaser first had knowledge of the facts giving rise to the cause of action and three years from the date on which payment is made for our securities. The right of action for rescission is exercisable not later than 180 days from the date on which payment is made for our securities. If a purchaser elects to exercise the right of action for rescission, the purchaser will have no right of action for damages against us. In no case will the amount recoverable in any action exceed the price at which our securities were offered to the purchaser and if the purchaser is shown to have purchased the securities with knowledge of the misrepresentation, we will have no liability. In the case of an action for damages, we will not be liable for all or any portion of the damages that are proven to not represent the depreciation in value of our securities as a result of the misrepresentation relied upon. These rights are in addition to, and without derogation from, any other rights or remedies available at law to an Ontario purchaser. The foregoing is a summary of the rights available to an Ontario purchaser. Ontario purchasers should refer to the complete text of the relevant statutory provisions.
All of our directors and officers as well as the experts named herein are 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 of our assets and the assets of those persons are 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.
If a Canadian purchaser is resident in or otherwise subject to the securities laws of the Province of Ontario, the Purchaser authorizes the indirect collection of personal information pertaining to the Canadian purchaser by the Ontario Securities Commission (the OSC) and each Canadian purchaser will be required to acknowledge and agree that the Canadian purchaser has been notified by us (i) of the delivery to the OSC of personal information pertaining to the Canadian purchaser, including, without limitation, the full name, residential address and telephone number of the Canadian purchaser, the number and type of securities purchased and the total purchase price paid in respect of the securities, (ii) that this information is being collected indirectly by the OSC under the authority granted to it in securities legislation, (iii) that this information is being collected for the purposes of the administration and enforcement of the securities legislation of Ontario, and (iv) that the title, business address and business telephone number of the public official in Ontario who can answer questions about the OSCs indirect collection of the information is the
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Administrative Assistant to the Director of Corporate Finance, the Ontario Securities Commission, Suite 1903, Box 5520, Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 3S8, Telephone: (416) 593-8086, Facsimile: (416) 593-8252.
Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP, New York, New York, is acting as our counsel in connection with the registration of our securities under the Securities Act of 1933, and as such, will pass upon the validity of the securities offered in this offering. Graubard Miller, New York, New York, is acting as counsel to the underwriters.
The financial statements of Barington/Hilco Acquisition Corp. as of October 22, 2014 and for the period from July 24, 2014 (inception) through October 22, 2014 appearing in this prospectus have been audited by Marcum LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report, thereon (which contains an explanatory paragraph relating to substantial doubt about the ability of Barington/Hilco Acquisition Corp. to continue as a going concern as described in Note 1 to the financial statements), appearing elsewhere in this prospectus, and are included in reliance on such report given on the authority of such firm as an experts in auditing and accounting.
We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act with respect to the units we are offering by this prospectus. This prospectus does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. For further information about us and our securities, you should refer to the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed with the registration statement. Whenever we make reference in this prospectus to any of our contracts, agreements or other documents, the references are materially complete but may not include a description of all aspects of such contracts, agreements or other documents, and you should refer to the exhibits attached to the registration statement for copies of the actual contract, agreement or other document.
Upon completion of this offering, we will be subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act and will file annual, quarterly and current event reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You can read our SEC filings, including the registration statement, over the Internet at the SECs website at www.sec.gov. You may also read and copy any document we file with the SEC at its public reference facility at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549.
You may also obtain copies of the documents at prescribed rates by writing to the Public Reference Section of the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the operation of the public reference facilities.
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F-1
To the Board of Directors and Stockholders
of Barington/Hilco Acquisition Corp.
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Barington/Hilco Acquisition Corp. (the Company) as of October 22, 2014 and the related statements of operations, changes in stockholders equity, and cash flows for the period from July 24, 2014 (inception) through October 22, 2014. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Companys management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audit.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. Our audit included consideration of internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Companys internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Barington/Hilco Acquisition Corp. as of October 22, 2014, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from July 24, 2014 (inception) through October 22, 2014 in conformity with United States generally accepted accounting principles.
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company has no present revenue, its business plan is dependent on the completion of a financing and the Companys cash and working capital as of October 22, 2014 are not sufficient to complete its planned activities for the upcoming year. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Companys ability to continue as a going concern. Managements plans regarding these matters are also described in Notes 1 and 3. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
/s/ Marcum LLP
Marcum LLP
New York, NY
November 13, 2014
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ASSETS |
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Current asset cash and cash equivalents | $ | 115,000 | ||
Deferred offering costs | 30,000 | |||
Total Assets | $ | 145,000 | ||
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY |
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Current Liabilities |
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Accrued formation and offering costs | $ | 504 | ||
Promissory notes related parties | 120,000 | |||
Total Liabilities | 120,504 | |||
Commitments and Contingencies |
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Stockholders' Equity |
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Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 authorized, none issued and outstanding | | |||
Common stock, $0.0001 par value; 8,500,000 shares authorized; 1,150,000 shares issued and outstanding(1) | 115 | |||
Additional paid-in capital | 24,885 | |||
Accumulated deficit | (504 | ) | ||
Total Stockholders' Equity | 24,496 | |||
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY | $ | 145,000 |
(1) | Includes an aggregate of 150,000 shares held by the initial stockholders that are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters over-allotment is not exercised in full (Note 6). |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
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Formation and operating costs | $ | 504 | ||
Net Loss | $ | (504) | ||
Weighted average shares outstanding, basic and diluted(1) | $ | 1,000,000 | ||
Basic and diluted net loss per common share | $ | (0.00) |
(1) | Excludes an aggregate of 150,000 shares held by the initial stockholders that are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters over-allotment is not exercised in full (Note 6). |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
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Common Stock(1) | Additional Paid-in Capital |
Accumulated Deficit |
Total Stockholders' Equity |
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Shares | Amount | |||||||||||||||||||
Balance July 24, 2014 (Inception) | | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | |||||||||||
Issuance of common stock | 1,150,000 | 115 | 24,885 | | 25,000 | |||||||||||||||
Net loss | | | | (504 | ) | (504 | ) | |||||||||||||
Balance October 22, 2014 | 1,150,000 | $ | 115 | $ | 24,885 | $ | (504) | $ | 24,496 |
(1) | Includes an aggregate of 150,000 shares held by the initial stockholders that are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters over-allotment is not exercised in full (Note 6). |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
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Cash Flows from Operating Activities: |
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Net loss | $ | (504 | ) | |
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: |
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Changes in operating assets and liabilities: |
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Accrued formation and offering costs | 504 | |||
Net cash used in operating activities | | |||
Cash Flows from Financing Activities: |
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Proceeds from issuance of common stock to sponsors | 25,000 | |||
Payment of offering costs | (30,000 | ) | ||
Proceeds from promissory notes related parties | 120,000 | |||
Net cash provided by financing activities | 115,000 | |||
Net Change in Cash and Cash Equivalents | 115,000 | |||
Cash and Cash Equivalents Beginning | | |||
Cash and Cash Equivalents Ending | $ | 115,000 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F-6
Barington/Hilco Acquisition Corp. (the Company) is a newly organized blank check company incorporated in Delaware on July 24, 2014. The Company was formed for the purpose of acquiring, through a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization, recapitalization or other similar business transaction, one or more operating businesses or assets that we have not yet identified (Business Combination).
At October 22, 2014, the Company had not yet commenced any operations. All activity through October 22, 2014 relates to the Companys formation and the Initial Public Offering described below. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.
The Companys ability to commence operations is contingent upon obtaining adequate financial resources through a proposed initial public offering of 4,000,000 units at $10.00 per unit (or 4,600,000 units if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full) (Units) which is discussed in Note 3 (Proposed Offering) and the sale of 295,000 Units (Private Units) at a price of $10.00 per Unit in a private placement to the Companys sponsors and EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. (and/or their designees) (EBC) that will close simultaneously with the Proposed Offering. The Companys management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of its Proposed Offering and Private Units, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to successfully effect a Business Combination. Upon the closing of the Proposed Offering, management has agreed that at least $10.20 per Unit sold in the Proposed Offering (or approximately $10.13 per Unit if the over-allotment is exercised in full and the Company has not elected to extend the time available to complete a business combination), including the proceeds of the Private Units, will be held in a trust account (Trust Account) and invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act), with a maturity of 180 days or less or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund selected by the Company meeting the conditions of paragraphs (c)(2), (c)(3) and (c)(4) of Rule 2a-7 of the 1940 Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the consummation of a Business Combination or (ii) the distribution of the Trust Account as described below.
The Company, after signing a definitive agreement for the acquisition of one or more target businesses or assets, will seek stockholder approval of a Business Combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which stockholders may seek to convert their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against a Business Combination. In the event that the Company is required to seek stockholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the Company will proceed with a Business Combination only if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and a majority of the outstanding shares that are voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination. As a result, if stockholders owning approximately 89.0% (or approximately 90.4% if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) or more of the shares of common stock sold in the Proposed Offering exercise their conversion rights, the Business Combination will not be consummated. In connection with such a vote, the Company will provide its stockholders with the opportunity to convert their shares of common stock upon the consummation of a Business Combination for a pro-rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (initially $10.20 per share or approximately $10.13 per share if the over-allotment is exercised in full and the Company has not elected to extend the time available to complete a business combination, plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company or necessary to pay its taxes). These shares of common stock will be recorded at a redemption value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Proposed Offering, in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 480 Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity. The Companys sponsors, officers and directors have agreed, in the event the Company is required to seek stockholder approval of its Business Combination, to vote their insider shares, their shares underlying the Private Units and any public shares held, in favor of approving a Business Combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a group (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act), will be restricted
F-7
from seeking conversion rights with respect to 15% or more of the shares of common stock sold in the Proposed Offering without the Companys prior written consent.
The Company has until 18 months from the closing of the Proposed Offering to complete a Business Combination. However, if the Company anticipates that it may not be able to consummate a Business Combination within 18 months, the Company may extend the period of time to consummate a Business Combination up to two times, each by an additional three months (for a total of up to 24 months to complete a Business Combination) (Combination Period). In order to extend the time available for the Company to consummate a Business Combination, the initial stockholders or their affiliates or designees must deposit into the Trust Account $100,000 prior to the applicable deadline for each three month extension. The Companys initial stockholders and their affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the Trust Account to extend the time for the Company to complete its Business Combination. If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purposes of winding up of its affairs; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares which redemption will completely extinguish such holders rights as stockholders, including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any; and (iii) as promptly as possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Companys remaining holders of common stock and the Companys board of directors, dissolve and liquidate the balance of its net assets to its remaining stockholders, as part of the Companys plan of dissolution and liquidation. The Company will pay the costs of any subsequent liquidation from its remaining assets outside of the Trust Account. If such funds are insufficient, certain of the Companys sponsors have agreed to pay the funds necessary to complete such liquidation (in an amount not to exceed $15,000) and have agreed not to seek repayment for such expenses.
In connection with the redemption of 100% of the Companys outstanding public shares for a portion of the funds held in the Trust Account, each holder will receive a full pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account, plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company for its working capital requirements or necessary to pay the Companys taxes payable. Holders of rights will receive no proceeds in connection with the liquidation with respect to such rights, which will expire worthless.
The initial stockholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to the insider shares (as defined in Note 5) and the shares underlying the Private Units (i) in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination, (ii) if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination within the Combination Period, and (iii) upon the Companys liquidation upon the expiration of the Combination Period. However, if the Companys initial stockholders should acquire public shares in or after the Proposed Offering, they will be entitled to redemption rights with respect to such public shares if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination within the required time period. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the residual assets remaining available for distribution (including Trust Account assets) will be less than the initial Proposed Offering price per Unit in the Proposed Offering ($10.20 per share or approximately $10.13 per share if the over-allotment is exercised in full and the Company has not elected to extend the time available to complete a business combinaton).
At October 22, 2014, the Company had $115,000 in cash and a working capital deficit of $5,504. 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 Companys ability to continue as a going concern. Management plans to address this uncertainty through a Proposed Offering as discussed in Note 3. There is no assurance that the Companys plans to raise capital or to consummate a Business Combination will be successful or successful within the target business acquisition period. Certain of the Companys sponsors have entered into promissory notes to loan the Company up to an aggregate amount not to exceed $125,000 to be used, in part, for transaction costs incurred in connection with the Proposed Offering. Such promissory notes are anticipated to be
F-8
repaid upon the successful completion of the Proposed Offering (see Note 5). In addition, the Companys sponsors, officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion, to meet the Companys working capital needs. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The promissory notes would either be paid upon consummation of the Proposed Offering, without interest, or, at the lenders discretion, up to $500,000 of the notes may be converted upon consummation of a Business Combination into additional Private Units at a price of $10.00 per Unit. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
The accompanying financial statements are presented in U.S. dollars in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
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. 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.
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 as of October 22, 2014.
The Company complies with accounting and disclosure requirements of ASC Topic 260, Earnings Per Share. Net loss per share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of common stock outstanding during the period, excluding shares of common stock subject to forfeiture by certain of our initial stockholders. Weighted average shares were reduced for the effect of an aggregate of 150,000 shares of common stock that are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters (see Note 7). At October 22, 2014, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into common stock 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 periods presented.
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentration of credit risk consist of cash accounts in a financial institution which, at times may exceed the Federal depository insurance coverage of $250,000. At October 22, 2014, the Company had not experienced losses on these accounts and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such accounts.
F-9
The fair value of the Companys assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, approximates the carrying amounts represented in the accompanying balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and 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 our estimates.
Deferred offering costs consist of legal, accounting, underwriting fees and other costs incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the Proposed Offering and that will be charged to stockholders equity upon the completion of the Proposed Offering. Should the Proposed Offering prove to be unsuccessful, these deferred costs, as well as additional expenses to be incurred, will be charged to operations.
The Company complies with the accounting and reporting requirements of ASC Topic 740, Income Taxes, which requires an asset and liability approach to financial accounting and reporting for income taxes. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are computed for differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities that will result in future taxable or deductible amounts, based on enacted tax laws and rates applicable to the periods in which the differences are expected to affect taxable income. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.
ASC Topic 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. There were no unrecognized tax benefits as of October 22, 2014. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position. The Company is subject to income tax examinations by U.S. federal and state taxing authorities since inception.
Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting pronouncements, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Companys financial statements.
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date up to November 7, 2014, the date that the financial statements were available for issuance for potential recognition or disclosure. Any material events that occur between the balance sheet date and the date that the
F-10
financial statements were available for issuance are disclosed as subsequent events, while the financial statements are adjusted to reflect any conditions that existed at the balance sheet date. Based upon this review, the Company did not identify any recognized or non-recognized subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.
Pursuant to the Proposed Offering, the Company will offer for sale up to 4,000,000 Units (or 4,600,000 Units if the underwriters overallotment option is exercised in full) at a purchase price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit will consist of one share of the Companys common stock, $0.0001 par value, one right and one redeemable common stock purchase warrant. Each right will convert into one-tenth ( 1/10) of one share of common stock upon consummation of a Business Combination. No additional consideration will be required to be paid by a holder of rights in order to receive their additional shares of common stock upon consummation of a Business Combination as the consideration thereto has been included in the unit purchase price paid for by the investors in the Proposed Offering (see Note 7). Each warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one-half share of common stock at an exercise price of $12.50 per whole share. Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares of common stock. No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the warrants. The warrants will become exercisable on the later of (a) the consummation of a Business Combination and (b) 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Offering. No warrants will be exercisable for cash unless the Company has an effective and current registration statement covering the common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to such shares of common stock. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the public warrants is not effective within 90 days from the consummation of the Business Combination, the holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to an available exemption from registration under the Securities Act. If an exemption from registration is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. The warrants will expire three years after the consummation of a Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. The warrants will be redeemable by the Company at a price of $0.01 per warrant upon 30 days prior written notice after the warrants become exercisable, only in the event that the last sale price of the common stock equals or exceeds $17.50 per share for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which notice of redemption is given.
If the Company calls the warrants for redemption, management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a cashless basis. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the fair market value (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The fair market value shall mean the average reported last sale price of the common stock 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 warrants.
The Companys sponsors and EBC (and/or their designees) have committed to purchase 295,000 Private Units (285,000 Units by the Companys sponsors and 10,000 Units by EBC) at a price of $10.00 per Unit ($2,950,000 in the aggregate) from the Company in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of the Proposed Offering. The proceeds from the Private Units will be held in the Trust Account. The Private Units are identical to the Units sold in the Proposed Offering, except the private warrants (Private Warrants) will be exercisable for cash (even if a registration statement covering the common stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants is not effective) or on a cashless basis, at the holders option, and are
F-11
not redeemable by the Company, in each case so long as they are still held by the initial stockholders or their permitted transferees. However, the holders have agreed (a) to vote their private shares in favor of a Business Combination, (b) not to propose, or vote in favor of, an amendment to the Companys amended and restated certificate of incorporation with respect to the Companys pre-Business Combination activities prior to the consummation of such Business Combination, unless the Company provides dissenting stockholders with the opportunity to convert their public shares in connection with any such vote, (c) not to convert any shares (including the insider shares) into the right to receive cash from the Trust Account in connection with a stockholder vote to approve the Companys proposed Business Combination or a vote to amend the provisions of the Companys amended and restated certificate of incorporation relating to stockholders rights or pre-Business Combination activity and (d) that the private shares shall not participate in any liquidating distribution upon winding up if a Business Combination is not consummated. Additionally, the holders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Private Units or underlying securities (except to certain permitted transferees and provided the transferees agree to the same terms and restrictions as the permitted transferees of the insider shares must agree to) until the completion of the Business Combination. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination, the Private Warrants and the Private Rights will expire worthless.
In September 2014, the Company issued 1,150,000 shares of common stock to its sponsors (the insider shares) for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. The 1,150,000 insider shares include an aggregate of up to 150,000 shares subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters over-allotment is not exercised in full or in part, so that the Companys sponsors will collectively own 20% of the Companys issued and outstanding shares after the Proposed Offering (excluding the shares underlying the Private Units). The insider shares are identical to the shares of common stock included in the Units being sold in the Proposed Offering. However, the sponsors have agreed (a) to vote their insider shares and any public shares acquired in or after the Proposed Offering in favor of a Business Combination, (b) not to propose, or vote in favor of, an amendment to the Companys amended and restated certificate of incorporation with respect to the Companys pre-Business Combination activities prior to the consummation of such Business Combination, unless the Company provides dissenting stockholders with the opportunity to convert their public shares in connection with any such vote, (c) not to convert any shares (including the insider shares) into the right to receive cash from the Trust Account in connection with a stockholder vote to approve the Companys proposed Business Combination or a vote to amend the provisions of the Companys amended and restated certificate of incorporation relating to stockholders rights or pre-Business Combination activity and (d) that such shares shall not participate in any liquidating distribution upon winding up if a Business Combination is not consummated. Additionally, the sponsors have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Private Units or underlying securities (except to certain permitted transferees) until, with respect to 50% of the insider shares, the date of the consummation of a Business Combination and the date on which the closing price of the Companys common stock exceeds $12.50 per share for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period following the consummation of a Business Combination and, with respect to the remaining 50% of the insider shares, one year after the date of the consummation of a Business Combination, or earlier in each case if, subsequent to a Business Combination, the Company consummates a subsequent liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of the Companys stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.
Barington Capital Group, L. P., an affiliate of James A. Mitarotonda, the Companys Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, has agreed that, commencing on the date of the Proposed Offering through the earlier of the Companys consummation of a Business Combination or its liquidation, it will make
F-12
available to the Company certain general and administrative services, including office space, utilities and administrative support, as the Company may require from time to time. The Company has agreed to pay Barington Capital Group, L. P. $7,500 per month for these services.
The Company has entered into promissory notes with affiliates of certain of its sponsors, whereby the affiliates, Barington Capital Group, L.P. and Hilco Global, agreed to loan the Company up to an aggregate amount not to exceed $120,000 (Promissory Notes) to be used for the payment of expenses related to the Proposed Offering. The Promissory Notes are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due on the earlier of (i) September 29, 2015, (ii) the date on which the Company consummates its Proposed Offering or (iii) the date on which the Company determines to not proceed with the Proposed Offering. As of October 22, 2014, the affiliates loaned the Company an aggregate of $120,000 under these Promissory Notes. The Company intends to repay the Promissory Notes from the proceeds of the Proposed Offering not being placed in the Trust Account.
In order to meet the Companys working capital needs following the consummation of the Proposed Offering, the Companys sponsors, officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes either would be paid upon consummation of the Proposed Offering, without interest, or, at the lenders discretion, up to $500,000 of the notes may be converted upon consummation of a Business Combination into additional Private Units at a price of $10.00 per Unit.
Pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be entered into on or prior to the closing of the Proposed Offering, the holders of the insider shares issued and outstanding on the date of the Registration Statement, as well as the holders of the Private Units (and underlying securities) and any shares the Companys sponsors, officers, directors or their affiliates may be issued in payment of working capital loans made to the Company, will be entitled to registration rights. The holders of a majority of these securities are entitled to make up to two demands that the Company register such securities. The holders of a majority of the insider shares can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time commencing three months prior to the date on which these shares of common stock are to be released from escrow. The holders of a majority of the Private Units or shares issued in payment of working capital loans made to the Company can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time after the Company consummates a Business Combination. In addition, the holders have certain piggy-back registration rights with respect to the registration statements filed subsequent to the consummation of a Business Combination. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
The Company expects to grant the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to 600,000 additional Units to cover the over-allotment at the Proposed Offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions.
The underwriters will be entitled to an underwriting discount of 3.0%, payable in cash at the closing of the Proposed Offering. No discounts or commissions will be paid on the sale of the Private Units.
F-13
The Company has engaged EBC as an advisor in connection with the Companys Business Combination to assist the Company in holding meetings with its stockholders to discuss the potential Business Combination and the target business attributes, introduce the Company to potential investors that are interested in purchasing the Companys securities, assist the Company in obtaining stockholder approval for the Business Combination and assist the Company with its press releases and public filings in connection with the Business Combination. The Company will pay EBC a cash fee for such services upon consummation of the Business Combination in an amount equal to 4% of the total gross proceeds raised in the Proposed Offering (exclusive of any applicable finders fee which might become payable) and the Company has the option to pay up to 25% of the 4% fee with shares of the Companys common stock priced at $10.00 per share.
The Company has agreed to sell EBC (and/or its designees), for $100, an option to purchase up to a total of 200,000 Units exercisable at $11.00 per Unit (or an aggregate exercise price of $2,200,000) commencing on the later of the consummation of a Business Combination and one year from the date of the Companys Registration Statement. The unit purchase option may be exercised for cash or on a cashless basis, at the holders option, and expires five years from the effective date of the Registration Statement. The Units issuable upon exercise of this option are identical to those offered in the Proposed Offering. The Company intends to account for the unit purchase option, inclusive of the receipt of $100 cash payment, as an expense of the Proposed Offering resulting in a charge directly to stockholders equity. The Company estimates that the fair value of this unit purchase option is approximately $593,229 (or $2.97 per Unit) using a Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The fair value of the unit purchase option to be granted to the underwriter is estimated as of the date of grant using the following assumptions: (1) expected volatility of 35%, (2) risk-free interest rate of 1.46% and (3) expected life of five years. The option and the 200,000 Units, as well as the 220,000 shares of common stock that may be issued upon exercise of the option, have been deemed compensation by FINRA and are therefore subject to a 180-day lock-up pursuant to Rule 5110(g)(1) of FINRAs NASDAQ Conduct Rules. Additionally, the option may not be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated for a one-year period (including the foregoing 180-day period) following the date of Proposed Offering except to any underwriter and selected dealer participating in the Proposed Offering and their bona fide officers or partners. The option grants to holders demand and piggy back rights for periods of five and seven years, respectively, from the effective date of the registration statement with respect to the registration under the Securities Act of the securities directly and indirectly issuable upon exercise of the option. The Company will bear all fees and expenses attendant to registering the securities, other than underwriting commissions which will be paid for by the holders themselves. The exercise price and number of units issuable upon exercise of the option may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a stock dividend, or our recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, the option will not be adjusted for issuances of common stock at a price below its exercise price.
Preferred Stock The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share in one or more series. The Companys 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. At October 22, 2014, there are no shares of preferred stock issued or outstanding.
Common Stock The Company is authorized to issue 8,500,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. The Company expects to amend and restate its certificate of incorporation to increase the number of shares of common stock authorized from 8,500,000 to 11,000,000 prior to the closing of the Proposed Offering. Holders of the Companys common stock are entitled to one vote for each common share. At October 22, 2014, there were 1,150,000 shares of common stock issued and outstanding, of which
F-14
150,000 shares are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part, so that the Companys sponsors will own 20% of the issued and outstanding shares after the Proposed Offering (excluding the sale of the Private Units and assuming the sponsors do not purchaser any Units in the Proposed Offering).
Rights Each holder of a right will receive one-tenth ( 1/10) of one share of common stock upon consummation of a Business Combination, even if the holder of such right converted all shares of common stock held by him, her or it in connection with the Business Combination or an amendment to the Companys amended and restated certificate of incorporation with respect to the Companys pre-Business Combination activities. No additional consideration will be required to be paid by a holder of rights in order to receive his, her or its additional shares of common stock upon consummation of a Business Combination as the consideration related thereto has been included in the unit purchase price paid for by investors in the Proposed Offering. The shares issuable upon exchange of the rights will be freely tradable (except to the extent held by affiliates of the Company). If the Company enters into a definitive agreement for a Business Combination in which the Company will not be the surviving entity, the definitive agreement will provide for the holders of rights to receive the same per share consideration the holders of the common stock will receive in the transaction on an as-converted into common stock basis. If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the required time period and the Company liquidates the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of rights will not receive any of such funds with respect to their rights, nor will they receive any distribution from the Companys assets held outside of the Trust Account with respect to such rights, and the rights will expire worthless. Further, there are no contractual penalties for failure to deliver securities to the holders of the rights upon consummation of a Business Combination. Additionally, in no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the rights. Accordingly, the rights may expire worthless.
F-15
Until March 2, 2015, all dealers that effect transactions in these securities, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.
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.
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Aegis Capital Corp | I-Bankers Securities, Inc. |
February 5, 2015